HL2 Players only -- What could have made it better?

[Katarn]

Most of the "best stuff in far cry is still the best ever" is incorrect in terms of water, foliage, and AI. FEAR beats everything in short-distance water (HL2 in long), AI in FEAR was legendary, and foliage would have to go to....Call of Juarez. You can't compare linear to nonlinear gameplay though, they offer different types of experience based on the preference of the developer and the immersion of the story. Oblivion and STALKER were very open-ended but just didn't offer the same experience as HL2 (I was going to say another game but forgot what it was).

[00SoldierofFortune00]

Originally Posted by [R-DEV]Katarn

Most of the "best stuff in far cry is still the best ever" is incorrect in terms of water, foliage, and AI. FEAR beats everything in short-distance water (HL2 in long), AI in FEAR was legendary, and foliage would have to go to....Call of Juarez. You can't compare linear to nonlinear gameplay though, they offer different types of experience based on the preference of the developer and the immersion of the story. Oblivion and STALKER were very open-ended but just didn't offer the same experience as HL2 (I was going to say another game but forgot what it was).

Fear has good water, but it just looks too plasticy and shiny. The HDR in Far Cry makes it look way more realistic along with the reflection of the sun and it actually breaks on the shore, unlike HL2's.

And FEAR had some good AI too, but it really didn't hunt you down like Far Cry's. FC's AI would actually go after you while FEAR's would hunker down in a room and just wait.

These are my screenshots BTW, not some random screens from the internet.

[matt.b]

Originally Posted by [R-DEV]Katarn

You can't compare linear to nonlinear gameplay though, they offer different types of experience based on the preference of the developer and the immersion of the story. Oblivion and STALKER were very open-ended but just didn't offer the same experience as HL2.

Yep, although assuming you're looking at linear & nonlinear single-player games, there are fundamental gameplay aspects that you should compare, like how 'fair' the game seems, whether the player knows what they should be doing/where they're going, & getting a sense of reward for progressing in the game.

Valve excels in all these design areas- I've never had moments playing the HL2 games where an event seemed unfair, like getting shot from nowhere without a warning or visual/auditory clue, which happened a lot in Far Cry (eg. the carrier deck part). I never got stuck looking for a way to reach the end of a level, & that again happened a lot in Far Cry & Call of Juarez.

As for progression & rewarding the player, Far Cry just repeats the same kind of levels except progressively more difficult (& I never bothered finishing it). HL2 took the unusual step of making the very last level quite easy & fun compared to the rest, with the uber gravity gun giving you complete power over animate & inanimate objects alike.

Btw about Valve's choice of an eastern bloc setting, I always thought it was to give an historic feel that evoked Nazi-occupied Poland, which I suppose is the collective Western psyche's vision of totalitarian hell. It also reminded me a lot of the drawings of Lebbeus woods:

http://arch.eptort.bme.hu/kep/Image513.jpg

http://www.math.chalmers.se/~wistrand/pics/woods1.gif

[Katarn]

HL2's city setting was really dependent upon the setting of George Orwell's 1984 which took place in Airstrip One (England), though was an obvious parallel to the very real totalitarian rule of Joseph Stalin. Since Russia is a little cliche, eastern europe seems to be the most believable place for such a government to arise, even today irl.

[Hitperson]

if you people wan't realistic weapons check this play www.smod-tactical.com

great for this sort of thing it gives iron sights fire modes penetration of walls kicking and 30 different weapons.

[A.J.Sawyer]

@SoF

...The AI in Half-Life 1 was mind-blowing...

Did you know the AI couldn't move and shoot at the same time? It was still convincing though.

@Hitperson

SMOD Tactical is pretty nice, just some of the reload anims are a bit off, e.g., the Kimber 1911, the EoTech M4A1 and the M249.

AND the dual wielding.

[mrmong]

someone a while back said the doom 3 mapping is better than the hl2 mapping.. wich is very very wrong, doom 3 was lame

[Hitperson]

Originally Posted by [R-MOD]A.J.Sawyer

@SoF



Did you know the AI couldn't move and shoot at the same time? It was still convincing though.

@Hitperson

SMOD Tactical is pretty nice, just some of the reload anims are a bit off, e.g., the Kimber 1911, the EoTech M4A1 and the M249.

AND the dual wielding.

yeah but you haven't played delta 4 have you sawyer??

new models and such.

[Expendable Grunt]

Wow...this thread has gone elsewhere :-/

I did pot a bit back to try and steer it away from one upping about story line and stuff...different story lines appeal to different people; for instance I hate metal gear solid's story line, and found most of everything (including the AI, which never "hunted" me so much as "rushed at me and hung on alot of things") in Far Cry boring.



Soo...this is what I get for discussing video games on the interweb I guess.

[00SoldierofFortune00]

Originally Posted by [R-MOD]A.J.Sawyer

@SoF



Did you know the AI couldn't move and shoot at the same time? It was still convincing though.

And that is completely realistic. Seriously, real life is not paintball or airsoft where you move while shooting. Hence the reason why the military has fireteams. Shooting while moving is useless unless you are moving in CQB ala SWAT.

Valve excels in all these design areas- I've never had moments playing the HL2 games where an event seemed unfair, like getting shot from nowhere without a warning or visual/auditory clue, which happened a lot in Far Cry (eg. the carrier deck part). I never got stuck looking for a way to reach the end of a level, & that again happened a lot in Far Cry & Call of Juarez.

There were plenty of ways to finish a level and that was the whole point, open-endedness. And come on, in real life are you going to get a "visual clue" when you are shot at or a warning? The whole point in Far Cry was that if you did not use sleath, then you would be spotted and killed. If you did not want to use sleath, then be ready for a fight.

As for progression & rewarding the player, Far Cry just repeats the same kind of levels except progressively more difficult (& I never bothered finishing it). HL2 took the unusual step of making the very last level quite easy & fun compared to the rest, with the uber gravity gun giving you complete power over animate & inanimate objects alike

LOL, Far Cry never repeated the levels. You had outdoor, then indoor levels, and if you bothered to finish, you would of found the lava level. Sure, Half-Life 2 had a lot of diversity too, but it lacked huge outdoor environments that were non-linear.

And if I want easy, I will change the setting to easy. HL2 was for the most part easy in most of the levels, except for the occasional clump of guys. Far Cry was challenging throughout the entire game and actually took thinking to complete it. It didn't reward the player with guns like the usual game does, it rewarded them with more challenges and tougher and smarter enemies.