HL2: Amazing, but way too linear

[Phat-t]

I must admit that HL2 was definatly one of the best gaming experience i've ever had and its also the most atmostpheric game ever played except maybe for Anachronox (amazing, underated game, find it and check it out).

That said, i just think HL2 was way too straight forward rather than adventurous. Koodos ta valve for attempting to make it not feel linear, but i just wish it culda been more like deus ex, not in the sense of where it was semi-RPG but in the sense where there was multible routes to everything and you could explore towns and cities. Dont get me wrong, the level design was still great though, in linear terms. Although it did have its non linear moments with highway 17, for me the road stops you could make were all very repetitive if you did all of them. I would've liked to of seen more alternate ways through levels by using the physics engine.

Another addition Valve could've put would've been to explore city 17 more at the start. I remember reading in one preview in a magazine that valve said something like "many players will spend hours just exploring city 17". Of all the things promised in HL2, this got my hopes up the most. It wulda been awesome to walk through the streets Grand Theft Auto style and just explore. Lets cross our fingers for a more modular experience in HL3.

What would be cool would be an expansion pack about a rebel taking place in just city 17. It would go through all of the event of HL2 including the starting of the rebellion.

thoughts? opinions?

 

[J_Tweedy]

i guess it was pretty linear- and i had forgotten about that quote about exploring- seems it was pretty much bullshit. I too would have loved to explore the city, and i was hoping for a game where you would have the opportunity to go off on a different path, even if there was only one correct path that would further the plot. So, even making it feel more linear would have been better.

 

[duckmoose]

Yeah, but nonetheless it was the best gaming experience I've ever had, and yes Anachronox had GREAT atmosphere for its time. I was looking forward to more scenes of opression by the combine, like maybe at least a couple more scenes such as the one INSIDE THE BOX COVER. It would have been cooler if you had wandered around a bit more before you finally made it to Kliener's lab. But hey, it still beats the hell out of Doom 3! :dork:

 

[DesertChicken]

It's a sacrifice Valve made for the style of narrative it tried to achieve. It's hard enough to make a linear game that immerses a player, it's even harder to make a GTA style game with teh same level of immersion. Personally, I can remember many times in GTA or open ended RPGs where I stopped and asked myself, what does teh developer want me to do to get on with teh storyline?

 

[Phat-t]

I think letting the player explore city 17 more woulda made it even more immersive with things like a few more scripted scenes of combine oppresion as you walk along. They coulda had something like this:

after you get outa the trainstation you go on a set linear path and pass a buiding where theres a guy poking out the door who recognizes you.

He says something like "Hey, Freeman. Freeman is that you? If you come with me I can help take you to Dr. Kleiner's. I heard you just transfered here, you can look around the city if you want, but I don't think you'll like what you see. When you're ready, come back to me and i'll guide you to the lab. Just don't try anything stupid, the combine aren't very...lenient in their punishments and we need you alive."

From there you can go explore the city and see the scenery. As you move along there would be scripted scenes like:

A man breaks a window and jumps to the street from the second floor of the building saying things like "Help! somebody!". You then see a combine officer poke out the window he just jumped out of and gun him down. A combine officer tuns past you and says something like "Clean up crew requested on block 87-B"

A compine APC accidentaly runs over a man. She runs over to his dead body and screams "Oh my god Fred! No!". A combine officer approaches and says "Back away lady". She rushes toward him and starts beating on his chest yelling "You people killed him! You basterds!" The officer pushes her to the ground and shoots her.

An annoucement goes out saying "Small rebellion on block 22 E. All nearby civil protections quell immediatly. You come to an open courtyard where about 13 citizens have guns or rocks and are killing CPs. A bunch of officers run past, knocking you outa the way and open fire on the citzens. A few of them block the way to the small rebellion so you cant get past. You can run up a fire escape behind you to get a better view of the action. You here the grinding of an emgine and one of the citizens yells "APC, GET DOW-before he can finish the off-screen APC's gun opens up on the citizens, tearing up the ground all around them.

