More About Breakable Weapons

[ur-vile]

I'm okay with limited inventory space and breakable weapons if it's implemented well. The way it was in Origins was just bonkers. I ended the game with an insane amount of melee weapons. And as long as the guns don't degrade as fast as in System Shock 2 (not a low bar to clear), go for it

Like someone else said though, key items should be an exception.


Forget, did they say you could fight hand-to-hand?

[Aerith Gainsborough]

Games should have some challenge, but they shouldn't have so much that it annoys the player playing the game to the point that they put their controller down and actually do something else. Games are for entertaining. Period.

[leftshoe18]

I like that they're allowing you to carry one firearm and one melee weapon. That was the thing I was worried about the most in regards to the weapon system.

I'll bet that "quest" items won't have limited inventory space, though.

[in zero]

So, I'm guessing that the limited inventory will really only apply to weapons. I highly doubt at this point in the series they would force you to backtrack all over the place for simple puzzle items or health drinks you were forced to drop because you could only hold 6 objects regardless of their physical size.

Then again, we know absolutely nothing about the rest of the game's mechanics, so for all we know, a tiny inventory could very well make the most sense for whatever they've designed.

[DeSilva]

So, I'm guessing that the limited inventory will really only apply to weapons. I highly doubt at this point in the series they would force you to backtrack all over the place for simple puzzle items or health drinks you were forced to drop because you could only hold 6 objects regardless of their physical size.

Then again, we know absolutely nothing about the rest of the game's mechanics, so for all we know, a tiny inventory could very well make the most sense for whatever they've designed.

I'm totally in agreement. If we backtrack, I'm guessing it'll be only for story purposes. As always, I'll give the creator the benifit of the doubt until I see the whole thing.
I'm in agreement that puzzle items will be held no matter what, in case I sent the wrong kind of message, but wepaons and health could themselves cause a bit of a puzzle, what to take? A wooden chair or a rusty axe? Strategy, it's a part of solving puzzles. I doubt though, that it will be a big issue. Form what it seems (emphasis on what it seems) they're focused on other aspects than weapons and health.

[Doctor Eggnog]

I wouldn't mind some backtracking so long as Murphy's running animation is a little faster than, say, everyone except Harry. Everyone talks about how bad the first game's controls are, but I find them the easiest to use because at least Harry can book it! Travis went half a mile per year and made the outdoor areas irritating. Harry can outrun leaping apes. Travis can barely outrun a SH2 ripoff zombie.

As for breakable weapons, as long as there's not too many and they don't break too quickly. I was impressed in SH2 when the battery in the flashlight went out. Felt realistic. If it feels like that then I don't mind the breakable weapons. They were kinda stupid in Origins, annoying to cycle through all the time, there were too many. There were also too many guns, something no one ever seems to think of in the overwhelming wave of meele weapons. Six guns isn't a lot for RE4, but were talking about a game that was five hours long here.

[Skele]

i don't mind unbreakable weapons, as long as they don't break after killing a few monsters, that was one of the annoying things about origins, which made me just say F-it and resort to punching all of them to death.

anyhow, i hope there's an option to turn off the button displays for combat. i saw a vid on youtube where a monster jumped on Murphy's back, and then directions popped up on screen, telling you how to get the monster off of your back. basically, it just showed the left thumbstick moving left and right, and it had "release" above it.

[Tillerman]

Backtracking could be a problem in this game... it depends on some design elements. Let's take the breakable weapons. If there's enough weapons scattered about that you can always grab another one before your current one breaks, then people won't need to backtrack. But if there is any point in which your current weapon will run out before you can find another one, and you are allowed to backtrack, most players will feel like they are being forced to. They will think "damn, now I have to go back and get that other weapon I saw lying way back there... that sucks."

Another problem can arise due to non linearity... if a player finds themselves tracking back and forth through the same area, due to exploration or sidequests or whatever... (and there are supposedly gonna be around 20 sidequests) obviously they may use up all the weapons in that area. Which means they will have to go back and forth between one area and another every time they need to get a new weapon. This type of situation wouldnt happen in a more linear game, but if Downpour is going to be as non-linear as they described, it's a big concern, and the designers will want to be very careful about it. (Assuming weapons don't respawn or something weird like that.)

Another important thing about breakable weapons: it's important that the player can see how much damage the weapon has taken in one way or another. It would be extremely annoying if you had no idea when your weapon was going to break, for obvious reasons. Hopefully they do not decide to make it this way for the sake of "realism." It doesn't matter if they do it in a video game way of having a duration bar, or a more realistic way of letting you see cracks gradually appear in your weapon. Based on what they've said, it sounds like this will be the case, so shouldn't be a problem... hopefully.

[Harrys_Girl]

I wouldn't mind some backtracking so long as Murphy's running animation is a little faster than, say, everyone except Harry. Everyone talks about how bad the first game's controls are, but I find them the easiest to use because at least Harry can book it! Travis went half a mile per year and made the outdoor areas irritating. Harry can outrun leaping apes. Travis can barely outrun a SH2 ripoff zombie.

Oh you just made my day w/ that. :3

From what I saw in the E3 trailer, Murphy looks like he runs like a gazelle, but if the game is going to be realistic enough to have breakable weapons and limited inventory, I'm willing to bet, he'll get tired w/n a reasonable amount of time. I really don't mind the slow pace, mostly because I know I'd be walking everywhere in SH and I ain't in the right shape to be running my happy ass around, so I don't fault the character.

I've said before and I'll say it again, I hate when a character is holding 10 keys and cannot pick up another fucking key--they are all fucking keys! PUT THEM IN YOUR POCKET. Even worse, like in REmake you can hold 125 bullets for a handgun but can't pick up another green herb to mix w/ the red herb you already have. Really? Cause that's logical. I can get used to breakable weapons if I have to, but I really, REALLY hate limited inventory of any and all verities.

