The Health Bar is more realistic than Regenerating.

[meowchef]

Every game that bases itself in realism should be like Red Orchestra/Darkest Hour's health system.

 

[epikAXE]

And not a single shit was given this day.

Well done, and may I say to the author, you got served son.

 

[Bomberman4000]

I think people are making too big of a deal about games claiming realism and then having regenerating health. It's not really that big of a deal. I've never looked at a Call Of Duty game for example, which usually boasts realistic weapon mechanics and so forth and said "OH MY GOD THIS GAME IS TRASH BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE A MEDIC TO HEAL ME"

If you want a more "realistic" experience, then if your character ever dies during a game, that should just be the end of it. Period. That character is dead and for the sake of realism can't be reanimated and played as a zombie (which might be cool actually) or have a time machine strapped to his wrist where he can go back and just play that section again.

You want true "realism" then go join the army. It's a game, the regenerating health function is just a way to keep the pace of the game up. I personally don't like health bars. I don't like having to stop what I'm doing just to hunt for a health pack and in turn leave myself vulnerable to other attacks because I wasn't paying attention.

 

[cptawesome]

I think ninja Gaiden II had the best way to balance the health bar with regeneration by only regenerating a small amount of health after each fight. It allowed newer players a chance to not get their asses whooped, but also it kept the challenge relatively high.

 

[Diligent]

Regen makes sense sometimes, like how Halo tends to put more of your health into your overshields. However, looking into the new Duke Nukem game, I'm praying it doesn't actually include regenerating health. I enjoy the challenge of having to survive stages by managing healthpacks and not getting shot. If I have regenerating health, I can run into just about any fight without a second thought and run away when my health gets low.

I'm quite sure it will have regenerating health, but one of the early demo reel style videos showed an "EGO" bar. That kinda makes it hilarious, if the man is invincible and the only thing that can be damaged is his ego.

 

[Robyrt]

Health bars add more drama to a situation. Regenerating health makes each combat binary: either you win it, or you don't. With a health bar you may win the fire fight, but then you're down to 40% of your health and that leaves you creeping around praying the next round of enemies isn't sitting past the next corner.

Perfect example of this is things like God of War. That keeps throwing wave after wave of enemies at you, and why? It's saying, 'Okay, you managed that fight, but you lost more than half your health. So now do it again, but better.' If you'd had regen there, you'd just be fighting the same battle in a loop.

If you're going to have regenerating health, your game should be really, really challenging, and should be something other than a bog standard FPS.

Health bars also add the wrong kind of drama to a situation: where you have 5% health and the next wave of enemies is now utterly beyond your abilities. God of War sneakily gets around this by granting you free health every time you die, but new players will still become deeply frustrated.

The intended experience also matters. A cinematic, seamless-narrative style of game (like modern shooters or RPGs) doesn't want to break the flow of gameplay by having the player ransack every room for health refills, while this is just fine for God of War &co.

 

[Blaster395]

If the regenerating health is justified as part of the games story (Halo, for example) then if fits perfectly.
At other times I find that its a bit too fast. If it was changed to a system where between fire-fights you get treated by medics, or there are field medics who can patch you up during the battle, then it would make more sense.

Health bars just turn the whole game into an endurance test, and discourage progressing, because progressing quickly will make you lose more heath.

 

[Something Amyss]

Regeneration is regarding as a more enjoyable experience however.

Indeed.

It's also funny, because health packs also seem to accompany some of the least realistic game play. Most of the time, of course.

 

[Athinira]

So called "realistic" games have done away with the health bar in favor of the get shot, regenerate form of gameplay.

To call this realistic is moronic. I'm not saying that the mechanics of a health bar are any better, but the concept is much closer to realism.

Neither is it realistic that you have to fight thousands of terrorists at the same time when the worlds major terrorist attacks are usually accomplished by 1-6 terrorists (rarely more). However, Rainbow Six: Vegas would be a very boring game if it contained less than 10 enemies.

"Realism" should ALWAYS take the back seat in favor of better gameplay. No exceptions.

