PK Jump

[Martyns]

Only now it came to my mind to ask this. Did developers thought of PK Jump, Wall Climbing and that Bunny Hop or whatever (where you gain speed by jumping up) while making "Painkiller"? I'm asking, because it looks so accidental to me if you know what I mean. For example take the balcony secret. Everyone knows it and I think I'll remember it for the rest of my life, because it was a real pain in my... arm. What I'm saying is that even now I have no idea of which solution developers were thinking while developing the game. It's just one example from many, that makes me wonder. It all looks so accidental. So can you say your opinions on this topic? I would appreciate that. And sorry if I wasn't clear with something because of my English.

[Varus77]

:) maybe my English will not be better but anyway...

The developer of PK, PCF, were/are huge fans from Quake. There and in some pendants of this gameplay, or better kind of movement, like "Return to Castle Wolfenstein" or "Enemy Territory", you'll find the source of all that. At least it is the same speed like Quake, but much easier - you haven't to juggle with your mouse to speed+ top on that bunnyhopping technique - more like in RtCW.
But in all these games you can more or less climb - but this is nearly an automatic effect. You'll get this if don't prohibit it like Counterstrike and so on.
For PK Jump...if you'd ever have seen a Quake movie about trick-jumping then you'd guess that the source idea is based there. With some waepons you can climb walls and so on. The Rocket-Jump, only for PK-MP enabled, is the classic example of that.
The Painkiller waepon itself is the real innovation of PCF and for me one of the best in a small group of awesome ideas in FPS games the last years. (eg. like the gravity weapon from HL2 or a similar one of Bioshock)

Maybe it looks "accidental" - like you've said. But I'd say it the otherway around. With this "looks accidental like" they got a kind of "naturalness" in a "unrealistic" world. Thereby the game got this credibility and is at least the reason for why a 3 old game is still up-to-date and will be a milestone for this genre...like the good old "Duke Nukem" - the beginning of all... :)

[Martyns]

Knowing that developers have planed wall climbing, PainKiller jumping and bunnyhoping as the only way for the secret makes them even more god-like. It looks so natural when you find a way to a secret. You feel like you've found something that nobody knows. It looks like there are a lot more similar ways. And it always is. It looks unbelievable to think of all that while developing the game. "People can Fly" can make you believe that you've found a bug, a glitch, but really they have made it and that's not a bug at all. That's a talent, but it's hard to describe it for me.

One more question. So what do you think about balcony secret? Which way was developer's? Or Opera House secret above the staircase? Did PCF thought of that wall climbing too, in your opinion? And Town secrets through windows? Did they really wanted you to use your PK and carts? What about Forest secret? I'm just curious.

[kalme]

I think some of these things are bugs. For example certain shortcuts discovered over the last years (read: Loony Park) are clearly not intended. But other things are well thought-out features, partly they even differ between single- and multiplayer (bunnyhopping).


One more question. So what do you think about balcony secret? Which way was developer's?

I thought about that a long time. I don't think that they had the three-cones-jump in mind, but the intended way in my eyes is the one over the roofs.

I have to agree with Varus:


The Painkiller waepon itself is the real innovation of PCF and for me one of the best in a small group of awesome ideas in FPS games the last years.

So true.

[pool]

Or Opera House secret above the staircase? Did PCF thought of that wall climbing too,
There is an architectural detail to climb the secret there, so it was supposed as one of the secret ways.

[Artas]

The fast paced movement rythm is definitely from Quake, like PCF said:
- We wanted a realy fast game, not like most todays FPS...
Bunnyhoping is so much easyer than strafing anyway...

Wallclimbing is completely a pkish thing, i am yet to show some new techniques i observed, the wallclimbing in PK is extremely greatly "pitched", any other game has realy so vastly exposed wallclimbing technique?

PK jumps: i'd like someone to invent this kinda machine in reality, would be awesome to watch to say the least..

You mentioned bunnyhops, wallclimbs and pkjumps - this is the essence of PK, these are the 3 main things for what i love PK.

PS: Martyns has finished 5 stars on trauma, he knows what is what.

[Uuber]

I knew I was playing too much PK when I was in San Francisco one day and started looking at the architecture and the only thing I could think of was ways I could climb it if it was in PK.

[kalme]

PK jumps: i'd like someone to invent this kinda machine in reality, would be awesome to watch to say the least..

Unfortunately that's physically impossible :D

[Greybeard]

... So what do you think about balcony secret? Which way was developer's? Or Opera House secret above the staircase? ...

... I thought about that a long time. I don't think that they had the three-cones-jump in mind, but the intended way in my eyes is the one over the roofs ...
That said, the first solution for this, that I saw back in 2004, was the 3 Cones on PainkillerHell.com. Also, once you're up on the roofs, you can seriously confuse the intended flow of the game. I wonder if the devs would really have planned this?


There is an architectural detail to climb the secret there, so it was supposed as one of the secret ways.
Absolutely agreed but I've played PK on 3 different PCs/GPUs - Ti4600, 6800GT, 8800GTX - and its only been on the latter that I've really been able to see the arch surround. Before, it was an act of faith - that frequently failed :) I wonder what PC they did the original QA on?


I knew I was playing too much PK when I was in San Francisco one day and started looking at the architecture and the only thing I could think of was ways I could climb it if it was in PK.
OT but true. When the original H-L was released, it was considered quite 'cinematic'. I loved it. At the time, I worked on the 4th floor of an office, with floor to ceiling windows which overlooked traditional houses with extensions, sheds etc. One day I found myself thinking "If I smashed this window with the crowbar, I wonder if I could make the jump to that roof?". At which point I gave the game a rest :D

Cheers

Greybeard

EDIT: Whoops. Put the smiley in the title by accident and can't delete it. Sorry - GB