How did you like the boat and buggy steering?

[Ennui]

agreed.
only thing off about the buggy was the "driving on ice" part because it really did feel that way at times..

anyway good enough for me :thumbs:

Yep, going in turbo you try to turn and you just slew sideways

 

[BigBrother]

yeah I hate that

 

[Joe]

At first, The HL2 driving seemed pretty poor. I personally find Operation Flashpoints steering to be the best (Combines the use of the mouse and keyboard to control). However, such a system wouldn't work too well in HL2, since unlike OFP, Gordon needed to be able to fire the mounted weapons.

 

[BigBrother]

OFP!!11 I used to pwn on that game!11 but dude that game is pretty old.......

 

[Joe]

Er, How is the games age relevant? If I had said I liked the driving in 80's style arcade games, maybe I could see age as being a problem, but Operation Flashpoint is quite "modern" enough to still be used as an example.

 

[BigBrother]

whoa whoa....dont get your panties in a twist I was just sayin it was old thats all...sheesh.....ghost recon was way better than that game though

 

[Mr.Wotsit]

:monkee:

Are you calling me an ape?

 

[Vegeta897]

I dont get it... How can you not like it... 90 percent of ALL other FPS's BESIDES Halo use this system. Keyboard drive, mouse look.

I say it's all the people who play Halo that are the ones complaining.

I personally hate Halo's... I can't look to my side or back while driving straight? Come on!! WHY did they choose to do it that way. That's my only question. Did they want to be original or something?
If it's good, USE IT.

/rant

I loved HL2's steering. It is the exact same as UT2004, the Battlefield series, SHOWW2, and plenty others that I frankly can't think of off the top of my head.

 

[BigBrother]

no Im not calling you an ape

 

[ktimekiller]

That made me crack up

 

[BigBrother]

lollolol

 

[Vegeta897]

This is _not_ a chatroom.

On another note, I didn't like how sometimes pressing right on your keyboard made your Airboat turn left. But this is because you were previously going backwards... So not really a bug, but heh.

 

[BigBrother]

that never happenedd to me

 

[xcellerate]

Ever driven a dune buggy? They are designed to react quickly on sand. Not commenting on the realism of HL2s vehicle physics, just pointing out that it was probably the worst comment you could've made to illustrate your point.

acctually i have, my dad has a yellow dune buggy with a 1915cc aircooled engine out of a 1970 superbeetle. And even though they are built to handle the sand, ie big tires in the rear skinny ones in the front, sand just isnt stiff enough to keep it from sliding sideways in a turn. It's cool though, its a video game and i only expect close to perfection.

 

[gXxshock]

I absolutely loved the controls and feeling of the airboat. But the buggy controls i hated, dunno why, maybe because of the bad steering. They might be realistic though i won't comment on that. I hated the buggy chapter anyways so it's fine. Airboat chapter was the best in the game, just felt like a freakin movie.

 

[StardogChampion]

I didn't like the steering either, I found it too sharp. Tap the turn key and Gordon turns the handle's as far as they could go. I would've liked some smoothness.

The sharpness made it kind of "cheap", i'm not sure how to explain it. I made me feel like the game was less polished or something. Maybe it was because it was using the physics engine, so it was technically correct, but for me it just didn't feel right.

I'm off to play Live For Speed...

 

[vsaravia]

At first I didn't like the steering of the buggy, but it took some getting use to and now I'm use to it, so I have no problems with it. It was a little hard trying to go forward in the buggy when the wheels are turned, because the wheels would be turned in the opposite direction and I'd want to go forward, but I would go backward instead...but meh.

 

[gsmollin]

I suppose most of the posters here own stock in Valve, since they are so defensive. Automatic centering is not required when using keypad controls. If you've ever used a pointing stick on a laptop, you know how it would work. In any event, Valve should have added the control options to have auto-center, or not. They should have also added a centering key so you could "let go" of the steering wheel and let the steering castor center the wheels. And a steering wheel interface would have added a lot to the gaming experience. Oof course none of you would be interested, since you have no idea how to improve this game.

