Medal Of Honor Dev: Games Can Be Too Realistic
Medal of HonorThese days, everyone seems to be looking for more realism and authenticity in their video games. But how much is too much? When does reality simply become too complicated for the average person?
We could use racing simulators as a "for instance" - the vast majority of gamers have no idea how impossible an actual simulator would be if they've never been behind the wheel on a racetrack - but in this case, let's talk about military shooters. As you probably might expect, a whole lot of training is required for most all of the characters we impersonate in a virtual realm. Therefore, if such games got too realistic, would we be able to handle it? Secondly, would it even be fun? For more on the subject, you need to check out what Medal of Honor executive producer Greg Goodrich says; according to VG247 summarizing his recent blog post, there is indeed such a thing as "too much realism." During the development of the game, Goodrich said they'd start to input too many intricate details and the "experience quickly deteriorated." Here, check this out:
"Here is an example. For one of our sniping encounters, focused on the art of sending a very personal message at an extreme range, we started by first selecting the optic. We then chose the rings, reticle and turret configuration for this particular optic. We ultimately decided upon a variable 5.5-22×50 with a Mil-Dot reticle and 1/10 Mil-Radian turrets.
The fine details of angular Mils can be confusing, but basically Mil-Dots serve two purposes, range estimation and trajectory correction. The horizontal and vertical marks (or dots) on the reticle are used for range estimation and the vertical marks are used for bullet drop compensation. A well trained shooter will also use the horizontal marks to compensate for bullet drift due to wind.
One Mil angle is approximately 3.6 inches at 100 yards. A 6 foot tall man is 72 inches. At 100 yards he would appear to be 20 Mils tall. At 1000 yards, he would be 2 Mils tall. To determine the distance to a target of known size: (Distance in yards) = 1000 / 36 x (Object size in inches) / Mils.
To determine the size of a target at a known distance: (Object size in inches) = 36 / 1000 x (Distance in yards) x Mils. Knowing these relationships, in conjunction with the external ballistics of a loaded projectile, a trained shooter can dial in his glass pretty quickly and make an effective shot."
Yeah, what do you think now? Still want the ultimate in realistic combat? Can you even do the necessary math involved? How much time would it take, and how much would it affect the gameplay? And in the end, what are your chances of real success? All good questions.
Related Game(s): Medal of Honor
4/14/2010 8:46:10 PM Ben Dutka
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Comments (40 posts)
OPHIDIAN
Wednesday, April 14, 2010 @ 10:00:35 PM
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That sounds awesome. But it will be tedious to do that in a game, and that's why the hard part can be done for you, for example, you need to shoot a target from a building, when you enter the room you need to snipe from, your team mate (or whoever) will say, 'you need to have your mil-dot here and here,' all you do then is aim and shoot (ie, the fun parts).
It sounds well good to me. People who can't handle should put the 'driving assists' on (repeatedly press r1 and it aims and kills by headshot for you).
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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Thursday, April 15, 2010 @ 12:53:05 AM
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OPHIDIAN
Thursday, April 15, 2010 @ 7:01:37 AM
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Wage SLAVES
Thursday, April 15, 2010 @ 10:33:30 PM
I understand what you are suggesting but it doesn't sound fun. Kind of the reason I'm left scratching my head when people hate on Cod but like the realistic weight of KZ2. Realism can only go so far until it negatively compensates on the fun factor.
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fluffer nutter
Wednesday, April 14, 2010 @ 10:04:33 PM
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Alienange
Wednesday, April 14, 2010 @ 10:05:08 PM
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Jawknee
Wednesday, April 14, 2010 @ 10:05:41 PM
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WorldEndsWithMe
Wednesday, April 14, 2010 @ 10:12:01 PM
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Darthvintage
Wednesday, April 14, 2010 @ 10:34:42 PM
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although they said it was great. it was too realistic and not fun.
i've played it and it was fun, because im a person who likes a game that takes skill.
with this generation of hand holding video games, too realistic might get a negative response, but then again, Look at Demon Souls
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BikerSaint
Wednesday, April 14, 2010 @ 11:03:43 PM
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But where the game gets too tedious to the point it's no long fun but a chore, then I think they've gone a bit too far with their realism.
But to me, the real & bigger danger coming from a game would be that maybe some of their realistic weapons of the future could telegraph to our real enemies, on plans we're thinking of & doing.
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OPHIDIAN
Thursday, April 15, 2010 @ 5:39:27 PM
Just like the way his lungs will be realistic, so should be his environment. You shouldn't be needed to go from one city to another on foot!
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OPHIDIAN
Thursday, April 15, 2010 @ 5:39:30 PM
Last edited by OPHIDIAN on 4/15/2010 5:39:52 PM
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OPHIDIAN
Thursday, April 15, 2010 @ 5:39:33 PM
Just like the way his lungs will be realistic, so should be his environment. You shouldn't be needed to go from one city to another on foot!
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OPHIDIAN
Thursday, April 15, 2010 @ 5:39:34 PM
Just like the way his lungs will be realistic, so should be his environment. You shouldn't be needed to go from one city to another on foot!
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BTNwarrior
Wednesday, April 14, 2010 @ 11:24:37 PM
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eLLeJuss
Wednesday, April 14, 2010 @ 11:30:11 PM
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BTNwarrior
Thursday, April 15, 2010 @ 1:11:57 AM
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Highlander
Wednesday, April 14, 2010 @ 11:55:57 PM
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A fighter based flight simulator can be too realistic in the sense that it's next to impossible to fight a dog fight in a modern fighter, it's almost all done with stand off weapons. Where would the fun be there? In a space fighter simulation, where would the fun be if it took a realistic amount of time to approach a planet, enter orbit and then land on the surface? It could take hours, and space combat would be worse than anything a military spec fighter simulator could offer.
