Poll: Healthpacks vs. Regenerating Health
- Thread starter ColeusRattus
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I doubt it. For all the talk, the Escapist community is not some strange minority that consists mostly of serious gamers who only play indie art games; we are just as average as most other gamers. I'd feel comfortable betting the better half of us have purchased a Halo or Call of Duty game. Easily.JediMB said:
If regeneration wins, we have some liars amongst us; health packs wouldn't be in video games if people didn't like it and therefor by into it.Shio said:
I think health packs work best in a shooter where you can dodge enemy fire completely, as opposed to "realistic" weapons that hit you about the same time as you see the enemy shoot. Games like doom have either melee enemies or "slow" flying fireballs that can be dodged. If you stand in the middle of a room surrounded by imps you can still make sure u dont lose a lot of hp by strafing/jumping like crazy. If you try that in games where enemies have realistic weapons you get killed in 2 seconds unless you can hide behind stuff. In those games you cant help but get shot now and again, so you need an insane amount of health (packs) or regenerating health.
It just means that the games industry has decided that my money isn't worth going after compared to mass market. I'm not lying, I hardly like any FPS's anymore, used to love them.Shio said:
The Halo-regen mechanic while it's nice for single player to make the game easy, I feel it ruins multiplayer. I want my opponent who I damaged to STAY damaged, (or at least have to run for a health pickup!) thank you very much.
Other features I dislike include limited weapon inventories, lack of imagination (see Timesplitters, Duke Nukem 3D, Hexen, Aliens vs Predator, Perfect Dark and compare the weapon choices and levels in those games to most "popular" games of the last decade.)
I have been able to appreciate some things about the new FPS's - the graphics, mainly. The battlefield series does a lot of fun vehicle combat and the point capture gamestyle is way more appealing to me than Deathmatch for a team based game. Still, I find it's a bit too hardcore to enjoy. I can't just have a casual game of bad company 2, I'm thrown in with and against rank 50's when it's my first online match.
In the end, I don't know whether the FPS genre wants me as a customer anymore anyway, I'm probably a bit older than the target audience now. But I certainly am no liar.
I totally miss the days when killing enemies dropped health packs + we had stationary health regenerating objects on the map (like medical droids in Battlefront).
It meant that, as long as you were killing enough of the enemy to compensate, you could go out and soak up bullets. In modern online shooters with their silly regenerating health, you will not go 50-0 by playing normally no matter how good you are. Back when you got a health pack for each person you downed, it was entirely conceivable for multiple people to have 10.0+ KDRs a match.
I feel like regenerating health has "leveled the playing field" and diminished skill. Awesome players will still come in first, but there's less room for those ungodly high scores unless you're playing against truly terrible people.
It meant that, as long as you were killing enough of the enemy to compensate, you could go out and soak up bullets. In modern online shooters with their silly regenerating health, you will not go 50-0 by playing normally no matter how good you are. Back when you got a health pack for each person you downed, it was entirely conceivable for multiple people to have 10.0+ KDRs a match.
I feel like regenerating health has "leveled the playing field" and diminished skill. Awesome players will still come in first, but there's less room for those ungodly high scores unless you're playing against truly terrible people.
Regenerating health eliminates the "inconvenience" of exploration, and is a big part of what enables current FPS maps to behave like long cinematic hallways. Too many people dismiss health packs as being an outdated model, or put it down purely as a matter of preference/convenience.
What they fail to realize is how drastically this one mechanic can alter level design at its core.
Instead of rewarding players in making good gameplay choices with items/weapons/power ups, they reward the player with cutscenes for making it to the end of their hallway.
I noticed that I stopped remembering specific levels in modern FPS games because, well, they had no notable gameplay or map mechanics, or they all felt far too similar. And I realized that was because I just rushed through them.
The more time I spent exploring an area, the more memorable it became, and the more I got out of it. Ironically, the Halo game I enjoyed the most (or suffered in the least) was ODST; the game most often shit upon by the fanbase. Why? The hub-scape of the game was actually pretty cool and ambient.
