ShopDreamUp AI ArtDreamUp
Deviation Actions
The only other Monster Hunter game I've played has been Tri for the Wii, and it didn't manage to rope me in, but seeing how people enjoyed 4U got me to ask for it as a birthday gift. I've largely enjoyed it, but there are many issues that I think hold the game back from being truly amazing. Some of these complaints may prove to be with the entire franchise, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't say anything (not that my voice matters to anyone). Anyway, here are my thoughts, along with some solutions I feel would work:
1. Perhaps the largest fault with the game I can find is the pace, which feels artificially slowed down by a lot of the design elements, such as:
A. The inability to change the direction your character is facing mid-combo. It really bothers me and breaks my suspension of disbelief when video game characters can't do things that would be totally possible and practical in real life.
Solution: Simply allow the player to turn between the motions of a combo. Different weapons would allow one to turn more between attack than others. Monsters would also have to have this ability for balance. It's hard not to notice when a Great Jaggi does his tail-swinging attack and, even when you get out of the way, he still has to finish the attack by doing it in the opposite direction.
B. Having to sheathe your weapon to use an item (with the exception of the sword and shield). This is another instance of video game characters being unable to do things that would be expected in real life.
Solution: Most items should be able to be used while moving, an ability the sword and shield would retain thanks to leaving a free hand. All other weapons would allow items to be used while unsheathed. Transfer your two swords to your left hand/hold your hammer/long sword/great sword in your left hand, slung over your left shoulder while you use a given item.
C. The game is Monster Hunter, not 'Monster Gatherer' or 'Repeatedly Hunting the Same Monster for that One Freaking Scale/Claw/What Have You'. Obviously, being able to craft good gear should take work, but there should always be a feeling of progression that MH4U doesn't necessarily give, at least in single-player. Early on, I would fight multiple Great Jaggi in search of G. Jaggi Claws, which it didn't always drop. It made my time feel wasted since I had plenty of every other item the monster gave. Also, the gathering/mining/bug catching process just takes too much time away from Hunting Monsters!
Solutions:
I: Gathering should occur at the speed conferred by the Speed Gathering skill automatically, if not faster than that.
II: Drops should be rebalanced and recipes use fewer items so one could reasonably make a desired piece of gear after every successful mission, or every other one.
2. A small cosmetic complaint is with the obligatory posing characters do after using certain items, which makes no sense to do in a fight. After eating a steak, there's no need to pat your belly, and likewise there's no need to flex after drinking a potion/antidote/other drink.
Solution: Just make the eating/drinking parts of the animations longer.
3. Palicoes become quite squishy and weak before Meownster Hunters becomes available, and take even more time to outfit than your character.
Solutions: Make Meownster Hunters available sooner and reduce recipe requirements.
I don't think I'm done here yet.
1. Perhaps the largest fault with the game I can find is the pace, which feels artificially slowed down by a lot of the design elements, such as:
A. The inability to change the direction your character is facing mid-combo. It really bothers me and breaks my suspension of disbelief when video game characters can't do things that would be totally possible and practical in real life.
Solution: Simply allow the player to turn between the motions of a combo. Different weapons would allow one to turn more between attack than others. Monsters would also have to have this ability for balance. It's hard not to notice when a Great Jaggi does his tail-swinging attack and, even when you get out of the way, he still has to finish the attack by doing it in the opposite direction.
B. Having to sheathe your weapon to use an item (with the exception of the sword and shield). This is another instance of video game characters being unable to do things that would be expected in real life.
Solution: Most items should be able to be used while moving, an ability the sword and shield would retain thanks to leaving a free hand. All other weapons would allow items to be used while unsheathed. Transfer your two swords to your left hand/hold your hammer/long sword/great sword in your left hand, slung over your left shoulder while you use a given item.
C. The game is Monster Hunter, not 'Monster Gatherer' or 'Repeatedly Hunting the Same Monster for that One Freaking Scale/Claw/What Have You'. Obviously, being able to craft good gear should take work, but there should always be a feeling of progression that MH4U doesn't necessarily give, at least in single-player. Early on, I would fight multiple Great Jaggi in search of G. Jaggi Claws, which it didn't always drop. It made my time feel wasted since I had plenty of every other item the monster gave. Also, the gathering/mining/bug catching process just takes too much time away from Hunting Monsters!
Solutions:
I: Gathering should occur at the speed conferred by the Speed Gathering skill automatically, if not faster than that.
II: Drops should be rebalanced and recipes use fewer items so one could reasonably make a desired piece of gear after every successful mission, or every other one.
2. A small cosmetic complaint is with the obligatory posing characters do after using certain items, which makes no sense to do in a fight. After eating a steak, there's no need to pat your belly, and likewise there's no need to flex after drinking a potion/antidote/other drink.
