I hope it is not a trend, but forced slow walking in games need to stop

SantaC

SantaC

Member
I get it is used for an immersive perspective but you get tired of it real fast.

I am replaying Final Fantasy 7R on hard mode right now and it is jarring how often they force you to slow down. It is making the replay experience shittier for sure. Oh boy I need to take a stroll with Aerith so I am forced to walk slower than my grandma for 10 minutes, yay.
 
I thought The Last of Us was annoying with it. And it was funnily inconsistent too. Sometimes you could only slow walk, sometimes slow jog, sometimes fast jog, sometimes run. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason. I love the game, but it does remove a sense of control, for sure.
 
I'd rather have the trip be longer and move at regular speed than be shorter and go slower. It's the same thing in a car, I'd rather take the longer route and go faster than the shorter one inching along in traffic. Even they end up being the same time moving faster makes it better somehow.

It's not so bad in small amounts, but it feels like every 3 minutes in ff7 I have to slow down for a conversation, slow down to creep through a tight area, slow down to duck under something, slow down to climb a ladder, slow down as I lose control of the camera while it looks at something. It's just really jarring.
 
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SantaC2 said:
I get it is used for an immersive perspective but you get tired of it real fast.

I am replaying Final Fantasy 7R on hard mode right now and it is jarring how often they force you to slow down. It is making the replay experience shittier for sure. Oh boy I need to take a stroll with Aerith so I am forced to walk slower than my grandma for 10 minutes, yay.
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I have heard that it's also being used to cover loading times. But yeah i hate that too.
 
sublimit said:
I have heard that it's also being used to cover loading times. But yeah i hate that too.
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That's what I've heard a lot to and do believe it in most cases now. BUT I would much rather watch a cutscene or even a load screen rather than have to hold up on a controller . At least it lets me get up , stretch my legs , get a drink or something
 
I hate it sooo much. Some games cause of it lose replayability in my eyes. Last game where it annoyed the hell out ouf me was Gears 5, that 'immersive' part where you walk around some settlement, 'world building'. It can be done much better, that's for sure.

Now I'm at the point when forced slow walking happens in game that I'm almost ready to drop the game and never return to it. If it's for 5 sec, ok - I can live with that. But when you are forced for 30 secs or more...

Give me cutscene rather than this bullshit.
 
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SantaC2 said:
Then it might get eliminated next gen.
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At least then we'll know that those who will still use it are egotistical,self important game directors who want to shove their "directorial skills" down our throats. This industry has plenty of them.
 
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SantaC2 said:
I get it is used for an immersive perspective but you get tired of it real fast.
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there is nothing immersive about it.
it is the opposite of immersion.

immersion is when you actually feel like you are in the world, and that is best accomplished by giving the player as much freedom as possible and have environments act as dynamic as possible. that's why games like Prey (2017) or Deus Ex are part of a genre called "immersive Sim"
changing and/or limiting the range of actions the player can perform without any logical reason is literally the opposite of immersion, since it introduces a disconnect between the player and the character.

slow walking sequences are bad game design, full stop.
sometimes they are a necessary evil and tries to hide loading sequences, but even there an automated animation would be less annoying because in these sequences the left analog stick basically turns into a broken "Play" button on an old radio that doesn't click in anymore so you have to hold the button down to advance... that's basically what's happening in these sequences.
all they are are bad cut-scenes where you become the guy holding down the play button... that's all they are.

Anything that artificially and without any logical in-universe reason changes or limits the range of actions and/or speed of motion the player character has is by nature immersion breaking.
 
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It's probably the worst thing to be ever created in the gameplay design

Directors trying to be cinematic and shit. Remember that this still is a videogame, for fuck sake

Also, the 10 seconds of gameplay, 10 seconds of cutscene, 10 seconds of gameplay, 10 seconds of cutscene needs to stop as well
 
SantaC2 said:
I get it is used for an immersive perspective but you get tired of it real fast.

