Secondly, I'll complete this "compilation" in stages so this post and the next won't be finished immediately. Some sections will be added and some existing ones will be fleshed out in due course
Anywho:
Mass Effect 2 had some really great innovations in gameplay, especially when put alongside its predecessor but there is always room for improvement and there is more room in some aspects of the game than others. Below is a list of proposals for potential improvements in my view, categorised into different sections pertaining to the element of gameplay they relate to.
Some are simple concepts whilst ideas relating to mechanics are naturally more complex. In general, each suggestion is borne from a particular instance in the game where I felt the gameplay either reduced the immersion I felt in the game, limited that immersion or otherwise could’ve simply been improved without too much fuss. Anyway, without further ado:
1. Mechanics Suggestions
i) Smart Cover Swapping and Destructible Cover
ii) Multi-Directional Sprinting and Movement As Part of Combat
iii) Specific Destructible Map Areas
iv) Strategic Boss Encounters
2. Item/Ability Suggestions
i) Gameplay Complexity Leads To More Diverse class Abilities
ii) Reaper Infusion Upgrades
iii) Two Side-Along Equipment Upgrade Systems
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- 1i) Smart Cover Swapping + Destructible Cover
One of the main goals the gameplay design team seemed to go for in ME2 was intensity of combat, and while generally this was achieved there are many other situations in ME2 where cover being too powerful derides from that feel. Not only that, but in order to balance the game it also becomes too much of a reliance for the player. A large part of the Vanguard’s inability to function at higher difficulty levels is caused by this reliance – simply, the mechanic is so powerful, so “deus ex machina” in its application that it becomes a pivot around which all encounters are balanced. Not only does this lead to imbalanced class capabilities but boss battles where the lack of realism takes you out of the moment.
When that Human Reaper appeared I crapped my pants, but the second I found I was able to just hide away from the big, bad monster machine, all of a sudden it wasn’t so scary anymore. The absolute best way of making an encounter feel intense and scary is to make the player feel like nowhere is safe, and this is what leads up to the idea of Smart Cover Swapping.
The general idea behind this is simple: the vast majority of cover is destructible. As an example: in a room there may be 5 areas where you can cover. You enter from the south and enemies enter from the north; one of those enemies has a rocket launcher. You go down for cover at the nearest place and begin picking down the enemies. A rocket is fired at the object you’re hiding behind and it partially explodes; if the object gets hit by another rocket it’s going to be destroyed, and if you’re using it for cover at that point you’ll take a bit of damage (obviously not the full amount) and that object will now no longer be there available as cover.
Smart Cover Swapping would be a function, just like jump or run, which allows Shepard to swap from one area of cover to another that has the same directional face seamlessly. The player could either simply press the Cover Swap button to move to the nearest object or use Cover Swap + a particular direction of movement to specify a particular object to hide behind within a certain radius of Shepard and possibly override the object face requirements.
Apart from obvious benefits of such a mechanic it would also allow for a greater variety of boss encounters because you could control the structure of the encounter not only through boss abilities but also the layout of the room in which you fight. An image that really sticks out in my mind is the scene in The Matrix where Neo and Trinity have a gunfight in the ground/first floor of the skyscraper building where Morpheus is being held. In this situation, the pillars would be Shepard’s cover and the enemy would be alternating between regular weapons and heavy weaponry that knocked away the pillars, prompting Shepard to “Cover Swap” to another pillar and continue fighting giving the impression that you can’t sit on your laurels for too long. It could work nicely in circular arenas or in ambush situations where you enter a room, fight a group on a particular front then get ambushed from behind and have to readjust.
The simple idea is for cover to be useful from shielding yourself from high rate of fire weaponry like SMGs but when it comes to heavy weapons you simply need to be agile in combat. What this encourages is non-static gameplay where you can’t simply sit behind cover, pick off enemies and then move on once the place is cleared. In addition, it allows developers to target particular encounters in the story where they want the player to face tactical difficulties due to the capabilities of the enemy and the geographical layout of the area.
- 1ii) Multi-directional Sprinting + Movement As Part of Combat
Multi-directional sprinting would be good, as would the ability to quick burst at the beginning of a sprint. An example with numbers would be thus:
Press Sprint = 200% speed increase for 3 seconds and then 150% for the remainder of the sprint.
