Peter Molyneux wants to change combat in games
During a Leipzig GCDC briefing, Lionhead boss Peter Molyneux laid out some ideas on how to change the way combat games work. According to Eurogamer, Molyneux said combat games have the same issues among them, in that they are all about the same thing: hit points, weapons don't do much damage and the environments mean nothing.
Molyneux proposed that fighting in games should be more like the combat seen in films (using Kill Bill as an example). He said that game developers "do not treat a sword like a real thing; it's like a big squashy thing. And that's not what we want to present, or what Hollywood presents as combat." He said that he'd like to see more one-hit kills instead. Molyneux also pointed out that he'd like to see more one-button moves, saying that "around 80 percent of people use one button anyway." He said one button should do different things depending on the context.
According to 1UP, Molyneux was also critical of motion-sensing controls being used in combat (referring to, but not specifically mentioning the Wii): "I realized, when I looked at myself in the mirror, I actually looked really stupid. Even with nothing in my hand, I get tired very, very quickly. I think motion-sensitivity is very, very useful, but I think the obvious way of doing it -- unless you're dealing with a 15 to 20 minute experience at most of actually being hugely physical -- is not where the opportunity lies here."
[Update: Added video of Molyneux's presentation after the break.]
