Battling the Elements

There is a possibility that this blog may go silent for the next couple of days with hurricane Isaac heading my way, hoping for the best and that it does not decide to strengthen too much in the gulf but you never know.  This brings me to the topic of "battling the elements" as they say, something that really is not tackled often in video games other than outdoor sports simulation and racing games.  Open world games are an example of how primarily weather effects are being used to set the tone and atmosphere for the world the player is roaming about but can it be used as more than just visual flare?  Can weather be successfully used as a recurring mechanic?  These are the questions that some developers have been brave enough to tackle, with varying results of course.

Spec Ops:  The Line is a more recent example of a developer attempting to use the weather of the games local as a mechanic but ultimately this mechanic is more of a crutch for the developer to lean on when the going gets tough.  Spec Ops is a perfect example of what I would call poor game design for many reasons, the player mindlessly moves from area to area killing enemies that happen to be coming into the same area from the other direction, once they are all dead the player is given the okay to move on head first into the next area, care to guess how the next area plays out?  You guessed right, mindless shooting at faceless enemies all for the sake of moving forward but being that the game takes place in the deserts of Dubai the occasional sand storm happens.  The problem lies in the fact that the sand storm is used as a shield for the player, the sand does not affect any of the players movement but merely their visibility yet not to the extent it effects the enemies, this storm somehow makes enemies incapable of seeing anything unless it is inches in front of them.  One would think that bad guys with guns who live in Dubai would be used to sand storms by now but apparently they have the same reaction a toddler would have.

This brings me to a game I talked about previously in another post and believe it deserves more attention for not only using weather as its main mechanic but for the feeling it is trying to achieve.  The point is there is no balance there, if you are going to tackle weather as an actual mechanic there must be cause and effect that is both believable and fun.  If the developers of Spec Ops took that into account they would not have bothered to put sand storms in the game because honestly a vicious sand storm would limit not just visibility but also movement.  Finding that balance of fun and plausibility is something best left for a design that inflicts emotion rather than a design built around cool effects.  What is more plausible and fun than playing in the rain?  Something almost all people attempt at some point of their life, whether it be their childhood, teenage years, or even adult years, there is something about running out in a cool rain feeling for that moment that your worries are washing away.  Check back tomorrow, yes tomorrow I will still be here not expecting to do battle with Isaac until Tuesday or so, for a look at the possibilities of what can be done with Rain.  All of this will be pure speculation as not much is none of the game yet and that is what makes talking about its design so much fun, there are so many possibilities to be discussed.