I am replaying Final Fantasy 7R on hard mode right now and it is jarring how often they force you to slow down. It is making the replay experience shittier for sure. Oh boy I need to take a stroll with Aerith so I am forced to walk slower than my grandma for 10 minutes, yay.
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I hate forced slow-walking. RDR2 was super annoying whenever you went to your camp and had to slow-walk everywhere. Just one of the many reasons I hated that game.

I also despise QTEs and when the game snatches the camera control away from me. It wouldn't hurt my feelings if they got rid of all three of these annoyances next gen.
 
Uncharted 4's "the brothers drake" chapter was the worst offender IMO.

Late in the game I jumped from a high intensity action filled chapter 15 to a slow paced bore fest mission where the writer(s) assumed their oeuvre was important enough to waste my time with loads of exposition dialogue, slow walking & "emotions". It wasn't, i.e. the plot of Uncharted 4 was no better than a Nicolas Cage National Treasure movie. It reminded me of that South Park episode where they would all bask in their own self-righteous cloud of smugness. I realize slow walking is often masking loading times & a cheap method for creating a cutscene, but in some cases, it's just an offensive waste of my time.
 
I hate it. I hated when RDR2 came out and people defended it with "who runs in a camp?" I was like, "uh, anyone who wants to?" What kind of logic is that?

I always find it super annoying in any game that utilizes it.
 
~Fake said:
I don't see any problem.
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^^^^ SO this is the guy who is always walking slowly in front of me on the sidewalk.

But seriously. I feel your pain OP. Many recent releases have main characters who move like frankenstein. If the character can run, let me run. IDK what you do with the NPC, they can run along or they can walk. But me let me run around like a spaz.
 
Its done because they want to immerse people to some transistion to new areas. Or telling a story.

Look at red dead 2 gta5 etc etc.

Like zelda botw when you come out of the cave.
It's a handy tool for game designers that try to tell a story. Directing the player in a subtle way.
 
Spukc said:
Its done because they want to immerse people to some transistion to new areas. Or telling a story.

Look at red dead 2 gta5 etc etc.

Like zelda botw when you come out of the cave.
It's a handy tool for game designers that try to tell a story. Directing the player in a subtle way.
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this even open world do it a lot and it's not for loading reasons.
(ffXV and rdr2 for the recent ones in mind)
Most players would miss what can be mportant part of the story without it.
 
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SantaC2 said:
I get it is used for an immersive perspective but you get tired of it real fast.

I am replaying Final Fantasy 7R on hard mode right now and it is jarring how often they force you to slow down. It is making the replay experience shittier for sure. Oh boy I need to take a stroll with Aerith so I am forced to walk slower than my grandma for 10 minutes, yay.
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I agree 100% It doesn't immerses the player at all. They continually try to run past the player they are following and it just frustrates them and breaks immersion.
 
Obviously RDR2 was annoying for this.

Got my own back though, because I went back to one of the deserted camps and let's just say I was running riot!:messenger_smiling_with_eyes:
 
I slow walk everywhere on purpose, half the time. 😋

That said, I do think the choice being taken away from you is antithetical to what game is. Do it like The Witcher 3, where the NPC keeps pace with you, no matter what speed you're moving at.

Slow walkers like me can enjoy the immersion, and people who just want to game can get back to it quickly.
 
I literally quit playing rdr2 at the very first mission due to slow walking.Was ahting the walk immensely, died to wolves lol, started slow walk all over then said fuck it. Never had the urge to ever play it again.

Something about forcing it makes it feel disrespectful, like they are forcing to admire something. If i want to stop and stare at scenery i will.
 
What was the first game to do this? I know the first one I remember was an assassins creed game.
Gargus said:
I'd rather have the trip be longer and move at regular speed than be shorter and go slower. It's the same thing in a car, I'd rather take the longer route and go faster than the shorter one inching along in traffic. Even they end up being the same time moving faster makes it better somehow.