Changes along these lines would help alleviate any situation where “Cover Swap” wasn’t necessarily a perfect solution. In other words, the player could essentially do it manually in a situation where the cover directional faces aren’t quite suitable or the next area of cover is far away. In this situation, you could burst away from your current cover and then just manually get behind another etc. In addition, it would aid the player in avoiding slower moving heavy weapon projectiles, once again allowing for another option than simply “sit behind the big block” and add an element of dynamics to the gameplay, especially when facing larger enemies by using speed to combat brute strength.
- 1iii) Destructible Map Areas
You’re firing at it and it goes into a tensed position, perhaps makes a sound as a warning, and the player knows it’s going to try and hit him. Sprint sideways, the Reaper slams the area where Shepard was and keeps trying to hit him as he continues to sprint away. 3-4 slams and with it drop subsequent platforms which it hits in its pursuit of you. Once again, this would give the real impression that a gigantic machine is trying to kill you rather than having indestructible cover and objects aiding you in the fight, also promoting adaptability from the player.
This would only be for boss battles, and perhaps only specific ones at that, obviously due to the work-load required for making any kind of interactive terrain.
The combination of the above two ideas may come across as requiring too much development time but simple things would suffice. For example, it wouldn’t be necessary to make cover a part of the map, and therefore making the map able to change, but rather make most cover like the crates in ME2 that can be destroyed with a melee hit only taking 2-3 hits from specific weaponry that satisfies a condition.
- 1iv) Strategic Boss Encounters
based upon the map, quick movement from Shepard if the mech physically targets the area where he’s covered and specific targeting of fire. Here’s a visual example as I could see one boss fight:
The boss is a Super-Scion which is made up of 100 humans (just a hypothetical example!) It has three attacks: regular gun/cannon fire, a charge and a biotic spell like Shockwave that it has to charge up for. It’s shields are impregnable except while it’s charging its Shockwave attack as it diverts energy from its shields into the spell. The cannon fire doesn’t affect cover but both the charge and Shockwave spell obliterate any cover in a single hit and take your shields down even through cover
The fight is in an octagonal room with the Super-Scion at its centre. It has 8 areas of cover around the near-edge and 4 closer to the centre. You start by simply firing rounds at the Super-Scion while behind cover until you find it’s
useless. You stay behind cover, try to deal damage to it etc. and then it charges you. You cover swap or sprint out and find somewhere new to hide, then it follows it up by charging its Shockwave ability.
One of your team-mates yells for you to move so you either: cover swap when it fires or sprint out from cover to avoid it. Afterwards your other team-mate remarks that its shields are down when it uses that ability.
From that point on you have to bait it to use that ability and fire a few rounds into it then move before the spell is fired etc.
Only a very basic example but it’s a situation where you’re never safe to simply cover and fire. In order to deal damage to the enemy you have to be in harm’s way, and it would synergise well with abilities like Adrenaline Rush that would allow you to pump out more damage in that instant and avoid the Shockwave easier etc.
In addition, the longer you take to beat it the less cover you have to use so if you’re too slow you eventually have to take it head-on. This could serve as a soft ‘time limit’ on the fight and could be done in any encounter the developers desired.
This is just a very simple idea of a boss encounter but the possibilities would be great by giving Shepard increased agility and toning down the effectiveness (uberness) of cover.
- 2i) Gameplay Complexity Leads To More Diverse class Abilities
Movement playing a larger role in combat would be a good thing and would enable a much more intense gameplay experience. However, of particular note here is the allowance of more options for class abilities. A more variable world where nothing is absolute means that abilities can fill in the holes, often meaning you don’t need to come up with something new to make the ability unique and worth its weight in gold: you simply need to take something away that the player previously took for granted!
- 2ii) Equipment Upgrading
Combining these kinds of permanent upgrades with “slot-in” upgrades found in ME1 would add even more diversity to equipment in ME3; it could be a good way of getting back that RPG feel that many missed in ME2 without cluttering the inventory again.
- 2iii) Reaper Infusion Upgrades
Basically, once again we can add diversity and perhaps allow a slight cross-over of class principles and gameplay styles by allowing for these abilities to be used regardless of class.
Modifié par Myrmedus, 07 août 2010 - 03:19 .
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