*sigh*

[Yuki]

Backtracking could be a problem in this game... it depends on some design elements. Let's take the breakable weapons. If there's enough weapons scattered about that you can always grab another one before your current one breaks, then people won't need to backtrack. But if there is any point in which your current weapon will run out before you can find another one, and you are allowed to backtrack, most players will feel like they are being forced to. They will think "damn, now I have to go back and get that other weapon I saw lying way back there... that sucks."

Another problem can arise due to non linearity... if a player finds themselves tracking back and forth through the same area, due to exploration or sidequests or whatever... (and there are supposedly gonna be around 20 sidequests) obviously they may use up all the weapons in that area. Which means they will have to go back and forth between one area and another every time they need to get a new weapon. This type of situation wouldnt happen in a more linear game, but if Downpour is going to be as non-linear as they described, it's a big concern, and the designers will want to be very careful about it. (Assuming weapons don't respawn or something weird like that.)

Another important thing about breakable weapons: it's important that the player can see how much damage the weapon has taken in one way or another. It would be extremely annoying if you had no idea when your weapon was going to break, for obvious reasons. Hopefully they do not decide to make it this way for the sake of "realism." It doesn't matter if they do it in a video game way of having a duration bar, or a more realistic way of letting you see cracks gradually appear in your weapon. Based on what they've said, it sounds like this will be the case, so shouldn't be a problem... hopefully.

Keep in mind, too, that even if the weapons break, they will still be weapons. They'll just be different. If a chair breaks, you can use the chair leg. Things like that.

[Tillerman]

I've said before and I'll say it again, I hate when a character is holding 10 keys and cannot pick up another fucking key--they are all fucking keys! PUT THEM IN YOUR POCKET. Even worse, like in REmake you can hold 125 bullets for a handgun but can't pick up another green herb to mix w/ the red herb you already have. Really? Cause that's logical. I can get used to breakable weapons if I have to, but I really, REALLY hate limited inventory of any and all verities. *sigh*

Limited Inventories aren't so bad if they account for things like this. Like allow small items like keys to take up smaller amounts of space, and letting a bunch of the same item stack together in a single space. Items like keys could also be part of a separate, unlimited inventory for key items.

Keep in mind, too, that even if the weapons break, they will still be weapons. They'll just be different. If a chair breaks, you can use the chair leg. Things like that.

Good point. But a penalty probably comes along with that, at the very least range. So it would still be highly desirable to be able to check the durability of your weapon.

[Harrys_Girl]

Limited Inventories aren't so bad if they account for things like this. Like allow small items like keys to take up smaller amounts of space, and letting a bunch of the same item stack together in a single space. Items like keys could also be part of a separate, unlimited inventory for key items.

That'd be much more wonderful like. I can only hope that will be applied.

[Aerith Gainsborough]

Ooh, take a glass and break it and make it into a dagger! MUAHAHAHA.

[Harrys_Girl]

^That made me think... I wonder if Murphy's grip on his weapons will ever suffer from the rain/water/etc.? I can't imagine being able to hold onto a weapon that has a smooth surface when everything is soaked and swollen.

[wonder's boy]

^That made me think... I wonder if Murphy's grip on his weapons will ever suffer from the rain/water/etc.? I can't imagine being able to hold onto a weapon that has a smooth surface when everything is soaked and swollen.

Murphy has sexy man hands. He can hold onto anything...

Which, in turn, brought up the thought of Murphy being able to throw punches. Has anyone heard anything about this? Say you have a chair and you've broken it down to a single leg over a Screamer's skull....then you break that leg. What then? If there aren't any weapons in sight, are you practically forced to run until you evade your pursuer(s), or are you able to fight back via slugging an enemy to death? Perhaps this is why they all appear so humanoid? Because it'd be more logical to be able to beat an enemy to death if it has a more human shape versus giant meat/abstract shape?

[Harrys_Girl]

That would be quick a bit like 0rigins. Don't know if the creators would want to go back to that. >_>' I know I wouldn't.

I just sorta figured that once your weapon disintegrated to nothing, you'd have to run and find a new weapon before you are overwhelmed.

[Fevered Dream]

So you can hold one melee weapon and firearm? Well that's good to here since originally I thought it was only one weapon, either melee or firearm.

[Aerith Gainsborough]

I know the knew Dead Rising is going to be like this, but I think it would be cool if you broke items, you could take the broken parts and make new weapons out of them from other items. xD

Back on topic, I'm glad that they weapons can be broken and still be used. That was honestly one of my biggest pet peeves with Origins. You can throw a stupid TV more than once! D: Just because it's broken doesn't mean crap.

Edit: Noticed I put 'steal' instead of 'STILL'

[Adj]

meh. l found limited inventory in sh4 to be ok. there were breakable weapons in there, but they were super powerful. also the wine bottle that turns into a shank. l don't find much realism in the fact of every weapon can break. take an aluminum baseball bat for example. sure it can get dented, but l'm sure it would hurt just the same as a none dented one. and guns that can break?? "my gun jammed." is gonna be the new "the door is jammed." fur fox sake!

[Aerith Gainsborough]

^There will be guns, but there won't be many. A gun won't 'break', unless Murphy perhaps starts beating the shit out of it, which I seriously doubt he's going to be doing. I think it is a bit realistic. If you beat someone over the head with a chair, it's going to definitely break, and what are you left with? Some broken parts that can be used as weapons (E.g. The legs).

Edit: This explains the system. http://helldescent.com/2011/05/22/melee ... -downpour/