 

[Sid Burn]

Well, All I can say is... it was realistically done. there's nothing wrong with it...

 

[Absinthe]

I suppose most of the posters here own stock in Valve, since they are so defensive. Automatic centering is not required when using keypad controls. If you've ever used a pointing stick on a laptop, you know how it would work. In any event, Valve should have added the control options to have auto-center, or not. They should have also added a centering key so you could "let go" of the steering wheel and let the steering castor center the wheels.

Or maybe most people just found it fine the way it is? This is not a racing game. It's an FPS game that happens to have driving segments in it. If something's not perfect with the vehicles, I can forgive Valve.

You're trying to make something currently user-friendly and simple into an unnecessarily complex ordeal that would piss even more people off.

And a steering wheel interface would have added a lot to the gaming experience. Oof course none of you would be interested, since you have no idea how to improve this game.

Or maybe we just don't want the game price jacked up even more. Sorry, but I don't have the money to blow on a gimmicky piece of junk that may ever-so-slightly improve the driving segments of a single game.

 

[Danimal]

I thought the swamp boat steering, and the dune buggy steering were pretty poor. There was no way to turn the wheel, or the rudder, and hold it steady during a turn. Instead, I'm repeatedly tapping the strafe button to go around a turn, and the buggy (or boat) is weaving all over the road. A combine soldier should have stopped me and given me a breathalizer test! "

Handbrakes, use them.

 

[gsmollin]

Vehicle control was way better than Far Cry. Anyone saying that the controls weren't realistic enough is probably missing the point - HL2 is an FPS, not a driving Sim. The controls needed to be as user friendly as possible, I doubt very many would have the patience to learn how to traverse cambers etc. just to drive to the next shooty bit.

Saying that, the Airboat handled quite a lot like my old Radio Controlled Hovercraft. Actually a bit more responsive, reasonable as it had much more powerful engines.

The Buggy's engine sound is that from a '68 Chevy Camaro - gotta love that V8 rumble!!!

Oh and gsmollin - how realistic is a game that forces you to use a keyboard to control your own legs? Let alone a car! Think about it

At least YOU are beginning to think. How realistic is it to use mouse and keyboard to control your own legs? Not very, and that is my point, although it was restricted to the buggy and boat. Unfortunately, to make the leg controls realistic requires advanced hardware not available at CompUSA. On the other hand, the steering wheels and joysticks are in the aisle with the mouses and keyboards. Valve DID provide a joystick interface, but I think that was just an afterthought, so they wouldn't get criticised for having less than DOOM. Adding programmable capabilities to the keypad pisses nobody off who doesn't care to use them. Valve could leave the defaults just the way they are. The steering wheel interface would work just like the joystick: If you don't have one plugged in, it doesn't get used. This adds $0.00 price to the game. Valve is already charging as much as they can get.

 

[Mr.Wotsit]

I'm not an ape...

Which means you must be calling me a monkey!

 

[corkscru74]

At first, The HL2 driving seemed pretty poor. I personally find Operation Flashpoints steering to be the best (Combines the use of the mouse and keyboard to control). However, such a system wouldn't work too well in HL2, since unlike OFP, Gordon needed to be able to fire the mounted weapons.

The first thing I thought when I got in the Airboat was "Wow, this is sooo much easier to control than anything in OFP". No offense to OFP, I loved that game, but It just confused things being able to steer with the mouse AND keyboard. Turning your head to turn the steering wheel didn't work for me.

Ah OFP *Corky reminisces* The good ol' days. Why does every game that comes from the former soviet union seem to have a really clunky feeling to it? (See STALKER: Oblivion Lost for more evidence )

Oh and gsmollin - just coz we enjoyed the game as it was doesn't mean we kiss valve's ring piece!

 

[SqueakyWaffle]

Yeah, you guys claiming it's unrealistic should try driving a car sometime... I found it to be excellent in this department.

