Poll: Weapon degradation - yes or no?

[Adept Mechanicus]

NO, GOD NO. Possible exceptions in Fallout 3 and New Vegas because there was a repair mechanic, it fit with the post-apocalypse thing, and it gave you something to do with all those extra suits of inferior armor you find lying around. In Fire Emblem or literally any other game that doesn't take place after the destruction of all repair shops and quality manufacturers, it is distracting and unnecessary. Some people say it's to prevent you from just using the three or four most powerful weapons, but that leads to the question of why didn't they just balance the damn weapons properly in the first place.

 

[Seydaman]

If it is done well, if it creates gameplay and not busywork. I think Dark Souls did it well.

 

[babinro]

I've yet to play a game where the weapon degradation system enhanced the game in terms of fun.

I'm not one for zombie survival games and so I could easily be missing out on some of the better implementations.

 

[Tom_green_day]

I think in Fallout 3 and NV it worked well. It kept me scavenging where in other games I'd just ignore the surroundings to shoot stuff.
It also worked really well in Far Cry 2. Instead of just picking up any gun, I was more loyal to the guns I bought, and guns off the floor were used in more desperate situations, making those situations really tense for me. This is something I think Far Cry 3 lacked, it was less tense because you could just unlock any gun by picking it up off a dead guy and using it as though you'd always used it.
In Monster Hunter I won't say it was great because it got really annoying at points, but sharpening a weapon as a Wyvern tried to blow you to hell felt kinda badass if you did it right so I didn't mind it overall.
Overall it's never really annoyed me, it only adds to gameplay in those few games I've played with it.

 

[Glaice]

I hate the weapon and armor degradation mechanic in games, especially when you need the same weapon type or just going to an NPC to fix it.

 

[CyanideSandwich]

I liked the mechanic in Far Cry 2 which degraded your guns the more you used them, causing them to jam, get rusty and generally perform badly. All it took was to get a free replacement from your friendly arms dealer. It also provided incentive to not pick up enemy weapons, as they would almost always be worn down.

 

[Not Lord Atkin]

Well, it's a tool at the game designer's disposal. Can't say I hate it. There are games in which I'd prefer if it didn't exist and there undoubtedly are those where it adds to the gameplay.

So no, no strong feelings about the mechanic outside of context of specific games.

 

[Clive Howlitzer]

The major reasoning behind having weapon degradation in a game, outside of trying to make it somehow super realistic, is for a resource sink. By constantly having to sink resources into repairing your gear, it slows down the accumulation of wealth.

 

[Christopher Fisher]

I hate weapon degradation, especially if it's done horribly like Dead Island, where you could barely take out ten zombies before your weapon was useless. There's nothing worse than finding a really badass weapon, only to have it become useless after an hour.

 

[Erttheking]

Depends. It works in games like Fallout and I would've been ok with it in Metero 2033, but in others it just doesn't work.

 

[Pirakahunter788]

Fallout 3 and New Vegas have it fit well into the atmosphere, it's the apocalypse, weapons are difficult to find in decent condition, and need to be repaired in the harsh environments. Weapons and armor don't break very quickly, so unless you're neglecting your stuff, it won't cause problems.

System Shock 2 was alright, because I had plenty of repair tools by the time anything got close to breaking. That's why the Wrench is handy.

Dead Island weapons.. like cardboard and glue. There's virtually no durability, and repairing drains your cash QUICK.

Far Cry 2 did a nice mechanic, and Fallout did it too as well to an extent, your weapons visibly get dirtier, and can even jam in a firefight. Adds tension at some points, frustration at others. Enemy weapons are very damaged, so if you're scavenging, you need to do it often. Not bad, but it could have been tweaked. Had my guns break on me more than once.

Honestly, like a lot have said, if it's implemented well, it can add a decent element of difficulty and resource management, but handled badly, it becomes annoying and worthless. It can help balance the roles of melee and ranged gear, and maybe armor, but that's a concept at best.

 

[Snotnarok]

It's fine but honestly when people whine about it being removed from Skyrim saying it's dumbing it down...Is that what you really think? I mean chances are in oblivion you have 5 repair hammers in your and you have to open your inventory and hammer the left click to repair your gear. Real need for brain work here right? Fallout New Vegas it didn't make much sense how the repair thing worked but it did make you juggle weapons a bit ...or just carry a pile of weapons to use as scrap.

Farcry 2 had it interesting where you knew your guns were durable for a while but enemies guns were garbage and would jam or in one case I had literally explode in my hands. That was a truly jarring thing in the middle of a fire fight, and the lack of a gauge to tell me how crap it was really makes you think twice about firing guns.

 

[Kailow Krow]

Other because it depends on the game. Deadspace and weapon degradation? Hells yeah. Bioshock of halo and weapon degradation? Hells naw. Far cry 3 and WD? Hells yea; borderlands and WD hells naw; Fallout and WD? Hells yea, skyrim and WD? Hells naw. You see my point, it's not for everything. But it'd be moronic to write it off entirely or to add it into everything so if it fits the game I'm pro whatever the devs and designers do and decide on.

 

[l3o2828]

No.
Most games don't make it realistic enough to justify it, and it becomes an annoying gameplay mechanic that just works as a time waster.
Dark Cloud 2 i bloody hate you for this.

 

[Reaper195]

I fuckin' hate it. The amount of times I've died because my gun broke during a firefight in Fallout, or my weapon snapped in Oblivion/Dead Rising (FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU- so many times in DR) is staggering. I know some people prefer it, and say that is adds difficulty and strategy to the game. And good for them for having the patience to deal with it. But I wish there were games were you had a tonne of gameplay elements which you could change in the options menu, weapons degradation being one of them.

Another, which me and my flatmate discussed while playing Bioshock Infinite, was the concept of mana. I know, a little off topic. But my flatmate was playing Bioshock on hard, and hardly ever used the powers because he kept running out of salts, and ended up using that water tentacle one only twice, the lightning one once, and not even using that damage absord one at all. I on the other hand, used a trainer to give me unlimited salts. The game was still damn hard on hard, but I got to use all the Vigors in various ways. It also hindered some mad stunts you could've pulled in Dishonored.

 

[Stryc9]

I've never really seen a situation where it was implemented well and didn't serve to just piss me off to no end so I'm pretty well against it.

 

[Korica]

I think if it is done in a good way, it adds so much to a game.

The problem is, it is usually down the wrong way. Usually it is just a number, like 100/100. And when that number reaches 0, suddenly the weapon cannot be used. That is the extent of the system. It ends up being nothing but a gold sink, a time waster.

 

[Ham Blitz]

As many people have said, it depends on how it is done and the type of game. In games like Fallout 3, New Vegas, and even Dead Rising it seems acceptable and understandable.
In games like Oblivion or most MMOs, it is more of an annoyance than it is something that enhances the game.

 

[Winthrop]

It worked in Dead Rising because the game was basically built around it. I hate it everywhere else.

 

[sumanoskae]

I don't see the need to incorporate quasi-realism into a game that allows you to walk across an entire frozen country in your underwear.

It doesn't lend the game immersion, it's just busy work. Worse yet, it takes you out of the game by making you fuck around with menus after every fucking fight.

If you're going to make use of survival mechanics, make them a core part of the game, don't just throw them in randomly every now and again.