It's not so bad in small amounts, but it feels like every 3 minutes in ff7 I have to slow down for a conversation, slow down to creep through a tight area, slow down to duck under something, slow down to climb a ladder, slow down as I lose control of the camera while it looks at something. It's just really jarring.
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This is exactly how I feel about it, especially with FF7Remake. Walking slow is never fun in any game and comes across as forced. It's like the devs saying "we're gonna put a handicap on you so you can experience our amazing storytelling". It's so boring.
 
SegaShack said:
What was the first game to do this? I know the first one I remember was an assassins creed game.
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As much as I love it, this is where we have to lay the blame at the feet of Half-Life.
The train and rail car openings for both the original and the sequel were the progenitors of this trope.
Otherwise superb titles like Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Mankind Divided spend the opening minutes dragging you through a slow walking segment for the sole purpose of exposition. It's boring, you can't skip it and you may be served better by a cutscene instead.
 
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brian0057 said:
As much as I love it, this is where we have to lay the blame at the feet of Half-Life.
The train and rail car openings for both the original and the sequel were the progenitors of this trope.
Otherwise superb titles like Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Mankind Divided spend the opening minutes dragging you through a slow walking segment for the sole purpose of exposition. It's boring, you can't skip it and you may be served better by a cutscene instead.
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I have played through Half Life but it has been such a long time. I remember the opening, but do you actually move more slowly than the rest of the game?
 
SegaShack said:
I have played through Half Life but it has been such a long time. I remember the opening, but do you actually move more slowly than the rest of the game?
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The sequel isn't as bad but in the original game you're inside that rail car for a solid 8 minutes doing nothing while the game spews exposition at you with all the subtlety of a hand grenade.
 
I really liked slow walking in Gears.

Generally, I'm just happy for an option to walk in a PC game so I have no issue with it.
 
brian0057 said:
As much as I love it, this is where we have to lay the blame at the feet of Half-Life.
The train and rail car openings for both the original and the sequel were the progenitors of this trope.
Otherwise superb titles like Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Mankind Divided spend the opening minutes dragging you through a slow walking segment for the sole purpose of exposition. It's boring, you can't skip it and you may be served better by a cutscene instead.
Click to expand...
Half-Life openings didn't force the player to slow-walk. In the first game, you could move inside the train uninterrupted to look out the windows and in the sequel it only lasts a couple seconds before you can step out onto the train station. The only time control is taken away from you, like most modern AAA games, is after you get inside the Stalker pod towards the end of Half-Life 2 that takes you all the way up to Dr. Breen.
 
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100% agreed. This is the worst trend in gaming over the past decade. "Cinematic" gaming, i.e. boring slow walking parts while exposition is shouted at you. Its honestly the worst part of any game and makes me want to stop playing a game right then and there.

Its such an annoying trope and I hope next gen Dev's just move away from it.
 
SantaC2 said:
I get it is used for an immersive perspective but you get tired of it real fast.

I am replaying Final Fantasy 7R on hard mode right now and it is jarring how often they force you to slow down. It is making the replay experience shittier for sure. Oh boy I need to take a stroll with Aerith so I am forced to walk slower than my grandma for 10 minutes, yay.
Click to expand...

FF7R level design in 2020 is mind boggling to see. The long strolls with Aerith and the cringe dialogue are a slog to get through. I appreciate there's a nostalgia factor to it but the whole exploration part of the game in general is an absolute blast from the past.
 
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I think the problem has to be levelled at the game directors here. I think the need to have a 'scene' has overshadowed the requirement for it and how to implement it. The director wants this scene, so lets just throw a slow transition in so we get the exposition. Recently playing UC3 again and this section in particular is ridiculous:



First, you squeeze through a tight space (re-iterating Cutters fear of claustrophobia from much earlier in the game), then a minute later you have a fight and another squeeze through area. There's really no fun gameplay mechanic to illustrate claustrophobia - really?

