Flyable helicopter?

[tiny68]

After reading Feath's post yesterday I actually read through the whole of the final hours of half life 1 article. I found reference to a flyable helicopter that didnt make the final cut in half life 1. Maybe this time there will be flying vehicles... (apologies if this is old, I did search :dork: ).

"And then there were the design concepts that just didn't pan out, including one plan to have players actually pilot a helicopter in the game, with controls that Newell once called "just as good as a flight sim." Maybe next time." - http://www.gamespot.com/features/halflife_final/part42.html

 

[dkelly]

To tell you the truth, I hope that vehicles play a very small part of Half-Life 2. I didn't even really like them in Halo. If I wanted to play a driving game, then I would. Having said that, it's cool that that kind of thing is supported with the engine.

 

[ShinRa]

What does playing a driving game have to do with using vehicles in hl2?

 

[colin4444]

To tell you the truth, I hope that vehicles play a very small part of Half-Life 2. I didn't even really like them in Halo. If I wanted to play a driving game, then I would.

Well, I must say, I wouldn't mind being able to control a helicopter. That would be intense. :imu:

 

[Spugmaster]

What does playing a driving game have to do with using vehicles in hl2?

I think what he is saying is that he hopes it focuses on combat (on foot) rather than driving around the city from point A to point B.

Having said that I am all for vehicular combat for some of the game which is why I think the buggy and the hovercraft/boat both have weapons mounted on them. If they didn't it would simply be a means to an end rather than fun along the way.

 

[dkelly]

What does playing a driving game have to do with using vehicles in hl2?

You're driving in both instances..
I just don't like vehicles in games, I'd much rather be on foot.

I posted before I saw Spugmaster's post.
That's exactly what I meant.

Also, you just can't do as much from the seat of a vehicle.
Like use the manipulator for example

 

[ShinRa]

Yea, but you can operate a gatling gun, or a gauss cannon

 

[dkelly]

Hehe, that's true.
I guess I just prefer indoor environments to outdoor, and you pretty much have to be outdoor to be using a vehicle, on in an extremely large indoor room. Which would act much like an outdoor environment

Enough rambling from me.

 

[ShinRa]

What about a motorcycle, speeding down long hallways? Would be sweeeeet.

 

[laz]

if you look at the preload you will see what vehicles you will be driving

 

[tiny68]

maybe I should have started a "should there be vehicles in HL2" thread

 

[ShinRa]

maybe I should have started a "should there be vehicles in HL2" thread

yea cuz we havent seen enough of these kind of threads:

1. Should there be...
2. Could there be...
3. Which gun do you.....
4. Which level do you....
5. Why did valve (insert stupid thing valve did)...
6. Random poll on stupid question

 

[dkelly]

What about a motorcycle, speeding down long hallways? Would be sweeeeet.

As long as you could still use the manipulator.

 

[Miker75]

Oh my god. I can just see a heap of people on the first day of release getting their asses killed just because they want to kill everything with the manipulator..

 

[Feath]

I don't think there are any vehicles that you can fly in Half-Life 2. I think Valve said that they didn't have any controllable flying vehicles.

It makes sense because then you'd have to have "invisible walls" to stop players flying out the map.

I'm really looking forward to the buggy though, you get a feeling that you're actually going a good distance. And, I'm looking forward to the stunt mods that will come out.

 

[westie]

I think it would be cool to have vehicles, I would especially like to see a helicopter although i would want to be the gunner on the side and have someone else fly it around the city.

 

[Rupertvdb]

they could probably have a combine gunship come kick your arse if you strayed too far to get over the invisible wall prob...just a thought.

Anyways, vehicles are always a bit of fun and it looks like they aren't a point of focus in the game. As long as they don't turn into anything game changing then i think only be a good thing.

 

[el Chi]

Personally I'm looking forward to the vehicles, and I'm positive Gabe has confirmed that there will not be flyable vehicles.

 

[KillaH]

You're driving in both instances..
I just don't like vehicles in games, I'd much rather be on foot.

I posted before I saw Spugmaster's post.
That's exactly what I meant.

Also, you just can't do as much from the seat of a vehicle.
Like use the manipulator for example

what is keeping you from stepping out of the vehicle?
you can step out of the vehicle whenever you want, can you?

 

[LOOKING]

I heard somewere that you can drive a strider around....... :E

 

[Rupertvdb]

now is he being serious or is he being funny....that's the question

 

[Kadayi]

What does playing a driving game have to do with using vehicles in hl2?

I remember a few years back when Mafia was released there was a big uproar by many people who bought it because about 5 missions into the game you had to compete and win a 5 lap motor race that was insanely hard to win because the game interface wasn't really designed for inch perfect driving (took me about 20 attempts if I recall). i'm pretty sure that section got slagged by a few reviewers as outside the games remit if I recall.

Edit: Source can support flying vehicles, but there were no plans to include them in HL2. There are too many issues with respect to trying to keep people with the confines of a level, without breaking the illusion of the experience. In a car a mile and a half sized map provides plenty of opportunity to add twists and turns to extend the experience. With a helicopter or plane a mile and a half isn't a lot of room.

