Poll: Weapon degradation - yes or no?

[Snotnarok]

It's fine but honestly when people whine about it being removed from Skyrim saying it's dumbing it down...Is that what you really think? I mean chances are in oblivion you have 5 repair hammers in your and you have to open your inventory and hammer the left click to repair your gear. Real need for brain work here right? Fallout New Vegas it didn't make much sense how the repair thing worked but it did make you juggle weapons a bit ...or just carry a pile of weapons to use as scrap.

Farcry 2 had it interesting where you knew your guns were durable for a while but enemies guns were garbage and would jam or in one case I had literally explode in my hands. That was a truly jarring thing in the middle of a fire fight, and the lack of a gauge to tell me how crap it was really makes you think twice about firing guns.

 

[Kailow Krow]

Other because it depends on the game. Deadspace and weapon degradation? Hells yeah. Bioshock of halo and weapon degradation? Hells naw. Far cry 3 and WD? Hells yea; borderlands and WD hells naw; Fallout and WD? Hells yea, skyrim and WD? Hells naw. You see my point, it's not for everything. But it'd be moronic to write it off entirely or to add it into everything so if it fits the game I'm pro whatever the devs and designers do and decide on.

 

[l3o2828]

No.
Most games don't make it realistic enough to justify it, and it becomes an annoying gameplay mechanic that just works as a time waster.
Dark Cloud 2 i bloody hate you for this.

 

[Reaper195]

I fuckin' hate it. The amount of times I've died because my gun broke during a firefight in Fallout, or my weapon snapped in Oblivion/Dead Rising (FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU- so many times in DR) is staggering. I know some people prefer it, and say that is adds difficulty and strategy to the game. And good for them for having the patience to deal with it. But I wish there were games were you had a tonne of gameplay elements which you could change in the options menu, weapons degradation being one of them.

Another, which me and my flatmate discussed while playing Bioshock Infinite, was the concept of mana. I know, a little off topic. But my flatmate was playing Bioshock on hard, and hardly ever used the powers because he kept running out of salts, and ended up using that water tentacle one only twice, the lightning one once, and not even using that damage absord one at all. I on the other hand, used a trainer to give me unlimited salts. The game was still damn hard on hard, but I got to use all the Vigors in various ways. It also hindered some mad stunts you could've pulled in Dishonored.

 

[Stryc9]

I've never really seen a situation where it was implemented well and didn't serve to just piss me off to no end so I'm pretty well against it.

 

[Korica]

I think if it is done in a good way, it adds so much to a game.

The problem is, it is usually down the wrong way. Usually it is just a number, like 100/100. And when that number reaches 0, suddenly the weapon cannot be used. That is the extent of the system. It ends up being nothing but a gold sink, a time waster.

 

[Ham Blitz]

As many people have said, it depends on how it is done and the type of game. In games like Fallout 3, New Vegas, and even Dead Rising it seems acceptable and understandable.
In games like Oblivion or most MMOs, it is more of an annoyance than it is something that enhances the game.

 

[Winthrop]

It worked in Dead Rising because the game was basically built around it. I hate it everywhere else.

 

[sumanoskae]

I don't see the need to incorporate quasi-realism into a game that allows you to walk across an entire frozen country in your underwear.

It doesn't lend the game immersion, it's just busy work. Worse yet, it takes you out of the game by making you fuck around with menus after every fucking fight.

If you're going to make use of survival mechanics, make them a core part of the game, don't just throw them in randomly every now and again.

 

[sumanoskae]

I fuckin' hate it. The amount of times I've died because my gun broke during a firefight in Fallout, or my weapon snapped in Oblivion/Dead Rising (FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU- so many times in DR) is staggering. I know some people prefer it, and say that is adds difficulty and strategy to the game. And good for them for having the patience to deal with it. But I wish there were games were you had a tonne of gameplay elements which you could change in the options menu, weapons degradation being one of them.

Another, which me and my flatmate discussed while playing Bioshock Infinite, was the concept of mana. I know, a little off topic. But my flatmate was playing Bioshock on hard, and hardly ever used the powers because he kept running out of salts, and ended up using that water tentacle one only twice, the lightning one once, and not even using that damage absord one at all. I on the other hand, used a trainer to give me unlimited salts. The game was still damn hard on hard, but I got to use all the Vigors in various ways. It also hindered some mad stunts you could've pulled in Dishonored.

Agreed, I've never been fond of magic as a finite resource. The only way to play a spell caster is to drip feed yourself with mana potions, which is the least satisfying way to win a fight on the planet.

Cooldowns work a lot better if you ask me.

 

[Guitarmasterx7]

In the past it's ranged from really annoying to slightly annoying. The only case where it hasn't bothered me at all is in fallout, since it kind of fits with the survival motif. It's still annoying as a game mechanic but it helps with theming so I guess it evens out.

 

[PirateRose]

I believe there is a time and a place for it, it doesn't suit all games. I really love it in Fallout and Elder Scrolls for example. But I couldn't see it in a game like Mass Effect or Assassins Creed.

