I’m a Doctor Strange main in Marvel Rivals. He’s easily one of the most versatile tanks in the game, with a huge Reinhardt-style shield, mid-range magical flurries, and the ability to make a quick getaway with his levitation skill. But Strange also has the portal, which is by far the best part of his kit and one of the most technically impressive aspects of the entire superhero shooter. Turns out they were a bit of a nightmare for NetEase Games to implement, but I’m glad the team did.
Doctor Strange’s portals don’t last long (a measly 20 seconds), but using them right can easily change the tide of battle. When I’m attacking on Klyntar I’ll almost always set them up behind the push point to flank the enemy team, or use both to block spawn doors and buy my squad some time. They’re an incredibly flexible tool in Marvel Rivals, but that meant they were difficult to design.
You’ve got to remember that Marvel Rivals is a tense 6v6 multiplayer game, and any player on either team can pass through Strange’s portals while they’re active. Not only that, but bullets, projectiles, and even a plethora of ults can utilize them as well, meaning they need to work flawlessly every single time. While a similar-looking technology was used by Valve for its titular Portal, Marvel Rivals has many more factors at play.
That’s why the portals in Strange’s kit “proved particularly challenging from a technical perspective,” according to Marvel Rivals lead technical designer Ruan Weikang in an interview with Unreal Engine. “The logical implementation required handling of character and ability effect transitions through portals,” Weikang says. “When objects traverse portals, the system generates appropriate model and effect duplicates while managing proper occlusion for portal intersections.
“While balancing portal functionality with performance requirements presented significant challenges, the end result successfully captures the essence of Doctor Strange’s iconic abilities while adding meaningful tactical depth to gameplay, ultimately justifying the technical investment,” Weikang adds.
NetEase Games clearly put a lot of work into Doctor Strange’s portals, and it’s definitely paid off. The tactical possibilities are almost endless, but my advice is to always make sure you account for that staggering three-minute cooldown between uses.
Make sure you check out all the latest Marvel Rivals codes for some free goodies, and our Marvel Rivals tier list for Season 1.
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