Destructible enviroment...yeah right.

[Remus]

One of the things that bothered me in Half Life 2 is that they didn't make the
enviroment fully destructible, so they lied that it would be and showed us presentations where Walls and parts of buildings are destroyed but they were all just scripted events. I really don't understand why, I'm sure that with the game engine a fully destructible enviroment can be created. I'm tired with game producers promising this and then abandoning it. If you ask them why they would probably tell you that if it was destructible then the player would be able to do things and go places that the level designers didn't intend, well I think that's a lame excuse. Basically what they're saying is that they are too lazy to make it happen, sure they would have to make room for some free choices, not just a linear path trough the game, but I think it's possible and not as hard as they say.

 

[Beerdude26]

Oh, it's possible alright. It just cut away at your FPS like MAD.
Currently, they're working on HDR to make the game more realistic, because computers currently don't have enough power to have completely destructible levels. So they have to revert to less intensive ways to make the game more realistic.

EDIT: Here are some videos of the HDR they are implementing: Link

 

[The_One_Free_Man]

Dude 7 years between Half-life 1 and halflife2 if they had added destructable enviroments it would have been another year. I admit it would be cool but still.

 

[Harryz]

When did Valve promise destructible environments? They never did. The only Valve game that they said will contain destructible environments was Team Fortress 2, which is dead.

 

[Remus]

When did Valve promise destructible environments? They never did. The only Valve game that they said will contain destructible environments was Team Fortress 2, which is dead.

OK, I admit I could be wrong abut the promise part.
The fully destructible enviroment thing I read in a game magazine before the
release of the game so those guys could've been wrong.

About what Beerdude26 said, I don't think frame rate would be a problem. Remember in Red Faction you could blow up entire walls, bridges etc. without frame rate problems and it's an old game.

 

[The_One_Free_Man]

true about red faction. It is an older game and they did it, but it didnt have as good a quality renderer or physics engine.

 

[BrimStone04]

yeah but thats the only thing the red faction engine could do, look at the character models, and the detail in the enviroments, and the physics. valve probably thought destructible env. didnt play into what they were trying to do. i also admit it would be cool if this door was locked and i could shoot my rocket next to the door and just go around the door. im trying to think what valve could say would be special about HL3 other then better graphics. maybe destructible enviroments is gonna show itself with that game. we shall see.

 

[diluted]

Realistic destructible environments are not far off, thanks to physics processors.

 

[IsolatioN]

I believe CryTek's next-gen game Crysis will have fully destructable enviroments. I'm sure HL2 will some time off in the future, also.

 

[giant384]

Oh, it's possible alright. It just cut away at your FPS like MAD.
Currently, they're working on HDR to make the game more realistic, because computers currently don't have enough power to have completely destructible levels. So they have to revert to less intensive ways to make the game more realistic.

EDIT: Here are some videos of the HDR they are implementing: Link

thats depth of field not hdr. hdr is already in the engine

 

[Naudian]

"Fully" destructable is a bit much lol.
...uh "very" destructable I think would be a better choice of word.

And nah Valve never promised that, they said that most of the objects would have full physics and many would be destructable..like wood and watermelons.
Still, there's not as much dynamic destruction as it seemed like there would be after watching those old videos, but it's still good.

 

[Lightice]

Fully destructible enviroments would also be a nightmare for the level-designers. Imagine the thousands of ways a player could miss a scripted scene or simply get stuck in the rubble, for example after destroying the critical stairs.

That being said, I don't think that games like Half-Life will ever have fully destructible enviroments, even when the technology would allow it. It would be more at home in some war-strategy games. Partially destructive enviroments, well that is a different matter.

 

[Remus]

Fully destructible enviroments would also be a nightmare for the level-designers. Imagine the thousands of ways a player could miss a scripted scene or simply get stuck in the rubble, for example after destroying the critical stairs..

Like I said the part with level design being too hard is a lame excuse.
As for the example you gave where you accidentally destroy the critical stairs, well that can easily be solved by giving the player a grappling-hook.
In most games where you have a grappling-hook you can only use it in predetermined areas, but you should be able to use it anywhere you like.
Of course it can be much easier for the level designers to make it partially
destructible like you suggested, the critical areas could be made indestructible while other entire buildings could be demolished, but that wouldn't be realistic now would it.

