This reorientation in climbing would positively impact the game in a number of ways: Climbing sequences could give the player a good view of the upcoming arena and inform them of enemy patrols, cover spots, and the locations of explosive barrels prior to arrival. Most climbing sections precede shootouts, so they’re well positioned to function as a scaffold. This widget could be a good fit for Uncharted.Īlternatively, the developers could repurpose the climbing sequences so as to reduce the number of cutscenes and support the game’s primary function, shooting. Zelda: Skyward Sword does this with the energy metre (which adds a timing and risk/reward element to climbing). The developers could increase the challenge by de-optimising Drake’s climbing mechanics. The problem isn’t the contextual nature of navigation or the mechanics, which are direct and generally intuitive. Spot an obvious-looking grapple point and push a button to have Drake jump to it, that’s about all that’s involved Uncharted 2‘s climbing sequences. The branching paths would funnel the player into separate areas optimised for player difficulty. For example, Sully could later respond “Keep your wits about you, kid”. As Drake approaches each path, he or the AI companion could comment on its difficulty by saying something like “Sully, are you sure this is the safest way to the old market?” Once the player chooses a path, Drake or the AI companion could then add a few more quips to reinforce the challenge ahead. Near the end of the freer gameplay challenges, the game could present the player with two or more paths. ![]() Here is one potential application:īranching paths. Scalable difficulty would allow the game to better address the needs of amateur and advance players while also fitting within the game’s existing context. The changes primarily demand better aiming from the player, but don’t address other important skills such as strategising, spatial awareness, etc. Although the experience is more difficult, the gameplay balance can be inferior. The levels generally weren’t optimised around an increased enemy load, so the bigger intake can create bottlenecks in the challenges. The guards disobey their visual form as human beings This lazy form of difficulty adjustment has a number of problems: By the end of the game, the number of these superhumans ramps up significantly. Uncharted 2‘s hard mode floods the battlefield with soldiers which can sustain multiple head shots and take incredible amounts of damage. Bending Realism for the Sake of Difficulty These recommendations would not only make the game more dynamic, realistic, and engaging, but they’d also allow the player to explore the inventive side of Drake’s personality, creating their own mini-set pieces. More opportunities to change the environment, such as shooting an aquarium to make a floor slippery. This would give them a raging bull persona.ĭrake is knocked back when an enemy falls on him. For example, they could act more aggressive after being shot. Shooting an armoured enemy’s bullet-proof vest could prompt a change in behaviour. This would make it easier for the player to find their position. ![]() Once they’re on the floor, they could make a shuffling noise as they try to move or get up. To communicate the enemy’s fallen state to the player, the henchmen could fall in a particular way or yell something like “I’m down”. Drake could then shoot them again to finish them off, knock them out (contextual attack), or they could shoot Drake or crawl away. Shoot a guard in the foot or leg and they’ll fall to the ground where they’re vulnerable. By exploiting the stun effect, the player can inch their way around the holder so as to catch them with their body exposed. When Drake fires a shotgun or any other high-powered weapon at a riot shield, the holder could stops moving and shooting and hold their position for a brief second. When an enemy’s cover is shot / blown out, they’re forced to retreat to another hiding spot. The following ideas could make the shooting much more responsive:ĭestructible cover. Uncharted 2 already includes a few dynamic interactions (such as shooting soldiers off ledges), but not many. The inherent limitations of bullets can potentially limit the dynamism of the gunplay. Realistic gunplay lacks interplay, so when the player can fire high-impact, fast-moving projectiles at their enemies, there’s not much room for back-and-forth interactions. ![]() ![]() The following notes were written back in 2013. However, these alternative visions can still make for good food for thought, particular when the my own views are quite different from the game in question. In the last few years I’ve moved away from including game repair ideas in my critiques as any suggestions on my part ultimately reflect my own tastes. Thinking Out Loud – Repairing Uncharted 2 January 5th, 2018
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