Gaming Glitches Add Character 88
jasoncart writes "Glitches in videogames are always a bad thing, right? Wrong, argues columnist Rob Wilson - citing developer oversights in titles like Halo, Pro Evolution Soccer, Vice City and Quake as adding welcome 'character' to our gameplaying experiences." From the article: "Then, in the distance, something astonishing happened. The car I was chasing sunk into the road as if it were careering off a cliff. The car vanished and a welcoming sight flashed up on the screen. 'Mission Passed - $1000'."
Glitches (Score:4, Interesting)
Glitches obviously can also be the ruination of a game, but they're not all bad.
Re:Glitches (Score:1, Interesting)
(It was funny at the time, okay? Of course, I was about 12...)
Re:Glitches (Score:1)
Far better than the glitch in FIFA 99 on PS One which meant if you took a shot at the half way line it went in most of the time.
Christ did that franchise go down the pan quick. Rumours of improvements in later versions have been ignored here at 64nDh1 Mansions. It's Pro Evol
sounds familiar (Score:3, Insightful)
And it's not like video games are an essential part of our functioning society (except for perhaps intensely helping the economy through the millions of dollars that travel around pointlessly) like other software is. That is, you don't want your Bank or your Hospital software to have "personality", now do you?
So I say this is a good thing. Let the games be imperfect. Let them have flaws. Not because it builds "character" or anything, but becase it more closely relates to reality. Okay, okay, this isn't always a good thing. But we don't want our kids (wait, sorry, this is
Avara, CB in Myth (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Avara, CB in Myth (Score:2)
Alternately known as the most awesome thing in the whole world. Fire, pan across the map watching the molotivs arc across the map, then their impact marked by bloody stumps and an "oh FUCK!" screamed by your opponent.
God I loved Myth.
Re:Avara, CB in Myth (Score:1)
There was also a glitch where if there was a ramp slanting into the ground, you could use it to push the mech entirely underground. Multiple jump keys could also be used (with proper timing) to increase jump height.
Diagonal run (Score:4, Interesting)
By the way, is this not the fluffiest fluff piece we've ever seen? 3 examples of cheating and he's done?
Re:Diagonal run (Score:1)
Re:Diagonal run (Score:3, Interesting)
According to ID software and all probability that's a true statement, but there was something funny in the E4M4 level, according to the QDQ team [planetquake.com], read this page [planetquake.com] :). Either that or they just thought of tossing a grenade against a monster in order to do the jump (which is also a somewhat used trick in speed running).
/me cries of nostalgia ;)
Ah, the speedrunning days.
Re:Diagonal run (Score:2)
You mean the present? Quake speed running is alive and well @ http://speeddemosarchive.com/quake/ [speeddemosarchive.com] !
Re:Diagonal run (Score:2)
Re:Diagonal run (Score:2)
It wasn't considered to the level of bypassing obstacles (mainly because it would require a bit more complex level design), but it was considered. As another poster mentioned, E4M4 has a secret that requires a grenade jump. It was thought as early as Doom, map E3M6 (and also in the final level of RotT.)
It only became popular after it was discovered that +mlook activated permanent mouse look - where players could aim their r
Re:Diagonal run (Score:1)
Re:Diagonal run (Score:2, Insightful)
Zelda gold carts.... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Zelda gold carts.... (Score:1)
Yes [somethingawful.com].
From the same man who brought you: Abuses r fun (Score:4, Insightful)
Glitches are sometimes fun. For example,"In Stunts, the old racing game, you could get a car to go flying." Or in Super Mario bros, there was the minus world, where you could go swimming forever.
For the most part, glitches suck, but sometimes they're amusing. If you want your game to be amusing, its best to design for it, not hope for glitches.
Re:From the same man who brought you: Abuses r fun (Score:2)
6th gear, primarily on the Indy car. Get up to ~230MPH (IIRC), and hit a jump. You're in 6th gear, going 245MPH, and locked on (as long as you stay on the gas).
Jumping onto the top of tunnels was fun, too...
Re:From the same man who brought you: Abuses r fun (Score:3, Informative)
Ultimate Stunts [sf.net] appears to be actually progressing, as opposed to most of the other projects, where someone hacked together a 3D engine, and then ignored it...
Pro Evo Soccer (Score:3, Funny)
That games predecessor was Internation Superstar Soccer on N64 where you knew you got away without punishment if you heard the commentator say "Oh a definite foul there". The soundbyte was only played if you made a dirty tackle and got away with it.
Last note on commentary, the worst ever is NHL 2002 on PS2. You can turn the colour commentary off thank god, but when on it's a never ending deluge of vacuous crap. When off, it's dry, boring factual mush. The most the earlier versions of this series (EA Hockey, NHLPA '93 etcetera) had were the organs and crowd noises. This was enough IMHO.
