Ok, this is not what I want to write about, but it gives some sort of introduction. In my understanding next-gen games should deliver next-gen gaming experience: improved graphics, improved physics, improved sound and improved game coding. Now, I can agree that the audio-visual elements show some nice progress, however coding seems to be lagging behind, and that where that next-gen experience falls flat. Most of the recently released games seem to have implemented A.I. scripting that was developed by five-year olds who were using notes from hamster training courses as guidelines; and this happens in big budget games that were in development for quite some time (but again, since time is relative through most of the development cycle the programmers were probably doodling naked men and drinking gasoline).
Let me give you a few examples.
Let’s take Halo 3. To be completely true I like this game pretty much only for the single player (and the extras) which makes what I’m about to write a bit more painful. Ok, what made the first Halo different that all the other FPSes? The fact that you were not alone on the battlefield (ok, this is not really true, but whatever). And you know what? It’s stayed in Halo 3… unchanged. Even though the enemies show some intelligence that could probably impress an average chicken (even though I can‘t find significant differences in their reactions between Halo 1, 2 and 3) the friendly NCPs possess the “wits” of a daisy that was watered with dissolvent. Now, I can understand that it’s not easy to program a few NCPs to work together in perfect harmony, but I imagine it doesn’t require being a Nobel prize winner in the fucking-brilliant-A.I.-scripting-computer scientist category to make them move around obstacles and not step between your enemy and the rocked you just launched. I’ve seen it can be done in the first Baldur’s Gate (the part with the obstacles obviously) and that was almost ten years ago. Unlike Halo 1 the third one gives you the choice to pick the position in vehicles that you like best… and I will give you a hint... you like to drive, you really do. If you don’t, you’ll get a nice close-up on some rock or wall textures most of the time, because the marines for some reason were taught how to herd sheep instead of driving a warthog in military academy.
Enough about Halo: Retarded Combatants, let’s look at another game that I had high hopes for but turned out to be as entertaining as watching John Travolta in Battlefield Earth through a round fish tank.
What do you get when you combine Prince of Persia, Hitman and Lemmings? You get Assassin’s Creed. You get free running PoP style (excellent animations that are more fluid that… well, fluid), you get assassinations Hitman style and enemies that have a herring instead of a brain (and I mean one herring for all of them). I could somehow turn a blind eye to the stupid Halo “helpers” because they are pretty much useless anyway but the chronically moronic enemies in AC ruin the whole game. How can you take seriously a game that has “adversaries” that stop chasing you when you sit on a bench, or attack you when you run, but don’t when you walk? You can also hide in a group of monks. I guess having leather belts and a sword doesn’t count as incongruous. I say Ubisoft should make downloadable content for this game - a set of paper masks of celebrities. If you get attacked you could take one out and presto… I mean Garry Coleman or Lindsay Lohan are not much of a threat, right? Ok, Garry Coleman is not a best example here, we all know what he could do in Postal 2. I swear to God, that those soldiers are so stupid that they wouldn’t recognize Altair if he would stick a carrot up his nose.
Let’s not forget the “all-mighty” I’ll-poke-your-eyes-with-my-megafuckingcool-graphics-but-my-gameplay-is-as-coplicated-as-pong Crisis. If they wanted to make this game realistic, creating enemies that will run around aimlessly or turn around and get shot in the back after they see you was clearly not the way to go. If I were Korean I would sue Crytek asses for making me look stupid.
Half-witted A.I. is not reserved for action games alone. You get a lot of it in racers for example. My recent favorite one is in Project Gotham Racing 4.
“Advanced artificial intelligence that can adjust tactics to your driving style” bullshit. Imagine that you’re racing not with cars and bikes but with a bunch of trams that will ram you the second you’ll be in their “optimal” racing “rails”. I haven’t seen that kind of crap since Gran Turismo 1 on PSX.
I could go on for quite a bit longer, but I think you get my point.
We have multi-core processors in our machines, but it really feels like going back to the early playstation and saturn days. Don’t get me wrong. I like most of the above mentioned games - excluding Assassin’s Creed. That one is failed, because it’s only a graphical demo with a story (even if it's a pretty good story). If I were to choose between Galaga and Assassin’s Creed I would choose Galaga any day. It’s just as “complex” and a lot more fun.
I may not be an average gamer that when considering a game purchase mainly looks at the graphics, but I think I’m not alone in my desire to have game that has next-gen “substance”. Games today cost millions of dollars. I would sleep better if I knew that some of that cash goes to A.I. development, not just new engines.
No comments:
Post a Comment