Viewing Thread:
"Bullet Time At A Game Near You!"

Will the wonderfully revolutionary bullet time be introduced in games come 2002 and 2003? It was such a wonderful concept in Max Payne, and I can't help but think a lot of other action-movie type games could implement it. Of course, 3D Realms or Remedy could have easily licensed it, but I don't think something that original should be attached to only one game.

It was original and quite fun but on the down side, I don't really see how you could add to it. All it was was the ability to run around and then jump in Slow-motion which was fun but for me to begin with, and got boring a little to quickly. To be honest, I don't think I'd want to see this popping up in loads of other FPS games because I think it was a bit of a novelty gimmick and distracted developers from coming up with a good game with lots of good new ideas. It had bullet-time, yes, it was fun but IMHO nothing particularly special. If this was inputted into other games it would leave all of them exactly the same and the novelty feature just wouldn't be there.

In thoery, it COULD be a nice feature in action style games (eg. obviously the forthcoming The Matrix), however, it could detract from the actual game quality, but I still thought it was an interesting concept, just handled badly. If 3D Realms DID copyright it, this holds it back slightly, but they could use it in other games. It can be used to great effect in in-game cinematic sequences (like the door being blown out of the wall in Max). I can't see how they could allow the player to use it in another game without it all seeming a little bit Max-like. I can see it in a Matrix film, but only because the film used effects like that (and is probabily where 3D Realms got the idea!)I don't think it should be put to waste because it could be used in many John Woo film-style games. You could use it in such games, but it would make them stylisticly the same as MP. It's a very clever gimmick, but limited in scope. You can't really use it in anything else without it clearly being a copied idea, and thus plagiarism.

I believe there are many downpoints to it being implemented. It would be an excuse for proper gameplay in some instances or in MP's case a good storyline. Also, it could be overused and if not implemented as well as in MP it could ruin a game. However, it still has a future in action games or film "conversions" (eg The Matrix). Another thing about Bullet-Time is that you obviously can't use it in Multiplayer. Now that's bad. If a game was to use a Bullet-Time system as heavy as Max, you couldn't live without it in Multiplayer. Damn, one of the coolest things in recent gaming history may never be recycled.

It would be great to see it as a more limited addition to other games (nice for Deus Ex 2, for example) but the development time for Max Payne suggests it might be quite hard to implement. Max Payne was a game built around it, which didn't quite work (I thought). They probably could patent the concept if they chose to. Before you say that's impossible, Sony have just filed a patent on computer games modelling local weather conditions to make games more realistic (someone should tell them about Black and White). Either the bullet time move would be implemented as basically the entire point of the game (like MP) or as a sort of pickup, which you got very rarely and so couldn't use much. It would possibly work in Deus Ex 2, but would have to be very energy consuming otherwise it would be too easy. Unless they used the shoot-dodge moves, it would have been of limited use. Bullet time by itself gave you more time to aim, but in that time you were being shot up, especially as the shot and reload times for the weapons were also slowed, but with shootdodging you were a much harder target. I started all enthusiastic as usual but I do realise that there are downers to this concept. In theory (no pun intended), Bullet Time is a fantastic concept that really shouldn't go to waste after one use. In reality, Bullet Time is an ambitious concept that could potentially ruin a game and render it shallow. If put into the right hands, hopefully it would be the former.

How about multiplayer? Let's talk about that. For me it wouldn't be a case of not working as such, just what would it add to the experience? This may seem a daft question but I just can't see bullet time in multiplayer having any advantages over it in single player infact it would be less compelling and possibly confusing. The only way it would be worth doing in multiplayer is if some extra design features were implemented. If you stuff the bullet time aspect and go for the special moves side of things. This wasn't in Max Payne much, only if you had a molotov or a sniper rifle in your hand, but some of the moves would be good in multiplayer if enhanced a bit. Like in the forthcoming Unreal Tournament 2, they're adding special moves you can do. Sounds interesting, read pcg's preview for more info.

Thanks for reading,
Shaun

Like to see BT in Pro Evo ....be great to slow down those pesky German defenders!!

Nice Post.
Where did you get it from?

That is some fine-quality irony. Don't see irony like that these days.

Sh@neo wrote:
> without it clearly being a copied idea, and thus
> plagiarism.

This. From ex(?)-offender Firebalt?

ooh the irony...

Meka Dragon wrote:
> It was only a very small section of Conker, spoofing The Matrix.

Yeah, I've seen some clips of it and it looked quite funny. I'll pick it up second hand.

I haven't
> played Max Payne though, so I can't comment on how BT was used in that!

The irony!

If
> developed it could be interesting for a few games, but I don't want to reach a
> stage where it's used in every game, and just becomes the norm.

Yeah, because that would just totally spoil the concept of BT. We want it to be unuasual and irregular, for two reasons:

a) More people will buy it
b) It will be more interesting/obscure to play

It was only a very small section of Conker, spoofing The Matrix.

I haven't played Max Payne though, so I can't comment on how BT was used in that!

If developed it could be interesting for a few games, but I don't want to reach a stage where it's used in every game, and just becomes the norm.

Meka Dragon wrote:
> Meh, Conker had bullet time. ;-)

Bullet time = slow motion though, anyway,
> it's not new just because the name of it has changed.

My fault, I've never played Conker, so I wouldn't know. Sorry!

There's much more that
> can be brought into games that evolve them, rather than what I feel would be no
> more than a novelty feature.

BT is a novelty (no pun intended!), which to be made successful in future games must be alterered, or it will be a blatant rip-off of Max Payne. Max Payne was good, but nothing special. Without the bullet-time, I fear the MP would have sank like a rock without a jet-pack.

Meh, Conker had bullet time. ;-)

Bullet time = slow motion though, anyway, it's not new just because the name of it has changed.

There's much more that can be brought into games that evolve them, rather than what I feel would be no more than a novelty feature.

Turbonutter wrote:
> Oh, hi there Shaneo (7?). I thought they banned you. Meh, welcome back.

Thanks Rob (I think!). How are you on this fine day?

Oh, hi there Shaneo (7?). I thought they banned you. Meh, welcome back.