 

[lord.jeff]

It really depends on how it's handled, games that just throw it in without it adding any extra challenge it just becomes an extra annoying step(Elder Scrolls and Assassin's Creed 2 and onward is an example of the wrong way to do it). On the other hand it can be used to create extra tension much like you get in shooters when you're down to your last clip and trying to avoid shot outs.

 

[madster11]

Either go all the way, or skip it entirely.

If you're gonna have weapon degradation in, for example, and elder scrolls game, the way it's done in Oblivion is shit. It SHOULD be a dynamic system - ie, armor protects less and weapons do less damage the more they're damaged. However, it should show/tell you what condition your stuff is in all the time, and it HAS to work the same way on enemies. If you're using degradation as a gameplay element, you should be able to use spells/arrows from a distance on a big boss to chip away at their armor, and be able to see the damage you're doing to said armor.
Go all the way, and make it so that every time your equipment drops below 50% you lose 5% off the total it can be repaired to. Make NPCs who can push it up to 110% durability.


As for games that have implemented it in the past, what stands out for me is Far Cry 2, in which the fucking AK-47 jams all the time. THE AK FUCKING 47. NO. BAD FAR CRY. NO.

 

[Shadow-Phoenix]

I voted no because while some degradation can be acceptable in certain games it does not always work for most games with Dead Island being a certain culprit.

During most of my time spent in that game I'd gotten some decent crafted weapons which at the time had relatively good stats and for the most part were doing their job pretty well, right up until the point where the more I upgraded them the more faster they degraded which in turn burned all kind of holes into my ingame wallet and became much more of a chore which in turn took me out of the enjoyment of immersion and the games world itself.

Dead island really could have extended the amount of hits on crafted or upgraded weapons and maybe take down a little of the cost in repairing them seeing as how the money was used for other items and not just repairing.

Hopefully Dead Island Riptide will have improved upon the degradation system so you don't have to pay both a truckload of cash and spend little time in combat just to have fun with what you craft because I did love the weapons I crafted in the first game but got little enjoyment due to repair costs and the amount of times I had to repair everything.

 

[tangoprime]

I'd say, most of the time, no. If it is done right and adds more to the game, sure. I remember it was fine in the STALKER games and added more to them, and the misfire and jamming effects were awesome, too. Dead Island, however, it seems like after four hits the weapon was completely broken. Or in Fallout 3 they seemed to degrade rather quickly. I know for a fact that I've put at least 1,000 rounds through my AK and there was only one misfire (oddly with the person who had never fired a gun before, so I'm wondering if she somehow had something to do with it).

It has to be said though, I had to mod my STALKER: CoP to make the weapons last longer and improve condition in loot tables. I got really tired of having to spend more money on repairs than on ammunition. I hated weapon degradation in Oblivion, and tend to not like it in general because as SajuukKhar mentioned elsewhere in this thread, it's either too fast and is annoying, or too slow and pointless. I have to agree that it was done OKAY in the first Shadow of Chernobyl, and yes, those tense moments clearing jams were kind of awesome when they happen occasionally, not after like 2 magazines like they do in CoP, lol.

Again, have to agree with SajuukKhar in that the system in Skyrim was much better. Instead of fixing damage, you got to improve your smithing skill which let you hone your weapons and armor better. A combination of this, and a decently paced degradation system similar to in the first STALKER game would be acceptable for survival horror type games. Just have your weapon require occasional cleaning and maintenance, and the better you get at the skill, the better the condition and performance of your weapons.

I also liked how Fallout NV took into account the ammunition type being used, but disliked that you couldn't just repair things yourself without kits or giving up other weapons.

 

[Requia]

It can be done well if part of the theme of the game is dealing with resources, and its not done in a shitty way.

The inability to repair weapons yourself except by sacrificing another weapon made certain guns in Fallout 3 nearly unusable because of rarity+fragility, while making it nothing but busy work for guns that mooks carry. New Vegas was a bit better because weapon repair was portable + all weapons used the same repair item, but it came out so easy that it might as well have not been there.

 

[Assassin Xaero]

I'd say, most of the time, no. If it is done right and adds more to the game, sure. I remember it was fine in the STALKER games and added more to them, and the misfire and jamming effects were awesome, too. Dead Island, however, it seems like after four hits the weapon was completely broken. Or in Fallout 3 they seemed to degrade rather quickly. I know for a fact that I've put at least 1,000 rounds through my AK and there was only one misfire (oddly with the person who had never fired a gun before, so I'm wondering if she somehow had something to do with it).

[...]

I also liked how Fallout NV took into account the ammunition type being used, but disliked that you couldn't just repair things yourself without kits or giving up other weapons.

Not sure about with NV, but in Fallout 3 I downloaded a mod that let you repair guns with scrap metal or similar guns (assault rifles could be used to repair other assault rifles) for that very reason. They didn't even have kits there, so I have to carry a ton of rifles to repair my rifle when it degraded too much.