Health bars or regeneration?

[Riku3220]

In games a health system would be a health bar or a regeneration system. This thread is to discuss the pros and cons of each one and tell which you prefer.

 

 

 

Pros of a health bar:

 

 

 

Needing med packs adds realism to the game.

 

 

 

In co-op you can tell a friend that you're low on health so they can heal or provide cover rather than tell them you're dead.

 

 

 

The health bar came first.

 

 

 

In some games you can increase the limit of your health bar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cons of a health bar:

 

 

 

If you get an autosave when low on health you're dead if there is an army between you and a med pack.

 

 

 

You must go out of your way to search for med packs.

 

 

 

Takes up a small section of the screen. It may be small but if an airborne enemy is behind your health bar are you going to notice?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pros of regeneration:

 

 

 

You can get right back into the game after being shot, no searching for med packs.

 

 

 

No bad autosaves

 

 

 

Allows for fast paced online.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cons of regeneration:

 

 

 

The 'dying' effect takes up more of the screen than the health bar. It generally makes things less visible...

 

 

 

The 'duck behind a wall and perform 5 second surgery on yourself' takes away the realism...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now I ask you. What's your favorite?

[Dizzle229]

I don't know, depends on the game I guess. In Halo and CoD regeneration works pretty well, but I think health bars are better for coop games. (imagine Left 4 Dead if survivors could regenerate health, versus would pretty much be over).

[Lenin64]

Health bars are more realistic? Really? We've seen the "Hp. I still have 1 left" picture.

 

 

 

It varies. In some games (L4D, TF2) the health meter works really well, but for others (Gears of war) regenrating is really the only way. I've seen this thread dozens of times before, and Halo: CE has the best mix; regenrating shields, but limited health afterwards. Makes you not worry too much and keep the action going even when you have low health bar, but it isn't too ridiculous, either.

[stevepole]

Health bars are more realistic? Really? We've seen the "Hp. I still have 1 left" picture.

 

 

 

It varies. In some games (L4D, TF2) the health meter works really well, but for others (Gears of war) regenrating is really the only way. I've seen this thread dozens of times before, and Halo: CE has the best mix; regenrating shields, but limited health afterwards. Makes you not worry too much and keep the action going even when you have low health bar, but it isn't too ridiculous, either.

 

 

 

I agree.

[PoorLepRecon]

Health bars are more realistic? Really? We've seen the "Hp. I still have 1 left" picture.

 

 

 

It varies. In some games (L4D, TF2) the health meter works really well, but for others (Gears of war) regenrating is really the only way. I've seen this thread dozens of times before, and Halo: CE has the best mix; regenrating shields, but limited health afterwards. Makes you not worry too much and keep the action going even when you have low health bar, but it isn't too ridiculous, either.

 

 

 

I agree.

 

 

 

I also agree that it depends on the game. In games like Resident Evil, managing your health is very important. If you start to get low on health, you begin to take riskier actions to get out of danger and to find more. If you could just hide and wait for it to respawn a lot of the challenge of the game would disappear.

[Giordano]

A realistic game will let you survive maybe one, two, three bullets tops until you die. Not 17 bullets, a frag grenade, and a 28-foot drop.

 

 

 

It depends on the game, as Lenin said. But overall, I prefer health bars.

[Riku3220]

More realistic in the sense of not being able to take out all the bullets and being able to stitch yourself back up in a matter of seconds.

 

 

 

And yes it does depend on the game I suppose but which would you want if you were making a game?

[db300]

Wow, good discussion question. I have no definite answer here, so I'll take the easy way out and say it depends on the game like everyone else.

[Faux]

COD really shouldn't be using regeneration. It's ridiculous how they try to be "realistic" and yet you're like some Spartan that could regen life by crouching in a corner.

[Lenticular_J]

Well, I guess I can kinda understand it when you're one of the guys with kevlar and plates and everything. You'd really just get some bruising and the wind knocked out of you, at worst you do get hit.

 

 

 

But otherwise, yeah, you should just be all deaded.

[Riku3220]

COD really shouldn't be using regeneration. It's ridiculous how they try to be "realistic" and yet you're like some Spartan that could regen life by crouching in a corner.

 

Would health bars be any better for a game like CoD?

[Dizzle229]

COD really shouldn't be using regeneration. It's ridiculous how they try to be "realistic" and yet you're like some Spartan that could regen life by crouching in a corner.

 

Would health bars be any better for a game like CoD?

 

 

 

I played the original and the expansion on the PC. There used to be health packs, and it didn't work out at all. Often I would spawn at a checkpoint before a big battle with low health, trek back through the entire level, and not find any health. It basically meant you were screwed.

[Faux]

COD really shouldn't be using regeneration. It's ridiculous how they try to be "realistic" and yet you're like some Spartan that could regen life by crouching in a corner.

