Archived from groups: alt.games.half-life (
More info?)
Peter Lykkegaard wrote:
> Freedom?
> No, you have just the same linear gameplay as in HL2 - it is more
hidden
> though
> A) Take some baddies down B) Go to next spot C) Start from A
You're missing the point about "freedom". It's not freedom to do
anything you like, but freedom to achieve the next goal in more than
one way.
In HL there is only one way forward. Occasionally there are big set
pieces where you can adopt different tactics (eg. the prison cell
battle). But you can't avoid the battle by taking a different route.
Equally the puzzles must be solved to proceed. There is no other route.
In Far Cry you choose how you want to go forward. Granted there have to
be some limits to this, if only for technical reasons, but by and large
you can wander wherever you like and approach your goal in any way you
want. You can play it HL style by following the obvious road, and
identifying and dealing with each hazard as you encounter them. Or you
can play it Thief style and try not be noticed at all. For most people
I guess it's somewhere in between and the balance between gung-ho and
stealth is a personal choice made to suit the circumstances of each
level.
There are also different options presented more obviously in each
level. For example, you could work your way around the beach, down the
road, through the undergrowth or over the hillside. If you can find a
boat, you can go by water and cut out a lot of land-based hassle and
arrive armed with a big gun to clear your landing point. I quote two
examples very early in the game:
1) You're told to steal a vehicle from a training camp. For starters,
the camp can be approached from all sides. You can run in firing madly,
or maybe pick them off one-by one from a distance and then retreat
until they calm down. Or take out the lookouts and pick the rest off
from the lookout tower. Or sneak in, distract the guards with a
carefully thrown stone and steal the jeep. Or blow up the fuel dump on
the hillside and nick the jeep while they're investigating. Or run in,
get the jeep and deal with them using the jeep's mounted gun. Or blow
up some fuel barrels and hope they caught in the explosion. Or any of
the above, changing tactics as required. I suspect it's possible to
ignore the jeep and just run off down the road.
2) From the training camp you must make your way to a wrecked ship
further down the coast. How to get there? You're pretty much limited to
the beach in this instance, but your options are still wide open. If
you've got the jeep, you can drive there. Or you can go on foot. There
are other jeeps en route, so you can get a new vehicle if yours is
trashed (assuming you haven't blown the others up as you dealt with the
soldiers). Or you can take out the guys in the patrol boats and drive
their armed boat instead. Or mix and match as required.
HL2 isn't that kind of game. It's much more about set pieces, and the
price you pay for this is the freedom to reach the next "checkpoint" or
goal in your fashion. Doesn't make it better or worse, just different.