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Destructible Environments, Where Art Thou?

Daniel Bright from The Bitbag writes:

"With all the fancy technology of the current console generation, you would think that there would be more attempts to give us a greater degree of destructible environments. This is a game mechanic that seems to have been over-looked to an alarming degree."

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thebitbag.com

Mr_Kuwabara - contributor
Published: 695 days 6 hours ago | Article | Gaming | Industry News | Dev News

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Kakkoii - 695 days 6 hours ago

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1 -

I agree...

My theory is that game developers don't really want to start making destructible environments for many games. Because firstly. It takes alot more time to do. And secondly, as destructible environments become more advanced. Getting to the point where you can destroy anything just like in real life. The game developers would have a harder time keeping people on the story line. (e,g: Player A feels like blowing up a wall and stepping out of the building and roams around the island endlessly.)
(e,g 2: Player B is standing under a overpass. And a boss is running across it to get to a door leading to some sort of secure bunker. (Because it's part of the story line.) Well then Player B decides to throw a bomb at the overpass. Thus destorying it and having the boss fall to the ground. Then killing him.. (Oh look. The games over now.. Since your able to destroy the bridge XD.)

So I think the fear of what to do when people can destroy anything they want is holding back developers from adopting destructible environments.

But something really should be done.

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fenderputty - 695 days 6 hours ago

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1.1 - I never really looked at it like that.

Sure I figured that destructable environments took more time but I never thought of it from a story line standpoint. If the game is linear, being able to blow stuff up becomes more problematic.

I've played some games that use this to an extent. COD4 lets you shoot through walls. Some of the cover in Drakes gets blown away. I think the first real title to showcase this ability will be KZ2. Shoould be awesome too since they have a cover system as well.

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Panthers - 695 days 5 hours ago

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1.2 -

They can always prevent key structures from being destructible. If they want to make it realistic, then if you have destructible environments, you should also have limited ammo, especially explosives. I've seen images of rocket launchers hitting targets, and they do not do that much damage to walls and the such. As long as you dont have a huge arsenal of bunker busting rockets, then destructible environments would not endager the story too much, just allow for a more compelling gameplay experience.

I would just love to see the outsides of walls crumble as I shoot them and holes to appear in the ceiling with light beams coming through. THings like that would be sweet. When I think destructible, I think bullet damage to the environment, not necessarily blowing everything up in site.

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Martini - 695 days 5 hours ago

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1.3 - @ fenderputty

The first title will be a battlefield bad company :)

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sonarus - 695 days 5 hours ago

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1.4 -

completely destructible environment will probably never happen but almost completely destructible will probably happen. I see no reason why this killing day game cnt achieve this. Killzone 2 is supposed to have quite a bit of destructible environments maybe resistance 2 will have hopefully. If gears 2 can include destructible environments that would be sweet as well that way u cnt jst chill behind cover. Also would be nice to see bullet penetration thru thin walls but assuming thin walls are also destructible that should be a sure thing

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Kakkoii - 694 days 20 hours ago

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1.5 -

I disagree. One day we will have fully destructible environments.

Were already well on our way with the technology. We just don't have powerful enough PC's yet to process all the data that is needed for it.

But the foundation is already there. There is a game engine that can be integrated into games that simulates mass/structure/etc.. of objects. Making metal objects bend and/or break like metal, Wood burn/splinter/break like wood, Glass break like glass, etc....

One such game that has this engine is the upcoming Star Wars game.

So fully destructible environments are possible, just not plausible with today's PC's.

I think with a fully destructible environment, comes the need to make the story line more like real life.

(e,g: I get dropped off at some mountain base in the Alps. My objective is to find a way into the bottom floor room. (Now normally, You would be put on a set path that you fallow, encountering the many placed enemies for you to encounter no matter what.) But with a fully destructible world, comes your choice of doing what you want. So maybe I decide to take out my shovel, And dig for about 5 days straight until I reach the bottom floor of the base. And then drill my way threw the wall into the bottom room :). Or maybe I decide to break a vent cover and crawl threw to the bottom floor.

Either way.. The game environment should be set up as it would in REAL LIFE. With guards having there own assigned outposts in the building, just like real life. All buildings should have a fuse box located somewhere, just like real life. Allowing you to turn power off in places.

What i'm trying to say is.... If you take the story line. And create the game as if the story line were happening in real life. Then fully destructible environments will be no problem. Because it's Real life right ;).

Gameplay could be so much more unique if games started being built this way.

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sticky_date - 695 days 6 hours ago

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2 - A help or a hinderance?

I see the biggest problem with DE's are the obvious interaction with a linear storyline, but quite possibly, alot of the time it's really unnecessary. Maybe I find DE's a tad overrated but if it's implemented as suggested in this story, then I'd definately be interested..

