Enough with the red screen.

[Reyalsfeihc]

I have to say, i like how original Halo and Borderlands handle this matter - a regenerating energy shield, but if it goes down and you lose bits of your health, you have to search for a health pack. Best of both world.

While a health bar is pointless in a game with regenerating health, I really, really hate the red/grey screen of impending death. Not even because it makes it hard to see. Just because it annoys me. I'd rather have an indicator on the inventory screen (Like old SH games' heart monitor type thing)...

Hey, that gives me an idea. What if instead of Jelly-Splatter-Of-Doom, there was a sizable indicator that gradually turns from green color to red as you get injured and then back as you regenerate health?

Like what do you mean exactly? An example would be nice. Any indicator would work to be honest, the big HOSHIT YOUR SCREEN IS NOW RED is just annoying and distracting, that's the major problem the OP and others are making. Hell you could even just make your character glow green or something then red, then lose the glow when they're about to die and that would probably work as well as a health bar (though maybe not as much given how much chaos tends to go around a player character in an action game or something).

I think the full body health indicator they tuck in a corner of the HUD in some games is pretty effective.

 

[Exort]

I want Health Bar!!!! Enough with red screens.

 

[Kollega]

Like what do you mean exactly? An example would be nice. Any indicator would work to be honest, the big HOSHIT YOUR SCREEN IS NOW RED is just annoying and distracting, that's the major problem the OP and others are making. Hell you could even just make your character glow green or something then red, then lose the glow when they're about to die and that would probably work as well as a health bar (though maybe not as much given how much chaos tends to go around a player character in an action game or something).

I was thinking of an FPS version: have a big, maybe semi-transparent block of green color that gradually goes down to red if you get injured next to your ammo count or something. Or if we're talking about a TPS, one could stick it on a character's back like in the aforementioned Dead Space.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Well I really don't mind the red screen, just shows you it's time to take cover.
But I do hate those that are silly, like the CoD jelly squirt, are you dieing or are they throwing food at you...

I really do miss the health bar days, you actually needed to avoid getting hurt, now you just go sit in a corner and suck on your thumb for a moment.

 

[Shadow-Phoenix]

Thinking back to the Red screen crap i hate it when playing Red Dead Redemption on any mode when you get shot one or twice and next thing you know your screen goes a dark unseeable red and then the Ai or human manages a lucky and 100% precise killing shot preventing you from most if any hopes of regen health.

 

[elricik]

I like the black and white effect from left 4 dead, and the heartbeats. It impairs slightly but damn it makes you nervous.

I like how Left 4 Dead implements the health bar, as well as slight screen effects.

On a side note, is your avatar the thing from that game "Ski Freak"?

 

[Raptorace18]

Regenerating health is seriously fucked. At least Halo and Resistance ATTEMPTED to justify why the main character could regenerate his health after being caught in the blast of an anti tank missile but what exactly is Roach's/Soap's/Demetri's/Miller's excuse?

 

[DustyDrB]

I was thinking about this yesterday. Health regeneration used to be a special kind of power-up you'd work your butt off to get in a game. Now it's a basic starting element in most first-person shooters. It takes the specialness out of it.

...and it makes it seem like American and British forces have Deadpool clones fighting for them. Minus the fun banter.

 

[Korolev]

Neither Health Bars or "Red Screens" are realistic. I don't like health bars, but some "red screens" are horribly bad - MW2 (great game, by the way) had an exceptionally awful "red screen" which looked as if someone had thrown raspberry jelly into your face EVERY TIME YOU GOT SHOT. Even if you were near full health, your vision would look terrible as a result. inFAMOUS (also a great game) had a similar flaw - the red screen was too imposing, blurring your vision and hiding the borders of the screen, which sucked if you wanted to get away in a crowded area.

I think Red-Screens are better than health-bars, but ONLY when they are done right. The FIRST Modern Warfare's red-screen was okay, and the red/grey screen in Uncharted 2 was fine. It's only an issue when it's done badly.

 

[mParadox]

Ladies and gentleman, today we announce a new innovation in gaming. In order to tell the players of the characters health we have replaced the red screen mechanic with a new one. Behold, the blue screen of death!

Spoiler

 

[Space Spoons]

I like a pulsating red screen, maybe with heartbeats that get steadily quicker as health gets lower. It's not particularly realistic, no, but I always thought it was a neat visual effect.

And for the record, I don't mean the mysterious blood splatters. I'm talking about just tinting the screen red or something. Splattering the screen with blood just reeks of "LOOK HOW EXTREME I AM YOU GUYS, TAKE ME SERIOUSLY".

 

[Arcticflame]

I like the black and white effect from left 4 dead, and the heartbeats. It impairs slightly but damn it makes you nervous.

I like how Left 4 Dead implements the health bar, as well as slight screen effects.

On a side note, is your avatar the thing from that game "Ski Freak"?

It sure is. You cannot escape.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

But licking jam off your face to heal is so realistic!

 

[theSovietConnection]

Of course, I didn't play Resistance 1 very much, so I may be talking out of my ass here.

Nope, you got it right. That was my only problem with that system.

 

[captaincabbage]

I miss health meters, those guys had style.

True 'dat.

OT: That's exactly why I love games like Left 4 Dead and the old Spyro games. Whilst L4D has a great traditional health bar that's easy to keep track of in the middle of a zombie rush, Spyro has a dragonfly that changed colours as you got hurt.

 

[Squilookle]

While health bars do lean closer to what I would like, I concede that they aren't perfect either. As Lazarus Long pointed out, they can be missed on the screen by merit of being so unobtrusive.

As long as they blink or beep or have heartbeat sounds then you can't really use that as an excuse. Besides if you just took massive damage and took cover without glancing at your health, you're doing it wrong.

I'm going to take it one step further and say even health bars are too modern. Say what you like about them, but my ideal health gauge is still the health percentage. That way you always know exactly how close you are to death, and in multiplayer when you just scrape through a fierce fight and come out barely alive, when a friend or foe asks you what your health is, tell me what's more fun to be able to say:

a) "I'm down to about a quarterish of the last health box."
b) "My bar's down to... ooh, maybe say.. a millimetre or two? hard to say on the TV screen.."
c) "My whole screen is red except for a pea sized bit in the centre"
or d) "I'm on TWO PERCENT HEALTH!"

 

[Miles Tormani]

Of course, I didn't play Resistance 1 very much, so I may be talking out of my ass here.

Nope, you got it right. That was my only problem with that system.

The obvious solution is for the health kits to heal you fully. I brought up Reach in my last post, though on reflection, I have to wonder why the health kit restores your shields as well. Kind of weird.

I'm going to take it one step further and say even health bars are too modern. Say what you like about them, but my ideal health gauge is still the health percentage. That way you always know exactly how close you are to death, and in multiplayer when you just scrape through a fierce fight and come out barely alive, when a friend or foe asks you what your health is, tell me what's more fun to be able to say:

a) "I'm down to about a quarterish of the last health box."
b) "My bar's down to... ooh, maybe say.. a millimetre or two? hard to say on the TV screen.."
c) "My whole screen is red except for a pea sized bit in the centre"
or d) "I'm on TWO PERCENT HEALTH!"

When playing Reach, health regenerates by a third, so based on those statements, I tend to use D&D-ish terms when referring to what my health is.

Full health is, of course, "full health."
2/3 health is "injured."
1/3 health is "near death."

Of course, you could always swap those out for "damn it, I need a health pack!"