The phenomena of next-gen

[MetalCraze]

It's amazing how in next-gen shit they manage to pull hollywood-ish explosions out of every possible ass at an astronomic rates of explosion per second and yet the game still looks unbelievably boring and makes you want to go and take a nap even after a mere 4 mins long video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6z4dFM6Viw&feature=sub

 

[chzr]

moar liek cod2: cold war amirite?

 

[commie]

It's because that's all there in in modern games: non-stop combat and explosions from start to finish which paradoxically, rather than making the game exciting, instead makes it banal and tedious. There is no breakup, no pacing, it's 100 miles an hour from start to finish and so every encounter is trivialised when the whole game is nothing but one long combat encounter.

 

[racofer]

 

[Phelot]

Honestly, it looks like a standard arcade railroad shooter, which are fun. Lots of shit flying everywhere to distract you, explosions, the ending of thousands of lives by one person, etc. Except I suspect that the player can't die since they've already paid for the game, unlike an arcade game that relies on the player dishing out quarters.

Is this all bad? Not really so long as it doesn't set the new standard for FPS, which it of course has.

But still, in the game the player runs around and kills shit, what did we do in Doom? Or consider Duke's explosions and whole buildings falling down. You know at the time you thought it was awesome...

I will admit that the shit in that video is almost too overwhelming. Too much crap flying around to the point were the player is essentially just firing into the dust... and apparently still killing shit.

 

[DraQ]

In before second great videogame market crash.

















Hopefully.

 

[MetalCraze]

But you see. In Doom we were running around. Dodging shittons of stuff flying at you. The levels weren't one long corridor - they were maze-like. At highest difficulties your health was never above 50%. In some ways it was about "surviving" through the hordes... by grinding the shit out of them.

Here you just know you will be running from one scripted encounter to another in a long-long linear corridor, killing enemies that don't even try to move away from pre-scripted positions or chase you. And if you get hurt there is always some cover to sit for you for 5 secs to auto-regen. Some of it is even seen in the video. Explosions don't distract you when you realize this.

 

[Luzur]

moar liek cod2: scripted sequence mega explosion cold war amirite?

But still, in the game the player runs around and kills shit, what did we do in Doom? Or consider Duke's explosions and whole buildings falling down. You know at the time you thought it was awesome...

also, you can die in Doom and Duke Nukem, its almost expected.

 

[Phelot]

Oh I agree it's stupid.

I believe the main difference between "next-gen" and "old" is that the old FPS games were about surviving and the sense of accomplishment that comes with that while the newer stuff relies on pushing the player along to see the next "awesome" thing happen. It's why you're rushed along. It's very precarious since if the player is allowed to linger too long they might notice how shallow the game really is and then suddenly "HOLY FUCK IM IN A CHOPPER FUCKING BLOWING UP TEN SOVIET CHOPPERS FUCK I JUST KICKED A GUY IN THE FACE FUCK!!!!!!"

 

[DraQ]

Oh I agree it's stupid.

I believe the main difference between "next-gen" and "old" is that the old FPS games were about surviving and the sense of accomplishment that comes with that while the newer stuff relies on pushing the player along to see the next "awesome" thing happen. It's why you're rushed along. It's very precarious since if the player is allowed to linger too long they might notice how shallow the game really is and then suddenly "HOLY FUCK IM IN A CHOPPER FUCKING BLOWING UP TEN SOVIET CHOPPERS FUCK I JUST KICKED A GUY IN THE FACE FUCK!!!!!!"

So, in essence: ?

 

[Phelot]

Oh I agree it's stupid.

I believe the main difference between "next-gen" and "old" is that the old FPS games were about surviving and the sense of accomplishment that comes with that while the newer stuff relies on pushing the player along to see the next "awesome" thing happen. It's why you're rushed along. It's very precarious since if the player is allowed to linger too long they might notice how shallow the game really is and then suddenly "HOLY FUCK IM IN A CHOPPER FUCKING BLOWING UP TEN SOVIET CHOPPERS FUCK I JUST KICKED A GUY IN THE FACE FUCK!!!!!!"

So, in essence: ?

Stroking the player's ego? Yes, but then ALL FPSs essentially do this, some simply use different approaches. For most of the users in this forum (I assume) being told you're awesome by a pretty 3D model in a video game doesn't do the trick that beating a tough boss without cheats does.

 

[Sceptic]

Stroking the player's ego? Yes, but then ALL FPSs essentially do this, some simply use different approaches. For most of the users in this forum (I assume) being told you're awesome by a pretty 3D model in a video game doesn't do the trick that beating a tough boss without cheats does.

I would argue that none of the old FPS's stroked your ego. I mean, sure, Doom's manual said something about you being the toughest Marine evar or something, but no one reads Doom's manual anyway. In-game? zero ego stroking. Your reward for beating that tough boss without cheats was a small paragraph of text (even better/worse in Heretic and Hexen, who had much tougher bosses). The satisfaction was purely that of overcoming a challenge ("I just beat the game with 100% kills on Ultraviolence, FUCK YEAH").

 

[Phelot]

Stroking the player's ego? Yes, but then ALL FPSs essentially do this, some simply use different approaches. For most of the users in this forum (I assume) being told you're awesome by a pretty 3D model in a video game doesn't do the trick that beating a tough boss without cheats does.

I would argue that none of the old FPS's stroked your ego. I mean, sure, Doom's manual said something about you being the toughest Marine evar or something, but no one reads Doom's manual anyway. In-game? zero ego stroking. Your reward for beating that tough boss without cheats was a small paragraph of text (even better/worse in Heretic and Hexen, who had much tougher bosses). The satisfaction was purely that of overcoming a challenge ("I just beat the game with 100% kills on Ultraviolence, FUCK YEAH").

