Take Cover: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
[[File:
{{quote|'''Marcus Fenix:'''
|''Citation of the "Golden Rule of the Gears"'', ''[[Gears of War]] 2''.}}
For a long time, video game protagonists either relied on dodging if they were [[One
In recent years, cover and systems for using it effectively have become automated to an extent. The first examples of formalization like this in [[First
Many cover systems exaggerate the safety of cover by allowing the player to see around corners the character can't (some first person games even jump to a 3rd-person camera when sidling against cover for this reason,) allowing them to pre-aim or designate targets from behind cover, rendering them invisible to enemies while they lean around corners, or even letting them fire aimed shots from behind cover. This, in essence, an inversion of [[Behind the Black]].
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Games based on this trope are pretty much guaranteed to be full of [[Benevolent Architecture|waist-high obstacles]] to duck behind, no matter what environment you're in. And they're all [[Concealment Equals Cover|inexplicably bulletproof]].
In a strategy game, [[Geo Effects]] might provide a defensive bonus for units in cover, or [[Garrisonable Structures]] for infantry to use as cover. See also [[Corridor Cubbyhole Run]], a favorite level design choice for a cover-based shooter; and [[Die, Chair, Die!]] for destructible objects, which might be good cover exactly once. And please, don't try to take cover behind the [[Exploding Barrels|random barrels of explosives]]. Using a person as cover is [[Human Shield|its own trope]].
While not a new concept (as certain games are made so tough you want to find a barrier between you and your enemy even if you don't have a formalized cover system), the wild success of ''[[Gears of War]]'' has lead to its recent replication in a long series of what are effectively [[Follow the Leader]] games. It's basically [[RPG Elements]] for a new era of gaming, and a reflection of changing tastes.
The [[Ur Example
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{{examples}}
==
=== [[First-Person Shooter]] ===
* ''[[Rainbow Six]]'' games have had peeking around corners since the first game (like in ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]''), but ''Vegas'' added the "jump to third person" type, where the player can shoot around the corner (like in ''[[Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty]]'') and blind fire (like in ''Kill Switch''). ''Vegas 2'' also had a cover penetration system like ''[[Call of Duty]] 4'' and ''World at War'', along with shields that could be used to protect yourself while on the move, at the cost of taking one of your weapon slots.
* The main concept behind ''Full Spectrum Warrior'' is to advance your squads from cover to cover, making them (and enemies) impervious to bullets from certain angles. Since this is a tactical game and not a shooter, your soldiers will complain loudly if they're dangerously exposed, and there's a key that'll--[[Artificial Stupidity|in theory]]
* In ''[[Halo]] 2'', Sergeant Major Johnson [[Lampshade Hanging|playfully suggests]] that Master Chief [[Gameplay Ally Immortality|hide behind him]] out in the field.
* [[Killzone]] 2 very prominently uses a cover system. Certainly useful, although listening to your allies yell at you to take cover [[Stop Helping Me!|can get annoying at times]].
* The [[World War Two]] squad-based [[First
* [[Call of Juarez]]: Bound In Blood has a rather nicely executed version. Walk up to, say, a [[Crate Expectations|crate]], and your character will automatically crouch just low enough so that they can shoot over it, while exposing himself to as little incoming fire as possible, at which point you can press the crouch button to get completely behind cover. He will also lean around corners automatically, though this doesn't work as well.
* ''[[Perfect Dark]] Zero'' has an "aim from behind cover, pop out and shoot" system similar to third-person shooters.
* ''[[Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45]] 2'' does this more realistically than most. Cover doesn't consist of a convenient series of waist-high barriers; one's head could be exposed, and blind-firing over cover is actually blind.
* You can crouch to take cover in ''[[Battlefield (
* ''[[Crysis (
* ''[[First Encounter Assault Recon|F.E.A.R. 3]]'' uses a system similar to the one from ''Crysis'', although the player does press a button to stick to cover and can emerge to fire, which is referred to as "active cover".
