Lunchtime Discussion: Regenerative or Limited?

I can't see...quick, hide...that's better!

Published 10/12/2009 at 12:00.
By Lewis G [Gastos84].

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What happened to the good ol’ days of having to plan your route via medical kits? What happened to the tension that comes with knowing you are only one bullet away from restarting from last checkpoint and yet the health boost is at the other end of this room filled with armed goons hell bent on pumping you full of more metal than Wolverine?….Take deep breath.

If you didn’t guess, I’m talking about the ever changing health modes within games. Nowadays it’s hard to name a game that doesn’t feature regenerative health; apart than racing games and the like, but they don’t count so ssssh! Personally I hate it. I don’t want to get shot several times and then have to hide for a minute before i’m able to once again see my character on the screen. I want to know that I have 3 health packs in my inventory and that in order to gain access to the big boss man I need to use them wisely and sparingly, which in turn means that I have to go about my game with some degree of skill and thought. I don’t like the fact that I can now run into a group of enemies firing wildly, all the while knowing that as soon as my screen goes red, or black & white (which seems to be the developers favourite these days), I have to get to safety.

Sure, it doesn’t mean that games have become easier. Play Uncharted 2 on crushing or Killzone 2 on Elite and you’ll realise that you are given about as much health as a two-legged dog with asthma and therefore the regenerative health option almost becomes defunct.

What do you prefer? Do you like the new wave of games that feature regenerative health, or like me, do you prefer the trusty medi-pack approach?

Comments

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Gamoc | 10/12/2009 12:02
Member
1304 TSA Points | Member since: Forever

I think I prefer the medipack and health bar thing, to be honest.
DJ Judas | 10/12/2009 12:04
Epic
932 TSA Points | Member since: Aug 2008

Regenerate for multiplayer. Limited for single player imo.
- billsmugs | 10/12/2009 16:13
  Member
  929 TSA Points | Member since: Mar 2009
  
  I think it should be the opposite personally. I love being able to run straight into a room of bad guys and know that I can run out again and hide when I start to die, but I hate it when you unload nearly a full clip into someone online, but then they run round the corner and by the time you’ve caught up they’ve got full health again.
djdustb | 10/12/2009 12:05
Member
1483 TSA Points | Member since: Nov 2008

Sorry to be a bit rubbish, but I don’t mind either system to be honest, it wouldn’t put me off a game if I knew either system was present. I do however think it has to done correctly, Max payne looking for medicine cabinets and taking pain killers was awesome, the half life system was perfect too. I am not sure the call of Duty games would have been so good for me having to look for health packs, I played to use cover wisely and not run and gun, which I think I may have done more if I new I had loads of med packs with me.
Vandix | 10/12/2009 12:09
Member
1233 TSA Points | Member since: Mar 2009

Limited would be better yes, as you say this requires more skill and planning… (and this would make the medics in shooters a bit more useful…) But with sandbox games regen would be better… I think…
Sympozium Gro Mak | 10/12/2009 12:12
Member
3462 TSA Points | Member since: Aug 2009

limited is more realistic, regeneration should stay in arcade warfare games like Campin on duty
Shadow106 | 10/12/2009 12:12
Member
71 TSA Points | Member since: Oct 2008

I have to say I prefer the health pack meathod, it makes you be alot more careful and the sense of acheivement when you complete a section or a level is so much greater especially when you can only take one more hit before it’s all over.

Regenerating health has it’s advantages sometimes but for me it reduces the risk factor making games feel alot easier than the old school way of doing things. I guess there is no right or wrong way of doing it but I would think most of the older gamers like myself who grew up with Doom and Quake would have a similar view to my own.
iiekka | 10/12/2009 12:14
Member
212 TSA Points | Member since: Feb 2009

kinda depends on the game, id o like the regen approach in the likes of cod, but l4d2 wouldn’t be as good or as challenging with out the med kits/painkillers etc
RadioactiveMouse | 10/12/2009 12:14
Member
569 TSA Points | Member since: Aug 2009

I’m currently playing through Operation Flashpoint on Hardcore and I have to say I prefer that kind of health system. It means that skill is preferred to accessibility which is how the hard difficulty settings on games should be. To me only really great players should find the last difficulty setting playable considering hard is normally taken to mean hard.

That said regenerative health has it’s place. It functions well in games such as Bad Company 2 where your health regenerates to a certain point but for a full heal you need a medic. This is the best version of ReGen I could think of but provides a happy medium between the two camps.
- seedaripper1973 | 11/12/2009 09:16
  Member
  2443 TSA Points | Member since: Forever
  
  aww you bugger i was gonna say exactly the same thing (about BF:BC2) i’m a medic by the way ;)
lewis815 | 10/12/2009 12:17
Member
919 TSA Points | Member since: Mar 2009

Dead Space :)
- kevatron400 | 10/12/2009 13:06
  Don't call him Kevatron400.
  2244 TSA Points | Member since: Dec 2008
  
  Yep – perfectly implemented health bar system!
  - everybodysinging | 10/12/2009 13:33
    Member
    557 TSA Points | Member since: Sep 2009
    
    yup those little blue bars on the back of the suit were epic
Rabid-Coot | 10/12/2009 12:18
Member
326 TSA Points | Member since: Oct 2009

Both like in the first Resistance game.
- suicidalllama | 10/12/2009 15:13
  Member
  195 TSA Points | Member since: Aug 2008
  
  Exactly my thoughts. It really bugged me when they got rid of that system for the second one. For people that never played the first resistance the health bar was divided into four sections and each section would regenerate but if it was gone completely you needed to find a health pack to restore it.