Preferred player health system in FPS games

Sarevok · Post by **Sarevok** » 2007-02-04 04:14am

What type of health system do you like in FPS games ? Gathering health packs in old fashioned style or a recharging health like Halo or Call of Duty ?

Brother-Captain Gaius · Post by **Brother-Captain Gaius** » 2007-02-04 04:46am

Fixed health, either with no way to improve it or only by getting medical attention from a medic/doctor/field hospital/whatever.

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2007-02-04 05:08am

GoldenEye's system: you've a set amount of health that can't be replenished, but you can pick up body armour that adds a second, replenishable health bar. This way you've got a fighting chance when your health is low, but you still need to be extra-cautious when you're running on fumes.

Exonerate · Post by **Exonerate** » 2007-02-04 05:36am

Depends what kind of FPS. For a DM-styled, picking up health. For something tactical, slowly regenerating, if any at all. For teambased, a medic/whatever.

salm · Post by **salm** » 2007-02-04 06:45am

While the system in Call of Duty didn´t really bother me i still like the old fashion health packs better.

Post by **weemadando** » 2007-02-04 06:45am

It depends on the game. Fixed health for tactical. "Halo" health for action. Any system that works for a good teambased game.

Ace Pace · Post by **Ace Pace** » 2007-02-04 09:37am

For arcade action(UT), pickups. Tactical scifi, Halo style, anything else, fixed, non replaceable.

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2007-02-04 10:18am

Halo's health style makes the game a bit easier, though I prefer systems like in Medal of Honor where you don't regain health without finding med packs or seeking out a medic. Although for the insane missions that can be rather difficult to get by with.

JLTucker · Post by **JLTucker** » 2007-02-04 12:27pm

Have there been any FPS games that when you are wounded, your health diminishes until you find a health pack? That would be much more realistic.

Ace Pace · Post by **Ace Pace** » 2007-02-04 12:36pm

JLTucker wrote:Have there been any FPS games that when you are wounded, your health diminishes until you find a health pack? That would be much more realistic.

Americas army?

Medic · Post by **Medic** » 2007-02-04 01:08pm

Give me the good old healthpacks!

I like being rewarded for killing several people and on top of that, when 4 allies in front of me all get manpursed (satchel charge) it's just... amusing to walk in behind them and get 4 healthpacks for full health.

I can't see how going to a wall terminal or for a medic would work in multiplayer. I didn't have CoD:UO throughout it's entire life (only got it in 2005) but I heard before the patch they're on now, they used to have a medic system, anyone could BE a medic, but it required stopping next to the guy that wanted to get healed.

LOTS of double kills for snipers, which is why, I'm sure, they changed it to everyone that dies drops a healthpack.

Molyneux · Post by **Molyneux** » 2007-02-04 01:58pm

Eh, I like rechargeable health a la Halo, but I prefer the version from the first game as opposed to the second - a recharging shield, but once the shield is gone any damage you take goes to a nonreplenishing health bar that requires health packs.

In a similar vein, the health system in Goldeneye and Perfect Dark was enjoyable, and the varying availability of armor really helped the scaling of difficulty levels stand out.

Darth Mordius · Post by **Darth Mordius** » 2007-02-04 02:55pm

JLTucker wrote:Have there been any FPS games that when you are wounded, your health diminishes until you find a health pack? That would be much more realistic.

In firearms the HL1 mod, if you got shot you bled slowly until you got bandaged.

Lt. Dan · Post by **Lt. Dan** » 2007-02-04 03:46pm

Darth Mordius wrote:
JLTucker wrote:Have there been any FPS games that when you are wounded, your health diminishes until you find a health pack? That would be much more realistic.
In firearms the HL1 mod, if you got shot you bled slowly until you got bandaged.

I was going to say that... Also, that War Rock lets you bleed out.

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2007-02-04 04:55pm

JLTucker wrote:Have there been any FPS games that when you are wounded, your health diminishes until you find a health pack? That would be much more realistic.

Did you completely ignore my post directly above yours?

Elaro · Post by **Elaro** » 2007-02-04 05:05pm

I prefer "Halo"-health over "Call of Duty"-health, and "CoD"-health over "CoD2"-health. Because average Allied infantry are not Wolverine, damnit!

Adrian Laguna · Post by **Adrian Laguna** » 2007-02-04 05:11pm

I like things like Rainbow Six and maybe Operation Flashpoint (still haven't played it). Where not only do you have fixed health, but getting shot a couple times is enough to kill you.