People complain about backtracking being a pain in the ass; yet I maintain anything done in moderation or with good design theory can still be fun. Deus Ex, Metroid Prime, and even specific bits of Half Life 2 have turned the "chore" of backtracking into something fun.
What they fail to realize is how drastically this one mechanic can alter level design at its core.
Instead of rewarding players in making good gameplay choices with items/weapons/power ups, they reward the player with cutscenes for making it to the end of their hallway.
I noticed that I stopped remembering specific levels in modern FPS games because, well, they had no notable gameplay or map mechanics, or they all felt far too similar. And I realized that was because I just rushed through them.
The more time I spent exploring an area, the more memorable it became, and the more I got out of it. Ironically, the Halo game I enjoyed the most (or suffered in the least) was ODST; the game most often shit upon by the fanbase. Why? The hub-scape of the game was actually pretty cool and ambient.
People complain about backtracking being a pain in the ass; yet I maintain anything done in moderation or with good design theory can still be fun. Deus Ex, Metroid Prime, and even specific bits of Half Life 2 have turned the "chore" of backtracking into something fun.
Regenerating health is lazy design and also fits well with the lazy gamer, you reset all your fuck ups every time you step out of the hailstorm of bullets, essentially negating all possible sense of consequence.
"realism" they call it...
Health bars/health packs are an added tactical mechanic that force you to actually avoid getting hit because the fuck-ups will stay with you.
I never even notice how important they are to gameplay until these modern shooters came along, then I went from a session of run&gun CoD back to Half-Life and got my ass handed to me.
The real downside is they require good level design and balance, something most developers prefer to avoid in the prospects of a quick release.
"realism" they call it...
Health bars/health packs are an added tactical mechanic that force you to actually avoid getting hit because the fuck-ups will stay with you.
I never even notice how important they are to gameplay until these modern shooters came along, then I went from a session of run&gun CoD back to Half-Life and got my ass handed to me.
The real downside is they require good level design and balance, something most developers prefer to avoid in the prospects of a quick release.
To it the Deus Ex way, or Jedi Knight, give people health packs that they can carry around instead of instantly using them when you walk over them (yes, I know, Jedi knight had both kinds).
The problem with regenerating health is that once an encounter is over it won't have any consequences any more. As long as you survive, even if you're clinging to life by a thread, the next time you find an enemy you'll be good as new. It's a complete reset. And that's bad because it's not fun. In case that wasn't clear.
The problem with regenerating health is that once an encounter is over it won't have any consequences any more. As long as you survive, even if you're clinging to life by a thread, the next time you find an enemy you'll be good as new. It's a complete reset. And that's bad because it's not fun. In case that wasn't clear.
Just because something is popular doesn't mean it's a good idea, millions of people smoke heavily every day, surely that many people can't make a mistake?Shio said:
Back on topic however, both have their advantages and disadvantages (as stated by the OP) which is why a hybrid system actually sounds like the best approach to me since it not only helps keep players in the game (by ensuring they always have enough health to have a fighting chance at the next encounter with limited regeneration) but also rewards exploration and being an active and assertive, for example, following the Killzone method of having enemies drop health kits upon death, your main source of health is combat so even in low health situations it's best to stay in the fight rather than to break off to go scavenger hunting for a white and red box somewhere (it keeps the pace and foward momentum and encourages the player to take more direct actions in the game).
Health packs alone can result in you accidentily fighting your way into making the game unwinnable and regeneration alone can make a game too easy or encourage cowardly, camping behavior (which isn't fun for everyone).
This is the proverbial mixing of peanbut butter and chocolate here.
EDIT: Sorry about some of my spelling and grammar mistakes, I hadn't quite woken up fully yet.
I absolutely don't care.
Different genres suit different mechanics, but if we're talking FPS...once again, it depends on aspects such as pacing.
I'm positive the devs implement the most effective mechanic, and therefore, I don't care.
Different genres suit different mechanics, but if we're talking FPS...once again, it depends on aspects such as pacing.
I'm positive the devs implement the most effective mechanic, and therefore, I don't care.