When you finish exploring City 17 you can walk back to the building where the guy told you he would help you to Dr. Kleiner's. From there the game continues as it was.

Also i would've like to have that chase scene after you get to the rooftops longer. Instead of having Alyx save you, those soldiers could've come out of only one door so you have to make your way down to the streets. Being chased through the streets would have made for some more interesting sequences where you could be chased by APCs, hide with a bunch of other citizens, etc.

Scenes like these and more exploration woulda made HL2 that much better.

 

[SigmaTM13]

Actualy I totally DISAGREE because I beat Ravenholm and after beating it I looked at the video where that guy beat it in 2 minutes and 28 seconds and he took so many different paths than me I was so amazed.

 

[Smokey_The_Bear]

that's one level.

 

[DarkStar]

Half-Life games are designed to be a linear, tightly focused FPS experiences.

If you're looking for something else you ain't gonna find it with any HL game.

 

[Xune]

Which is a shame because there's room for more without detracting from what already exists.

Perhaps a development cycle that doesn't include creating a new engine will allow for broader level designs for the sequel. Not to mention the swathes of content that have been culled from this outing.

HL3 has the potential to be something TRUELY amasing.

 

[kupocake]

Yes Half-Life 2 is linear, but it's supposed to be. Anyone expecting a non-linear experience was reading too much into semi-ambiguous words, that were never intended to be misinterpreted the way they inevitably were.

 

[PvtRyan]

I'm really confused about why HL2 is getting so much flak for being linear. It's in fact, less linear than games like Doom 3 or Halo. There are, especially in Sandtraps and Highway 17, plenty of areas that are not required to visit, like the houses along the road. You can simply drive on if you like. But you can also choose to visit them. Another thing you can do is skip sections by using physics, you can skip the entire bridge level by building a ramp.
Furthermore, you are pretty free to choose how you approach a fight, it's no corridor shooter, in the area just before the bridge, you could try to take out everyone by storming in with your buggy, or sneak in (I put a crate in front of a window so I could peak in and gun the soldier in the head ) or let them follow you. Physics also allow a great level of freedom, so many ways in which you could do Nova Prospekt with them.

And the linearity never seems forced to you, the path you take is always the most naturale and logical, you never stop to think "why do I have to take this way when you could just use that one that's blocked with an invisible wall". It all makes sense and it doesn't feel limiting.

HL2 is like Gabe said: a movie created in co-operation with the player, and where the lead actor doesn't have a copy of the script. It's not meant to be free-roaming, nor would it work. Your example is flawed, because in order for you to understand the story and what's going on, you have to listen to everyone's dialogue. Something which you can't do when you can choose a different path that lets you skip characters.

I really don't get the modern request for non-linear games, I never thought games like GTA were immersive, or had a good story, and games like Morrowind left me wondering "now what?".

 

[Zelnaga]

lol too linear? When are people gonna stop whining about linear being a bad thing?

 

[ktimekiller]

im sorry, hl2 is not a rpg or adventure

 

[kupocake]

Far Cry is a good modern attempt at a non-linear FPS. It gets a lot of things right that HL2 managed, yet it's week on the far more important areas that HL2 just about perfected. I'm off to play some more right now in fact. It's more fun controlling generic square-jawed action hero #2573 than it really should be.

 

[Phat-t]

Now that i think more about it, I do see you guys' points. I guess I just liked Deus Ex alot and wanted to explore City 17 some more. I never said linearity was necessarily a bad thing, I just happen to prefer more modular and broader game designs. I was wrong to say that HL2 as a whole was way to linear. I just think many things in HL2 could've been expanded upon alot to make the game deeper without making it into an RPG. I do think a few RPG elements could have made HL2 a better game. The perfect game for me would combine RPG, FPS and adventure elements, much like Deus Ex, but i understand the HL series isnt meant to be that way.