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avacadosnorkel - 695 days 5 hours ago

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3 - killzone 2 will change this

wait. 360 fans will buy ps3s for killzone 2, battlefield bad company and mercenaries 2 are not going to be acurate in destruction. Sure things will blow up or break but the physics involved between matters (wood, brick, etc.) are not going to be much different.

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Kareem - 695 days 5 hours ago

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3.1 -

What about Battlefield: Bad Company?

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games4fun - 695 days 5 hours ago

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3.2 - why would they

they are fans so obviously they wouldn't care killzone 2 may deliver and from what i have seen it should but everyone should reserve judgement till the game comes out

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blindfromthesun - 695 days 5 hours ago

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3.3 -

I bought a ps3 for uncharted and resistance. I will believe the killzone 2 hype when I see the reviews.

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avacadosnorkel - 695 days 3 hours ago

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3.4 - you may have

buy PS3 for uncharted and resistance, but your gonna buy killzone 2 as well regardless of what you claim right now. You probably have it reserved already

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Mr Marbles - 695 days 5 hours ago

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4 - Um

Stranglehold had incredibally destructable environments and everyone gave it poor reviews and bashed it, so what is the point in devs doing this? The gaming media makes me sick, they don't know what the h3ll they want.

edit: also, Stranglehold didn't sell very well, but cost a fortune to add all that destructable content, pointless endevor for the devs.

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games4fun - 695 days 5 hours ago

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4.1 - i actually see your point

to me the game played too much like an arcade game for some reason it just didn't mesh with me i think it might have been the over the top bullet time thing with the gunplay not being very realistic it turned into a mini-game instead of a gunfight battle

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5 Chris_GTR1 | 695 days 5 hours ago - User only got 1 bubble - Show

Boink - 695 days 5 hours ago

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6 - I agree

Cod 4 is a great example, I mean sure there is bullet holes, but the entire strategy of a multyplayer game would change with destructible environments and make the game fresh and different every time.

I can see your point about changing the story line, but then again, as games get closer to realsism, it only makes sense to have DE. let the player attack/move how they want, and so linear.

I can snipe the guy from far away while he's sitting at his house, or I can grab a car and drive through the wall and take him out.

I hope to start seeing more DE and I think that would help make games even more "next gen". and the systems (wii excluded) are certainly powerful enough to do it.

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ELite_Ghost - 695 days 4 hours ago

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6.1 -

COD4 does have cars that blow up and barrels.

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7 bootsielon | 695 days 5 hours ago - User only got 1 bubble - Show

Graphics by ATi - 695 days 5 hours ago

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8 -

Destructible Environments need not get in the way of storylines.

There are ways around stuff like that, you know.

Only a stupid developer would allow destructible environments to cause scripting errors.

Giving proper A.I. to NPCs and also giving the proper pathfinding skills would reduce or eliminate the need for designing each level with partially-destructible environments with certain "invulnerable" set pieces.

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v1c1ous - 695 days 5 hours ago

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9 - in the video

the main guy shoots a bad guy off the balcony.

he then shoots the body as its falling down and even after it hit the ground.

was it really necessary?

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Graphics by ATi - 695 days 5 hours ago

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9.1 -

Of course it was!

You know what that's called?

Making sure he's dead.

or he was just a sadistic bastard and likes shooting dead people.

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avacadosnorkel - 695 days 5 hours ago

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9.2 - shoot em all

and shoot em again until your out of bullets.

that way they got to be dead

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Mr_Kuwabara - 695 days 5 hours ago

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9.3 -

Lol yeah that really was unnecessary.

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DeadlyFire - 695 days 5 hours ago

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10 - You guys are missing the big picture.

Destructability starts this year in gaming really. This year there are more games with physics than ever before with a number of unshown number of games that likely feature some form of destructable environments.

Here are a few great ones that will feature some form of environment destruction that I know of at the moment from what I have read.
Star Wars: Force Unleashed
KILLZONE 2
Far Cry 2
BattleField: Bad Company(consoles)/BF 3(PC)
Fracture
Mercinaries 2: World in Flames
SOCOM: Confrontation

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Maddens Raiders - 695 days 5 hours ago

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11 - Three words -

Red Faction Three

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Lance_Leon_Lionheart - 695 days 4 hours ago

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11.1 -

Red Faction 1 had the most destructible environments, with Red faction 2 being a close second. I haven't seen any game to Destructible environments like Red Faction 1. I think BF: BC comes pretty close.

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Mr_Kuwabara - 695 days 4 hours ago

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11.2 -

Today is actually the first time I heard about such a series. (Don't know that much about PC gaming. Anyway is it an RTS? Cuz the only RTS game I used to play on PC (not much of a PC gamer) was Rise of Nations.

