Instant respawning in games

Codename_M308 · 2011-09-17 23:09:20

I dunno about you, but I believe this is a lame game mechanic. Not only does it lead to a game being impossible to lose as long as you spend quarters and/or press the continue button if you have infinite continues, but also it makes it very hard to practice on a section without having to restart the whole game to go back to said section.

I've been playing R-Type Delta, a game with a checkpoint system, and even with limited continues I've found it way less annoying than certain games with instant respawning (Darius Gaiden, I'm looking at you). It also helps that R-Type Delta's level design is way more interesting than most games.

RocketDude · 2011-09-18 03:06:25

Breaks TF2, I'll tell you.

Legionnaire · 2011-09-18 03:18:25

^ Indeed it does, but I have a lot of fun on an Instaspawn server I frequent.

AHR · 2011-09-18 08:36:03

I LOVE the TF2 mechanic. I think it makes strategy interesting.

Plus, it allows me to be kamikaze.

Saigyouji · 2011-09-18 09:06:43

To be fair, Darius Gaiden tries to stop you from continuing, by virtue of making your ship way too weak to survive the later stages without a ton more continues.

glennmagusharvey · 2011-09-18 10:01:22

So far I've only ever played kamikaze-style in TF2. Well, I've only ever really played pyro like that. I keep on telling myself that I'm more useful to my team if I'm alive, but I still get into stupid situations.

Situations are more survivable when I play as heavy. And when I play as engie, where I basically am turtling on purpose anyway.

I actually LIKE a generous continue system, because then it lets me get through more of the game.

Codename_M308 · 2011-09-18 10:14:40

^^ Darius Gaiden does provide you with three bombs per life, so that helps with credit-feeders.

I was thinking more about modern scrolling shooters/shmups than TF2 when I made this topic. I think since the former are more focused on scoring than beating the game, they used instant respawning to prevent dying to milk more points, and to try to get more casual gamers with a lot of quarters/patience.

An example of checkpoint abuse would be in R-Type Delta, which keeps track of your highest score for each stage. The trick is to reach that stage with the best equipment for scoring, and die twice in the best spots, like a boss which can be instant-killed by ramming into it which gives you the points anyway and send you back to do it again. Not that I'm bashing R-Type Delta, but yeah.

Thing is, it shouldn't be too hard in the modern world to implement a mechanic that allows a checkpoint system yet disallows people from abusing it for score. Also, I think casual gamers would get frustrated with playing their first bullet-hell game, credit-feeding or no, that it'll be their last, unless someone has proof otherwise.

glennmagusharvey · 2011-09-18 10:24:37

Well, there's obviously a difference in design priority between token-eating arcade machines and one-time-purchase home console games.

DYRE · 2011-09-18 11:35:03

Bee · 2011-09-18 14:07:31

The biggest problem with instant respawn is that games that use it tend to hilariously overtune themselves such that it's pretty much required. And then it turns into a tedious 16-hour slugfest.

Codename_M308 · 2011-09-18 19:47:34

Thing is, it shouldn't be too hard in the modern world to implement a
mechanic that allows a checkpoint system yet disallows people from
abusing it for score.

Now that I remember, games have been using a solution for this already. For example, Contra III and Eliminate Down both have instant respawning when you lose a life, but they send you back when you continue, resetting your score.

A game can't be credit-fed at any rate if it wants to get on my good side.

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Instant respawning in games

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