Yahtzee: Why regenerating health *****

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/columns/extra-punctuation/8719-Extra-Punctuation-Why-Regenerating-Health-Sucks

"Before the health regeneration glut in shooters, health was a resource you had to manage carefully. It added a new element to the battlefield - if your health was low all you could do was try to sprint to some kind of restorative before you succumbed. And if there wasn't a source of health nearby, you just had to be extra careful. And weren't those the most exciting parts of a game like Half-Life, when you've scraped through an encounter with several organs missing and your arms hanging off so now every health point counts and your wit must be about you at all times?"

100% agreed.

I actually think looking for health packs suck

I actually think looking for health packs suck

chikenfriedrice

agreed

Totally agreed. I definitely like the "luck bar" idea. Though, I personally prefer games based on "points" rather than "health." Since then you don't have to die and your result is based on skill, not luck.

[QUOTE="DireOwl"]

[QUOTE="chikenfriedrice"]

I actually think looking for health packs suck

zxcqweasd1

agreed

Casuals. You're killing gaming.

my money actually keeps gaming alive thank you and also what is casual about not liking health packs

I know i was just shot 4 times, let me hide behind this magic wall and the bullet wounds go away! hurray! Health regen sucks, it just gives noobs a second chance.Nick3306

The "realism" argument is definatly the wrong one to make, one way or the other.

I do prefer health packs although I honestly don't mind regenerating health... it's not that bad.

[QUOTE="DireOwl"]

[QUOTE="chikenfriedrice"]

I actually think looking for health packs suck

zxcqweasd1

agreed

Casuals. You're killing gaming.

Riiiiiiiiiiight we're casual because we don't like health packs. :roll:

[QUOTE="Nick3306"]I know i was just shot 4 times, let me hide behind this magic wall and the bullet wounds go away! hurray! Health regen sucks, it just gives noobs a second chance.topgunmv

The "realism" argument is definatly the wrong one to make, one way or the other.

Regenerating health impacts how you play a game significantly. All the sudden, actually getting hit isn't a concern, you just have to avoid getting it too much. There is never a need to conserve health, you are far less tactical about it.

I do miss that feeling I got in the Quake days, when I'm one or two hits away from dying; and I'm frantically dodging. Gives you a real sense of achievement when you survive and finally find a health pack, a experience to tell your friends about.

You know, a achievement? Back when that actually meant something.

I know i was just shot 4 times, let me hide behind this magic wall and the bullet wounds go away! hurray! Health regen sucks, it just gives noobs a second chance.Nick3306

Maybe if you get more head shots you wouldn't have to worry about the noobs second chances. ;)

Depends on the game. In Halo, for example, it makes sense, it fits into the game world, and there's health below the shields that you usually need a pack to restore.

Blanket statements like "regenerating health sucks" don't really work, because it can be done well.

He has some valid points, i'm agree for the most part.

I actually think looking for health packs suck

chikenfriedrice

[QUOTE="zxcqweasd1"]

[QUOTE="DireOwl"]

agreed

DireOwl

Casuals. You're killing gaming.

Riiiiiiiiiiight we're casual because we don't like health packs. :roll:

Yup.

I can't believe I actually agree with him for once.

I like how Halo Reach does it

health packs almost killed gaming in the first place. Like in the original Halo, they create situations where it's literally impossible to progress without starting the mission over. I won't buy another fps that has health packs.

Depends on the game. Regen health isn't bad however it has its own flaws. Be it encouraging poor level design, removing the exploration from shooters, removing the challenge etc. [QUOTE="chikenfriedrice"]

I actually think looking for health packs suck

skrat_01

Seriously.

How come no one complains about this? This has had a far worse impact on the FPS genre than regenerating health ever will.

health packs almost killed gaming in the first place. Like in the original Halo, they create situations where it's literally impossible to progress without starting the mission over. I won't buy another fps that has health packs.

2-10-08

No offence, but that just shows how crap of a player you are: you can't play an FPS without having to wait behind a wall to regenerate - where's the challenge in that?

If you have to restart the mission and then play more skillfully then so be it.

This is such a dumbed down gen.