=== [[Third
* ''[[
** Despite not being as well known, ''Kill.Switch'' inspired the cover mechanic in not only ''[[Gears of War]]'', but also other third-person shooters, like the 2006 shooters ''[[Ghost Recon|Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter]]'', ''[[Rogue Trooper]]'', and ''[[Rainbow Six]] Vegas'', as well as the later ''[[Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots]]'' and ''[[Uncharted Drakes Fortune]]'' which were demonstrated months before the release of ''Gears Of War''.
* ''[
** ''[
* ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]'' (1998) featured a peek-around-the-corner cover mechanic, where Solid Snake can press against walls and peek around corners.
** ''[[Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty]]'' (2001) expanded on its predecessor's cover mechanic, introducing a shoot-around-the-corner cover system, where Snake or Raiden can press against walls and aim from behind them, to shoot from around the corner of a wall. This shoot-around-the-corner cover system has also been employed in later games featuring [[Stealth Based Game|Stealth]], like the ''[[Splinter Cell]]'' series, ''[[James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing]]'' (2004), and [[Tactical Shooter
** ''[[Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots]]'' features an improved cover system that is more similar to the ''Kill Switch'' cover system.
* ''[[Resident Evil 4]]'' (2005), developed by [[Shinji Mikami]] at [[Capcom]], featured a cover mechanic at a few scripted instances of the game, in places where enemies pack heavy firepower. The game also introduced the [[Over the Shoulder]] perspective now common in third-person cover shooters.
** ''[[Resident Evil 5]]'' features an improved cover mechanic in its gameplay, but like its predecessor, you only get to use it during a couple of scripted instances. Incidentally, it becomes available after you start encountering enemies that pack heavy firepower.
* While cover systems have existed before it, the popularizer of cover in [[Third
* ''[[Uncharted Drakes Fortune]]'' utilizes an impressive cover system - duck behind chest-high wall, lean from behind tree, ''hang from cliff and chin up to shoot''. The game's cover mechanic was demonstrated at E3 2006, months before the release of ''Gears Of War''. Like [[Epic Games|Cliffy B]], the creators of ''[[Uncharted]]'' have cited ''Kill.Switch'' as inspiration for its cover system.
** Made even better in the second one, [[Uncharted 2 Among Thieves]]. You haven't lived until you've pulled an enemy off the cliff you're hanging from, or, even better, doing a ''[[300
* Cover is the main mechanic of ''[[Eat Lead:
* ''[[Terminator]] Salvation'' uses a very similar system, which is invaluable given the enemies' [[More Dakka|usual tactics]]. You spend quite a lot of time in the game pinned behind some abandoned car or waist-high wall by [[Gatling Good|minigun fire]].
* ''[[Grand Theft Auto IV]]
** Ditto with ''[[Grand Theft Auto V]]'', albeit with the added benefit of more durable vehicles making it more viable to take cover from a car. It also introduced a first-person cover system where the viewpoint still stays in first-person even whilst under cover, ''a la'' ''[[Killzone]]''; a ''[[Rainbow Six]]: Vegas''-style third person cover system is also available as an option.
* ''[[Ghost Hunter]]'' had a cover system. In first person mode Lazarus could lean out from cover and shoot with almost no risk to himself.
* The [[John Woo]] game ''Stranglehold'' is a [[Third
* ''[[Red Faction]]: Guerrilla'' forces you to use a lot of cover in order to survive, lest you be overwhelmed by EDF/Marauders. The thing is, [[Stuff Blowing Up|considering the nature]] [[Everything Breaks|of this game]], cover ''never'' lasts long.
* Cover is very important in ''[[The Godfather (
* ''[[
* ''[[Vanquish]]'', developed by [[Shinji Mikami]] and published by [[Sega]], is a unique variation. While cover exists, you're quite a bit more robust than most cover-using protagonists, and have a number of high-speed moves that allow you to easily dodge enemy fire while retaliating. When you're dangerously low on health, [[Bullet Time]] kicks in, allowing you find the necessary chest-high walls easily.