 

[Varya]

Actually, I would argue that it's more realistic. see, it really only takes one shot, anywhere, to take you out. You might not die, but you sure as hell wont be running around shooting terrorists anytime soon. So a regen-system means that if you survived, you are alright to continue, if you fall, no health pack in the world can get you going in time to finish the mission. Of course we can take more than one shot in-game, but 1. in that case the game would be kind of an a-hole and 2. in real life, we have 5 senses and full control over our bodies, not a strict set of commands, total realism is already out the window.
I'm not saying I prefer one over the other, but instant regen feels more realistic to me

 

[Akihiko]

Having an health bar isn't realistic either, though. After all in real life a first aid kit doesn't magically make your wound better. It just has tools which you can utilise to cleanse, and patch up the wound. It's the body which does the healing, over time. Realistic would mean spending in game days not being able to move, and then slowly recovering, depending on how hars the injury was, and well I dunno about you, but that isn't exactly fun.

The thing is though, it doesn't matter if it's realistic or not, it's meant to be a game, and therefore enjoyable. Most people, myself included, find regeneration far more enjoyable than having to scower around in the corners of the universe for a med kit.

 

[Bocaj2000]

Rainbow six vegas 2 had a very good system as far as realism goes. If I want realism, I play that. If I want mindless, trancelike fun, I play Unreal Tournament 3.

 

[carletonman]

The most realistic health system I ever encountered was that in the old Tom Clancy games, Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon. Back when you had mission planning and when one shot could end your life.

I totally agree, Rogue Spear was my first introduction to PC shooters, and boy did it teach me some lessons. I feel sad for the loss of tactical shooters like Rainbow Six; my friends and I had many an excellent run through the levels, as the lack of regeneration made things like teamwork and planning an essential element, rather than just running and spamming grenades all over the level (I'm looking at YOU MW2)

 

[GrizzlerBorno]

Assassin's creed 2 had a similar thing with its armour where you could replenish half a bar, but not if it's empty. It sadly becomes completely redundant later on when your health bar becomes ginormous, and you can carry a ridiculous amount of potions at once.

Man, Assassins Creed ONE, had such an awesome health system compared to that joke they put into the sequel! In AC1, when you got into a sword fight, you KNEW you had a certain number of mistakes you could make before you were screwed. It made you tense if you were facing overwhelming odds.

In fact, I remember that one mission where like 15 elite Templars come to kill you? I tried that 20 times to no avail before i realized that you had to run all of them into a gang of vigilante's to break them up and pick them off one at a time SIMPLY because the health system disallowed a player of my skill level to pwn them.

Compare that to AC2(PC)'s system of press 1 to NOT DIE. :/

 

[Ashcrexl]

i just played through the original call of duty on hardened. believe me. regeneration is about fifty trillion times better for gameplay. now on to veteran!

 

[MolotoK]

Regeneration is regarding as a more enjoyable experience however.

No!
It rewards the wrong tactics. Taking as little damage as possible and doing as much damage as possible should be rewarded.
Quickly regenerating health just makes extreme camping and suicidal rushing possible. (remember those idiots who rush at you with the knife in the MW2 series?)

"You've just taken 20 bullets to the face at point blank range and are almost dead? Don't worry! U've stabbed the guy who did it and your face will magically regenerate in 5seconds."

 

[suitepee7]

i dunno, i like a healthy mix of both in my games. its nice to have a more 'realistic' shooter with health regen, but at the same time i like my serious sam kinda games where i can go in with a rocket launcher as my primary weapon, and the next health pack as my goal ^^

 

[DeathWyrmNexus]

And not a single shit was given this day.

LOL, this is the best comment I've read in a while. Thank you.

As for the topic, um, ya sure. It is more realistic. Personally, I find regeneration to be cool only when it makes some kind of sense for the character. If I'm playing some kind of human soldier, give me health packs. If I'm playing some sort of super monster, lemme regen that shit. I think both methods have validity and should be used when it makes sense plotwise. I also think my opinion means less than shit on the matter since developers aren't cueing up to listen to my font of wisdom.