Since Frank O’Connor said that the physics engine would be brand-new, I would propose a few changes from the current engine:
Require a relative motion threshold for vehicle-induced damage that is more consistent with ground and wall splatter damage. If I just nudge a player with a Ghost, hog, or tank, that shouldn’t cause damage, as the player himself could run headlong into a wall (or unoccupied vehicle) at a much faster speed unscathed. So there should be a minimum relative speed threshold, for causing any damage, and a minimum threshold for causing a splatter on a fully-shielded player. I shouldn’t be able to nudge someone to death. While I understand that there may need to be some differences, the map object damage vs. occupied vehicle damage disparity is excessive in the H4 engine.
Retain motion when debarking vehicles. So if I leap out of the hog as a passenger, I should hit the ground at the same speed the hog was moving when I debarked. With no action on my part, my Spartan should slow at the same rate as he would if I let go of the control stick while moving on the ground . . . walking animation and all. I shouldn’t leap out of the gunner position with the hog in reverse and be instantly splattered.
Better transfer-of-momentum for weapon rounds. Consider railgun. When it hits you now, it pops you up in place. But it’s a kinetic weapon. If I hit you with one while you’re standing atop the roof on Complex, it should blast you clean off for maximum awesomeness. On the flip side, killing someone with a DMR headshot shouldn’t send the guy into orbit.
Better transfer-of-momentum for vehicles. While the Wraith returning to its home planet after a rocket shot is sometimes amusing, it’s also annoying when it lands on you 3 minutes later. Some of the glitches that exist in the current engine affect immersion during play (although they do give Jack and Geoff more to talk about).
Must-have, IMO: Realistic mechanics for things like thruster pack, if they are to be retained. The thrust from the TP should add a specific amount to your current velocity, not make you move at a fixed speed relative to the ground. Doing it like H4 did causes completely counter-intuitive behavior, like using TP on the Adrift man-cannons and falling short as a result.
Bonus points for adding in better transfer of angular momentum for #3 and #4 as well.
Any other physics changes folks would like to see (or disagreements about the ones I’ve suggested)?
I think it would be sweet if a harpoon-like weapon round just continued flight after killing a Spartan and pinned them to a wall.
This weapon round could also detonate after a few seconds of being attached to a wall… but that’s a whole different discussion.
Anyway, yeah, love the idea of continuing momentum after getting out of a moving vehicle… it’s like CE.
I also would like the vehicles to react to explosions in a way similar to that of CE.
How about a Gravity Hammer that actually influences gravity like in H3. It was useful in launching vehicles, while in H4 it’s useless and usually results in blowing up the vehicle and killing yourself in the process. Pointless.
“If I just nudge a player with a Ghost, hog, or tank, that shouldn’t cause damage, as the player himself could run headlong into a wall (or unoccupied vehicle) at a much faster speed unscathed. So there should be a minimum relative speed threshold, for causing any damage, and a minimum threshold for causing a splatter on a fully-shielded player. I shouldn’t be able to nudge someone to death. While I understand that there may need to be some differences, the map object damage vs. occupied vehicle damage disparity is excessive in the H4 engine”
Well since we’re talking about physics my suggestion would be to return to that ‘permanent low gravity’ feel, like in H3. When I played my first Halo game (twas H3) one of the things that struck me the most was how your spartan felt when running (not sprinting of course) and jumping around. It felt like gravity was just a little weaker that usual, no matter where you were. One of the many reasons I fell in love with H3, and Halo in general. It was a unique feel.
Today that feel is completely lost with things like sprint and jetpack. One messes with the ‘horizontality’ of Halo, the other with the verticality. I was happy with regular jumping, crouch jumping and nade jumping. Sure the gameplay seems slower than H4, but IMO that is a must for a true original Halo feel. Just to be clear I’m not talking about jump height, wich is perfect even in H4. Just that permanent low gravity feel. Now spartans are moving too fast and flying around. I find that the fights in wich I get in MP games are more chaotic, and less structured because of things like sprint.
I vote for no sprint and slightly faster base movement speed. And of course, send things like JP, and PV while I’m at it, into oblivion, like Armor Lock.
Throw some material properties in the game along with more realistic transfer of momentum and energy and we get Destructible Environments.
Here are some of the specific things I’m looking for:
Crash a warthog into a tree and the tree falls down- Shoot a rock with a rocket and watch it disappear- Blast a hole in a base with the Spartan Laser- Severely impair a warthog’s handling by shooting it in the tire with a sniper rifle
Of course, there should be limits to this sort of stuff, we don’t want everything destroyed.
I want Halo: CE-like physics back. I miss retaining motion when disembarking vehicles. I miss blowing up an vehicle and watching it go flying. I miss colliding two vehicles together and seeing one or both of them go flying.
Check out this video for what I’m talking about: fun vehicle physics that didn’t cause problems within a competitive, tryhard game.
> I want Halo: CE-like physics back. I miss retaining motion when disembarking vehicles. I miss blowing up an vehicle and watching it go flying. I miss colliding two vehicles together and seeing one or both of them go flying.
>
> Check out this video for what I’m talking about: fun vehicle physics that didn’t cause problems within a competitive, tryhard game.
Absolutely. This is exactly what I was talking about.
> You think Halo 4 is bad you could easily nudge people to death in Halo CE, like a literal nudge. Though I liked this about Halo CE.
>
> Besides that nothing on that list I’m really against.
Formula:
vehicle physics success = CE vehicle acrobatics - death nudge
> I want Halo: CE-like physics back. I miss retaining motion when disembarking vehicles. I miss blowing up an vehicle and watching it go flying. I miss colliding two vehicles together and seeing one or both of them go flying.
>
> Check out this video for what I’m talking about: fun vehicle physics that didn’t cause problems within a competitive, tryhard game.
> I want Halo: CE-like physics back. I miss retaining motion when disembarking vehicles. I miss blowing up an vehicle and watching it go flying. I miss colliding two vehicles together and seeing one or both of them go flying.
>
> Check out this video for what I’m talking about: fun vehicle physics that didn’t cause problems within a competitive, tryhard game.
I spent a lot of time on CE with my brother on Sidewinder playing with max health and shielding and all vehicles xD It was like a crazy game of rock, paper, scissors! Warthog beats Ghost and Scorpion, Ghost beats Warthog, Tank beats everything! You could easily “bat” a ghost clear out of the map! From the front or rear, a warthog could get under a tank and cause it to flip. If the tank driver (always me) knew how to bat, the warthog could join the ghost out in the uniformly grey outlaying area out of the map of Sidewinder xD
Have an option in Custom Games to change the traction of your steps.
If you don’t understand what I’m talking about, start up any game in any Halo and start strafing side to side as fast as you can.
Note that when you going, for example, to the right and then try to immediately go to the left, there’ll be a small delay as you slowly stop and then finally start moving to the left.
This is traction in action (hehehe) or should I say, a lack of it.
It would also be nice to be able to modify air control, i.e. how quickly you can change direction in mid-air.
