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Re: BTF#7 The Deeper End of the Military Sci-Fi Po
Posted By: Beckx	Date: 1/18/12 11:30 a.m.
In Response To: Re: BTF#7 The Deeper End of the Military Sci-Fi Po (General Battuta) : This was an interesting read, and it touched on some very complex points. I : think in particular I was torn on the following: "This game would : also give 343 the opportunity to really show off its talent when it comes : to graphics. While many disagree with Call of Duty’s approach to building : games, you would be hard pressed to find anyone who would say with a : sincere face that the game's set-pieces aren't stunning. The opening level : from Modern Warfare 2 is what immediately comes to mind. : Although it’s a tutorial for the game’s basic controls, there is activity all : around you. Troops relax by playing a game of basketball, men argue about : water consumption, and mechanics work on vehicles. There is no point to : this level of detail, other than to get the player more immersed in the : world they have created, to breath life into it and make it real. Halo has : immersion nailed, but I for one would love to see the series delve into a : higher level of detail than it ever has before, rivaling, if not : surpassing those games which are known for their extreme : thoroughness." : I think the author needs to dissect his assumptions here. I'm not sure : they're internally consistent. Beyond the obvious nitpicks - he opens with : 'graphics' but then goes on to discuss scripting and level design, which : are technologically related but not the same thing at all - I think : there's a real philosophical dispute here. : Is Modern Warfare 2's opening immersive? Is it detailed? Most importantly, is : it immersive or detailed in a way that's useful to Halo? The MW2 opening : presents a lovingly detailed, intricate, completely nonreactive diorama. : It's a dead tableau that the player cannot interact with, a showcase of : the game's entire philosophy: 'look at this amazing work! Look at it! Now : move through it, but don't touch, don't play.' : Halo, by contrast, takes a different approach, closer to Crysis or ARMA : (though obviously not as extreme as the latter): 'Here's a little : puddle-sized sandbox. Some AI are patrolling and we left you some guns and : a Warthog. Get from A to B however you like! What's going to happen? Will : that Elite blow himself up? Will that Grunt heroically stuck you?' : There's a huge gap in design philosophies there: tightly wound clockwork : sheen versus messier, looser semi-reactive sandbox. Well said. I think there are a lot of people (myself among them) who look at the very highly scripted games that are aspiring to be like movies, and come away, well, unengaged by it. I won't say "unimpressed" because there is really impressive technical work going on there, but those experiences don't deliver what I want in a game. I've been playing a lot of Bayonetta recently. Is MW2 technically more impressive than Bayonetta? Sure; that's not even debatable. But Bayonetta engages me, tests me to master its systems and get higher scores. Come back again and again to try to do better. Both playstyles should be able to exist but unfortunately our current model of game criticism isn't set up to handle that. Speaking of game criticism, just got my first issue of Kill Screen. Love it. Beautiful design, great paper - and great content. Very atemporal. Highly recommended. Current issue is about sound design, so Marty comes up more than once.

Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit

Message Index

BTF#7 The Deeper End of the Military Sci-Fi Pool	Dani	1/18/12 9:05 a.m.
Re: BTF#7 The Deeper End of the Military Sci-Fi Po	General Battuta	1/18/12 10:56 a.m.
Re: BTF#7 The Deeper End of the Military Sci-Fi Po	Beckx	1/18/12 11:30 a.m.
CoD might have been a poor example.	uberfoop	1/18/12 11:40 a.m.
Re: CoD might have been a poor example.	Beckx	1/18/12 11:45 a.m.
Re: CoD might have been a poor example.	uberfoop	1/18/12 11:56 a.m.
Re: CoD might have been a poor example.	Beckx	1/18/12 11:59 a.m.
Re: CoD might have been a poor example.	Bry	1/18/12 2:06 p.m.
Re: CoD might have been a poor example.	davidfuchs	1/18/12 2:27 p.m.
Re: CoD might have been a poor example.	General Battuta	1/18/12 2:48 p.m.
Re: BTF#7 The Deeper End of the Military Sci-Fi Po	davidfuchs	1/18/12 12:46 p.m.
Re: BTF#7 The Deeper End of the Military Sci-Fi Po	Quirel	1/18/12 3:18 p.m.
Re: BTF#7 The Deeper End of the Military Sci-Fi Po	scarab	1/18/12 6:13 p.m.
Body hopping	scarab	1/18/12 6:18 p.m.