A take on localized damages in FPS games, has anyone ever seen this?
by Kyrah Abattoir · in Game Design and Creative Issues · 04/27/2011 (1:18 pm) · 12 replies
This is a little idea i had that is, probably nothing revolutionary but i might have a go at trying to make something like this at some point.
You all know the classic localized damage systems, depending if you shoot the enemy in the limbs, torso, or the head you inflict to them more or less damages. This is so common these days it's not even needed to talk about it.
My idea is in the same line but a little different, basically the body is divided in 3 zones:
-Legs
-Arms
-Body
I chose willfully to omit the head as the "one shot one kill" mechanic because i believe we already have plenty of it in today fps games, the only reason i would introduce it would be for sniper weapons, simply because sniping in an FPS game is generally considered to be easy, and it would add an extra challenge. Plus every soldier will tell you you're supposed to aim for the center of mass anyway.
My idea is to give to the player 3 HP gauges basically. One for each of the body groups so it's affecting the game this way:
-Legs: taking damages here will reduce the leg HP, creating side effects such as unstable line of sight when moving (limping), slower movements, limited jumping ability,... maybe all at the same time, maybe one or two effects chosen at random on the first hit.
-Arms: taking damages here will reduce the arms HP, side effects include unsteady aim, slower reloading, maybe inability to carry some of the heaviest weapons?
-Torso/head: This is the actual life of the player, when this reaches zero, the player is dead. Possible side effects beside dieing? i don't really know.
Okay that was about it, for those who don't want to read, the idea is basically to treat limbs as non vital , gameplay altering wounding points and counting lethal hits only in the chest and head area.
The goal? Making the combat last longer with more non lethal wounds, without actually making the players more resistant. Making the game feel more epic and encouraging the creation of (apparently) desperate situations.
Comments? Suggestions? Has anyone ever seen this in an existing game? (i wonder how it feels)
You all know the classic localized damage systems, depending if you shoot the enemy in the limbs, torso, or the head you inflict to them more or less damages. This is so common these days it's not even needed to talk about it.
My idea is in the same line but a little different, basically the body is divided in 3 zones:
-Legs
-Arms
-Body
I chose willfully to omit the head as the "one shot one kill" mechanic because i believe we already have plenty of it in today fps games, the only reason i would introduce it would be for sniper weapons, simply because sniping in an FPS game is generally considered to be easy, and it would add an extra challenge. Plus every soldier will tell you you're supposed to aim for the center of mass anyway.
My idea is to give to the player 3 HP gauges basically. One for each of the body groups so it's affecting the game this way:
-Legs: taking damages here will reduce the leg HP, creating side effects such as unstable line of sight when moving (limping), slower movements, limited jumping ability,... maybe all at the same time, maybe one or two effects chosen at random on the first hit.
-Arms: taking damages here will reduce the arms HP, side effects include unsteady aim, slower reloading, maybe inability to carry some of the heaviest weapons?
-Torso/head: This is the actual life of the player, when this reaches zero, the player is dead. Possible side effects beside dieing? i don't really know.
Okay that was about it, for those who don't want to read, the idea is basically to treat limbs as non vital , gameplay altering wounding points and counting lethal hits only in the chest and head area.
The goal? Making the combat last longer with more non lethal wounds, without actually making the players more resistant. Making the game feel more epic and encouraging the creation of (apparently) desperate situations.
Comments? Suggestions? Has anyone ever seen this in an existing game? (i wonder how it feels)
About the author
3D artist, programmer, game designer, jack of all trades, master of none.
#2
04/28/2011 (3:14 pm)
Basically my idea is that non body/head shots can't kill you. 
#3
04/28/2011 (3:18 pm)
I'm going to add hitboxes for locational damage soon. It's a major part of my game to be able to have locational damage for characters and vehicles. I really hope I can get one of the resources to work with TGEA. Although all the extra animations are going to be a pain, limp-right-leg, limp-left-leg, etc. Hitpoints just don't cut it with me, locational damage is the only way to go. 
#4
04/30/2011 (9:45 pm)
action halflife mod, done this and it was quite popular maybe have a look at that. they got it working well i remember the desperation of trying to hop away from my opponents with one leg :P
#5
If you are using torque 3D, Look in "game/art/datablocks/player.cs"
around line 531 (using torsion) and find:
You should be able to add the arms and legs as well. Look at one of the models already supplied in t3d to see how they set it up.
