When it came to grenades, Bungie was faced with a serious problem: They would have to design the grenade throw with every weapon “in mind.” After all, you would throw a grenade completely differently if you were holding a pistol or a rocket launcher in the other hand. This would require 25 different motion sequences.
But here, Bungie was simply clever. If you look closely, the first animation preceding every grenade throw is the avatar lowering the weapon first: This turned 25 animations into just one, perfectly executed.
The Field of View: Just Set It a Little Lower
Hesby also revealed another secret: “When designing a shooter, you want to place the crosshair right in the center of the screen first.” However, if you set it a little lower, fields of view above and to the sides open up, allowing for peripheral vision.
Learn more about the secrets of Bungie’s MMO shooter on our Destiny topic page. And… there is also another theory as to why Destiny works so well: Is the success formula based on tests with rats?
The MMO shooter Destiny is facing a lot of criticism. However, the core mechanic, known as gunplay, is beyond any doubt. How did Destiny achieve this?
It is fascinating what game designers have to deal with. They focus on the issues faced by gamers that we feel deeply but cannot articulate, even if they spoil the entire game for us. And they work hard to ensure that we do not encounter these problems.
If you ask hardcore players why they still play Destiny despite all the issues, they will say something like: “It just feels good.” But why does it feel good? This is the responsibility of David Heslby, one of the senior animators at Bungie, who explained some of his tricks at GDC.
The Tricks of the Destiny Developers
Camera Control: Borrowed from Boxers
One of the most sensitive topics in shooters is “camera control.” How does the player’s field of view move when they move and perform actions? If the camera remains static, it feels “wrong,” too “airy.”
If the camera mimics the player character’s movements too much, it becomes jerky and unstable. Players do not feel comfortable, but rather get almost motion sick, especially if they are prone to it: “Even if only 10% of players feel uncomfortable, you alienate people when you sell a million games, that’s 100,000 players,” Helsby explains. That’s why camera animation is so critical.
One might think to simply attach a camera to a runner and see how they perceive the world as they move. But according to Helsby, that’s not a solution. And he knows, he tried just that once.
Then they found the answer with boxers. They already know in advance about each of their punches and position their heads accordingly. When a boxer winds up for a punch, they also move their punching hand with their head. However, before making contact with the opponent, the head swings in the opposite direction to maintain balance.
This was the secret that made the animations in Destiny so convincing. According to Helsby, you can see this best in the knife melee of the hunter.
The Grenade Trick: Only One Instead of Twenty-Five Animations
When it came to grenades, Bungie was faced with a serious problem: They would have to design the grenade throw with every weapon “in mind.” After all, you would throw a grenade completely differently if you were holding a pistol or a rocket launcher in the other hand. This would require 25 different motion sequences.
But here, Bungie was simply clever. If you look closely, the first animation preceding every grenade throw is the avatar lowering the weapon first: This turned 25 animations into just one, perfectly executed.
The Field of View: Just Set It a Little Lower
Hesby also revealed another secret: “When designing a shooter, you want to place the crosshair right in the center of the screen first.” However, if you set it a little lower, fields of view above and to the sides open up, allowing for peripheral vision.
Learn more about the secrets of Bungie’s MMO shooter on our Destiny topic page. And… there is also another theory as to why Destiny works so well: Is the success formula based on tests with rats?
