Nuts and bolts improvements for HL3...

[gcomeau]

No grand sweeping ideas or anything, just some little details I'd like to see implemented when they get around to starting the development on the next installment that would improve the immersion factor for me... feel free to toss in your own ideas.

FYI: This is not a criticism of HL2, which was awesome... but there's always room for improvment considering the advances in processing power any sequel is going to have to play with.

1. When wading through the water you have to disturb it... there has to be some visual indication of your presence there. A wake or something. Right now I sometimes get the eerie impression that I'm non-corporeal, even with the splashing audio.

2. In the same line, when I look straight down, it would be nice to see that I have legs... and when I'm piloting a vehicle, arms. Also, actually grabbing the things you pick up with your hands would be a nice touch instead of the levitating thing. (Except when using the grav gun of course)

3. On wall corners made out of wood, or plaster, or concrete, or anything besides metal basically... round them all off a little. Dull them, pit them... anything but those perfect single pixel wide razor straight lines that they tend to be now.

4. I know the reasoning behind having a silent Gordon... and I agree with it. That said, why not have him be capable of answering simple questions with a mouse-induced head nod or shake... with the storyline playing out in alternate ways depending on how you answer? (within limits, maybe a chapter plays out differently or something... but you have to still get in the vital plot points of course) Break up the linearity a little, and give you more of a feeling that you're participating in and guiding the flow of some of the NPC conversations rather than just being the object of speeches.

I'm sure I had some other stuff to include but it's not coming to me just now...

 

[Xune]

Even if only that was implemented things would be soooo different. Fingers crossed.

 

[The Dark Elf]

1. could be done with certain effects (airboat has something like that) but you wont get actual moving waves (current ones being just a surface effect) n such without a performance hit

2. They said this was a design choice, and technically its a bit offputting to have those things in in most cases.

3. Performance hit and for the most part not so noticable, next gen maybe.

4. Better without a voice.

 

[gcomeau]

1. could be done with certain effects (airboat has something like that) but you wont get actual moving waves (current ones being just a surface effect) n such without a performance hit

Hence my commenting on the expected increases in processing power the next installment would have to play with. I'm not criticising them for not putting this stuff in HL2, the game is obviously pushing the limits of the hardware out there right now as it is.

2. They said this was a design choice, and technically its a bit offputting to have those things in in most cases.

Yeah, I can definitely see how it would be difficult to do it in a way that didn't make it look a little unnatural when you looked down, and push come to shove I'd rather do without it than have it done poorly or awkwardly... but if it COULD be done right...

3. Performance hit and for the most part not so noticable, next gen maybe.

It's not so much that they jump out at you or anything, as that you're always kind of subconsciously aware that there's something just not quite right about where the surfaces of all the walls around you are meeting...

4. Better without a voice.

Agreed... luckily nodding the head doesn't require a voice.