** Unlike other cover shooters which allow the player to pace themselves, ''Vanquish'' drops the player into a multi-directional [[Bullet Hell]] of rockets and lasers, minimizing the player's reliance on cover. The game even penalizes the player for using cover too much, with the scoreboard even including the percentage of time spent in cover as a stat.
* ''[[Enslaved]]'' is not strictly speaking, a shooter, but it does have a cover system. Monkey's ranged attack is awkward and has a low ammo count, so firing from cover is not practical most of the time. Rather, Monkey and Trip tend to take turns drawing fire and advancing under fire, so Monkey can close to melee range.
** In the DLC campaign, Pigsy is a ranged fighter so he plays it much straighter, and uses his grenades, traps and rifle from cover.
* ''[[Batman: Arkham Asylum]]'' and its [[Batman: Arkham City|sequel]] use a limited cover system, but Batman
* ''[[Harry Potter (video game)|Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows]]'', of all tie-in games, made extensive use of a cover system in keeping with the more action-oriented tone of the final main instalment in the ''[[Harry Potter]]'' franchise, leading some to cheekily nickname the game ''"Gears of Potter"''. "Ron! Confringo those death eaters! Oscar Mike!"
* ''[[Mafia II]]'' introduced a cover system to the series, which is just as much as what you'd expect from a game of the era, albeit lacking the blind-fire mechanic. ''[[Mafia III]]'' refined what was previously introduced in the second game and added cover-to-cover movement, befitting Lincoln's backstory as a [[Vietnam War]] veteran, as well as a blind-fire system. Unlike ''Grand Theft Auto IV'' however, the target reticule changes to a wider and more imprecise set of crosshairs, making blind-fire more as an area denial tactic to force enemies out of their positions rather than as a reliable way to eliminate them. The same basic cover system in ''Mafia III'' was used almost verbatim in ''[[Mafia: Definitive Edition]]'', despite claims by Hangar 13 that [[Memetic Mutation|Tommy Angelo isn't a trained soldier.]]
* ''[[50 Cent: Blood on the Sand]]'', in all its [[Excuse Plot]] cheesiness and ''Gears of War''-esque gameplay (ironically enough, both games are powered by Unreal Engine 3), sought to make the player's use of cover more as a last resort by rewarding players for directly confronting enemies as opposed to cowering behind objects and shooting from the safety of one's cover,<ref>[https://www.shacknews.com/article/57183/50-cent-developer-video-cover 50 Cent Developer Video: Cover Is for Punks]</ref> in a similar fashion to ''Vanquish'' where points are awarded for making as little use of cover as possible.
* ''[[Max Payne 3]]'' lets players duck behind cover, much to the chagrin of some long-time fans who felt that it diminished the need for [[Bullet Time]].
=== Strategy ===
* Infantry in ''[[
* ''[[Company of Heroes]]'' has an extensive cover system for its infantry units. The hard counter is, as in real life, grenades, flamethrowers and mortars.
* ''[[Warhammer
** The first [[Dawn of War]] also had a cover system and assault units were also the great counter. That or just dropping an artillery shell on top of the cowering squad.
** For that matter, cover is supremely important in the tabletop version of Warhammer 40K, especially for units with poor armour like [[Redshirt Army|Imperial Guardsmen]].
* Cover is very important in the old ''[[X-COM]]'' games since even the best soldiers in the best armour can be taken out in one shot. Grenades, bigger bombs, and powerful weapons can all be used to destroy cover and each terrain object has a number of 'hit points' that indicates how sturdy it is.
** Cover is also very important when avoiding explosive weaponry. Because of the way explosions are handled, a blast will destroy a wall or object, but if someone is hiding behind the wall or object, it'll still stop the blast. This is why doubling up on firing rockets or using the autocannon's high explosive rounds in burst mode is highly recommended for hunting out aliens in cover. One rocket or shell destroys the cover, the others get the alien lurking behind the wall.
* ''[[UFO Alien Invasion]]'' reduces hit probability against creatures behind cover and shows where your shots are blocked (partially or fully) by colouring line of fire. But while for ''most'' weapons any cover is hard, some also have wall piercing property - coilgun is the best at this. And, of course, indirect fire can circumvent the cover, though it's much less useful if there's a ceiling.
