Doors....doors.....doors
So this post is dedicated to.... doors. I want to highlight their particular function in video gaming, and how judging a door’s particular coding can determine the function of a whole game.
So let’s go back to Goldeneye. Most of the doors that aren’t password locked open really quick, like space-ship doors. Subsequently there isn’t much play-time behind locked doors (except in a few levels). You are rushing from room to room looking for the next conflict. There is mines and traps in terms of maybe gating someone, but with no peek or cover feature, there isn’t much more than rush n’ clear.
Halo is another game guilty of this, and you notice the games heavier in quicker default doors, tend to have less decision making in their combat. Less sniping, less space, more rushing and spraying over and over again (usually enticing campers).
Titanfall is another one with very little in the way of locked doors. I find it ironic that in the future they can have robots as tall as buildings, but not doors that lock.
Battlefield (modern) is an interesting in-between. Featuring destructible environments, it allows players to attempt to hold up places, but since most emphasis is on objective orientated gameplay, it can be easy to form down and not find anyone interested enough to spring your traps.... which is boring.
Rainbow Six first pioneered this type of gameplay in Black Arrow. Now painfully outdated, it’s hard to see how it was the turning point of duck and cover/room siege gameplay, but it was. It was the first of its kind.
Then you have the PUBG types which I’m sorry to say it, but your game is nothing more than Counter-Strike on steroids without a money system. (If payday didn’t exist we’d still have new Counter-Strikes) PUBG like Counter Strike featured a team elimination system of one-life, sometimes objective based gameplay before development split IP into separate game. The door system in PUBG works like Battlefield, doors can be shut or opened, and parts of doors can be destroyed allowing attackers to breach without fully opening doors.
Bad Company 2 was the first Battlefield to feature fully destructible, functioning environments. Still a hallmark for that reason, it set a gold standard for what was expected of a fully destructible environment; the whole thing can be leveled.
Before this you had the Red Faction games, going back to Nintendo 64. This game series, though ugly now, pioneered destructible environments as well as doors.
Much of the duck n’ cover system likely started when you had House of The Dead games and Time Crisis in arcades. Though they were on-rails, it’s easy to see how open-world integration of these systems were likely inspired by on-rails shooters. (Some other notables, Alien, and Jurassic Park)
Doors seem to be a definitive factor in determining the gameplay that occurs. It can be a more immersive feature for some games and for others it can detract from the overall gameplay.
So to close, before you make a buying decision on a game, check it like you would a house. If the doors are no good, chances are you won’t enjoy your time there (Sorry, Jim)
