Lunchtime Discussion: Regenerative or Limited?
I can't see...quick, hide...that's better!Published 10/12/2009 at 12:00 by 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
Please note that all comments are the opinion of the individual author and not TheSixthAxis.
Gamoc | 10/12/2009 12:02
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1216 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
507 TSA Points | Member since: Aug 2008
Regenerate for multiplayer. Limited for single player imo.
billsmugs | 10/12/2009 16:13
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504 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
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1303 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
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1197 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
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1609 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
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68 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
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187 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
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545 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
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1722 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
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728 TSA Points | Member since: Mar 2009
Dead Space
kevatron400 | 10/12/2009 13:06
Don't call him Kevatron400.
1732 TSA Points | Member since: Dec 2008
Yep – perfectly implemented health bar system!
everybodysinging | 10/12/2009 13:33
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543 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
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260 TSA Points | Member since: Oct 2009
Both like in the first Resistance game.
suicidalllama | 10/12/2009 15:13
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136 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.
C_S15 | 10/12/2009 12:21
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1542 TSA Points | Member since: Feb 2009
Regenerative health is better. I don’t want to lose time and pacing of my game, having to hunt out a health pack before tackling the next bit of the game. Regenerative health means I can just keep going. Health packs are the past.
simplebob | 10/12/2009 12:23
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251 TSA Points | Member since: Mar 2009
It does vary from game to game, but must admit, on the health pack method, I don’t like playing a level I’ve played before and being in a situation where I know there are no health packs left, theres a shed load of enemies left and I’m down to last dregs of health, you just know youre going to have to restart it all again from last checkpoint. Resistance Fall of Man worked well with the partial regen and seemed to give best of both worlds (and scrape through a level with only one health left)
Bankzy108 | 10/12/2009 12:26
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230 TSA Points | Member since: Sep 2009
Limited Health for Single Player linear games.
Regenerative for Multiplayer and Open World games.
My views anyway
Roynaldo | 10/12/2009 12:29
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2972 TSA Points | Member since: Nov 2008
I dont mind either, it would be sad to see either complelty dissapear but i dont have preference for one over the other. Although final fantasy revolves itself around magic and potions, they cant possibly switch that, can they?
peespee63 | 10/12/2009 12:31
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1069 TSA Points | Member since: Feb 2009
Depends on the game, the character and the universe. Resistance Fall Of Man had a good blended system with it, and the regen was explainable through the story. Borderlands does it nicely by having the healthpacks (which can be quite scarce), but also the option to have regen through some shields and abilities.
Obviously, you can’t have medpacks for Wolverine, as he just regenerates, but at the same time, effectively he can’t die, so it’s rather pointless building a health system around him.
Now what would be strange is having a platformer with regen. Ratchet and Clank pulls the health system off well, giving you a fighting chance, but also having health pickups quite scarce in some sections.