Did you ever notice that in Battlefield: Bad Company the sprinting works a little bit differently than in Call of Duty 4 and other games with a sprint function? In Cod 4 you click the stick once and you'll keep sprinting until you cancel it or your character runs out of breath. In BF:BC you only sprint for as long as you are holding in the left stick. I think the way Battlefield BC does it is brilliant because it represents you, the player, actually getting tired. Sure in Cod 4 your guy pants but that's a passive way to go about it. In BF: BC, holding the left stick in for long distances literally tires out your thumb. I know it sounds like that wouldn't happen, but try it out. It really does. If you are attempting to run across an open field you will actually sometimes just have to walk there instead of sprint just to give your thumb a rest, and this is complemented by the open-world-ish nature of the levels. If you don't have a vehicle, you're going to have to hoof it for a pretty long time until you find one, and after a while you'll actually have to muster up the thumb energy to run there. I say kudos to Battlefield: Bad Company for coming up with a much more engaging way to handle the sprinting mechanic that's so trendy now in first-person shooters.

Amen to that!

BF s certainly not the first game to do this "HOLD TO SPRINT" function

I can almost certainly assure you they didn't design it specifically to do that- they made sprinting infinite because of the huge maps and minor focus on vehicles. Either way, making it require you to constantly hold the stick is retarded. The last thing you want the player to do is tire out their hand and get annoyed at the game. Seriously. It's a dumb-as-rocks design choice.

"I can almost certainly assure you they didn't design it specifically to do that- they made sprinting infinite because of the huge maps and minor focus on vehicles. Either way, making it require you to constantly hold the stick is retarded. The last thing you want the player to do is tire out their hand and get annoyed at the game. Seriously. It's a dumb-as-rocks design choice."

Moved to GD.

"Moved to GD."

"Amen to that!"

I'm almost 100% sure the makers of this game did not mean to do this. But uh... I guess... it makes sense...

It should be *both* hold the stick + in game character can also get tired."

"

Whether or not they designed the mechanic to have that intended effect, the effect is still there. If (and don't take this too seriously) Orson Welles had accidentally shot a frame of Citizen Kane in a certain way that allowed film analysts to open up a whole new interpretation of it, would that make it any less poignant? No, because what matters in a work of art is the effect it gives off, not the effect that is desired. Conversely, if a developer tried to make a compelling game mechanic but it turned out to not work at all, should we hold our criticism towards it because they didn't mean for it to be broken? No, the finished product, along with the distinct feelings and effects it gives off, is all that matters. Second, your hand does get tired but that's the point. Plus, there's vehicles evenly distributed enough that you can always travel a relatively short distance to get to a new one.

"

I liked Bad Company because I could blow shit up.
...
I like explosions. They're my favorite.

I did notice that the maps were over sized, I liked the gameplay but having to run across the screen for long stretches made the multilayer unplayable for me, and the fact there were RAMPANT cheaters.

"I did notice that the maps were over sized, I liked the gameplay but having to run across the screen for long stretches made the multilayer unplayable for me, and the fact there were RAMPANT cheaters."

Sorry if I didn't clarify, when I called the sprint mechanic 'genius' I meant as something for the singleplayer campaign. I didn't really take MP into account but I haven't played it since before the Conquest update so I wouldn't really be an expert in that field. I think I remember not liking MP as much for the reason that you do have to hold the LS (in addition to other reasons) but it was kind of fun. When I speak of things like this though, I almost always mean as a device for the singleplayer narrative because I'm talking about games as artistic storytelling devices and almost all games' multiplayer components are strictly non-canon.

It wasn't some kind of secret mechanic they thought of or anything, just happens to be the way it is, neither was BF:BC the first game to make sprinting that way.

"Sorry if I didn't clarify, when I called the sprint mechanic 'genius' I meant as something for the singleplayer campaign. I didn't really take MP into account but I haven't played it since before the Conquest update so I wouldn't really be an expert in that field. I think I remember not liking MP as much for the reason that you do have to hold the LS (in addition to other reasons) but it was kind of fun. When I speak of things like this though, I almost always mean as a device for the singleplayer narrative because I'm talking about games as artistic storytelling devices and almost all games' multiplayer components are strictly non-canon."

