gaming Receiver, and it's implications in games.

[Blackcat 205]

Recently a game was brought to my attention by the game commentator Totalbiscuit called Receiver.

 

Receiver does something that no game before has ever done. What is that you say? well it accurately recreates the way you use a gun in real life. From loading magazines, to flicking your safety on and off, every action that you must do to use a gun, is recreated in receiver. 

Still not sure what I mean? well, here's TB's video on the game for a visual example.

 

 

 

TB mentions that this probably doesn't have much of a place in action games, however there are two genre's I feel could benefit in extreme ways from this mechanic. Stealth, and horror. 

 

Horror games have a lot of trouble with devolving into action adventures filled with gore. With new graphics and controls, we generally no longer have the stress of combat looming and making the enemy more menacing. With this system you can make any horror environment more intense by adding in the stress of total gun management in a combat scenario. 

 

For stealth games, being meticulous is generally beneficial. Making sure you're gear is in order, and developing a plan of action tends to be part of the allure of the game. While perhaps keeping all of the gun mechanics from receiver in a stealth game may be a bad idea, I do think that many good times could be had with just a little more realism. 

 

TB is right when he says there is a certain fasination we have with mechanics. I may be a little bias, being someone who does western shooting competitions, but I adore this idea, and think it needs to be used, at least somewhere.

 

How about you? would you all play a game with mechanics like this, or similar? if so, what kind of game would it be? 

How do you see these mechanics working, or failing? 

[Lost 1,411]

I actually saw this somewhere else when it was first brought out, not assure if it was on steam greenlight or elsewhere but It doesn't really matter.

 

I think that mechanics like this, or perhaps a slightly refined version, would be a great addition to a horror game, having a gun with tonnes of ammo in and being able to just reload it constantly makes you feel safe in a horror game, but if your gun took you a while to reload like it does in reciver, then it would add to the horror and the chances are that if something jumps in front of you kid reload and makes you panic, you'll end up just spilling bullets all over, adding more realism into the horror.

[Zygen 6,066]

This is an interesting concept. I think that while this would be a needless complication pretty much in action games it could certainly serve a purpose like you said in horror games.

 

I think it could use some modifications, and I'm sure the game that implemented it would need to take more then 7 days to make, but it could work in a game. It does add a level of depth to the game, instead of just making a horror game about scaring you or making something really tough to kill, it could focus more on the fact your having to operate your gun alot.

 

I feel like in a horror game you'd find yourself spazing out from fear and hitting random keys Xd. Seems quiet complicated, but like I said with some smart adjustments and such it could work.

 

Very interesting concept to say the least.

[Creamy Arty 6,252]

Strange as it may sound, adding more realistic gun features would detract from the realism of the overall game experience. Doing all of those things with a pistol that I saw in the video are much easier with an actual gun than hitting a sequence of keys and holding some for the proper amount of time, or combining keystrokes to complete a single action. Cherry-picking some elements of realism would provide a more fun experience without adding unnecessary frustration.


For example, there's really no need for a safety on automatics when the game requires you to hold the gun at all times, and you really don't want to engage your safety when you're sure to find yourself in danger on a regular basis even if they somehow integrate the possibility of accidental discharges; in the case of the safety I guess it's just up to the player whether or not they want to ignore it. Apparently you can also cock the the hammer on an automatic (unless they use a striker instead of a firing pin) to avoid the heavier trigger pull of double-action mode. No reason to care unless they reduce the accuracy of double-action firing for guns that are DA/SA.


It's an interesting concept and one that can add some novelty and extra enjoyment to certain games (mainly survival horror, IMO), but not if taken to the extreme that I saw in that video.



FYI, I'm a revolver guy, myself.

[Blackcat 205]

 

FYI, I'm a revolver guy, myself.

 

 

Did you watch up to the end when he finally spawns with the revolver? The mechanics with the revolver are very nice. I certainly cracked a smile.