You mustn't try to bend the spoon... (Score:2, Funny)
I agree glitches can be fun, as long as my screen doesn't freeze while one sound effect starts playing over and over.
Re:You mustn't try to bend the spoon... (Score:1)
Re:You mustn't try to bend the spoon... (Score:1)
Its not a bug... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Its not a bug... (Score:1)
Then there's the kind where you find that you can finagle more attacks per turn with a certai
Re:Its not a bug... (Score:1)
Re:Its not a bug... (Score:2)
Dude, the wart should probably be removed if it ever comes to that.
Super Mario 64 (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Super Mario 64 (Score:2, Interesting)
Speed Demos (Score:5, Interesting)
Bending the rules is pretty much the entire premise behind speed runs. They are very entertaining as well. The origional inspiration for the site was Quake done Quick [planetquake.com], a full play-through of the origional Quake in 19:49, which culminated in a 12:23 run through Quake on Nightmare skill [planetquake.com]. (not that they aren't trying to improve on that time [speeddemosarchive.com]).
At the speed demos archive, you can watch Super Mario Brothers 3 completed in 11:11 [speeddemosarchive.com],Super Metroid in 36 minutes flat [speeddemosarchive.com] and The Legend of Zelda in 35:50 [speeddemosarchive.com]. On the PC Game front there is Half-Life in 45:45 [speeddemosarchive.com], Fallout2 in 17:51 [speeddemosarchive.com] and Jedi Knight in 34:03 [speeddemosarchive.com]. I find these very entertaining, and sometimes informative. Check out the Game List [speeddemosarchive.com] and see if any of your old favorites are there!
Re:Speed Demos (Score:2)
There's a guy on there that beat metroid in 29 minutes, beating both minibosses, and not using the NARPASSWORD code. "Most impressive."
My personal best (using the above password) is 18 minutes. But I don't have a video because I don't think using that password should count. Especially when you escape from both miniboss areas by using the pause, controller 2 -> up + A reset code.
In case you want to try it:
1) Start a game by using the password NARPAS SWO
Re:Speed Demos (Score:2)
Actually, 'Red Scarlet' is a girl. :-p
Re:Speed Demos (Score:1)
Re:Speed Demos (Score:1)
For time attack and speedrun movies bisqwit's site [bisqwit.iki.fi] is even better than http://speeddemosarchive.com/ [speeddemosarchive.com] in my opinion and is regularly updated. It focuses on console emulation, however, and doesn't include speedruns for computer games.
Some are more entertaining that others, but there is a best videos [bisqwit.iki.fi] page for those who are first time visitors and just want the most interesting/entertaining videos to date.
Almost all of these speedruns use glitches in the games to achieve faster speeds. Speed isn't every
Re:Speed Demos (Score:2)
Are you aware that everything on that site uses the emulators for numerous save states and slow down? Or do you just like to leave that out when you link people to it?
Re:Speed Demos (Score:2)
Rationalize it! (Score:1)
Metroid (Score:2)
Re:Metroid (Score:1)
Article is wrong.... (Score:5, Insightful)
Too Bad (Score:2)
hacks are now "glitches"? (Score:3, Insightful)
Say WHAT?
Tell me how an aimbot is a "glitch". You make it seem like it's the developer's fault that aimbots exist. No, that's the server admin's fault for not banning the fucker.
For that matter, exploiting any glitches in any Internet game with any king of subscription can get you banned.
I agree that not all glitches are bad -- in fact, most of the Halo glitches are actually quite fun, like the sword glitches and warthog jumps. Unfortunately, the sword glitch seems to be gone now, but the point is...
"Glitches" are the fault of the developer. "Hacks" are the fault of the user, or the server admin for not banning the user. Both, if exploited in order to win a (multiplayer) game, are cheating.
Re:hacks are now "glitches"? (Score:2)
Making a UT keybind to zoom by changing FOV is allowed by the game, only to be disabled at the behest of pathetic whiners calling it "cheating". It is NOT cheating. It doesn't magically play the game for you. It doesn't give you any more advantage than anyone else has. It got so bad that
Re:hacks are now "glitches"? (Score:2)
Yes, but where do you draw the line? You get an advantage -- and yes, it does give you an advantage -- by exploiting something that's completely outside the realm of normal play. True, I wouldn't want people whining that the game "allows" higher resolutions, but I can understand them not liking your FOV, especially considering that an aimbot is essentially th
Re:hacks are now "glitches"? (Score:1)
Re:hacks are now "glitches"? (Score:2)
He didn't call the aimbot in particular as being the glitch, but there have been numerous occasions where FPS-developers still left in the glitches/dev-codes to be working in-game : Last time for me being Counter-Strike : Source, where they left in the miscellaneous developer's cvars, thus enabling looking through walls etc.