 

[el Chi]

I heard somewere that you can drive a strider around....... :E

Oh no, not this again. There's so much confusion over it but the upshot is, I believe, as follows: Valve played around with making the Strider drivable, but most likely not in the game itself, more for laughs. The Strider is, as far as I am aware, an biomechanical entity unto itself, not a vehicle.

 

[manny_c44]

I remember a few years back when Mafia was released there was a big uproar by many people who bought it because about 5 missions into the game you had to compete and win a 5 lap motor race that was insanely hard to win because the game interface wasn't really designed for inch perfect driving (took me about 20 attempts if I recall). i'm pretty sure that section got slagged by a few reviewers as outside the games remit if I recall.

I remember this...ughh. I ended up just using the exploit-cheat, I don't think I could've beat the game without it. Other than that though, great game!

And to get back on topic. I also hope the game has a minimum of driving aspects, as DKelly said; I've never actually played a cross-over action game where the driving was more fun than the rest of it (except for Halo, which was an abomination of a game anyway...). I hope vehciles are kept to only a few maps.

 

[Yellonet]

The maps will probably be big, but not so big that you'll need a chopper. It wouldn't be very fun to fly one anyway... with the invisible ceiling and all.

 

[Yellonet]

HL2 may not be very well suited for flying vehicles, but what about jumping ones :E We'll be able to do all sorts of cool stuff with the editor.. a rocket-boosted pogo stick maybe :naughty:

 

[Jimmo]

id love to see a crappy scooter or mo-ped (battlefield vietnam stylee) with a mounted manipulator that you could aim at the groud and boost yourself up places.. over walls etc id love flying in hl2 but it isnt really possible to implment it in it and it would really tone down the level of freedom (or illusion of freedom ) that Valve is really trying to create and succeding in my opinion

 

[Kadayi]

The maps will probably be big, but not so big that you'll need a chopper. It wouldn't be very fun to fly one anyway... with the invisible ceiling and all.

I have the facts and figures about the scaling size of zones in Source somewhere but off the top of my head I believe the following is roughly correct (although Fenric might chip in with the exact details). The max size of a level is somewhere about 16000 yards in length, breadth and depth if you use a 1 unit = 1 yard scale. For HL² Valve are using 32 units = 1 yard (might be 24). Naturally the bigger the scale you use the less detail you have to play with when it comes to entities, so huge maps of that size would be pretty bland in detailing (smaller maps = better).

 

[B-MAn]

this thread jus makes me want to play vice city. i think i'll do tht......

 

[ViolenceJack]

I think that when you come across a vehicle its use will most of the time be optional. Although without the vehicle it would be alot harder and boring as you will have to run for ages.

 

[Lanthanide]

I think ViolenceJack is probably right. In HL1 they had the level On A Rail where you were supposed to use the trains, but could still finish it without using them if you wanted - which is what I've done every time I've played through (even the first time I gave up on them 1/2 way through).

I've never really enjoyed having vehicles in FPS games. The ones in Halo were particularly annoying - the stupid groundhog thing that has the wackiest physics of anything I've seen (several times I had 1 wheel off a cliff and was sliding backwards, but when I started revving up I quickly and easily managed to get back up onto the edge - stupid console cop-out). The vehicles in Far Cry were pretty annoying also, but occassionally they were useful; "I can't be bothered with that stupid base of guards, I'll just steal a jeep and drive past it".

 

[The Dark Elf]

After reading Feath's post yesterday I actually read through the whole of the final hours of half life 1 article. I found reference to a flyable helicopter that didnt make the final cut in half life 1. Maybe this time there will be flying vehicles... (apologies if this is old, I did search :dork: ).

"And then there were the design concepts that just didn't pan out, including one plan to have players actually pilot a helicopter in the game, with controls that Newell once called "just as good as a flight sim." Maybe next time." - http://www.gamespot.com/features/halflife_final/part42.html

Someone else has probably already said this or something similar. That a flying vehicle would likely involve changing the map layout quite a bit. Otherwise you'd end up being able to go anywhere. And having to increase the map size or you'd be loading in new maps every few seconds.

A hovering vehicle though, would work better, as it has limits to where it can go, certain height for example. A helicopter, unless its one thats damaged or something for some reason in the story would be a bit of a problem to pull off, without changing a lot of the game.

I agree with one post I saw, that vehicles shouldn't be treated as that important in a game, but more just an extra if you fancy using one. It would be pretty annoying and unrealistic if you can't continue up a particular road just because you don't have a vehicle to do it in, even though you would normally have been able to simply continue walking up the road. I hope it doesn't do that.

 

[tiny68]

Everyone is saying no because of invisble ceilings and walls but battlefield has these same problems and does pull it off. Providing you put cloud cover in then a ceiling is not a problem (proof: bf1942) and your boudary limits can be protected by other means (ie bf1942 or inside a dome or something similar). Im not saying that there will be a flyable helicopter or similar but it was interesting to find that quote particularly with a statement as to possibly doing it "next time".