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Forums - Gaming Discussion - Am I the only one who likes health meters over Regenrating health in FPSs?

L.C.E.C. on 03 May 2009
goddog said:
L.C.E.C. said:
Onyxmeth said:
L.C.E.C. said:

Why does almost every modern shooter have health regeneration, instead of the old health regaining mechanic?

Why does everyone copy Halo 2?

Why does every shooter make you sit and hide like a wuss instead of making you go and finding a health pack?

Why do most developers not even use a reasonable explanation of how the person got regenerative powers, unlike halo, which tells you they are energy shields?

Why does everyone (esp. Yahtzee) praise developers when they use health-regenerating, and punish the games that make it to where it can't be a 3-hr long snipefest between 2-shooters with regenerating health?

Why is CoD:4 considered so realistic when instead of healing yourself with health packs, you auto-regeneration?

Why did the Conduit get slammed by a previewer for collecting health orbs "unrealistically" (a la Devil May Cry/Ninja Gaiden), instead of using Health regeneration, when the whole game is about shooting ALIENS?

Dammit, it pisses me off to see such ignorance in the gaming industry.

 

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Comments? Answers? Cookies? Bullets? Post below please...

Why would shooters need to explain regenerative health to the player? It's not any less realistic than walking through a glowing first aid kit icon and magically feeling better all of a sudden. At least the regenerative system gives a slight impression of being hurt for a short period of time. If you want a more realistic approach, or an attempt at it, play Far Cry 2. I hear you get better by picking bullets out of your wounds with your combat knife. Damn I really have to pick that game up one day.

 

I'm not talking about a "glowing first aid kit", I'm talking about there being just standard white 3-dimensional, first-aid kits on the gound, you pick it up (and maybe puch a button to use it), and maybe animation plays to heal yourself (bandadges, blood transfusions, ect), instead of having 7 of your 9 pints of blood on the ground and then within 5 seconds of hiding under a desk, you're all better!

It would be best if you could pick up and store 1-st aid kits, with a limit of 2 or 3, but that hasn't happened yet.

you seem to be describing left 4 deads system 

 

Hm... never played it 'cept for the demo... will rent now...

 




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L.C.E.C. on 03 May 2009

Here are the opened health packs that were going to be in Halo 3, a conncept that has now been scratched twice:




pakidan101 on 03 May 2009

Is it just me, or does the regenerative health thing make FPSes more "casualized" for the the new crowd?



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Reasonable on 03 May 2009

I don't think it matters how you get health back really, so long as the game is built around it for balance.

In the end no game where you get damaged is remotely realistic. Imagine a game where if you die it locks itself and you can't play it ever again - that's realistic. Or you have to spend two weeks waiting for your character to recover from a wound - that's realistic.

In the end I do prefer there is a reason for whatever health option is taken - and I do find CoD4 etc the oddest simply because reg seems to fit the game setting the least - but it's not a big thing either.

Halo 1, Resistance, Half Life each probably struck me as having the best reasons for their choices:

Regen in Resistance due to your Chimea infection
Halo 1 - basic health with rechargeable shields
Half Life - health and energy stations dotted around on walls in a sensible manner

In the end regen is popular, I believe, because its fast and allows for frenetic gameplay with no need to find health packs, etc. It also makes things (IMHO) a little easier - but that might be the bitter old PC player inside me thinking all console based devices (which regen seems to be) are in aid of making things easier and faster and less complex.

In the end I just take the view the only way I'd ever get through any of these games if they were real was if I never actually got hit - and in some ways regen does give that feeling better than finding health packs.







Try to be reasonable... its easier than you think...

goddog on 03 May 2009

I will say the one thing auto regen helps is in co-op where one guy uses all the kits even if he dose not need them....



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The Ghost of RubangB on 03 May 2009

I absolutely hate auto-regeneration in shooters, and that's why I stopped playing them. I'd play Doom 2 over Halo 3 any day of the week.

Regenerating is for n00bs. I want a finite amount of health, a finite amount of health packs, and a near-infinite amount of monsters. Anything less is "casual."



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goddog on 03 May 2009
The Ghost of RubangB said:
I absolutely hate auto-regeneration in shooters, and that's why I stopped playing them. I'd play Doom 2 over Halo 3 any day of the week.

Regenerating is for n00bs. I want a finite amount of health, a finite amount of health packs, and a near-infinite amount of monsters. Anything less is "casual."

 

then you should play rainbow six raven shield on loan wolf thats hard core 



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L.C.E.C. on 03 May 2009
The Ghost of RubangB said:
I absolutely hate auto-regeneration in shooters, and that's why I stopped playing them. I'd play Doom 2 over Halo 3 any day of the week.

Regenerating is for n00bs. I want a finite amount of health, a finite amount of health packs, and a near-infinite amount of monsters. Anything less is "casual."

 

If you're being serious, then I totally agree. If not, you're acting like a big, hairy, smelly dick.




TWRoO on 03 May 2009

I don't have a problem with either really... though regenerating health seems like an easier option.

Certainly to me anyway, as I am a very methodical gamer, so when I leave a room I will have found as many health packs as I could.... or with regenerating health I would end up just waiting in said room/area until it fill up.

So I usppose I prefer health packs really, as it entails less standing about for me.... but I am not too fussed either way.



PullusPardus on 03 May 2009

yes yes, i agree , i like health bars.

another thing that i REALLY REALLY hate is auto aim.... Auto Aim?! its a freaking first person shooter! , why not just play the game for me and i just watch?