From 27ac5fa2a02572651765cd7dd3d74ff019806376 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Marty Sluijtman Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2023 18:21:13 +0200 Subject: [PATCH] Game mechanics ramble --- content/rambles/emergent-mechanics.md | 133 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 133 insertions(+) create mode 100644 content/rambles/emergent-mechanics.md diff --git a/content/rambles/emergent-mechanics.md b/content/rambles/emergent-mechanics.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..327d105 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/rambles/emergent-mechanics.md @@ -0,0 +1,133 @@ +--- +title: "Emergent Game Mechanics" +date: "2023-09-25T02:36:11+02:00" +author: "$HUMANOID" +tags: ["gamedesign", "quake", "doom"] +description: "A little piece about emergent mechanics" +--- + +# Preamble + +I usually talk about whatever hobby project I've been hacking together when the +inspiration to write strikes. In a sense this is a similar ramble, just on a +wildly different topic, namely video game design. + +# The Meat and Potatoes + +For some time now I've been attempting to wrap my head around why I find games +like Doom Eternal to be boring, while games like Ultrakill and Quake are some of +my favourites of all time. And I think I've found the answer. + +Doom Eternal has location based damage and various enemy weak spots. For +instance, shooting the Mancubus' arm cannons causes them to be disabled, making +the Mancubus significantly more manageable. Likewise, shooting a grenade at a +Cacodemon causes it swallow the grenade and be stunned for an easy Glory Kill. +The Arachnotron has a turret that can be shot and disabled; the Makyr Drones can +be shot in the head as quick ammo piñatas; the shields on the dudes carrying +them can be easily disabled using the Plasma Rifle, causing a shock wave... so +on and so forth. + +Initially, I found these to be really neat ideas. However, it rather quickly +became boring when I found out shooting the weak spots is really the only viable +way to get rid of enemies, especially on higher difficulties. Sure, Doom Eternal +allows you to be very creative in _how_ you shoot those weak spots, but the +moment you stop bothering with them, the difficulty curve starts to resemble +something closer to a vertical line than an actual curve. The end result is that +the combat feels pre-baked and static if you want to be remotely efficient. + +Ultrakill does this right. It has -- as far as I'm aware -- two ways the +trajectory of projectiles can be influenced. One being by punching a projectile +as it is about to hit you. The other is with a shock wave, often caused by an +explosion. Shock waves can be caused using the Knuckleduster (heavy melee +attack), the Core Eject (shotgun altfire that shoots a grenade), the rocket +launcher, parrying your own shotgun blast as it exists the barrel and several +that I can't think of right now. This is the only rule regarding projectiles +that is set in stone. Because of this simplicity and how many enemies have +projectile attacks, you can get very creative in how you kill them, while +keeping all approaches equally viable at any given moment. When an enemy has +just shot a projectile at you, you can chose to dodge it, answer it with a +shotgun blast; punch it back to the culprit using a light melee attack; switch +to heavy melee and shoot it back using a shock wave; overcharge the pump action +shotgun, dodge out of its explosion damage using the I-frames received when +dodging, while using said same explosion to send the projectile back to the +unsuspecting enemy; use those I-frames from the dodge to go through the +projectile and punch the enemy in the face retrieving some health in the +process, etc, etc. + +All of these are viable stratagies depending on how much health you still have +and how many other enemies there are. Getting out of the way of overcharge +explosion damage by dodging is no small feat, but might save you from more +damage if you're surrounded by a lot of high level enemies. Punching a single +enemy isn't something you'll want to do when still surrounded as it means doing +less damage in that moment and only damaging a single enemy. I could go on and +on, describing how and when one might chose any given strategy, but I'll try to +stop here. + +The result is an incredibly dynamic combat system that allows for endless +creativity in dealing with any given scenario. If Ultrakill's design philosophy +were closer to that of Doom Eternal, there would be a dedicated "redirect +projectile" button/weapon. It wouldn't serve much of a purpose outside of +deflecting the occasional projectile. On top of that, each enemy attack would +have one and only one viable way to answer it. + +For me an encounter in Doom Eternal would go something like the following: + +> Mancubus, take out its cannons using machine gun altfire; Arachnotron, ditto; +> Cacodemon, switch to shotgun, shoot grenade using altfire, Glory Kill; "oh +> hey, shield dudes", switch to Plasma Rifle and pepper them a bit... + +There is (usually) one "proper" strategy to deal with each enemy. As a result, +instead of improvising throughout the entire fight, I'm focussing on what hoops +to jump through and in what order. And I guess I don't like being treated as a +circus lion. In Ultrakill, I just do what comes natural in any given situation +without feeling like I'm being forced down a rather +face-paced-yet-impressively-boring path. + +Doom Eternal's movement is even more strict. There is a double jump, double dash +and later on a grapple hook. Sure, there are some interesting things you can do +here, but short of exploiting the physics engine by manipulating the framerate +by opening the weapon wheel, you're not going to see any crazy movement +strategies. + +Ultrakill has a triple dash, a slide, dash jump, ground pound and the player +character can be knocked about by explosions and shock waves. On top of that, +there is also the very intricate interplay between these elements due to how the +physics engine works. + +The result here is a set of extremely complex mechanics that are never set in +stone; instead emerging from a few laws of the game that don't have total death +grip control over their domain. + +There is no way I could write an article about emergent mechanics without +mentioning Quake. So lets do that now. + +None of the high level mechanics in Quake are intended. Everything from +straferunning, to wallrunning, to rocket jumping, to bunnyhopping and power +bunnyhopping (also called strafejumping in the context of Quake) is the result +of a few basic rules and wack physics. + +1. "The player can turn" +2. "The player can move in 8 cardinal directions" +3. "The player can jump" +4. "The player can sprint, increasing their speed" +5. "There are entities that are affected by physics" +6. "The player is one such entity" + +And that's it as far as I'm aware. + +All the of the complex movement mechanics emerge from the interplay of these +rules. One of the first that was found was straferunning. What this means is +sending both a move-forward and strafe input. Due to the way velocity is +calculated, this results in a slight speed increase. Shortly after this, it was +discovered that doing this while running into a wall causes a greater speed +increase. As did wiggling the mouse left and right. When jumping you don't lose +any momentum. Put all of these together -- with the exception of wallrunning -- +add little finesse on top and the result is strafejumping. + +To me there is something about using these emergent mechanics that is infinitely +more satisfying than the pre baked equivalents in modern games. Figuring out how +to (ab)use the game's rules to your advantage is half the fun if you ask me and +games like Doom Eternal take most of that away from you by giving you one or +very few viable strategies to approach a given situation and then telling you +most of them from the get go. Getting it to do something that the developers +never originally intended.