How Cover Systems Ruined Shooters

World war 1 was a boring mess thanks to cover shooting too. It was one big trench warfare. Thank god they balanced it better in World war 2 with new weaponary options to combat it.

Ah yes, cover in Vanquish, otherwise known as "Ramps".

I quite like it in The Division 2 since oftentimes the AI enemies are smart enough to actually try to flank you so it can be very intimidating and anxiety inducing when multiple enemies are all covering each other and slowing pinching you.

"in vanquish, your pushiment, is you have to play a cover shooter" that line man, daaaamn genius

Anyone here remember stranglehold? It had a cover system but you couldn't use it for very long because of the destructible environments and you had rely on shoot dodging, tequila bombs and you could shoot things in the environment to take out enemies that were using cover.

I feel like the greatest sin of cover mechanics is letting you know when you're going to get into a fight. You walk into a room or area with a ton of crates and chest high walls everywhere, repeatedly, and all of them are going to look the same, making you roll your eyes when you immediately recognize a firefight room. Also I think the new Lara Croft games have the auto cover like Quantum Break has. I kinda like the gameplay in that a bit, if only because of the predatory stealth and the bow felt nice to use. Also it's been how long since Vanquish was released? It feels like no new TPS has taken even an inkling of inspiration from it.

I'm surprised that you never got into the part about how cover based shooting puts some harsh restrictions on level design and aesthetic. Basically every combat area needs a plethora of small blocky obstacles that you can hide behind. Often you can guess whether an encounter will be solved through diplomacy or gunpowder by simply looking at the amount of waste high cover in the vicinity.

Basically, the problem is not the cover system but enemy AI not using tactics to maneuver around you. But in Division 2 and Uncharted 4, enemy AI was designed to do exactly that the games were fun

How about the Arkham freeflow combat system where you mash the attack button until you're prompted to counter for an entire game. Seems to be creeping into every single game now.

Yeah. There's a lot to do with cover mechanics. - Giving the player the possibility to put some rocket on covers so it's propelled right on enemies - Or you could mount the cover you just propelled with that rocket to go behind enemy lines - Using ennemies (Dead or alive) as cover. (Let's say they are robots, it would be weird with human bodies) - Covers that explode when enemies shoot to much at it. Like a big dead robot you killed earlier. And much more...

One of the big problems in console shooters that cover systems are supposed to mitigate, as you mention in this video, is the awfulness of control stick aiming. It's completely unexpected, then, that Nintendo of all places found an excellent solution with gyro aim. I wonder if you could get a video essay out of that?

If the enemy AI is good at flanking around to you and catching you off-guard, I actually like the cover system. Only problem I have is that people become way too dependant on it when any other alternative results in higher risk of death. Games with cover mechanics often provide a slight change of pace, because you're not constantly running and gunning. Additionally, in stealth or tactical games, it allows you to scout out a location before deciding on your approach. It all comes down to taste but I prefer that than endless fast pacing. See Metal Gear Solid games vs Metal Gear Rising

If I don't put cover mechanics,how can I show how "realistic and mature" is my videogame?

Fantastic video. Excellently paced with enough lightness to balance the criticisms of this sub-genre of gaming. Regardless of a game being first or third person, I've grown tired of gameplay that amounts to using a strong protagonist with regenerating health against weak enemies that don't. It's a timesink. It doesn't matter if you're hit by a 9mm or a shotgun blast, in ten seconds, it amounts to the same thing. I've really got to replay Vanquish at some point. Haven't touched it since launch.

Meanwhile in Warframe you have no cover as you ninja leap you way through all of your enemies while they cower behind cover >:D

"Safety net without the trampoline." Perfect allegory.

While I agree that cover systems generally suck, I really enjoyed the feel of quantum break. The time mechanics might not be as cool or freely exploitable as, say, the best level ever in Titanfall 2, but they are a lot of fun to use and make it easy to spend most of your time out of cover. Cover becomes something you use to temporarily lose enemies, rather than a place to turtle, and when you pop out, it's to flank rather than to whack moles.

8:41- 8:48 Having your field of view restricted while in cover only makes sense. Any game that allows you to see too much of what's going on WHILE in cover is just making the mechanic way too OP.

I've always said that Vanquish revolutionised the way that third person shooters should be played, and I'm disappointed that it wasn't better received. The movement is smooth, the blend of risk/reward, it really trounces its contemporaries. Great vid