 

[AJ Rimmer]

Completely or even semi-completely destructible maps is just really, really impractical as it is now, at least in a FPS like Half-life 2. Three, four years from now it's probably gonna be standard.

 

[Slickerik]

Impossible

What are we talking about here. First of all ValVe never promised such things as a fully destructable environment so they didn't break their promises.
And if you're realistic you would understand that it isn't possible. Half-life 2 is a game with a intense story whick requires a script. A script requires scripted scenes. And mad players running around with rocketlaunchers blowing everything up would screw the script. And THAT isn't a lame excuse, it's called realism. You can't put everything in a game, some things just don't match!

 

[oik]

If you want a fully destructible enviorment,just go make it yourself..the map editor aint that hard to learn....iv done it myself with a small room.

 

[Asknoone]

They never promised it, and they never showed it in videos. What would the point of it be? Would it really add that much to the gameplay in a game such as HL2? No, no it wouldn't. I enjoyed it in Red faction 1, and to an extent Red Faction 2 - but in the latter, that is all I enjoyed. How many games have you seen with GEOMOD since Red faction? Any? Nope, so it shows how much its evolved since then.

I can't see I am that interested in destructible enviroments.

 

[Llama]

One of the things that bothered me in Half Life 2 is that they didn't make the
enviroment fully destructible, so they lied that it would be and showed us presentations where Walls and parts of buildings are destroyed but they were all just scripted events. I really don't understand why, I'm sure that with the game engine a fully destructible enviroment can be created. I'm tired with game producers promising this and then abandoning it. If you ask them why they would probably tell you that if it was destructible then the player would be able to do things and go places that the level designers didn't intend, well I think that's a lame excuse. Basically what they're saying is that they are too lazy to make it happen, sure they would have to make room for some free choices, not just a linear path trough the game, but I think it's possible and not as hard as they say.

Do you have ANY IDEA how hard making a game as complex as Half Life 2 would be with destructible enviroments? It'd require months (years?) of development to get it all right.

 

[NJspeed]

I expect that when physics cards become the norm, destructable environments will be more prevalent. Sure, everyone has been talking about destructable environments since Doom 1 when the rocket did nothing to walls. It just cant happen and simultaneously look realistic without powerful physics processing. Think about how many individual bricks are in a wall.. It's a lot different than throwing a barrel around and just 2-4 things bouncing.

 

[Remus]

They never promised it, and they never showed it in videos. What would the point of it be? Would it really add that much to the gameplay in a game such as HL2? No, no it wouldn't. I enjoyed it in Red faction 1, and to an extent Red Faction 2 - but in the latter, that is all I enjoyed. How many games have you seen with GEOMOD since Red faction? Any? Nope, so it shows how much its evolved since then.

I can't see I am that interested in destructible enviroments.

I already admitted I was wrong about the promise, but as for the video presentation, I'm talking about that scene where the strider blows up the
balcony.OK your not interested in destructible environments, it's your opinion
and I respect that. I still hope that like NJspeed suggested, this will be done
in the near future probably Crysis will be one of the first but I doubt it.
I got all the feedback I needed on this thread so I guess you can close it
now.

 

[Asknoone]

I'm talking about that scene where the strider blows up the
balcony..

Yes, but don't they do that anyway? The Nexus pillars, the courtyard bunker, the office space at the far end of the Nexus courtyard, the destroyed parking lot, the derelict building...

All destructable. Some scripted, some not.

 

[giant384]

Yes, but don't they do that anyway? The Nexus pillars, the courtyard bunker, the office space at the far end of the Nexus courtyard, the destroyed parking lot, the derelict building...

All destructable. Some scripted, some not.

yea thats scripted where the strider blows up the balcony we are all talking about the player destroying the enviroment

 

[Immortal463]

Redneck i thing a destructable enviroment is good to a extent and i agree with game producers about the player being able to go everywhere because that would just spoil the game because if you could blow walls and buildings up you could basically just go right to the end of the game through blowing up walls and buildings

 

[Hullu]

you can't destroy everything in red faction. there were limits, too, and they were ridiculously apparent. And they didn't even exploit the possibility to destroy walls very well. It's funny that sometimes in hl2, wood splinters when you hack it with a crowbar, and sometimes it doesn't... but i appreciate it that I am thus forced to feel a lack of immersion. well it doesn't really bother me that much...