coroner wrote:
For a g_realism 1 setting, I could imagine that the movement system is toned down to a conservative assumption of what is possible in real life, while, with choice of the appropriate abilities, regular QCB offers action that still seems just believable.
I and many TR game Designers would challenge the premise of '
what's possible' for tactical realism game design; the design canon, intentions and goals for TR games coveted by TR Fans is very different then any premise or thinking that begins with a premise of '
possible'.
TR design canon operates more from a premise of what is '
practical' -- the challenges faced in a worst case scenario, confronting the Gamer with enforced metrics like limitations of speed that
require him/her to react as a real Operator would -- ergo, you consciously avoid getting yourself into a positions where you need to sprint from being under fire, because those situations due to lower sprint speed are now realistically perilous.
The high '
possible' sprint speed in TC:E enables and encourages ridiculous and unrealistic '
charge' tactics that while fun in their own right, will still prevail even with accuracy/recovery limitatons (as they do in other games that have take the same measures) and just don't appeal to the lion's share of the TR audience.
coroner wrote:
With regard to toning down, the question remains how much? My own conservative stop-watching of tactical combat moves in different stances suggest that run, walk, and crouch, and particularly aimed stances should get a speed reduction to 50% of what they are now. Again, sprint, maybe mixed with some acceleration and inertia, requires no change.
If you're using a stop watch and measured distance method in FPS game to measure game speed, I'd caution that it has accuracy issues in virtually all games due to scale/scale snap precision/distortion and the short distance over which you can make the measurement.
10-David (unfortunately site down) has a detailed post on this by a Simulator Developer that showed errors in excess of +/- 20% depending on game. AA, RvS, COD, OPR, and ArmA were cited and the measurements always erred on the low side (player would typically measured to be moving slower then he actually was moving).
If you know and/or use a more precise method of measuring game speed sans known movement code to engine scale metrics, or just want to see it first hand; there are free downloadable demos of both SWAT 4 MP and SP, and the game is abandonware, heavily warzed and playable in all modes online -- so you can try out and measure by what ever means you use...
coroner wrote:
However, it should be majorly perceived as a kind of escape action causing a longer duration of the transition to stable sighted firing afterwards. Probably these massively reduced run and walk speeds are in line with SWAT 4.
Again, to challenge the premise, realistically, sprinting out of fire should be a measure of last resort, that TR game metrics force the player to avoid in the first place -- so employing more cautious and realistic maneuver fire tactics is a default/required player behavior. If this isn't done, players will
always gravitate to less realistic speed tactics that work and prevail in all FPS games that allow high movment speed.
FPS constraints of VIS/FOV, damage system design, and movement speed have typically had TR game Developers ramping up damage to unrealistic levels (especially on body armored targets) to counter the challenge of hitting rapidly moving target across constrained FOV at ridiculous speeds (RvS, Rogue Spear etc.) -- which is still very easily exploited with unrealistic tactics in all these games with enough time and practice (and there's always more then enough).
SWAT 4 took the bull between the horns and slowed down sprit speed drastically to confront the problem and in the estimate of many TR Fans that like and still play it, as well as Police, PMC, and Mil personal that use it as a training tool -- it's an amazing success story; especially considering it's was abandonware less then a year after release and has no cheat protection...
I grant you have to be in a very different state of mind to enjoy TR games like SWAT 4 with constrained speed limits and/or movement and aim metrics limitations found in games like ArmA II/Operation Arrowhead... In action realism games the high end of '
what's possible' moment speed, jumping, adds a very natural and liberating '
feel' to games, that I confess with no shame I enjoy -- I still play Urban Terror, more in fact then I play TC:E. But the premise of '
possible' is broken in terms of absolute realism when it comes to how a game is
played by real people in the wild.
Jumping is another case that illustrates this point, jumping in 40 kilos of clothing, armor, gear, weapons and munitions while '
possible' is certainly not
practical or
common -- and the little jumping you might do is rare, stride based with very little vertical movement to keep your eyes and weapon up to confront threats.
While I have seen jumping realistically incorporated in TR games and mods that I liked, and I am
indifferent as to whether a more realistic version of jumping or '
no jumping' is incorporated in
g_realism 1 -- if you want the game mode to be taken seriously by the largest and broadest segment of the TR audience you'd give serious consideration to '
no jumping' and incorporate some kind of slow mantel over obstructions as no jumping is TR design canon in more TR games then not, and every TR game and mod poll '
no jumping' wins the vote.
I would add that no jumping in games like SWAT 4 and others combined with the sprint limitations does add enormous tension and pressure to these game that is a big part of their '
fun factor'. Also, contrary to popular canon, I'd argue for the veracity of unlimited sprint vs a stamina limited sprint as it makes keeping a squad together easier in-game.
Lastly, to answer your question the number I see most consistently bandied for an
unlimited sprint speed in the TR and Sim forums like VBS2 is "
the eleven minute mile" -- though this is for a lightly encumbered Operator with weapon and ammunition only, and is still regarded as high by many for an unlimited sprint.