Yahtzee's a funny dude, but he's far too wrapped up in nostalgia-land. I was about to agree with regenerating health being kind of lame, then he mentions how you "scraped through an encounter with several organs missing and your arms hanging off so now every health point counts and your wit must be about you at all times". That reminded me of some of my most hated parts of playing games. Half Life, Allied Assault, even Max Payne weren't any more fun because you were constantly hunting for health packs and keeping an eye on the indicator. I actually just remember the frustration of reloading a savepoint, getting messed up because of low health, then having to reload it again and again.

So, in other words... health packs suck.

i liked resistance fall of man health regen system, it only regens some of it..

[QUOTE="topgunmv"]

[QUOTE="Nick3306"]I know i was just shot 4 times, let me hide behind this magic wall and the bullet wounds go away! hurray! Health regen sucks, it just gives noobs a second chance.ironman388

The "realism" argument is definatly the wrong one to make, one way or the other.

I'm referring to the argument the person I quoted is making.

That's why I quoted them.

I like both systems i don't know why they can't coexist

picking on regenerative health is ridiculous since many things in video games are unrealistic, you never just walk over a dead enemy and magically get their 15 bullets without looting them, and just as magically you don't have to manage your ammo by unloading the ammo from partially full clips into full clips, plus who heals themselves by walking over a health kit, health kits are for paper cuts at work and crap, you'd need like a surgeon bag to get started treating the 300 bullets you've been struck with in the last 10 minutes of gameplay, and like 20 doctors trying to stop you from dying... I mean, with anything you can criticize a game for don't let regenerative health ruin things for you, and sure I like Yahtzee too but he's not god and I'm not just going to regurgitate anything he says just because I like his cynical commentarylamprey263

Maybe you should actually read the article. He's not complaining about a "lack of realism;" he establishes that in the very first paragraph.

I hate health regen, it's a plague to shooters. All it does is make the game noob friendly and encourage corridor shooters filled with cutscenes. When you don't have to look for health in a shooter, there's nothing else to look for so exploration isn't neccesary.

[QUOTE="2-10-08"]

health packs almost killed gaming in the first place. Like in the original Halo, they create situations where it's literally impossible to progress without starting the mission over. I won't buy another fps that has health packs.

zxcqweasd1

No offence, but that just shows how crap of a player you are: you can't play an FPS without having to wait behind a wall to regenerate - where's the challenge in that?

If you have to restart the mission and then play more skillfully then so be it.

This is such a dumbed down gen.

this argument can go both ways

It's kinda funny, because the original Halo didn't even have regenerating health. It had normal health, and a *shield* that could recharge.PannicAtack

That's still my favourite system of health (though it obviously doesn't apply anywhere) just in the fact there was a strategy towards taking down an opponent. If we ignore the pistol for a moment, I remember having a blast running around Battle Creek with nothing but a plasma pistol, assault rifle, and as many grenades as I could possibly toss. Overcharged shot downs shields, rifle shreds through health bars, grenades clean up the stragglers :)

[QUOTE="PannicAtack"]It's kinda funny, because the original Halo didn't even have regenerating health. It had normal health, and a *shield* that could recharge.Sharpie125

That's still my favourite system of health (though it obviously doesn't apply anywhere) just in the fact there was a strategy towards taking down an opponent. If we ignore the pistol for a moment, I remember having a blast running around Battle Creek with nothing but a plasma pistol, assault rifle, and as many grenades as I could possibly toss. Overcharged shot downs shields, rifle shreds through health bars, grenades clean up the stragglers :)

I prefer the ones that have health recharge, but only to certain intervals. So if your health goes down to 26% then it will recharge up to 50%, but if goes down to 24% then it would only go up to 25%. Pretty sure Just Cause 2 did this (though that game was to easy, so I need a better example) paradigm68

Oh yes the Chronicles of Riddick one. Also Resistance and Medal of Honor: Airborne had it. Or also the F.E.A.R. one were you had medkits but you could collect a certain amount and use them whenever you wanted and it also had a partial regen up to certain point.

[QUOTE="zxcqweasd1"]

[QUOTE="2-10-08"]

health packs almost killed gaming in the first place. Like in the original Halo, they create situations where it's literally impossible to progress without starting the mission over. I won't buy another fps that has health packs.

JuarN18

No offence, but that just shows how crap of a player you are: you can't play an FPS without having to wait behind a wall to regenerate - where's the challenge in that?

If you have to restart the mission and then play more skillfully then so be it.