I pretty much sprinted through London, through Egypt and Greece in AC and I still remember some of those locations because of how beautifully they were done. But there is a special place in hell for Jedi Fallen Order and the gaps on the Nightbrothers planets






RDR2 I've adapted to, it's pretty much a different type of game. People will either love it or hate it. I couldn't be arsed at first, but using cinematic camera and just dropping into missions like GTA has made it tolerable. Plus the game looks incredible.
 
ruvikx said:
Uncharted 4's "the brothers drake" chapter was the worst offender IMO.

Late in the game I jumped from a high intensity action filled chapter 15 to a slow paced bore fest mission where the writer(s) assumed their oeuvre was important enough to waste my time with loads of exposition dialogue, slow walking & "emotions". It wasn't, i.e. the plot of Uncharted 4 was no better than a Nicolas Cage National Treasure movie. It reminded me of that South Park episode where they would all bask in their own self-righteous cloud of smugness. I realize slow walking is often masking loading times & a cheap method for creating a cutscene, but in some cases, it's just an offensive waste of my time.
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I think ALL Naughty Dog games have that stupid thing.

That shit was also all over the place in the Tomb Raider Reboot as well as Rise of TR (haven't played Shadow yet but i'd guess that it's also there) which was the cherry on top among all the other scripted and QTEs sequences. At least ND knows how to make cinematic stuff (even though i don't like them personally) but for Crystal Dynamics there was no excuse for its usage since their storytelling is laughable to say the least.

The only excuse for its presence is to cover loading times for new areas but i'm 100% sure that both ND and CD do that because "it's so cinematic".
 
VysePSU said:
Half-Life openings didn't force the player to slow-walk. In the first game, you could move inside the train uninterrupted to look out the windows and in the sequel it only lasts a couple seconds before you can step out onto the train station. The only time control is taken away from you, like most modern AAA games, is after you get inside the Stalker pod towards the end of Half-Life 2 that takes you all the way up to Dr. Breen.
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It's a technicality. The base concept is still the same.
You're forced into a linear path in which you're fed exposition, you can't skip it since it's in-game, and all you can do is look at the environment.
At least in Half-Life 2, when you ride the rail up the Citadel, it makes thematic sense.
 
The only game I thought it was used well in was other M but even that was flawed since enemies never appeared in those sequences and they didnt let you fire or even aim to at least sell that something could actually happen.

It's similar to the clusterfuck that was Shattered Memories in that regard since there was never any reason to be tense or nervous since nothing ever happened during exploration.
 
brian0057 said:
It's a technicality. The base concept is still the same.
You're forced into a linear path in which you're fed exposition, you can't skip it since it's in-game, and all you can do is look at the environment.
At least in Half-Life 2, when you ride the rail up the Citadel, it makes thematic sense.
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It's not as bad as modern AAA games though that actually slow down your movement. Whenever you're talking to someone in a Half-Life game you can continue moving around the level, picking up, throwing, breaking or shooting objects. Many modern AAA games forgo this by locking the player into viewing an in-game cinematic or forcing you to slow-walk unexpectedly in the middle of a level.

I would say Half-Life's intro makes sense though because it's illustrating the fact that Gordon works in a highly-secure, large research facility. It goes on for a little too long but you can pretty much speedrun the rest of the game.
 
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Things will likely change next gen, but just remember what happened when people complained about Mass Effect 1's elevators. They gave us loading screens without any charming dialogue.

Of course I agree that they shouldn't be there when they aren't covering load times, but I'd rather get plot exposition than stare at a load screen.
 
I fucking love slow walking sections. Chilling out for a minute or two, admiring the scenery, talking about what just happened/is about to happen, whatever the case may be. Doesn't matter, I love it. Do it myself all the time in my games, without even being forced.

I say slow walking needs to continue.
 
I doesn't bother me too much if it's used in moderation and I'm enjoying the story but there are definitely some games that take it too far. It often seems to be used to hide loading too and I'd rather get a short forced walking section with some dialog instead of a loading screen.

FF7R seems to be right at the edge of having too much. Though given the amount of times you have to squeeze through tight spaces during levels or wait for doors to open, the game seems to be full of hidden leading screens
 
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