Well, no what I meant was the ego or at least gratification of the player himself. It's not a bad thing, I mean we go through the trouble of defeating a challenge in a video game not because we expect a monetary reward, but because of the sense of accomplishment. To be able to overcome something that frustrated us is a great feeling. Newer games essentially do the same thing by having cheerleaders and unlocked "achievements" in game telling you how great you are. Same thing, only I'd say the latter is hollow.

 

[Chuftie]

I tire of Modern and LOLrealism shooters.

I want fun shooty action with no regards towards cover or monochromatic pallet involving browns. I just want Duke to come out and not suck hard

 

[Hobo Elf]

It's pretty much a given that Duke Nukem Forever will suck huge balls. Health regen and 2 weapon limit should be dead giveaways.

 

[DraQ]

In Codex approved games you have to earn your handjob.

 

[Baron]

It's amazing how in next-gen shit they manage to pull hollywood-ish explosions out of every possible ass at an astronomic rates of explosion per second and yet the game still looks unbelievably boring.

id Software develop engines. I don't know the percentage of money generated from their games compared to licensing their engines, so perhaps they don't have to give a shit about game mechanics and their games are little more than a demo to build hype and highlight features of tech 5. But when watching the Rage preview all I could think of was some 90s Nintendo game. Cute little cars, jumping up ramps, probably a twinkling powerup to collect at the apex.

 

[Topdrunkee thy ILLnifique]

I tire of Modern and LOLrealism shooters.

I want fun shooty action with no regards towards cover or monochromatic pallet involving browns. I just want Duke to come out and not suck hard

Timesplitters2 & Future Perfect. Why don't they make them like that anymore?
TS was fucking awesome.

Honestly, it looks like a standard arcade railroad shooter, which are fun. Lots of shit flying everywhere to distract you, explosions, the ending of thousands of lives by one person, etc. Except I suspect that the player can't die since they've already paid for the game, unlike an arcade game that relies on the player dishing out quarters.

Nah, Arcade games actually require skill. Seriously why does everyone around here act like arcade games are child's play?
Last I recall no arcade game has ever had the inane idea to include some retarded bullshit like instant auto heal.
Nah in the good old days you actually had to earn an extra life by achieving a high score without dying.

None of them have had LOL cover systems either. Save for Time Crisis but that game is badass and plays like some 3d Rolling Thunder.

 

[Sceptic]

id Software develop engines.

Before Doom 3 I would've agreed. That engine, however, has exactly 6 games developed on it. One of them being Doom 3 itself, and another its expansion. It may have a tech demo meant to garner interested licensees, but it failed rather miserably in this case, especially compared to both UE3 and Quake 3 engine.

 

[MetalCraze]

id Software develop engines. I don't know the percentage of money generated from their games compared to licensing their engines, so perhaps they don't have to give a shit about game mechanics and their games are little more than a demo to build hype and highlight features of tech 5. But when watching the Rage preview all I could think of was some 90s Nintendo game. Cute little cars, jumping up ramps, probably a twinkling powerup to collect at the apex.

Actually before Doom3 id's games were much better (not only in the gameplay department, but in the level design one too) while engines were top notch. Doom3's engine was already very outdated (mostly because of the lack of the ability to render something else but corridors, like the lack of open areas) when Doom3 came out which was quite surprising.

 

[Sceptic]

Doom3's engine was already very outdated (mostly because of the lack of the ability to render something else but corridors, like the lack of open areas) when Doom3 came out which was quite surprising.

The engine can handle them (see Prey). The lack of open areas in Doom 3 was purely a design decision.

 

[MetalCraze]

In Prey "open" areas were rare and some 100m in length while the game was still corridors corridors corridors. And both in Doom3 and Prey levels were very small too (remember constant loading screens?). What I mean by open areas is stuff like in Far Cry which came out that year if we are to compare games in the same league - and yet Far Cry looked better, had more detail and shader effects while running smoother than Doom3.
Doom3's engine "learned" to render open areas only when Quake Wars came out I think. That was the reason why for the first time id's engine wasn't selling at all in comparison to their previous efforts and it's direct opposition - UE established a monopoly lasting to this day.

 

[Chuftie]

Nah, Arcade games actually require skill. Seriously why does everyone around here act like arcade games are child's play?
Last I recall no arcade game has ever had the inane idea to include some retarded bullshit like instant auto heal.
Nah in the good old days you actually had to earn an extra life by achieving a high score without dying.

None of them have had LOL cover systems either. Save for Time Crisis but that game is badass and plays like some 3d Rolling Thunder.[/quote]

You forgot Crisis Zone and Police 911, which is pretty damn hard.
And in regards to cover in Time Crisis it makes sense in the context of being an arcade shooter also you can dual wield before it became a common ability in shooters

 

[Sceptic]

In Prey "open" areas were rare and some 100m in length

:/

Skyway, will you please, please, please learn to play a game, or at least get some idea about it, before you spew this kind of bullshit again? Pretty please? with sugar on top?

That said...

You are correct that, compared to Far Cry, Doom3 engine is pathetic at open areas, Prey or no Prey. BTW have you tried the "AMD64 patch" for Far Cry? The name's misleading (it works just fine on Intel 64-bit processors), but it adds foliage and improves graphic quality in a number of ways. It's a hefty download and replaces some textures with higher res versions, and overall the game looks even better than originally did. With the patch and everything maxed out it's pure scenery porn, even 6 years later. It digs and even wider gap betweee Doom3 engine and FC engine.

 

[BLOBERT]

BRO THE MOTHERFUCKER JUST DOESNT HAVE TIME KOTOR2 WONT PLAY ITSELF AGAIN SOMEBODY HAS TO DO IT