How different games handle water levels

Started by the-pi-guy, Jul 21, 2022, 05:34 PM

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the-pi-guy

Water is treated differently in different games.  

Some games allow you to walk through shallow water, but drown instantly in deeper water. Very notable instant death in some games like Dark Souls.

Some games allow you to swim in deep water, but they use tricks to prevent you from getting too far.
Spoiler for Jak and Daxter:
<br>Jak and Daxter 1 has a shark that eats you if you swim too far. <br>



From a game design standpoint, this feels kind of bad, when there are areas of safe and dangerous water. Both of these games give you some kind of warning, but it still feels like they're generally training you to stay away from the water, while sometimes requiring you to traverse through it.

Legend

Infamous was the best at this. Any water would electrocute you. Worked thematically and from a gameplay pov.

In general however this might be the one situation where I prefer invisible walls. Just physically stop me from walking into deeper water.

kitler53

Stamina bar would be a good candidate for deep water.   No one can swim forever.  


Featured Artist: Vanessa Hudgens

Legend

Stamina bar would be a good candidate for deep water.   No one can swim forever.  
Strong swimmers can go for hours and hours. Maybe better to just say the player character can't swim or has a phobia of deep water.


Also swimming sucked in cyberpunk 2077. At first it was great. You can swim anywhere and even dive. Then I swam for maybe 20 minutes to get to an area only for it to be off limits. I had to swim another 20 minutes to get back to land, since I couldn't fast travel.

kitler53

Jul 22, 2022, 03:32 PM Last Edit: Jul 22, 2022, 03:34 PM by kitler53
I mean in general water acting as a barrier makes sense.  you have to limit the player somehow and mountains and oceans are better then invisible walls.  

unless you build out a strong swimming gameplay mechanic I tend to just avoid water by default already knowing it's purpose. 

really the only way to make water play really good is to make the game area a small planet where it is possible to circumnavigate instead of eventually reach the end of the world. 

Strong swimmers can go for hours and hours. Maybe better to just say the player character can't swim or has a phobia of deep water.
that's still not forever.  it's just a mechanic to allow a bit of exploration without trying to support infinity.  

for fukts sake it's just a game...


Featured Artist: Vanessa Hudgens

Legend

I mean in general water acting as a barrier makes sense.  you have to limit the player somehow and mountains and oceans are better then invisible walls.  

unless you build out a strong swimming gameplay mechanic I tend to just avoid water by default already knowing it's purpose.
Yup, seems we couldn't agree more.



the-pi-guy

Good job me, starting conversation just from some random thoughts, provoked by how Jak and Daxter made me fear water.