11.29.07
Stealth
I want to write about stealth. I got Assassin’s Creed yesterday and completed the first assassination, and it’s definitely not a disappointment so far. However, it’s largely been sold on its unique brand of stealth which is based on blending into a crowd rather than sticking to the shadows. This could be translated into “we’re not Splinter Cell”, but it’s not quite as original as they’ve tried to make it sound - Hitman has been doing more or less the same thing for 4 games.
By and large I think you can split stealth into three basic types of gameplay.
- Shadows
- Deception
- Timing
This is the Thief-, Deus Ex-, or Splinter Cell-stealth. These games want you to stay in the shadows and move slowly to avoid making noise. It creates very tense situations but can seem highly unrealistic and can also be very frustrating for inexperienced players (and hell, it can be pretty frustrating for stealth game veterans too).
This is Hitman or Assassin’s Creed - or even that one really misplaced stealth mission in Red Faction. In Hitman, you change your clothes to appear inconspicuous and get past unattentive guards. In Assassin’s Creed, you change your stance and your behaviour to mimic a peaceful scholar so nobody will pay attention to you. This type of gameplay can make you feel excessively smug about your own achievements, as few things beat the coolness of simply walking right past a horde of guards and into the sanctum of your target. The downside is that often it’s either too easy or too hard - the first couple of Hitman games tended towards being way too hard, the last of them and Creed are generally quite easy because wearing a disguise is almost like an invisibility cheat.
This is Commandos or one particular mission in Call of Duty 4 - and it tends to be ridiculously hard. In Commandos, you’re helped by the top-down view and your ability to somehow see the point-of-view of enemies as green cones, but the game is still notoriously difficult. The stealth mission in Call of Duty 4 is unique and very entertaining but would be pretty much impossible to complete if you didn’t have a magically omniscient partner to tell you exactly what to do. This mission is noteable for one particular sequence where you need to sprint past a group of enemies in the exact moment that none of them are looking in your general direction - thank God your partner somehow knows exactly when this is.
Obviously these games don’t exclusively rely on one type of stealth. Commandos let you disguise yourself as enemy soldiers, every game that lets you hide in the shadows have an element of timing to them since you need to move from hiding place to hiding place when nobody’s looking, and if I’m not mistaken, you can hide in the shadows in Hitman as long as the observer isn’t standing too close to you. Assassin’s Creed also has a strong element of timing as you break out of cover to sprint at an enemy and stab him in the neck before he has time to draw his sword.
Did I miss anything?
Boserup said,
November 29, 2007 at 14:29
Actually i think that the stealth aspects of AC are very disappointing. You just push a button and then you become “invisible”. As for the sneaking before doing the assasinations in AC….well…why would you do it? I always end up being surrounded by guards, and the target joining in the fight so i can kill him there - and then you just jump to the roof and hide somewhere….
The game has a very interessting story, but i´m one of those people who where expecting something more along the lines of hitman, but instead i got a “hit and run” game.
Also whats up with those “side”-missions you get? Either you save a citizen, or you interrogate someone (by hitting them 4 times), you sit and listen on a bench (is that really a challenge?), or you walk up behind someone and hit the B button to pickpocket them…. and thats it….for the entire game thats all you get to do….
Im pretty disappointed about the game - it does however have a nice storyline, and some very cool jumping/moving around the cities
Jonas said,
November 29, 2007 at 15:38
You’re such a buzzkill
Mike Arthur said,
November 29, 2007 at 16:06
I like the approach in Crysis, which I guess is a combo of Shadows and Timing and has been seen in many games before.
You have a limited time you can remain “stealthed” and when that runs out you need to seek cover to recharge. You can’t shoot while stealth and you can’t do anything too obvious (e.g. picking up visible objects) but you can still kill silently by choking people which, out of sight, allows you to remain stealthed.
I do like the tension in games like Deus Ex when you are stealthed though; really gets the adrenaline going.
Jonas said,
November 29, 2007 at 16:58
I agree, and I really need to pick up a copy of Crysis. And a better CPU. And a DX10 video card.
Crap.
Smike said,
November 29, 2007 at 21:48
No there’s FOUR types - you missed “pretending not to be here” stealth, found in Monkey Island, Sam and Max and Grim Fandango - you know, where you pretend to be an ornament or wear a polka dot uniform and stand next to a coat rack. Also when you put a bag over your head so that you can’t see them, and therefore they can not see you.
Smike said,
November 29, 2007 at 21:54
Oh and that’s not Deception because the difference is that with this one THEY CAN’T EVEN SEE YOU AT ALL. Because you are invisible. This works in real life too - try it! Put a bag over your head and walk into a bank with a gun. No one will notice! It’s so awesome.
EER said,
November 29, 2007 at 21:55
I like the Splinter Cell series kind of stealth. Dealing death from the shadows, being able to extinguish lights, waiting around for 15 minutes for the perfect hit. I’m loving it
Then again, I like TBS as well. Maybe I just can’t handle the quick action anymore
Jonas said,
November 30, 2007 at 00:18
EER: Yep I’m pretty hot on the Splinter Cell style stealth too, but deception can also be really great.
Actually I guess there should be an Invisibility category too for when you’re actually really invisible like when you’re cloaked in Deus Ex or Alien vs. Predator.
And obviously Smike’s method too…