Halo: Reach Forum
This topic has moved here: Poll [6 votes]: Does simulated reflexes sound like a valid expidenture of Bungie...
  • Poll [6 votes]: Does simulated reflexes sound like a valid expidenture of Bungie...
Subject: Does simulated reflexes sound like a valid expidenture of Bungie...

Poll: Does simulated reflexes sound like a valid expidenture of Bungie...  [closed]
Yes.:  17%
(1 Votes)
Possibly.:  83%
(5 Votes)
No.:  0%
(0 Votes)
I still don't get it.:  0%
(0 Votes)
Phalange. That is all.:  0%
(0 Votes)
Total Votes: 6

So, you may ask what Simulated Reflexes is; it sounds like something real and stuff. Well, it's not actually a technical term, as far as I know. I made up the term so I can talk about it. So, what am I talking about?

Examples:

Assassin's Creed
does not utilize much of Simulated Reflexes, but when it did, it was noticed. When you climb structures in Assassin's Creed, your character "looks" for handholds and footing, and cannot proceed if these are not present. This is a simulated act you are not performing with the controller.
Mirror's Edge does this to a degree, too. The notion that most of the physical acts are all operated on pressing and holding the Right Button -- be it climbing, wall-running, vaulting, ect. -- is a good way to simplify what would be very complicated in actuality.

So what is it, generally and in my own definition? Simulated Reflexes is when character models behave automatically in certain situations, either with less specified control by the player or for instances when the player has no control. There is one example of this that I can specify in Halo 2 and Halo 3: the melee lunge.Though you didn't specify your character moving forward, the game moves you forward because it is assumed a Spartan or Elite would do as such so as to not miss the attack. This was not the logic that spawned the effect (they did it to avoid latency issues), but it is regardless an example.

Now that people have a hold on what I'm saying, here are a few things I think that ought to be implemented. This is all assuming that Halo: Reach behaves much like Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo 3: ODST do.

- Realistic explosion reactions
Y'know how in Halo 3, if you get sent flying through the air for any reason, you are always standing in the air as long as you're alive? As soon as you're sent flying, the game should start spinning you as if you are a ragdoll. However, landing should be automatic, with your character model righting itself as soon as possible. If you hit the dirt, you hit it and flip up with your momentum. Hit a wall, you dissipate the momentum by wall-running and cutting it short.

- Item Movements
In Halo 3, you walk over an item to pick it up, holding the Right Button to either add it to your inventory or switch it out with the current weapon in hand. This looks fine from your screen to a degree, but not so much from the outside world. Picking up items, dropping items, and switching between weapons would be something visible seen in combat, done in the most realistic way that would be done with as little affect on the player's vision as possible. One suggestion for picking weapons off the ground would be kicking it into the air and catching it.

-Flipping Vehicles
First off, this is a tricky one. As soon as it looks like your character is trying, people will wonder how it is logically possible. Well, screw logic. If you flip a vehicle, your character should have to physically reach out and flip it. This would be done as inobtrusively as possible to gameplay. Your character would use one hand, dropping a dual-wielded weapon if he or she was holding it or holding a two-handed weapon in the one hand during the flipping proess. Accuracy would not be affected.

I'm sure that some of you will come up with other ways that this could be applied for better aesthetics.


Why is this a good idea?
It's not the best idea, but it's a good one. This isn't something I demand from Bungie (and if they fail me, they are some sort of varient fiend hive native to the farthest realms of reality), but it would improve the traditional look and feel of Halo substantially. The important part of this suggestion is that none of these changes would affect how you play the game much, if at all. These changes are just to make everything appear more realistically or behave more realistically. This is a want, not a need. But video games are about wants, not needs. In the end, I guess this is strictly opinion.

I understand that important coding comes first. This is me wanting the extra stuffs. What say you, the people?

  • 09.02.2009 12:53 PM PDT
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  • Senior Mythic Member

Proud frenchie, elite fan, anthro artist not hellbent on yiff convention/pics/whatever, mature and intelligent forum guy, 4chaner, halo 2 lover and halo 3 hater.

basically... all you want are more animations.

that's a real easy and quick sum up for your post : animations for everything.
which is a good idea... and also, fix the height problems. I hate seeing bullets go out of my allies weapons 15 centimeters too high...

  • 09.02.2009 1:03 PM PDT

Personally, I think an actual "skilled" person in Halo 3 is someone who knows how to win with every weapon and combo in the game, not just a single weapon like the BR, Sniper, or even the AR. Of course, that excludes me, as I have yet to get a kill with dual plasma pistols. :D

This seems like a "Really, why not?" moment to me.

  • 09.02.2009 1:06 PM PDT

Posted by: Master Megatron
Interesting suggestions. Nothing game-altering, but little bits that would help immersion.
Precisely the point. Equally important is that while it wouldn't alter the controls or your choices in the game. it would alter the game in regards to how you view it. Almost a sort of half--paradox.

Posted by: z0rgy
basically... all you want are more animations.

that's a real easy and quick sum up for your post : animations for everything.
I suppose so. In the same sense that asking for a butterknife so I can butter my toast is me asking for the sharp implement known as a "knife."

I am simply specifying a particular region in which I would, yes, prefer more animations. This is a region in which there have been largely no unique animations in Bungie's games thus far.

But I would not be pleased if they simply took these words and decided that they would add five different ways to get on a given vehicle, claiming that "all I want is more animations."

Posted by: Keybored6522
This seems like a "Really, why not?" moment to me.
Given the nature of my post, perhaps I should have included that as an option in the poll, because I imagine that's the most reasonable answer. But I'm sure there are people who will object.

This is, after all is said and done, the internet.

[Edited on 09.02.2009 1:13 PM PDT]

  • 09.02.2009 1:08 PM PDT