* ''[[Emperor: Battle for Dune]]'' introduced dedicated areas of "infantry rock" where infantry could take cover and be safe either from sandworm attacks or being run over by enemy vehicles (this probably being a balancing decision as otherwise infantry would be too underpowered).
* ''[[
* ''[[Jeff
* ''[[Advanced Strategic Command]]'' gives some terrains and terrain objects defensive value. Including those you can build, such as ditches.
===
* Pretty much every modern
* The ''[[Time Crisis]]'' [[Light Gun Game|Light Gun Games]] use a cover mechanic, operated by a foot pedal on the arcade machines. Ducking into cover is also the reload method. The game's cover mechanic predates all of the shooters mentioned above, though its creator [[Namco]] was later responsible for ''Kill.Switch''.▼
=== Other ===
▲* The ''[[Time Crisis]]'' [[Light Gun Game
** ''[[Razing Storm]]'', also by Namco, uses a similar idea, except that you have a huge [[Made of Indestructium]] shield which you hide behind.
** The ''Police 911'' series is an expansion of this idea, using ''motion sensors'' instead of a foot pedal. The first game got ported to the PS2. [[Porting Disaster|Guess how that went.]]
* [[
* ''[[Space Invaders]]'' (1978), the [[Trope Maker]] of the [[Shoot
** The 2002 remake ''[[
* The ''[[Rolling Thunder]]'' games, a series of [[Do Not Run
** [[Sega]] incorporated a cover mechanic in some of their side-scrolling games soon after, including the ''[[Shinobi]]'' [[Hack and Slash]] [[Platformer
** [[Capcom]]'s ''[
* In the early 2D [[Stealth Based Game]], ''[[Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake]]'' (1990), Solid Snake can take cover from enemy fire using the crouch mechanic, which lets him hide under certain objects or crawl into tight spaces.
** A later 2D ''[[Metal Gear]]'' game, ''Metal Gear: Ghost Babel'' (2000), also implemented the peek-around-the-corner cover mechanic of ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]''. The [[Tactical RPG]] [[Gaiden Game
* Several [[Role
* ''[[Mass Effect]]'' included a cover system where you would automatically stick to walls/waist high crates that you got close to. It was generally effective but could be annoying if you didn't want to take cover and the game decided you did.
** ''[[Mass Effect]] 2'' improved this mechanic by having a get into/out of cover button. Unfortunately, at least on the Xbox 360 it's mapped to the same button as "run" and nothing cuts down your life expectancy quite like getting stuck to a wall when you try to run away from a charging krogan...
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*** That said, when it ''did'' work, having the same button do all three things could have some awesome effects, like having Shepard sprint towards cover and slide the last five or ten feet like a baseball player. It depended partially on player reflexes and largely on the layout of the room.
** Speaking of waist-high cover being ''everywhere'', the ''[[Mass Effect]]'' games seem to treat jersey barriers the way other games treat [[Crate Expectations|wooden crates]]. This is used to mess with the player's expectations on at least one mission in a massive spaceship where these waist-high barriers are ''everywhere'', but enemies are [[Nothing Is Scarier|nowhere to be found]] for the first ten or fifteen minutes.
* The
▲* Pretty much every modern [[Tabletop Games|pen & paper]] RPG has rules for making use of cover.
▲* The upcoming [[Xbox Live Arcade]] and [[Wii Ware]] game ''[[Retro City Rampage]]'', a homage to 2D retro games, will feature a cover mechanic.
* In ''[[World of Tanks]]'', buildings and other terrain features can be used to block enemy fire, though artillery can bypass some of it from the right angle. Some buildings can also be destroyed by shooting or running over them.
▲=== Lampshadings, parodies: ===
* The trailers in ''[[Serious Sam]] 3: BFE'' make fun of taking cover mechanic. The game's slogan is also "No cover, all man!"
** [[Warhammer
{{reflist}}
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[[Category:Video Game Difficulty Tropes]]
[[Category:Take Cover]]
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