Solution: Just make the eating/drinking parts of the animations longer.
3. Palicoes become quite squishy and weak before Meownster Hunters becomes available, and take even more time to outfit than your character.
Solutions: Make Meownster Hunters available sooner and reduce recipe requirements.
I don't think I'm done here yet.
Tiny Entry #1: RWBY Weapons
Since it seems one might be making an appearance on the show, I just want to say my idea for a weapon in RWBY is a minigun with blades on the barrels that flip outward due to centripetal force as the barrels spin, making it a kind of circular saw. The barrels are reinforced so the device can be swung around to tear flesh when it's not putting out a withering amount of ammo. It's been my idea for a while, not that it matters: of course a Gatling weapon would have to officially appear at some point, because they're awesome.
My unimaginative friend went with 'big sword' because that's what he always goes with.
I've also considered a pump-actio
Entry #13: Destiny Talk (XBox One)
Destiny's reception has been appropriately mixed. There are fun aspects of the game, but there are also a lot of problems that make it seem empty.
Here's some major things I'd like to see (Bear in mind I'm level 16 now):
1. Dogfighting with our cool spaceships. I'm still disappointed no such mode was in Halo Reach despite the awesome Sabre space fight, so I'd been hoping Bungie would try to work it in here. The problem would be balancing the ships, since they all appear to have different armaments and you'd expect them to behave differently in maneuverability, speed, armor and the like. Maybe a ship customization system like the character e
Entry #12: Rules of Writing
Something a little different today. Early on in my recent Creative Writing course, we were given papers with writing rules suggested by two authors, both of them far better known, and likely more talented than anyone reading this, including me. These rules tend to be deceptively simple, and yet many burgeoning authors make little (or not so little) mistakes that could've been avoided with knowledge of them. I'll admit, these were probably the most poignant things I learned in the entire course. I am remiss to add notes, but this entry can't just be me listing the work of someone else.
Starting with Elmore Leonard's 10 Rules for Good Writing:
Entry #11: Things I want in Pokemon Z
(Spoilers for Pokémon X & Y possibly ahead)
So, I'm almost positive there's going to be a Pokémon Z (as many others have hypothesized) because of a few things:
1. Most Pokémon games end up with an improved and expanded version, as in Crystal, Emerald, Platinum, and Black/White 2. (Yellow loosely followed the plot of the anime, so, not sure it counts.)
2. In Black/White, Kyurem was catchable in the post-game, but had no relevance to the plot. In Black/White 2, Kyurem is central to the plot and it is assumed it wasn't caught by the player character in Black/White 1. (Possibly this also goes for Rayquaza in Emerald, b
© 2015 - 2024 TheColdZephyr
Comments2
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
TBH the battle system really turned me off of the MH games at first, but after playing it a lot I can attest that it's actually really smartly balanced once you get the hang of how to move and attack and such. Regardless of what would be doable IRL, everything from movement to item usage is based on a risk-reward system-- right down to the stupid, goofy flexing motion after item consumption. It looks dumb, I agree, but it's deliberately designed to make item usage more risky mid-fight, so you have to be careful and fight smart, and not just pop a bunch of food mid-fight skyrim style (a design decision that I actually agree with). I'll say the combat system is definitely pretty clunky-feeling and unintuitive at first, the more you do it, the more you get used to it and feel more fluid and natural in battle.
As for the whole 'farming monsters' thing, I get that, and its understandable that some people would find it a turnoff. My counterpoint to that would be that fighting monsters is usually (usually) fun and interesting, which somewhat mitigates the need to do it over and over again. Like the previous thing, it's not something that should be / likely will be fixed, it's just how the series operates (and believe me, if anything, the drop rates in this game are WAY more reasonable than previous MH titles for the most part. You ain't seen nothin' yet lol).
My suggestion would be to give it a chance for a bit longer and try to get used to it. If you still don't like it, then it's just not your thing, and that's fine too.
Also I realize that this journal post is really old so my comments may be completely moot by the time you read this .3.
As for the whole 'farming monsters' thing, I get that, and its understandable that some people would find it a turnoff. My counterpoint to that would be that fighting monsters is usually (usually) fun and interesting, which somewhat mitigates the need to do it over and over again. Like the previous thing, it's not something that should be / likely will be fixed, it's just how the series operates (and believe me, if anything, the drop rates in this game are WAY more reasonable than previous MH titles for the most part. You ain't seen nothin' yet lol).
My suggestion would be to give it a chance for a bit longer and try to get used to it. If you still don't like it, then it's just not your thing, and that's fine too.
Also I realize that this journal post is really old so my comments may be completely moot by the time you read this .3.