Games need to be games, aspects of simulation are fine, but it's definitely possible to go too far.
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WorldEndsWithMe
Thursday, April 15, 2010 @ 12:02:18 AM
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Highlander
Thursday, April 15, 2010 @ 12:09:54 AM
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Naztycuts
Thursday, April 15, 2010 @ 12:48:12 AM
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Zorigo
Thursday, April 15, 2010 @ 11:43:14 AM
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just2skillf00l
Thursday, April 15, 2010 @ 2:10:10 AM
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Then again when I think about it, golfing games are very similar to this type of scenario. Golfing involves much more estimation and luck (in videogames) but the idea of lining things up and taking wind resistance/assistance into consideration is sort of the same idea as the sniping example.
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___________
Thursday, April 15, 2010 @ 2:39:53 AM
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i was watching Xplay today and they had a preview of breach and as much as i gripe on about military shooters it actually looks really good for one simple reason.
i hate online only games, but im really looking forward to this because FINALLY! a game that forces you to think and not just cover camp.
they were showing off their destructible environments and it was really impressive!
got a pesky rocket launcher in a building behind heavy armour?
no problem, just whip out a grenade and destroy the foundations causing the whole building to collapse killing the guy.
in stead of using normal cover, you can shoot out bricks in the walls, create small holes in roofs, floors anything you want and use that as cover.
and you can not cover camp in this because EVERYTHING! is destructible, cover camp and your cover will be blown to pieces along with you!
and for the stroke of genius!
its actually very, very, VERY! smart!
if enough enemies are shooting at you, your screen goes blurry and makes it harder for you to fire back.
finally a game thats actually tactical, forces you to fight as a team, and think before you act.
this would be the PERFECT! military game, shame its online only.
if socom 4 takes a look at this, and copys some of the things their doing than thats it GOTY 2011 is already sorted!
if your going to release a game in a saturated genre such as shooters, you really need to set yourself apart from the others and that is exactly what they have done.
now i REALLY! hope six days in fallujah does come out, because its using the same tech!
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DeathOfChaos
Thursday, April 15, 2010 @ 8:46:06 AM
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___________
Friday, April 16, 2010 @ 7:51:39 AM
its nice to see a developer come out and try to revolutionize the genre instead of follow the sheep and release another clone.
just like splinter cell conviction, im almost finished it now (extremely short game, like MW2 short!) but its done a really good job of revolutionizing the genre and bringing it into the 21st century.
only thing thats really annoying me is allot of the levels force you to do a particular thing, but they make it near impossible to do so.
most of the levels funnel you down straight in front of your enemies, i thought this was a stealth game, i thought you were suppose to flank your enemy, go underneath him or whatever and take them down from behind.
but 90% of the time the game will not let you do that, in the whole level from E3 every single room has windows, poles, wells to hide in so you have 3 or 4 ways to take your enemies out.
but in most of the missions you only have one.
i really wish developers would open up their games and make every level like the level from E3, make it that every single level has multiple ways to finish it.
especially in SPC because you are so freaking weak, literally one shot will kill you!
plus the AI is very smart, they dont come up one at a time they sneak up in groups so even if you do manage to take one or 2 out the others will take you out.
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FlyingKickPunch
Friday, April 16, 2010 @ 4:31:32 PM
most of the levels funnel you down straight in front of your enemies, i thought this was a stealth game, i thought you were suppose to flank your enemy, go underneath him or whatever and take them down from behind.
but 90% of the time the game will not let you do that, in the whole level from E3 every single room has windows, poles, wells to hide in so you have 3 or 4 ways to take your enemies out.
but in most of the missions you only have one."
sounds pretty "revolutionary"
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JackC8
Thursday, April 15, 2010 @ 7:12:34 AM
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No, I don't think anybody would want to play a game like that. I have to laugh out loud at these games where "snipers" are running around in plain sight, maybe 100 - 200 yards from the enemy, blasting away at target after target.
Same with racing games. One little brush against a wall and you're probably out of the race. It would actually be kind of fun if they added stuff like rain, then you could estimate when the track was wet enough that it was time to change to the rain tires. And estimate when it dried off enough to go back to slicks. And if you guessed wrong, it could cost you 10 positions. And of course you'd have to completely alter your driving style to adjust for the changing track conditions. I think that would be an example of realism adding something good to a game.
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spiderboi
Thursday, April 15, 2010 @ 7:58:37 AM
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DeathOfChaos
Thursday, April 15, 2010 @ 8:43:32 AM
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Banky A
Thursday, April 15, 2010 @ 9:23:39 AM
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Can't we just get the options of Noob Friendly or Seasoned Maniac? I know it'll be hard to set up algorithms for that and all, but with a lot of smart thinking I'd say it'll turn out pretty good.
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Zorigo
Thursday, April 15, 2010 @ 11:41:28 AM
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but you need a sense of realism rather than actual realism. mw2 knifing is a bitch. i could blind fire half a mag into a guy, he takes some damage, he launches in with a knife and instantly kills me. no. just NO. especially commando. wtf.
uncharted on the other hand, online sometimes your just that bit too far to melee someone and im like, if this was a real life situation i would lunge at his ass!
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Darwin1967
Thursday, April 15, 2010 @ 12:08:30 PM
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Highlander
Thursday, April 15, 2010 @ 12:34:40 PM
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Clamedeus
Thursday, April 15, 2010 @ 2:31:00 PM
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Minishmaru
Thursday, April 15, 2010 @ 7:15:11 PM
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KateBoglio
Friday, April 16, 2010 @ 6:01:45 AM
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kevinater321
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Wednesday, April 14, 2010 @ 9:36:29 PM