JLTucker · Post by **JLTucker** » 2007-02-04 05:27pm

General Zod wrote:
JLTucker wrote:Have there been any FPS games that when you are wounded, your health diminishes until you find a health pack? That would be much more realistic.
Did you completely ignore my post directly above yours?

Yes, I did. I saw the term "Halo", and skipped over it. A mistake that should not have been made.

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2007-02-04 05:55pm

So not 'health system' but 'healing system', then?

The CoD system turns the game from an adventure into a series of small, unconnected action scenes. If you like that, bully for you, but I think it's childish. 'Consequences' are a good thing, and I don't remember the last FPS where I actually had to *look* for health. At least most recharging systems give you a much smaller amount of health.

Vendetta · Post by **Vendetta** » 2007-02-04 06:20pm

Cause, y'know, god forbid an action game should ever concentrate on the action, rather than backtracking through now empty bits of level for that little cache of health you remember seeing.

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2007-02-04 06:51pm

Vendetta wrote:Cause, y'know, god forbid an action game should ever concentrate on the action, rather than backtracking through now empty bits of level for that little cache of health you remember seeing.

Wow, I never mentioned NOT DOING THIS EVER in my post, this is a brand new thought to me thanks for mentioning it. I also appreciate your analysis of the 'large adventure with consequences vs small, self-contained action scenes' dichotomy I mentioned: incisive, as always!

Sorry, this horrible bugbear simply never happens. Maybe I'm just awesome, but games with healthpacks have fajillions of them. Wow, maybe in Halflife you went to get a healthpack - that's relevant to a discussion of modern shooters, where fixed-health games don't do that anymore. If only you could carry ten healthpacks like in FEAR!

I repeat, 'if you like that, bully for you'. How much of my post did you even read?

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2007-02-04 07:16pm

Stark wrote:
Vendetta wrote:Cause, y'know, god forbid an action game should ever concentrate on the action, rather than backtracking through now empty bits of level for that little cache of health you remember seeing.
Wow, I never mentioned NOT DOING THIS EVER in my post, this is a brand new thought to me thanks for mentioning it. I also appreciate your analysis of the 'large adventure with consequences vs small, self-contained action scenes' dichotomy I mentioned: incisive, as always!

Sorry, this horrible bugbear simply never happens. Maybe I'm just awesome, but games with healthpacks have fajillions of them. Wow, maybe in Halflife you went to get a healthpack - that's relevant to a discussion of modern shooters, where fixed-health games don't do that anymore. If only you could carry ten healthpacks like in FEAR!

I repeat, 'if you like that, bully for you'. How much of my post did you even read?

Medal of Honor: Allied Assault has a system where you actually have to hunt down health packs or medics. Occasionally an enemy will drop a pick me up, but it's usually no more than a fraction of your total health and it doesn't happen too often. Not sure if this is such a good example since it's not exactly a "new" game though. . . .

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2007-02-04 07:26pm

Yeah, the modern world has 'level design', where forcing the player to backtrack is a failure and poor design. I mentioned Halflife because that was the last game I remember not having conveniently placed pickups: Doom and Wolf were much worse.

But remember, this isn't anything interesting like 'long adventure with risks and consequences vs series of small self-contained action scenes with nothing carried over except ammo levels'. It's football-team style 'zomg you said something bad about my favourite health system boo boo hiss hiss'.

Some people can appreciate the tradeoffs and see intermediary steps like dropped healthpacks, stored healthpacks, part-regen like Halo etc. Others can't think so clearly. Wait, is this purely a style call?

Sam Or I · Post by **Sam Or I** » 2007-02-04 08:43pm

Adrian Laguna wrote:I like things like Rainbow Six and maybe Operation Flashpoint (still haven't played it). Where not only do you have fixed health, but getting shot a couple times is enough to kill you.

Agreed. This is the only type of FPS I play. Personaly I like the Ghost Recon series, although the health system is virtually the same as Rainbow. I can see why the others are fun, but they are just not my type of game. I have never really liked "arcadey" type games, I have always preferred simulations.

Anarchist Bunny · Post by **Anarchist Bunny** » 2007-02-04 08:45pm

I liked the Republic Commando health system. With weak but constantly recharging shields and a regular health bar that could be replenished at certain stations. But your entire squad had to be out to get a game over. If the AI could clean up what was left, or if you went down behind cover you are revived with half your health.

They really need to make a god damn sequel to that game.