Poll: Favourite Health System

[eternal-chaplain]

Judging by the options, you can tell I am generalizing a bit, and there are only eight options- sorry, in advance.

I like to use an old Extra Credits episode for this one in which it is mentioned that if your player has limited health, a designer can estimate how much health they will have at any given location, and design the challenge accordingly. In addition to that, if a player can find health restoratives in the level itself (Halflife style, for example), in encourages level exploration and adds a decent overtone of tension, especially if you are being fire upon, all the while.

 

[Zantos]

I think it depends on the game you play, there are games where one system would be ludicrous, but in other games it shines high above the others.

That said, my favourite is the Resistance mechanism. It's totally a halfway house, but I still liked it. Still having to loot around for health packs, but never finding yourself in a firefight you couldn't get out intact of gave the best of both worlds to me.

I've played plenty of other games where their system is great for what they do, but Resistance does shine out to me.

 

[Kahunaburger]

I like the way that games like Borderlands and Mass Effect 2 (as vanguard) do it - you don't heal by hiding, you heal by throwing flaming birds at dudes/punching dudes in the face/teleporting into dudes' personal space with a shotgun.

 

[w9496]

I like it when there are little bars of health that regenerate, but you need a health pack to regain a lost bar. I think Call of Duty 2 did something like this(or Big Red One, can't really remember).

 

[Cowabungaa]

Halo: CE had the perfect blend between regenerative health, using shields, and a traditional health system. It meant that getting hurt had more permanent consequences, but you always at least had a shot to get away safely and regroup.

The regen-per-little-bar mechanism ala Resistance gives the player the same advantage. Both offer the best of both worlds if you ask me. Means you have to be more careful, but you're not doomed to backtrack an entire level for the sake of an extra sliver of health either.

 

[BernardoOne]

I think it depends on the game you play, there are games where one system would be ludicrous, but in other games it shines high above the others.

That said, my favourite is the Resistance mechanism. It's totally a halfway house, but I still liked it. Still having to loot around for health packs, but never finding yourself in a firefight you couldn't get out intact of gave the best of both worlds to me.

I've played plenty of other games where their system is great for what they do, but Resistance does shine out to me.

This. Having both this way its way more balanced.

 

[eternal-chaplain]

I like it when there are little bars of health that regenerate, but you need a health pack to regain a lost bar. I think Call of Duty 2 did something like this(or Big Red One, can't really remember).

That would be the Resistance: Fall of Man option. It was about the same: four health bars that regenerated until one was fully drained, then go grab something to refill it.

 

[Vault101]

I liked Issac clarks "rig' systm

EDIT; the worst ones are when everything goes grey....

 

[ChupathingyX]

The Resistance: Fall of Man and Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction method.

Where only segments of your heath would regenerate and you needed health packs to fill the rest.

 

[Squilookle]

Hey OP, could you add more game names to each example? Finding it a bit hard here to visualise them all.

In my case, it's a simple rule- numbered non-regen for 1st person shooters, and regen for 3rd person sandboxes. Variations can be worked out from there.

 

[White Lightning]

I like old fashioned health bars, and you need to find health but you could also carry some around. Basically what Legend of Zelda has.

 

[BreakfastMan]

I like the Resistance/Chronicles of Riddick/Halo: CE method of combining regen and limited health the best. You still have to search for stuff in the level, but you never feel completely stuck in an impossible situation. Best of both worlds with the drawbacks of neither.

 

[EHKOS]

I like old fashioned health bars, and you need to find health but you could also carry some around. Basically what Legend of Zelda has.

This, I loved Bioshock's method because it kept me on my toes and scared the crap out of me. I was obsessing with it, but it helped keep me aware.

 

[ultrachicken]

What about Halo: Reach?
None of that red koolaid splashed on the screen, and it combines regenerating health with health packs seamlessly. You don't have to worry about every single hit you take because you have regenerating shields, but if the shield is compromised, then you take damage directly to health. The health regenerates only to certain points depending on how much damage you take, which prevents situations where you only have one point of health and still have to face down the alien army, but also means you have to watch yourself and keep an eye out for med kits.

 

[Mordekaien]

Chronicles of Riddick had a damn good one. You had squares and those regenerated. However, you couldn't regenerate the whole lost square, so if you lost half a square, you get it back, if you lose the whole square, it wouldn't grow back up.

EDIT; the worst ones are when everything goes grey....

Your avatar makes me all tingly inside....

OT, This is so true, I hate when they do that. It's like: "Hey we know you have a hard time so let's make it MORE confusing for you!"

 

[Vault101]

Chronicles of Riddick had a damn good one. You had squares and those regenerated. However, you couldn't regenerate the whole lost square, so if you lost half a square, you get it back, if you lose the whole square, it wouldn't grow back up.

EDIT; the worst ones are when everything goes grey....

Your avatar makes me all tingly inside....

OT, This is so true, I hate when they do that. It's like: "Hey we know you have a hard time so let's make it MORE confusing for you!"

and it also makes me "abuse" the regenerating health thing...its like "oh no! grey! run! hide....ok now!"

 

[AngloDoom]

I personally like the one similar to how Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and other games do it - you regenerate health constantly, but after being seriously damaged the maximum percentage of your health you can restore goes down, until eventually you no longer have a large enough buffer between you and death to rely on regenerating.

Of course, add a few health-packs about the place so you can bring this maximum percentage up, but make them few and far-between to encourage both cover in combat an exploration out of combat.

 

[Vanitas likes Bubbles]

I liked Far Cry 2's system the best. It was a hybrid of regenerating health, and portable health packs.
As long as you don't lose a full square of health, it will regenerate.
And health packs will heal you, but only if you're not taking damage.

Worked well I thought.

I'm going to second the Far Cry 2 health system, it worked very well. You couldn't fail if you were low on health if you had the skill to hide yourself for 10 seconds while you brutally ripped your arm off.