#156586 - Maxxie - Sun May 11, 2008 8:32 pm
I'd like to hear your opinions about rumbling as an effect for games.
I for myself feel a bit disturbed by regular rumbling. It gets boring for me and i like it beeing part of a surprise (I.e. when a game's story performs a dramatic change)
But i have seen games rumble on a regular base (i.e. everytime your character gets hit)
What do you think, what do you "like" the rumble for. What should one consider integrating rumbling in a game?
#156593 - silent_code - Sun May 11, 2008 9:29 pm
i voted option one, "at matching, but regular times (i.e. at getting hit)", although i have an a bit mixed opinion. i'd mix one and two.
for hits etc. i would use some low intensity "bumping". enhancing cutscenes or special moments (e.g. an earthquake) with rumble effects would be more intense. but as option two depends a lot more on the game itself, i went with voting number one.
also: having a rumble pak in only for (commonly rare) cutscenes looks like a waste to me.
#156596 - sgeos - Sun May 11, 2008 9:52 pm
Depends on what you are going for.
I'd probably leave violent shaking for special scenes.
-Brendan
#156599 - nsm333 - Sun May 11, 2008 10:00 pm
some rumbling in battles, when being attacked violently or attacking violently, violent cutscenes(earthquakes,explosions, stuff like that.). remember in golden sun at the last battle? where the dragon would use some uber move? and the screen would shake? that's when you should use rumble.
#156782 - Maxxie - Tue May 13, 2008 11:13 pm
Thanks for your input.
I guess i will go with configureable (default on) rumble for both kinds of situations then.
#156817 - sgeos - Wed May 14, 2008 6:07 am
| Maxxie wrote: |
| I guess i will go with configureable (default on) rumble for both kinds of situations then. |
Forcing yourself on the player is never good. I suppose the player could alway fail to use a rumble capable controller, depending on the platform.
-Brendan
#163037 - XtenDSProgrammer - Fri Sep 19, 2008 6:21 pm
Rumble uses alot of DS Battery, so letting the player feel the "horror" of the scene with the ability to turn rumble off is best in my books.
- James
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www.dsgamemaker.com
#169621 - Karatorian - Mon Jul 27, 2009 9:01 am
The idea to have it configurable somehow is a good one. (Most games simply have on and off, more control could be cool).
I also have another suggestion. As you suggest, using rumble every hit can get to be overdone, so perhaps that should be avoided. (In a few games, I just turn it off because it gets obnoxios). On the other hand, using it only for cut scenes and such does seem like a waste. (Just for the sake of argument, imagine having to justify the cost to a publisher.)
So what I suggest is more of a middle ground. I don't know what sort of game you're working on, but basically, you could use rumble for big hits and not use it on small ones. For instance, in an RPG, you could use rumble on critical hits, or in a fighter, you could use it for specials. You should also consider using it where thematically appropriate, such as when something is shaken (earthquakes, vibroswords (or chainsaws), flat tires, etc.)
Another thing to consider besides just wether to use rumble or not is the level. I don't know how much control you've got, but I know the Dual Shock (Playstation) has great variablilty. Some games simply switch it on and off, or use a couple of power levels, but the better ones use more complex designs. For instance, you can time the intensity of vibration to align with the animation of an attack, or move the power up and down (in various patterns) for interesting effects. Some variety goes a long way.