05/01/2011 (12:34 pm)
Quote:My idea is in the same line but a little different, basically the body is divided in 3 zones:
-Legs
-Arms
-Body
If you are using torque 3D, Look in "game/art/datablocks/player.cs"
around line 531 (using torsion) and find:
// Damage location details boxNormalHeadPercentage = 0.83; boxNormalTorsoPercentage = 0.49; boxHeadLeftPercentage = 0; boxHeadRightPercentage = 1; boxHeadBackPercentage = 0; boxHeadFrontPercentage = 1;Those are the damage ammounts for the hit boxes already in torque. It's also the same in tge and tgea.
You should be able to add the arms and legs as well. Look at one of the models already supplied in t3d to see how they set it up.
#6
About hitboxes - I've managed to 'hack' (maybe) them in after realising that ShapeBase actually does raycast collision against convex collision meshes (LOScol). So in Player, I let the raycast happen against the bounding box as usual, but if the ray successfully intersects the bounds, then I pass the ray to ShapeBase::castRay which tests against the LOScol meshes. I think there was a bit more required to get the LOScol meshes to animate properly, but it ended up being a pretty simple modification. The biggest pain was passing the hitbox ID back out to the projectile callbacks.
05/01/2011 (8:19 pm)
I like the idea of locational damage being used to prolong firefights. Though I think it's only part of the problem... if FPSes keep focusing on frenetic run-and-gun action instead of tactical shooting, firefights will continue to be quick, or devolve into MMO-style comedy punch-ups. But these damage penalties should help that - players who get hit a few times will be significantly weakened and want to play a bit more cautiously from then on.About hitboxes - I've managed to 'hack' (maybe) them in after realising that ShapeBase actually does raycast collision against convex collision meshes (LOScol). So in Player, I let the raycast happen against the bounding box as usual, but if the ray successfully intersects the bounds, then I pass the ray to ShapeBase::castRay which tests against the LOScol meshes. I think there was a bit more required to get the LOScol meshes to animate properly, but it ended up being a pretty simple modification. The biggest pain was passing the hitbox ID back out to the projectile callbacks.
#7
I really like the idea of a wounded player becoming very cautious, in fact, maybe it will force full health players to become a bit more careful.
05/01/2011 (9:39 pm)
You should make an updated resource for that Daniel, I can't seem to get any of the hitboxes resources to work.I really like the idea of a wounded player becoming very cautious, in fact, maybe it will force full health players to become a bit more careful.
#8
From the Fallout 3 Wikipedia entry.
06/17/2011 (11:37 am)
Quote:Health is separated into two types: general and limb. General health is the primary damage bar, and the player will die if it is depleted. Limb health is specific to each portion of the body, namely the arms, legs, head, and torso. ... When a limb's health bar is depleted, that limb is rendered "crippled" and induces a negative status effect, such as blurred vision from a crippled head or reduced movement speed from a crippled leg. Health is diminished when damage is taken from being attacked, falling from great distances, and/or accidental self injury.
From the Fallout 3 Wikipedia entry.
#9
07/31/2011 (9:44 pm)
The Bladematch mode in Heretic 2 was awesome! You could cut arms and legs off of opponents. Hilarious. 
#10
08/12/2011 (12:58 pm)
That is a pretty good system. Would head shots be instant death sans helmet? You could do a lot with it. Have players choose whether or not to be armored head to toe or be more quick with lighter armor to not get those penalties.
#11
08/12/2011 (2:20 pm)
I don't know if that question was for me... The idea was to entirely do away with the "headshot" obsession, excepted for snipers maybe (aiming from far away with a scope is easy enough as it is in a video game) 
#12
Head shots are important. However you must make it a true skill with the individual weapon to GET that head shot. Counterstrike freaks get awp headshots and deagle headshots simply because the recoil is not accurate (it's a video game of course though)... Keep this in mind while designing :)
08/28/2013 (9:04 pm)
I realize this is old, but I figured I should chime in on something, As a fellow Soldier we're told to aim center mass at silhouettes-the reasoning for this is to easily hit the target, but in combat it's purpose is to disable someone and not to kill them, the m16/m4 5.56 NATO rounds are designed to bounce around in the body and cause tissue damage throughout your organs which while repairable would cause major pain, enough to where you are no longer a threat. To end someone's life almost instantly all that needs to be done is shoot someone in the head, it would likely hit the brain causing irreversible damage resulting in death.Head shots are important. However you must make it a true skill with the individual weapon to GET that head shot. Counterstrike freaks get awp headshots and deagle headshots simply because the recoil is not accurate (it's a video game of course though)... Keep this in mind while designing :)
Torque 3D Owner Tuomas Kaukoranta
Only example I can think of right now relating to locational damage is Ghost Recon, if you got hit in the legs, your running speed was greatly reduced.