aiming
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WildStar's newest video takes aim at... well, aiming
There's an element of fire-and-forget in a large number of MMOs, a sense that all of the hard work of targeting is done for you by the game. You click on your target, you activate your ability, and that's all the thought you need to put into aiming. But WildStar is looking to change that, as outlined in the newest Dev Speak video. Aiming your abilities correctly is a big part of playing the game, and failing to do so means missing your target about all of the time. Lead class designer Hugh Shelton and lead combat systems designer Chris Lynch took the time to talk a little more about the particulars of aiming with several media outlets because this is something that takes a large amount of consideration. So head past the cut not only for the video, but also for more valuable details on the art of making abilities go where you want.
Naughty Dog responds to Uncharted 3 aiming concerns
Players -- and critics -- don't always have an appropriate vocabulary with which to discuss less defined, mechanical aspects of games. Why does shooting feel right in one game, but wrong in another? We appear to have run into this problem of a lacking lexicon with Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, which some players say has introduced problematic aiming (i.e. something feels wrong), particularly in the single-player adventure. Posting on the official Naughty Dog blog, community overlord Arne Meyer relayed information from game director Justin Richmond, who's able to speak more clearly on the technical performance of Drake's gun. "Aiming is identical to Uncharted 2 - we took a look at the values side by side. We did adjust the sensitivity to be MUCH higher in Uncharted 3 to give you a more precise feel. With Uncharted 2 it was pretty much guaranteed you would aim in one of the 8 directions and it was hard to deviate from that (imagine it being almost like a traditional 8-way arcade stick)." According to Richmond, "With Uncharted 3, you can deviate from the straight path from each of the 8 directions much easier and more precisely." So, contrary to some complaints, sensitivity has gone up. However, enemies also change positions faster now, "which changes the flow of gun combat as well, from what you were used to if you're coming off fresh from Uncharted 2." We've had this same problem at Joystiq HQ, and believe that aiming assistance might be a tad too magnetic, slowing your reticle down when it gets near an enemy. The most interesting part is that the gunplay in Uncharted 3 has been adjusted in another significant way. You might not have known it looking at him, but Drake's shots used to come out at weird angles. "In Uncharted 2 the bullets would leave the barrel at a pre-set deviation when you were aimed in," says Naughty Dog. "What this means is that the bullets would not fire straight out of the barrel all the time -- they could come out at an angle. Therefore, you could have a target clearly in the reticle and still miss it by a wide margin." In the sequel, "bullets now fire straight out of the barrel 100% of the time," though you need to adjust for recoil. There's a question about which ultimately takes precedence: the informed explanation rooted in data and design, or the more nebulous discomfort of an aim that just feels ... off?
The Daily Grind: FPS 'mah MMO?
Combat systems are always an integral part of games, as they provide the main source of conflict and challenge for most players. Lately, however, we've been seeing a change in how our MMOs handle combat. Traditional systems have always been based on click targeting and skill usage, but a number of MMOs have opted to utilize new technology and integrate aiming and elements of first-person shooters into their systems. PlanetSide has been one of the first (as it's built to be a first-person shooter MMO, obviously) but other games like Darkfall, Face of Mankind, Hellgate: London, Huxley, APB, and others have embraced the aiming concept. Our question to you today is what do you think of this shift? Do you like having to aim in your games, as it presents a new level of skill-based gameplay, or does the aiming just not work for you, as lag and other factors can give some players a hefty disadvantage? Take your thoughts, pull them out of your head, smash them against your keyboards, and let them land on our webby page. We're used to these sort of things.
Breakfast Topic: Goals before Wrath
Last week on the podcast (which will be posted later today, and is pretty good, if I say so myself), Turpster informed us that he's gotten up to level 61 on his Shadow Priest that he started a while ago. His goal is to make it all the way to 70 by Wrath of the Lich King, which means he and I are in an informal race at this point -- my Hunter is currently 64 and I'm aiming to hit 70 by the expansion as well.Unfortunately, we have no idea when the expansion will drop. If you're the optimistic type, yesterday's BlizzCon announcement might have hinted to you that the expansion will come out before the big event in Anaheim, which means we'll be in Northrend before October. I'm not so optimistic -- I'm still thinking we won't see Wrath until right before the holidays, and Blizzard being Blizzard, probably delayed until January again.But either way, you've got at least a few months, so what are your major goals before the expansion hits? Going to level a character, get a certain Arena rating, or do every Heroic? Aiming to get your mount, still, or have a goal with your guild to finish Sunwell before all the new content shows up? What are you aiming to do before going to see Arthas?
The FPS conundrum
When the Wii controller was first revealed to the world, it seemed as though it would be the end-all-be-all for first-person shooter controls. Many even claimed it would be superior to the industry standard mouse and keyboard (causing many PC gamers to violently explode). After countless debates in message boards and chatrooms between legions of fanboy armies, E3 2006 rolled around. Surely, this would put our doubts and fears to rest. The show was all about the Wii: hardware, software, and six hour lines. Perhaps the greatest desire of all, however, was to finally feel how wonderfully games like Red Steel and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption handled.
