17th September 2004, 2:07 PM
Actually, it teleported you to the place where you were last on solid ground. And yes, it is a pretty paultry penalty.
Honestly, it didn't make me feel more "in" the game at all. It made it seem like it wasn't a game. It was nice to see that distant landscape and all, but the second I saw the warning message, I was like "oh nuts, they did that didn't that", and then promptly commited suicide to test it out, or so I thought. Now, I don't expect to be able to actually GO down there, nor did I just want them to put a cave wall up there because it is a nice view. But, taking away 5 hitpoints and just sending you back after you fall 2 METERS (not even the satisfaction of watching your body plumet endlessly... it didn't feel like a fall at all).
Here are my suggestions. The first option? Some forcefield. They had them all over Metroid Prime, and they weren't cheap Mario 64 style "invisible walls", they actually BELONGED in that world. They were glass windows and force fields that let you look out, but you knew full well you weren't getting there. The second is for Samus to automatically "save" herself when you step off these things. Take the same damage, whatever, but it at least makes you feel like you are IN the world instead of being thrust out of it by this little "feature". What I mean is, when you jump off, it goes into 3rd person for a split second showing Samus grabbing the ground and pulling herself back onto the ledge. The whole sequence would last about a second ending with Samus looking down realizing that was a mistake sort of thing. THAT would be cool.
My favorite though is this. Put an area down there so when you jump, you find yourself "caught" by a big wall of rock you couldn't have possibly cleared from above no matter what lead you had on the jump, something that you wouldln't immediatly notice just staring off the side so you still get the good view. This way, jumping has both a benefit and a penalty. On the one hand, you are still exploring the full potential of the world. On the other hand, if you make this jump, you may not be getting back to where you made the jump from for a while.
That said, they may not even put this in the final game. It was one room near the very start. The view was something that, upon close inspection, is pretty clearly a textured dome of some sort, and common sense says they didn't give you a full sized forest and lake to explore in the demo. It's really just the principle of the thing. The fact that it adds nothing to the gameplay except to allow the programmers to say it's a new feature. I mean, this was one just on the side you would never just accidently fall in, so there's no challenge added. However, let's say they added one later FOR challenge. Let's say a bottomless pit (one that really fits that description, endless black abyss in a hole) was put right in the middle, or surrounding, a huge battle with a lot of enemies. Well, what then? You keep getting knocked into holes and the whole flow of the battle is interrupted as you are just spawned back up on the surface with minimal damage and a reminder that this is a game? They don't add anything when just put in out of the way areas, and it seems to me they would ruin the moment when tossed into situations where you really would be falling into them. So, ditch 'em!
That's all I'm saying. If they did keep them, then eh, whatever (so long as they are out of the way, as I described above, in the middle of battle would just be an annoyanec that would ruin the mood), and it's not hurting anything, so I'll still enjoy the game. I'm just attacking them not on the notion that they would ruin the game, but rather attacking them for what they are, and what they are not.
Honestly, it didn't make me feel more "in" the game at all. It made it seem like it wasn't a game. It was nice to see that distant landscape and all, but the second I saw the warning message, I was like "oh nuts, they did that didn't that", and then promptly commited suicide to test it out, or so I thought. Now, I don't expect to be able to actually GO down there, nor did I just want them to put a cave wall up there because it is a nice view. But, taking away 5 hitpoints and just sending you back after you fall 2 METERS (not even the satisfaction of watching your body plumet endlessly... it didn't feel like a fall at all).
Here are my suggestions. The first option? Some forcefield. They had them all over Metroid Prime, and they weren't cheap Mario 64 style "invisible walls", they actually BELONGED in that world. They were glass windows and force fields that let you look out, but you knew full well you weren't getting there. The second is for Samus to automatically "save" herself when you step off these things. Take the same damage, whatever, but it at least makes you feel like you are IN the world instead of being thrust out of it by this little "feature". What I mean is, when you jump off, it goes into 3rd person for a split second showing Samus grabbing the ground and pulling herself back onto the ledge. The whole sequence would last about a second ending with Samus looking down realizing that was a mistake sort of thing. THAT would be cool.
My favorite though is this. Put an area down there so when you jump, you find yourself "caught" by a big wall of rock you couldn't have possibly cleared from above no matter what lead you had on the jump, something that you wouldln't immediatly notice just staring off the side so you still get the good view. This way, jumping has both a benefit and a penalty. On the one hand, you are still exploring the full potential of the world. On the other hand, if you make this jump, you may not be getting back to where you made the jump from for a while.
That said, they may not even put this in the final game. It was one room near the very start. The view was something that, upon close inspection, is pretty clearly a textured dome of some sort, and common sense says they didn't give you a full sized forest and lake to explore in the demo. It's really just the principle of the thing. The fact that it adds nothing to the gameplay except to allow the programmers to say it's a new feature. I mean, this was one just on the side you would never just accidently fall in, so there's no challenge added. However, let's say they added one later FOR challenge. Let's say a bottomless pit (one that really fits that description, endless black abyss in a hole) was put right in the middle, or surrounding, a huge battle with a lot of enemies. Well, what then? You keep getting knocked into holes and the whole flow of the battle is interrupted as you are just spawned back up on the surface with minimal damage and a reminder that this is a game? They don't add anything when just put in out of the way areas, and it seems to me they would ruin the moment when tossed into situations where you really would be falling into them. So, ditch 'em!
That's all I'm saying. If they did keep them, then eh, whatever (so long as they are out of the way, as I described above, in the middle of battle would just be an annoyanec that would ruin the mood), and it's not hurting anything, so I'll still enjoy the game. I'm just attacking them not on the notion that they would ruin the game, but rather attacking them for what they are, and what they are not.
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)