Phml
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Posts: 2029
Registered: 06-09 |
SR50 jumps bore me ; actually, make that most jumping puzzles (including traditional IoS fights), but SR50 is especially bad as it requires the highest level of precision as well as of metagaming, whereas other jumping puzzles designed with normal forward speed in mind can be made easier through SR40/SR50/wallrunning/rocketjumping.
It can be hard in the same way that pixel hunting in oldschool adventure games is challenging... Through the limitations of improper feedback and controls. It doesn't bring value, just frustration, and ultimately breaks immersion ; you're done being a marine fighting demons in hell, you're a player object trying to optimize movement in a game engine by looking at texture pixels and exploiting engine bugs. You're running through an obstacle course designed to challenge your skills rather than playing a video game designed to entertain you.
I find difficulty that comes from overcoming shortcomings to be generally pointless. If I want to play with a handicap, I can just tie one hand behind my back, close one eye, play keyboard only. Plenty of options that don't require making the game less enjoyable for other players who just want to wind down and shoot stuff.
Obviously some people will disagree, obviously some people have a blast doing that stuff, but then, is is all that appropriate or even needed for a community project supposed to reach most doomers? This being a ToD map it's likely to be difficult and filled to the brim with monsters, which will already make a fair amount of people run away, and adding a few tricky jumps to that almost seems like trying to purposefully trim down the audience even further. The author is free to do as he wishes, and so are the players, by not playing or dismissing the map if they dislike it, by voicing concern if certain features are guaranteed to lessen their enjoyment of the map significantly.
Not that I really have a say or a conclusion, I'm merely using the occasion to jump on a soapbox and rationalise why I really dislike jumping in Doom - as in Doom/Boom without mouselook ; advanced source ports that allow more freedom with the perspective aren't as bad, although the complete lack of body feedback and weird physics remain significant hurdles to an enjoyable experience.
Do those 3 SR50 jumps, or even the SR40 ones on lower difficulties, truly add value to the map? That is the one question that should be asked. The issue is going to be divisive, regardless of how right or wrong people who dislike it may or may not be. If it's critical or even important to the map flow and absolutely couldn't be changed for anything else, maybe it ought to stay in, but if it's there just because, there would seem to be little point to having these jumps at all.
As an aside, the Doom2 Map03 secret jump can be done by running forward relatively easily. An example of an acceptable jump in my book. ;)
Last edited by Phml on 09-22-11 at 16:15
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09-08-11 22:18 