This is such a dumbed down gen.

this argument can go both ways

:lol:

Oh please. That argument doesn't work at all in single player (since enemies rarely come with regen health) and as for multiplayer, give me a break bro. Are you saying games like Halo/COD require more skill than CS1.6 and Quake III?

[spoiler] They don't. [/spoiler]

[QUOTE="JuarN18"]

[QUOTE="zxcqweasd1"]

No offence, but that just shows how crap of a player you are: you can't play an FPS without having to wait behind a wall to regenerate - where's the challenge in that?

If you have to restart the mission and then play more skillfully then so be it.

This is such a dumbed down gen.

zxcqweasd1

this argument can go both ways

:lol:

Oh please. That argument doesn't work at all in single player (since enemies rarely come with regen health) and as for multiplayer, give me a break bro. Are you saying games like Halo/COD require more skill than CS1.6 and Quake III?

I know i was just shot 4 times, let me hide behind this magic wall and the bullet wounds go away! hurray! Health regen sucks, it just gives noobs a second chance.Nick3306

As opposed to before when you got shot 4 times and then grabbed a chicken leg or bandaid which magically cured you of all problems? I'm not much of a shooter player today, but I used to play them all way back when they first started coming out. Way back in the Castle Wolfenstein shareware days. And I have to disagree. The change from Health packs to health regen has not changed gameplay one bit.

[QUOTE="zxcqweasd1"]

[QUOTE="JuarN18"] You are so bad you can't kill somebody before their health begins to regenerate!

this argument can go both ways

DarkLink77

:lol:

Oh please. That argument doesn't work at all in single player (since enemies rarely come with regen health) and as for multiplayer, give me a break bro. Are you saying games like Halo/COD require more skill than CS1.6 and Quake III?

Why? Also COD started on PC and is still on PC. Halo is also on PC. Hell it was meant to be be PC exclusive before M$ bought it for XBox.

[QUOTE="DireOwl"]

[QUOTE="chikenfriedrice"]

I actually think looking for health packs suck

zxcqweasd1

agreed

Casuals. You're killing gaming.

[QUOTE="DarkLink77"]

[QUOTE="zxcqweasd1"]

:lol:

Oh please. That argument doesn't work at all in single player (since enemies rarely come with regen health) and as for multiplayer, give me a break bro. Are you saying games like Halo/COD require more skill than CS1.6 and Quake III?

zxcqweasd1

Why? Also COD started on PC and is still on PC.

[QUOTE="zxcqweasd1"]

[QUOTE="DarkLink77"] Comparing games that are primarily designed for consoles to games that are designed for PCs in the skill department doesn't help your argument.

DarkLink77

Why? Also COD started on PC and is still on PC.

What does that have to do with regen health vs health pickups?

Are you implying analog sticks limit the player so much that health regeneration is essential? Remember Goldeneye?

Health regen sucks when done badly (IE - makes game too easy, trivializes content), and health packs suck when done poorly (IE - constant interrupt of flow of the game with the chore of backtracking for health). Each one is dandy when done thoughtfully. Ultimately, I'm a fan of a hybrid system like Halo 1, or different systems like Tribes regen pack builds or AvP Predator power-bar-usage heals.

:lol:

Oh please. That argument doesn't work at all in single player (since enemies rarely come with regen health) and as for multiplayer, give me a break bro. Are you saying games like Halo/COD require more skill than CS1.6 and Quake III?zxcqweasd1

I have been gaming since the atari, and I dont want a return to health packs but I also think that pure regenerating health is not much better. I actually prefered the system in resistance 1, halo 1 worked well too. hell even bad company 1 was decent, you had to heal yourself. I personally would take regen health over health packs to cut down on frustration. Consoles would never survive health packs as you dont have the accuracy needed to survive most encounters. All and all I consider it the lesser of two evils.

[QUOTE="zxcqweasd1"]:lol:

Oh please. That argument doesn't work at all in single player (since enemies rarely come with regen health) and as for multiplayer, give me a break bro. Are you saying games like Halo/COD require more skill than CS1.6 and Quake III?JuarN18

I didn't say that dude.

[QUOTE="DarkLink77"][QUOTE="zxcqweasd1"]

Why? Also COD started on PC and is still on PC.

zxcqweasd1

What does that have to do with regen health vs health pickups?

Are you implying analog sticks limit the player so much that health regeneration is essential?