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LinuxGuru - 694 days 23 hours ago

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11.3 -

Red Faction is an FPS.

It was on PS2 and other consoles.

Red Faction:

http://www.gamepro.com/sony...

Red Faction 2:

http://ps2.ign.com/articles...

Average metacritic review score for both games is well in the 80's, which is fantastic.

Also, I think I'm going to rent Red Faction 2 again for old time's sake.

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Dlacy13g - 695 days 4 hours ago

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12 - No game will ever have 100% destructible enviornments...

As stated in many of these posts...it would detract from the gameplay...and the core of the game they are trying to get you to play and the story that is trying to unfold.

Even games like Red Faction or as DeadlyFire pointed to his list:
Star Wars: Force Unleashed
KILLZONE 2
Far Cry 2
BattleField: Bad Company(consoles)/BF 3(PC)
Fracture
Mercinaries 2: World in Flames
SOCOM: Confrontation

NONE of these games will have 100% destructible enviornments. You can blow chunks off of pilars, you can blow holes in walls and / or blow up certain buildings...but there will always be things you cant blow up..things that are needed to be there for the story line to progress, etc..

I will be curious to see Battlefield: Bad Company as that is the closest thing so far I have seen to being complete destruction...but even that...the frames of the buildings will stay intact and certain things like sandbags may not blow up if shot, etc...

Games need structure regardless of how open we want them to be...and that includes destructible items/scenery.

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12.1 Clinton514 | 695 days 3 hours ago - User only got 1 bubble - Show

Apocalypse Shadow - 695 days 4 hours ago

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13 - so sad that this game was killed off.

pardon the pun.

but you will see more ps3 games in the future have destructable backgrounds.sony is not testing the destructable waters for nothing.

1)motorstorm cars break up all over the place.

2)heavenly swords enemy catapults blow up all over the place when i smash them with cannon balls.

3)things in uncharted's backgrounds explode by grenades.

4)downloadable games like pain from psn have destruction all over.

if anything,sony is leading the charge by experimenting with A.I.,physics,lighting,raytraci ng,deffered rendering,objects on screen,animation,virtual actors,etc.

if you want to see this stuff,look towards present and future ps3 games.i'd bet 8 days will have that gas station explode with a bang.and killzone will have it too.i'd bet resistance 2 will also.

megaton...............boy a nuclear blast in a game in realtime would be awsome.

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ambientFLIER - 695 days 3 hours ago

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14 -

Dual-wielding in this video looks like a mess...he's flailing his arms around the whole time and doing weird things.

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okcomputer - 695 days 3 hours ago

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14.1 -

yea, reminds me of awful shooting from the darkness

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AIZEN SOZUKE - 695 days 2 hours ago

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15 - The game itself doesn’t look that great

was this guy serious that killing day doesnt look that great? that wouldve been by far the best looking shooter ever, even better than killzone, and a crysis and farcry 2 wouldve been put to silence, this guy needs some working eyes, the game looked highly like cgi, they thought this very game was prerendered, this guys eyes are non-functioning whenever he wrote this.

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assjacket - 695 days 1 hour ago

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16 -

That Killing Day game was cancelled years ago.

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17 poopface1 | 695 days 1 hour ago - User only got 1 bubble - Show

McGavern - 694 days 14 hours ago

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18 - There are ways around everything, if you are clever enough.

As was mentioned before, you can always get around some of the challenges brought by including destructible environments.

I just want to see a developer take more aggressive steps to using DE. A lot of what we've seen has been nothing more than breakable objects place in a static environment. The cover you can take in games like Drakes Fortune, the walls you can shoot through in COD4, the light poles in Warhawk. All are individual objects to increase an illusion. Now I know that games will probably never be 100% DE, but they don't have to be. As long as it's within reason, I'll be happy.

For example: If an object is of extreme significance to the game, you could have it locked up in a type of bomb shelter. Something that's built to take a massive impact and looks like it should. That makes sense. A simple wooden door getting hit by a grenade and still standing with nothing but a black mark on it is not realistic. Isn't the ultimate point of FPS's to achieve some form of realism?

Pain is definitely an example of excellent level design where things should be going. It looks so simple, but when you start experimenting and playing around, you can do SO many things. It has a lot of Destructible Objects (A LOT), but you still can't touch the walls of a building or roof tops. Think of how much more interesting that game could be if you smashed through the roof of a building to see a dude sitting on his couch watching TV.

Red Faction was such an under-rated game. It was years ahead of its time and didn't get as much recognition as it deserved. Digging tunnels on that game was just so much fun.

Oh, and AJ, thank you for telling me that. I really hadn't heard it

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