Health in Games

So, before we had health packs. Now we are used to regenerating health. What do you think the next step should and/or will be, or do you think regenerating health is the way to go? For instance, it might make sense in Halo,but in other games like Modern Warfare 2, not as much.

I like it, it keeps you moving and means you don't have to bugger around looking for health packs.

" I like it, it keeps you moving and means you don't have to bugger around looking for health packs. "

" I like it, it keeps you moving and means you don't have to bugger around looking for health packs. "

I wouldn't be surprised if they shifted to a policy where making a certain amount of progress netted players health in the future. I agree that it destroys tension in some games. 

" @DCFGS3 said:

" I like it, it keeps you moving and means you don't have to bugger around looking for health packs. "

Buggering around for health packs wasn't annoying several years ago, it's just that we're all accustomed to shooters now having regenerative health, so the idea of health packs seem obsolete. Valve games still have health packs, and I think they still work out well. "

Depends on the game, as do a lot of elements like that.

" @Karmum said:

" @DCFGS3 said:

" I like it, it keeps you moving and means you don't have to bugger around looking for health packs. "

Buggering around for health packs wasn't annoying several years ago, it's just that we're all accustomed to shooters now having regenerative health, so the idea of health packs seem obsolete. Valve games still have health packs, and I think they still work out well. "

Maybe it wasn't for you, but I found it supremely annoying. Always have, even before regenerating health. "

I hated health packs.  Regenerating health keeps the game fair.  The best shooter will win the fight most of the time, not the guys with the most health.  I remember in the first Halo you would have to look for a health pack after almost every fight, or you would be almost guaranteed to lose the next one.

I like the systems as is honestly, though I like it when the HP system fits the storyline. For example the conduit didn't feature regenerating health until you got your special suit to wear. Was a cool decision imo.

Regenerating health doesn't make sense unless it's in a futuristic sci-fi game like Crysis or Halo. Those games have very understandable rationales for the rapid recovery of combat wounds. You're wearing some sort of high tech power armor/nano suit that heals you up. Expanding outward, it's also not a big issue for games where you don't have to take realism too seriously. A perfect example would be the Max Payne games. There, Max recovers his health just by downing some pills. It's not that plausible, but that's okay, since this is a game where you possess bullet time, something else that real human beings don't have. The pills are a perfunctory health pack that aren't intended for any sort of close scrutiny.
 
Now for realistic shooters, or shooters that present themselves in a realistic fashion, which don't have any explanation for regenerating health like Call of Duty 4 or Rainbow Six Vegas, it's a problem. There's no way that human beings can just recover in a few seconds, like Wolverine. I think Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway had a nice solution to the issue. You don't actually take damage, but your screen gets more and more red as you expose yourself to bullets whizzing by you. Once it goes completely red, you're shot and killed by a bullet that actually connects. So that's a rather novel way to shift the entire paradigm of health, I thought. 
 
But as far as actually taking a bullet and surviving, you're going to be wounded. And there's gotta be a way to heal that wound in combat, so you'll at least be able to fight back. I think something like Left 4 Dead's medpacks is probably the best half-realistic solution I can come up with. It's very elegant, since you can carry the packs with you, it's not like having to walk over them at certain locales. That was always annoying in some early FPSs since it meant that if you weren't wounded and reached a health pack lying on the ground, it was wasted, while if you got hurt bad later on in the level and the level designer happened to not leave a pack anywhere near you, you were basically screwed. Also, using the medpack required being completely helpless and still, which feels much more real and substantial then just walking over a pack and instantly being healed. 
 
So basically, the health pack is still viable in this day and age. It's just that developers need to not bow to casual pressure.

In the future I think there will be group health.  Everyone on the same team or playing co-op shares the same single life bar and when it is dead the match is over for that side.

I hate regenerating health in multiplayer, in single it's fine, but it just ruins MP.

I'm sure the standards will change one day, but for now regeneration works and makes sense.

Personally I don't like coming out of a firefight with one 1hp and then getting picked off by a random bullet.
 
Regenerating health was a good idea.

Regenerating health doesn't keep people moving, it helps people camp and hide.  To that extent I don't like regenerating health.  Health pick ups also added another layer of depth to action games, and that's depth pure and simple.  Either you like a simpler experience or you don't, personally I'd prefer them bring back health, and armor for that matter.
 
In a gameplay sense regenerating health helps noobs / unskilled players.  You don't have to know where the health pickups are, if you hide for long enough you'll be full power, and you can always get lucky finishing off a skilled player who can't boost their health as much.

Maybe you don't regenerate, but doing well gives you health? Like if you get a kill etc.

How about your health regenrates but 3 bullets will kill you but you have armor. Armour doesnt regenerate and with armour it takes 10 bullets to kill you. And you can carry spare armour with you and there is a little animation if you resuit up with your spare armour. Head shots by pass armour unless you are shot where your helmet is .  You'r more vulnerable   while suiting up  and armour is scattered over the map and respawns.You always start with armour.
 
What do you guys think of this soultion?
 
Edit= My 300 post!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How about simply giving the player a limited amount of healthpacks they carry with them? Obviously it would depend on the difficulty how many healthpacks you get to carry with you. We could even go more in the direction of RPGs, and give people the option to buy more health packs at certain vendors. Kind of like the system in Dead Space. I really enjoyed that system because it tried to force you to make a choice. It wasn't a perfect system because after a while you had plenty of credits, but the idea behind it is a good one, and more games should do something similar.

I like the health pack system more than the sit in a corner and suck your thumb for 10 seconds one. I think it's more, umm.. how should I put this? Tactical. You know, it makes you rethink your actions cos if you fuck up too much, it'll show on your health bar. But some people say the regeneration system is more realistic. How? Let me ask all who think so a question. What's more realistic? Finding a first aid kit to heal your wounds or just so sit in a corner and suck your thumb till your wounds magically heal themselves?  
 
I thought so.