What happened to the GeoMod trend?
by Matt "Mothergoat" · in General Discussion · 02/18/2005 (8:11 am) · 7 replies
So, when Red Faction first came out, it was supposed to inspire gameplay-dependent geo-modification (destructible environments.) Not just "Hey, that building crumbled," but "Hey, I destroyed this part of the wall to open up a passage I need to go through to advance."
There was much hoopla and this current generation seems to have all but forgotten about this trend. Why? To hard to code? Too hard to plan? I was really looking forward to these ideas.
There was much hoopla and this current generation seems to have all but forgotten about this trend. Why? To hard to code? Too hard to plan? I was really looking forward to these ideas.
#2
02/18/2005 (8:58 am)
It was an interesting diversion, but it was the only thing that the RF game brought to an otherwise tired genre...and it was horrid in terms of internet play. I loved the idea of blowing my own doors through walls (mainly because I hate the mostly indestructible doors in FPS's), but Jeff is right. It ended up letting me get from point A to point B without any difficulty. Even on the highest difficulty settings. And that was about as fun as God mode.
#3
02/18/2005 (9:08 am)
I agree about its implementation in RF, but I guess I just saw more potential. 
#4
The game "Scorched Earth" was an early shareware hit that used deformable terrain as a core gameplay element. Sorta similar to destroyable environments.
X-Com downplayed destructable environments, but it was nevertheless possible and made things very interesting. One of my favorite moments in gaming was where I "accidentally" captured my first alien in X-Com, when I fired at the floor BELOW the alien not realizing he was hiding up on the roof or whatever. I blew out the floor underneath him, causing him to fall and get knocked unconscious.
Superhero games like Freedom Force benefit greatly from highly interactive environments (not heavily destructable in FF, but it's got a lot of elements like that). What that does is open up some very interesting options - throwing villains through walls, or having some otherwise range-restricted bad guy pick up a truck and throw it for you. Balanced correctly, it could be a lot of fun.
The problem is the same as any other more open-ended gaming system. It's an awful lot of work from a technical and gameplay perspective, and that has to be weighed against the benefits. I think you really have to design the game around it.
02/18/2005 (12:10 pm)
I think there's some great gameplay potential in this. But you are going to have a tough time achieving it in a straightforward FPS game --- or any game where getting from point A to point B ("winning the level") is the primary goal.The game "Scorched Earth" was an early shareware hit that used deformable terrain as a core gameplay element. Sorta similar to destroyable environments.
X-Com downplayed destructable environments, but it was nevertheless possible and made things very interesting. One of my favorite moments in gaming was where I "accidentally" captured my first alien in X-Com, when I fired at the floor BELOW the alien not realizing he was hiding up on the roof or whatever. I blew out the floor underneath him, causing him to fall and get knocked unconscious.
Superhero games like Freedom Force benefit greatly from highly interactive environments (not heavily destructable in FF, but it's got a lot of elements like that). What that does is open up some very interesting options - throwing villains through walls, or having some otherwise range-restricted bad guy pick up a truck and throw it for you. Balanced correctly, it could be a lot of fun.
The problem is the same as any other more open-ended gaming system. It's an awful lot of work from a technical and gameplay perspective, and that has to be weighed against the benefits. I think you really have to design the game around it.
#5
02/18/2005 (12:41 pm)
As Mr. Blake mentioned, I think part of what lead to RF's downfall was it's timing. The genre had been overplayed and people wern't nessicarly looking for FPS's anymore. I could see Geo-mod technology having huge implications in a game like Tribes, but in close quarter combat, it's only adding to the astetic appeal. 
#6
EDIT: the same way I see people at my college... A lot of them avoid Torque... they mess with Realm Wars a bit then lose interest and choose not to delve deeper. I still show them the power of it (and they are often amazed at what can be done in it) and attempt to share some of my knowledge on it so they can see the potential... but in the end its not an hugely bad thing for me if they choose not to delve into it much, just gives me an edge on them (as my competition)... I'm all for working with fellow Indies who are like minded and help eachother, but if they prove to not be so, then just gives me an advantage over them.
02/18/2005 (1:01 pm)
@Matt: All this means is it leaves the potential open for developers (like us) to create that new revolutionary gameplay interconnecting destructible worlds with fun. I say rather than consider why it didn't hit, figure out how you can make it hit.EDIT: the same way I see people at my college... A lot of them avoid Torque... they mess with Realm Wars a bit then lose interest and choose not to delve deeper. I still show them the power of it (and they are often amazed at what can be done in it) and attempt to share some of my knowledge on it so they can see the potential... but in the end its not an hugely bad thing for me if they choose not to delve into it much, just gives me an edge on them (as my competition)... I'm all for working with fellow Indies who are like minded and help eachother, but if they prove to not be so, then just gives me an advantage over them.
#7
02/18/2005 (1:27 pm)
As Mr. Blake mentioned, I think part of what lead to RF's downfall was it's timing. The genre had been overplayed and people wern't nessicarly looking for FPS's anymore. I could see Geo-mod technology having huge implications in a game like Tribes, but in close quarter combat, it's only adding to the astetic appeal. 
Torque Owner Jeff Tunnell