It's obviously not going to handle at all like your road car, because it's made of metal rods and probably weighs next to nothing, has radically different suspension (more travel, much less damping), seems to have a completely open differential (that's where the wheel slip you get comes from), etc. It's actually quite realistic. It has a lot less traction than a road car driving on a well-maintained road, and that makes sense.
The only problem I see is that the wheels could have a bit more friction with the ground, and it's geared sorta high for a dune buggy IMO... but I've never driven one, so I wouldn't know.

 

[SqueakyWaffle]

the boat was fairly wacky, though... I'm not sure how they modeled the engine and the thrust it produces, but I'm pretty sure it's wrong. Plus they can't really do any fluid dynamics stuff for the hulls so it's just sitting on top of the water, pretty much.

 

[Joe]

The first thing I thought when I got in the Airboat was "Wow, this is sooo much easier to control than anything in OFP". No offense to OFP, I loved that game, but It just confused things being able to steer with the mouse AND keyboard. Turning your head to turn the steering wheel didn't work for me.

Ah OFP *Corky reminisces* The good ol' days. Why does every game that comes from the former soviet union seem to have a really clunky feeling to it? (See STALKER: Oblivion Lost for more evidence )

Oh and gsmollin - just coz we enjoyed the game as it was doesn't mean we kiss valve's ring piece!

Heheh. I think with OFPs system, you get alot more control over the vehicle. It allowed the "fine" adjustments while you traveled along the road. It made it much easier to even drive on the correct side of the road, and stay on it during turns, while not losing speed. Of course, I suppose this is possible with the buggy... Just not as difficult IMO.

 

[AmishSlayer]

I thought the physics where great, steering for both veichles was pretty easy to get the hang of. I honestly dont understand why whoever felt the buggy's physics where unrealistic.. for starters you dont actually know how light or heavey it is.. and the manipulator packs quite a punch anyway.

I think they were easy to drive, sure....perhaps too easy. Airboats like that don't respond and turn on a dime. It was if there was some kind of perfect traction the thing had on the water. There was no drifting feel.

As for the buggy...simple controls again. The auto-centering wheels weren't a problem - it just felt like I was driving a little remote control car that would turn on a dime and not be able to slide well at all. HL2's buggy control felt too video-gamey and hardly realistic if you ask me.

 

[gsmollin]

Second impression

I played through the game a second time, and of course I ran through the air boat and buggy sections pretty fast. I have learned how to use the controls and make the video game respond successfully. Does that make me like it? No.

The problem I am having is the hype about the "physics based engine". The physics are pretty incomplete in this game, and are suspended whenever it is convenient. Gordon's movements are an example. As has been pointed out, moving Gordon around with the keypad is like pushing a wheelchair through the game. However, I am more tolerant of that than the airboat and buggy, because the physics of moving Gordon are so complex, that PC's would not be able to run it in real time. The buggy and airboat are rigid bodies, with only suspension and fluid mechanics as tricky dynamics to model. Valve did not do a very good job modeling this physics.

Ultimately, physics modeling is incidental to good gameplay, as everyone knows, and the game certainly delivers good play. I just wish the hype hadn't raised my expectations to unrealistic levels, and made a disappointment out of a very good video game.

 

[MrWynd]

i really enjoyed the control of the vehicles. i'd say my only problem was the buggy didn' have headlights.

 

[sfc_hoot]

i really enjoyed the control of the vehicles. i'd say my only problem was the buggy didn' have headlights.

I didn't like that either. I found myself smashing into walls in the tunnels. :x And why on earth does the Airboat have two crosshairs when you get the plasma rifle for it! I never know which one to aim with.

 

[.Jezus.]

I didn't like that either. I found myself smashing into walls in the tunnels. :x And why on earth does the Airboat have two crosshairs when you get the plasma rifle for it! I never know which one to aim with.

That didnt happen to me :s, I always had 1 crosshair

 

[staticprimer]

i really enjoyed the control of the vehicles. i'd say my only problem was the buggy didn' have headlights.

If you press the flashlight button I believe they turn on. Or maybe that was the airboat? I cant remember.

 

[lord dubu]

would have been nice for the buggy to have headlights... could have added to the ambience of the fight sequence in the zombie tunnel, if you were standing in the light of the buggy casting a shadow that zombies popped out of.