 

[Mac]

FarCry is a perfect example of a linear game that really lets you explore and take different paths.

I loved that. If we could combine this from FarCry, and Everything else of Hl2, I'd probably never leave my room.

 

[RoguePsi]

I have no complaints about the linear nature of Half-life 2. I can pretty much gaurentee that HL2 would be less absorbing if you could do what you want. It would be fine if you had cut-scenes to fill you in on the story but that just isn't Half-life.

You have to appreciate the efforts of Valve to try and push you in a certain direction without being too blatent. Some bits were obvious, but at least they didn't rely on the old locked door technique all the time.

 

[Rossell]

Does it matter if the game is linear or not? What counts is the experience, and thats what HL2 provides.

 

[faelnor]

There's a concept you have to take into account though : replayability.

The games which are played best many times are the ones that offer a lot of non-linearity. I don't say HL2 doesn't offer that. The examples chosen by PvtRyan are perfect. But on the other runs, the player has to create non-linearity for himself by exploiting game 'bugs' and the limits of the engine... and HL2 engine is great, just for that. (and as someone said, it beats the crap out of doom 3... what a beautiful engine)

However, to improve replayability, I do really think that some parts could easily be more open-ended... the best elements of a game are often useless and pointless for the storyline. They are the things you CAN do, but don't have to. How about a HL2 exactly the same for the scripts and story, but with more useless elements ? For example, a bigger City 17 that you can explore if you will, with shops, gardens (and a cat you can follow throughout the bushes, the houses, an underground maze... ), a light bulb you can turn on and off in the lighthouse, even if there is no point in doing so, et caetera, et caetera...
Remember one of the things that made you realize that Half-Life would be an astounding gaming experience ?
Remember the microwave oven in the lobby at the beginning ?

Half-life 2 has too few of these elements.

Which is a shame because there's room for more without detracting from what already exists.

Perhaps a development cycle that doesn't include creating a new engine will allow for broader level designs for the sequel. Not to mention the swathes of content that have been culled from this outing.

HL3 has the potential to be something TRUELY amasing.

I agree on every point.

 

[J_Tweedy]

It has been said already in this thread, but i guess the linear element is not a part of the 'half-life experience' and if that isnt your cuppa tea then go play something else. I think the idea of 'restricted exploring' of city 17 is a good one, and is one that would not have taken too much more to create, but complete open choice would be friggin hard to create in fps, essentially you're creating a whole new game from then on in.
I for one would gladly trade that up for not having to wait even another day for half-life2!

 

[Phat-t]

There's a concept you have to take into account though : replayability.

The games which are played best many times are the ones that offer a lot of non-linearity. I don't say HL2 doesn't offer that. The examples chosen by PvtRyan are perfect. But on the other runs, the player has to create non-linearity for himself by exploiting game 'bugs' and the limits of the engine... and HL2 engine is great, just for that. (and as someone said, it beats the crap out of doom 3... what a beautiful engine)

However, to improve replayability, I do really think that some parts could easily be more open-ended... the best elements of a game are often useless and pointless for the storyline. They are the things you CAN do, but don't have to. How about a HL2 exactly the same for the scripts and story, but with more useless elements ? For example, a bigger City 17 that you can explore if you will, with shops, gardens (and a cat you can follow throughout the bushes, the houses, an underground maze... ), a light bulb you can turn on and off in the lighthouse, even if there is no point in doing so, et caetera, et caetera...
Remember one of the things that made you realize that Half-Life would be an astounding gaming experience ?
Remember the microwave oven in the lobby at the beginning ?

Half-life 2 has too few of these elements.

nicely put, exactly what i was thinking.

 

[Sid Burn]

FarCry is a perfect example of a linear game that really lets you explore and take different paths.

I loved that. If we could combine this from FarCry, and Everything else of Hl2, I'd probably never leave my room.

yeah... that will turn out as the almost complete game ever created!!! :bonce: