» Thu Dec 31, 2009 9:21 am ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SNAPPING
Early first-person shooters on console struggled to make aiming feel intuitive and rewarding, since it was impossible to match the accuracy and speed of the PC's mouse interface. Snapping (also sometimes called auto aim) was the earliest solution to cnosole control problems. Titles like Rare's GoldenEye 007 aided players by reorienting their gun barrels toward enemies whenever a player's crosshairs were in proximity of their target. It wasn't a flawless system, but it helped make shooters more accessible for console owners.
ACCELERATION
Many modern FPS also have highly tuned acceleration curves for reticle movement. When a player pegs their aiming stick in one direction his or her reticle will start moving slowly in that direction before picking up speed. This is noteworthy because it makes aiming at nearby targets easier without significantly sacrificing a player's ability to make quick turns.
FRICTION
Bungie introduced friction in the first Halo, and nearly every shooter uses it today. A simple way to describe friction is that it slows a player's turn rate as soon as their reticle passes over an enemy, but that's not the whole story. "What we really do is slow your top speed, and then dramatically decrease the rate at which the crosshair will slow down when you let go of the stick," explains Griesemer.
MAGNETISM
Some games stop with friction, but Halo adds another system to the mix. Once a player has locked onto a target, and that target begins to move, magnetism helps players stay trained on that target.
Whether we want to admit it or not, we need the help. Console controllers aren't designed to move a crosshair across the screen with the kind of fidelity FPSes require. Aiming system are practically required from any FPS that wants to stay competitive.
These mechanics and the way they're implemented are a large part of how good a console shooter 'feels' to play. I'm grateful that they exist because without assists console FPS would be rather unpleasant to play.
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I'm not an expert on game mechanics, but I do realize that mechanics such as these are subtle but neccessary. I hardly notice a difference when Crysis 2 AIm Assist is on or off. It almost seems a tad un connected & quicker with it off, but I cant really tell if it there is any difference. It may be the changes they made to MP today. About that, (Un related rant) changing a few attributes of all the weapons probably takes about 10 minutes to do, won't dramatically change the game, and is in fact changing one part of the game that everyone has grown to accept. What are your developers doing when they are supposed to be working? Concentrate on the major problems like lag, glitches in operation, perks, assessments & prestieging, and the modders that ruin every match they get in.
Players on these forums need to quit worrying about new maps, crazy ideas that are impossible to implement & any change they can possibly concieve that caters to their style of play. Dual wielding secondary weapons is one of the stupid suggestions I've heard, just think about it. You cannot aim down sites when you dual wield a pistol. Just try going outside & dual wielding 2 45s or 2 fully auto SMGs. You'll shoot your eye out. If you want to dual wield on a video game, go play bayonetta. If you want to play crysis and complain on the forums, at least push for the biggest problems to be fixxed first. The game is out, and changing attributes for the weapons is admitting you got it all wrong, rushed the game to market, and really do not understand the FPS market in America.