I really think that when games make these incremental improvements to the standards of video games it is just one step towards games being a more viable storytelling medium because 1. you aren't budened to learn a wealth of new controls so it's pretty painless and 2. it's much more immersive and if more games catch onto good trends (as sometimes they can be bad ones- I'm looking at you, QTEs) it will raise the standards so that video games in general will be better. I really hope that more developers come up with these improvements to gameplay (accidental or otherwise) because I seriosuly think it's helping our industry make a name for itself in the public eye outside of Wii shovelware and sports games.

How is a super soldier who can sprint for an infinite amount of time "engaging?"  It is a much more exhilarating experience when you have a set sprint time while running away from baddies not knowing if you are going to make it rather then straight sprinting away knowing that you can just keep running and running.  Not having a set sprint time is just convenient.  People get mad all the time when they have to not sprint.  I would even go as far as to say that infinite sprint is arcadey and lessens the angst of a tense firefight.

"

inb4 you're just out of shape. seriously, go test it out before you pass judgement.

"

"How is a super soldier who can sprint for an infinite amount of time "engaging?"  It is a much more exhilarating experience when you have a set sprint time while running away from baddies not knowing if you are going to make it rather then straight sprinting away knowing that you can just keep running and running.  Not having a set sprint time is just convenient.  People get mad all the time when they have to not sprint.  I would even go as far as to say that infinite sprint is arcadey and lessens the angst of a tense firefight."

SpikeDelight, its sprinting, it can only go so far. I think its more convenient to have an unlimited ability to sprint it is a lot more engaging knowing you have a limit. The map design in COD and BF:BC are different and so the fast movement system of sprinting is different. In COD you sprint quickly from cover to cover where in BF:BC the map design is much larger and more open. Also, games are not at their core, story telling mediums because they are not originally designed to tell a complicated story. The focus of gaming whenever you play is the current objective and what you are currently doing, if you wish to change that then do so, but many gamers are happy with their average story line as they shoot lightning and flaming shurikens at ninjas jumping out of helicopters because apparently the ninjas arent very friendly.

"SpikeDelight, its sprinting, it can only go so far. I think its more convenient to have an unlimited ability to sprint it is a lot more engaging knowing you have a limit. The map design in COD and BF:BC are different and so the fast movement system of sprinting is different. In COD you sprint quickly from cover to cover where in BF:BC the map design is much larger and more open. Also, games are not at their core, story telling mediums because they are not originally designed to tell a complicated story. The focus of gaming whenever you play is the current objective and what you are currently doing, if you wish to change that then do so, but many gamers are happy with their average story line as they shoot lightning and flaming shurikens at ninjas jumping out of helicopters because apparently the ninjas arent very friendly."

It is sprinting. It does not hold the same impact as artistic styling, storyline and original mechanic.

The fact is that a different form of sprinting is not by any means new, nor it is extremely impactful upon the player as to how they see "standards of gaming." Personally i find sprinting a minor aspect of immersion, when i need to move fast, i will use it. To me, empathising with my character after sprinting for a few seconds and him stopping, thinking "that s reasonable, people get tired" makes perfect sense to me, and adds slightly to the immersion. If you want to sprint for as long as you can hold the button down and that is immersive for you, then thats fine but it seems unrealistic for me, that someone can sprint for as long as i tell them to. Think of it this way: It takes me 5 seconds to get from A to B. It doesnt matter if i choose to either sprint for an unlimited distance OR sprint to my time limit of 5 seconds.

Something that was truly innovative and immersive to me, was the HUD of dead space. That kept me immersed in a 3rd person game. Also the HUD of Far Cry 2, it was hardly ever there.
 

"It is sprinting. It does not hold the same impact as artistic styling, storyline and original mechanic.

The fact is that a different form of sprinting is not by any means new, nor it is extremely impactful upon the player as to how they see "standards of gaming." Personally i find sprinting a minor aspect of immersion, when i need to move fast, i will use it. To me, empathising with my character after sprinting for a few seconds and him stopping, thinking "that s reasonable, people get tired" makes perfect sense to me, and adds slightly to the immersion. If you want to sprint for as long as you can hold the button down and that is immersive for you, then thats fine but it seems unrealistic for me, that someone can sprint for as long as i tell them to. Think of it this way: It takes me 5 seconds to get from A to B. It doesnt matter if i choose to either sprint for an unlimited distance OR sprint to my time limit of 5 seconds.

