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I feel like the developer of Hawken feels they are a lot smarter than they actually are. I believe they've made some terrible gameplay calls and I'm going to list a few of them -
-Mechs can boost/dodge forward and sideways only to encourage combat
One of the issues with this is it tries to artificially force engagements. Yet all it will do is teach players to be that much more conservative and to learn to use horizontal escape avenues instead of going backwards. You can still go sideways very fast. It won't change gameplay for veterans of Hawken who understand how to play but it will make it that much harder for newer players to translate their own FPS skills into Hawken.
-Clunky mech movement
This ties into the one above. Mechs are a bit slow to accelerate up to speed which makes dodging fairly quick and strong. Mechs can't strafe turn too quickly or tightly without losing speed. Again mechs are encouraged to move forward mainly to be forced into attacking. Once players figure out moving horizontally to avoid attacking this decision to try and force combat appears foolish.
-Caps on mouse movement
A capped mouse rate kicks in if you move your mouse too fast. It's supposedly to simulate a mech. Yet what happens in practice is your mouse moves inconsistently. It starts out fast then the rate limit kicks in changing your mouse speed. This leads to inconsistent mouse movement. If you are like me and have many years of FPS experience it's a terrible mouse feeling. Why break what's been working for decades to be a "unique" FPS? Mouse control limits are not a good thing.
-Unlimited ammo and repair
I think some modes of play there can be an argument for such things like Clan Arena where it's not a serious competitive mode of play. However Hawken has these unlimited gameplay mechanics in every mode of play. This will lead to more defensive and passive gameplay as time goes on. You can spam as much as you want (as long as it's not constant to manage your heat) and running away to repair is encouraged. Unlimited ammo and repair are not good gameplay. However Hawken does have heat to force you to stop firing but in general all that means is two players almost always beat one player (being of equal skill).
-Ability to fly
This one is cool in theory until you learn the maps don't want you to fly around much. There are artificial limits on flying height and the maps are full of blue creativity walls to stop you from going where you want.
-Stun lock on explosions
Explosions don't knock you a direction they just stun you in place. So if you are running -> that way and an explosion hits you in the back you stop moving. In Quake getting hit in the back will usually push you further forward. What's worse is that in Hawken some guns fire explosions fast enough to completely stun lock a mech into not moving at all.
I'm sure there are more that I've missed (I've stopped playing for now) but overall it seems like the developer wants to artificially limit players because they think they are smarter and can force players into a specific play style. What's more surprising is that Hawken seems to have aspirations to be an E-Sport even with all these skill limiting decisions. Then again we all know E-Sports is generally pure marketing with nothing to do with how good a game is competitively.
The game does have it's supporters however due to the funding and development model. Since it's a F2P game that had closed beta access to payers only it has developed a rabid if very small fan base. The official Hawken forums are full of posters telling people "good riddance" if criticism, disagreement or even discussion is voiced about many of the gameplay decisions I listed above. The developer seems to want to force players into constant forward combat with limited movement while being the equivalent of a slow turret in aim. I even had my own thread removed entirely by a moderator without reason given. It'll be interesting to see the outcome of Hawken. Will it stay as it is or change? Will the average player enjoy the more limited play in Hawken or miss out on what's been available to them in other FPS games for years?
-Mechs can boost/dodge forward and sideways only to encourage combat
One of the issues with this is it tries to artificially force engagements. Yet all it will do is teach players to be that much more conservative and to learn to use horizontal escape avenues instead of going backwards. You can still go sideways very fast. It won't change gameplay for veterans of Hawken who understand how to play but it will make it that much harder for newer players to translate their own FPS skills into Hawken.
-Clunky mech movement
This ties into the one above. Mechs are a bit slow to accelerate up to speed which makes dodging fairly quick and strong. Mechs can't strafe turn too quickly or tightly without losing speed. Again mechs are encouraged to move forward mainly to be forced into attacking. Once players figure out moving horizontally to avoid attacking this decision to try and force combat appears foolish.
-Caps on mouse movement
A capped mouse rate kicks in if you move your mouse too fast. It's supposedly to simulate a mech. Yet what happens in practice is your mouse moves inconsistently. It starts out fast then the rate limit kicks in changing your mouse speed. This leads to inconsistent mouse movement. If you are like me and have many years of FPS experience it's a terrible mouse feeling. Why break what's been working for decades to be a "unique" FPS? Mouse control limits are not a good thing.
-Unlimited ammo and repair
I think some modes of play there can be an argument for such things like Clan Arena where it's not a serious competitive mode of play. However Hawken has these unlimited gameplay mechanics in every mode of play. This will lead to more defensive and passive gameplay as time goes on. You can spam as much as you want (as long as it's not constant to manage your heat) and running away to repair is encouraged. Unlimited ammo and repair are not good gameplay. However Hawken does have heat to force you to stop firing but in general all that means is two players almost always beat one player (being of equal skill).
-Ability to fly
This one is cool in theory until you learn the maps don't want you to fly around much. There are artificial limits on flying height and the maps are full of blue creativity walls to stop you from going where you want.
-Stun lock on explosions
Explosions don't knock you a direction they just stun you in place. So if you are running -> that way and an explosion hits you in the back you stop moving. In Quake getting hit in the back will usually push you further forward. What's worse is that in Hawken some guns fire explosions fast enough to completely stun lock a mech into not moving at all.
I'm sure there are more that I've missed (I've stopped playing for now) but overall it seems like the developer wants to artificially limit players because they think they are smarter and can force players into a specific play style. What's more surprising is that Hawken seems to have aspirations to be an E-Sport even with all these skill limiting decisions. Then again we all know E-Sports is generally pure marketing with nothing to do with how good a game is competitively.
The game does have it's supporters however due to the funding and development model. Since it's a F2P game that had closed beta access to payers only it has developed a rabid if very small fan base. The official Hawken forums are full of posters telling people "good riddance" if criticism, disagreement or even discussion is voiced about many of the gameplay decisions I listed above. The developer seems to want to force players into constant forward combat with limited movement while being the equivalent of a slow turret in aim. I even had my own thread removed entirely by a moderator without reason given. It'll be interesting to see the outcome of Hawken. Will it stay as it is or change? Will the average player enjoy the more limited play in Hawken or miss out on what's been available to them in other FPS games for years?
Edited by peterg at 11:44 CST, 21 December 2012 - 2885 Hits
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