In Response To: Re: So you guys want specifics on game design eh.. (psychophan7)
: The only thing that I would add is a way to increase the complexity of the
: game by adding another means of execution.
: Halo is arguably centered around the usage of weapons, most often firearms.
: By making (what I percieve to be) a simple change in the way that weapons
: can be used, there would be a change to execution. (My understanding of
: HP's post is that increasing the methods of execution results in
: increasing the skill ceiling.)
: The plasma pistol is a decent enough example of what I am proposing, as the
: way it functions is the same way some (not all nor even most) weapons can
: be changed. By tapping the trigger, a player can fire off a single shot.
: By quickly tapping the trigger multiple times, a stream of single shots
: can be fired off. However, by holding the trigger down, the pistol will
: begin to overcharge; While the pistol is being overcharged, slowly
: releasing the trigger will cause the pistol to stop charging without
: firing it, or the trigger can be released quickly and firing off the shot.
: As you can see, there are two distinct functions of the plasma pistol, and
: the method of executing either function is quite literally in the players
: hand. It's sensitive to how much "pressure" is on the trigger,
: and how quickly the trigger is pressed/depressed. The application of this
: concept to other weapons is the simple change I previously mentioned.
: Examples of weapons that could benefit from this change: • Battle rifle -
: lightly squeezing the trigger (pressing it down 60% instead of 100%) could
: fire off a single shot with 100% accuracy and 33% of the damage of a
: burst. Perhaps, for balance reasons, the time between taking single shots
: could be greater than that of a burst so the BR doesn't behave like ODST's
: pistol.
: • Spartan laser - lightly squeezing the trigger could keep the targetting
: laser up, without charging/discharging the weapon. "Painting"
: targets, basically (although it could be argued that this wouldn't be
: needed.)
: • Chain gun turrets - lightly holding the trigger could spin up the barrel,
: letting rounds fly when needed faster.
: • Needler - after holding the trigger down, slightly releasing (depressing it
: from 100% up to 60%) and holding the trigger might make the possible
: super-detonation not explode until the trigger is entirely released.
: • Rocket launcher - slightly releasing and holding the trigger after firing a
: rocket could make it track the targetting reticle. This would probably be
: the second biggest change to the weapon toolkit, as it would effectively
: negate the need for missile pods.
: • Fuel rod gun - effectively the same change as the rocketlauncher.
You've got the idea. I'm not sure how "Halo" these design choices are, but they're pretty cool examples of how you could increase the level of control a player has without (so it seems on the surface) affecting those who disregard it. Cool idea.
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