Something that was truly innovative and immersive to me, was the HUD of dead space. That kept me immersed in a 3rd person game. Also the HUD of Far Cry 2, it was hardly ever there. "

personally that doesnt make sense to me, it breaks the immersion because its not an accurate reflection of reality to suite my tastes. My character getting tired makes more sense to me than my character stopping until i decide to stop pressing the button,also i thought "oh ill have a go at holding it down" and i lasted 5 minutes before i got bored of it and set the dualshock 2 down. ALTHOUGH i do see your point and why that would appeal to you, but in my opinion you will always be playing a character that is not you unless of course its a custom character and so there will always be a level of realisation that you are playing a videogame- immersion has its limits. For me immersion means an informative but not predominant HUD which lets information flow with the visuals, Far Cry 2 earns praise from me here because it dissappears when you dont need it and appears when you do.

"I can almost certainly assure you they didn't design it specifically to do that- they made sprinting infinite because of the huge maps and minor focus on vehicles. Either way, making it require you to constantly hold the stick is retarded. The last thing you want the player to do is tire out their hand and get annoyed at the game. Seriously. It's a dumb-as-rocks design choice."

"personally that doesnt make sense to me, it breaks the immersion because its not an accurate reflection of reality to suite my tastes. My character getting tired makes more sense to me than my character stopping until i decide to stop pressing the button,also i thought "oh ill have a go at holding it down" and i lasted 5 minutes before i got bored of it and set the dualshock 2 down. ALTHOUGH i do see your point and why that would appeal to you, but in my opinion you will always be playing a character that is not you unless of course its a custom character and so there will always be a level of realisation that you are playing a videogame- immersion has its limits. For me immersion means an informative but not predominant HUD which lets information flow with the visuals, Far Cry 2 earns praise from me here because it dissappears when you dont need it and appears when you do."

Holding down L3 is pretty easy if you don't have woman thumbs.

"Holding down L3 is pretty easy if you don't have woman thumbs."

"thabigred said:

"I did notice that the maps were over sized, I liked the gameplay but having to run across the screen for long stretches made the multilayer unplayable for me, and the fact there were RAMPANT cheaters."

Really? I still own and play Bad Company and I find its one of the most cheater-free experiences as far as multiplayer goes. Sometimes I get frustrated 'cause a player kills me from some completely unknown location, but then I realize that they were a sniper. Or just got the jump on my unsuspecting ass.

Then I blow more shit up."

there are dudes that flip over cars and repair them constantly, god I hate that shit."

 I'm saying that the conditioning of Preston Marlow in Battlefield is directly proportional to the conditioning of the player's thumb. This 1:1 ratio makes the game more immersive than a game with a passive 5 second sprint mechanic.

"SpikeDelight said:

 I'm saying that the conditioning of Preston Marlow in Battlefield is directly proportional to the conditioning of the player's thumb. This 1:1 ratio makes the game more immersive than a game with a passive 5 second sprint mechanic.

Wow that's a hoot.  1:1 ratio my ass."

then why the fuck are you comparing it to call of duty 4.

"

PureRok said:

I was holding down the stick button and holding it forward the whole time I read this thread and my thumb did not get tired. You're out of shape."

First, inb4 means you aren't supposed to bring that up, but second you have to test it in the game if you didn't the first time because for some reason playing it makes you exert more energy just because you are excited. Video stimulation, my friend. Getting shot at, even in a game, does that to you.

"

To be honest, I don't know exactly how I feel about this.  On one hand, the BF series has always realized that it is a game and handles itself that way.  With that said, I don't think there's a problem with infinite sprint at all, as it doesn't really affect the balance of Bad Company very much.

Bullshit. Adrenalin caused by playing the game will make me last longer. Don't patronize me with "my friend". Excitement and adrenalin makes you forget things like fatigue and pain, so your own argument helps me and not you. Also, I know what "inb4" meant, but I chose to ignore it because it's stupid and you had a challenge in there."

yeah i never understood how in cod4 you run out of breath. we're talking fucking elite soldiers here that the game is representing, i think the american is part of force recon in the marines (correct me if im wrong but he is some special forces) and those guys can run miles with 50lbs+ on their backs, swim thousands of kilometers etc. etc. and in cod4 you run out of breath after like 50 feet. 

Yay for immersion :D What i want to really see is what dead space brought about, although it is first person- integrating the HUD into what the player sees seamlessly. So its not the action taking place on the screen with a health meter slapped on to the bottom left corner and the nade counter slapped onto the bottom left.

YEah i love that game