 

Would health bars be any better for a game like CoD?

 

IMO, yeah. Take a look at Battlefield 2.

[____]

Yep, BF2 is done great. Standard health bar system with only one method (other than death) to fully regain health instantly: med pack from a medic.

 

The other ways are technically regeneration but require either a supply crate, or a medic in close proximity and has the med pack equiped.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Any FPS which is using regeneration is just screwed up somewhere. Keep regen to the rpg's where classes can attribute to health regen.

[doomy]

How many games use Regeneration? I can hardly remmeber playing many.

 

 

 

I'd say health bar for the realism.

[Wisp]

How many games use Regeneration? I can hardly remmeber playing many.

 

 

 

I'd say health bar for the realism.

 

cod games, halo (except CE, sort of) gears of war. And there are pretty much the top shooter games.

 

There's also games like rainbow six and so on.

[sohkmj1]

The way I see it, health bars, but they're awfully huge. I mean unless you're wearing huge amounts of kevlar armour it should incapacitate you in a few shots...

[AndyPandy]

I think killzone 2 has it spot on.

 

 

 

You have a health bar, and if it goes below 1/3, you can regenerate up to that amount. You can never get full health back, apart from with a medic.

[Millard]

In my opinion, if games like COD and Halo used health bars they would be no way near as succsessful as they are now, especially in online play.

[Faux]

In my opinion, if games like COD and Halo used health bars they would be no way near as succsessful as they are now, especially in online play.

 

 

 

I think that the gameplay should fit the storyline. COD is about normal soldiers being heroes. So using a health bar would be useful. Halo is a sci-fi, hence the regen would be excusable. Besides, the gameplay between the two are hugely different. In COD, it's impossible to take on 3 players at the same time unless they're mentally disabled. In Halo 3, you can take down a whole team if you know what you're doing.

[jjrox32]

In my opinion, if games like COD and Halo used health bars they would be no way near as succsessful as they are now, especially in online play.

 

 

 

I think that the gameplay should fit the storyline. COD is about normal soldiers being heroes. So using a health bar would be useful. Halo is a sci-fi, hence the regen would be excusable. Besides, the gameplay between the two are hugely different. In COD, it's impossible to take on 3 players at the same time unless they're mentally disabled. In Halo 3, you can take down a whole team if you know what you're doing.

 

 

 

Uhhh no. Maybe if the team is absolute [cabbage], but from my days of playing MLG customs most if you ran into 2 guys and you didn't have some sort of huge advantage over them (like a power weapon) you would be screwed. They have double/triple the firepower you do.

[Faux]

In my opinion, if games like COD and Halo used health bars they would be no way near as succsessful as they are now, especially in online play.

 

 

 

I think that the gameplay should fit the storyline. COD is about normal soldiers being heroes. So using a health bar would be useful. Halo is a sci-fi, hence the regen would be excusable. Besides, the gameplay between the two are hugely different. In COD, it's impossible to take on 3 players at the same time unless they're mentally disabled. In Halo 3, you can take down a whole team if you know what you're doing.

 

 

 

Uhhh no. Maybe if the team is absolute [cabbage], but from my days of playing MLG customs most if you ran into 2 guys and you didn't have some sort of huge advantage over them (like a power weapon) you would be screwed. They have double/triple the firepower you do.

 

 

 

omg omg MLG customs you must be so hardcore

[Dizzle229]

Realism isn't an argument here, neither one is realistic. If it were realistic, it would be, you get shot you're dead or unable to continue fighting.

[Lenticular_J]

Well, the Kevlar and whatnot Marines and the Army use right now would probably protect you from a few body shots.

 

 

 

But really, yeah, you'd be killed. Although in Call of Duty 4, all the armies are terribly trained. Fighting alone, just taking pot shots. Friend goes down, you yell, "Changing mags!"

[jjrox32]

In my opinion, if games like COD and Halo used health bars they would be no way near as succsessful as they are now, especially in online play.

 

 

 

I think that the gameplay should fit the storyline. COD is about normal soldiers being heroes. So using a health bar would be useful. Halo is a sci-fi, hence the regen would be excusable. Besides, the gameplay between the two are hugely different. In COD, it's impossible to take on 3 players at the same time unless they're mentally disabled. In Halo 3, you can take down a whole team if you know what you're doing.

 

 

 

Uhhh no. Maybe if the team is absolute [cabbage], but from my days of playing MLG customs most if you ran into 2 guys and you didn't have some sort of huge advantage over them (like a power weapon) you would be screwed. They have double/triple the firepower you do.

 

 

 

omg omg MLG customs you must be so hardcore

 

 

 

I actually was a pretty hardcore halo player awhile back...not anymore though. My point is that you can't take down a entire team in halo unless they're complete garbage.