Another rationalization: (Score:2)
New: It's not a bug it's a bit a character!
Dark Age of Camelot Dungeon Wormhole (Score:2, Interesting)
Serious Sam Glitches. (Score:1)
I don't think I could have finished the game without this glitch.
Boat Season (Score:2)
It's been known for a long time that glitches and otherwise "wrong" aspects of a game can actually make it more fun. My example: an old CounterStrike map (I think) called "Boat Season," which my friends and I used to play at LANs. The idea behind the map was that the Terrorists and Counterterrorists were on opposite sides of a lake, with "boats" to navigate in between. The first Half-Life's physics engine was laughably terrible, though; the "boats" had the same characteristics as the railway cars in Half-
Re:Boat Season (Score:2)
As the vehicles, exactly as you described, weren't reliable in their behaviour in various ways ; It was great to make use of all the glitches.
Damn, how much I chuckled when I accidently killed my whole team by roaring through a small..small gap :D
GTA Motorcylce Man (Score:1)
MDK - but a deliberate feature (Score:2)
I was stumped as to how to get past i
Re:MDK - but a deliberate feature (Score:2)
MDK stood for Max, Dr Hawkins and Kurt, the hero's of the story.
Crap, I am SOOOO OOOOLD! (Score:2)
Lookitup ya damn whippersnappers!
Re:Crap, I am SOOOO OOOOLD! (Score:1)
Tribes (Score:2, Interesting)
Too bad none of the sequels live up to the original.
Re:Tribes (Score:1)
Same Vice City bug, different outcome (Score:1)
Glitches are good (Score:3, Interesting)
However, glitches can offer some of the best moments in a game. Whenever a big glitch happens, whether it results in Game Over or lets you skip a level, you remember it. They give you a story if it's the type of glitch that can't be recreated by others.
For example, on in GTA: San Andreas, we finished some tricky level with lots of shooting and just had to drive a safe truck with a bunch of drugs or money in it (I forget which) back to our territory. Well, this safe truck is unstable and someone starts shooting at us and we didn't want to lose. We tried to turn, but the truck rolled over and starting sliding on it's side.
But it didn't catch on fire, it just kept sliding across the road, frictionless, for about a minute, and then all of a sudden, it turned back upright and we drove it to the goal. It was hilarious at the time, and no one could stop laughing at this crazy truck disobeying physics while cops are swarming it and mission completion was on the line.
Also, once on NHLPA '93, I remember shooting a puck, and it landed on the crossbar at the top of the goal, and got stuck there and started spinning for about 15 seconds. The goalie kind of backs away from it, and then the puck drops and rolls into the net.
As long as they aren't consistant, glitches are good.
Best Glitch Ever (Score:2)
Basically the models all rotate in random directions. I kid you not... And on top of this it's a rather bizzare Japanese storyline.
Imagine a cart with some horses...
Now imagine the horse on the right rigidly rotating it's head down down down... into the ground.
Meanwhile the horse on the left is spinning at about 45 rpm...
And the guy on the cart is sitting with a riding crop but he's rotating sideways....
AND THAT
Re:Best Glitch Ever (Score:2)
Elite (Score:1)
Glitches in Web Server.... (Score:1)
Server Error in '/' Application.
Runtime ErrorNotes: The current error page you are seeing can be replaced by a custom error page by modifying the "defaultRedirect" attribute of the application's configuration tag to point to a custom error page URL.
Super Mario Bros (Score:1)
Popped in the cart, must have been dusty or something, some of the graphics on the start were a little messed up but i didn't think anything of it.
When I started 1-1 there were enemies that shouldn't be there, those floating platforms and pully platforms, vines, etc, all over the place.
It was fun but only happened on that level, I reset to try it again but it worked normally this time.
Boiling Point: Road to Hell (Score:1)
http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=5
Re:Boiling Point: Road to Hell (Score:1)
San Andreas glitch I just saw (Score:2)
Marvel vs Capcom 2 (Score:1)
City of Heroes (Score:1)
There was a spot in the King's Row map, a sewer access door set at a 45 degree angle, right near the tram station, where the pedestrians would get stuck in an endless run/jump loop. They would basically run full speed up the door and when they reached the top they'd do a 180 and jump. When they hit the ground they would do another 180 and run at the door again, repeating ad infinitum. When the developers finally fixed the bug they put a plaque on the door that said so
KOTOR Galaxy Droid (Score:1)
It just so happened that I did all the stuff to cause it, completely unitentionally. It was only after I went online that I discovered that I had just stumbled on something that others were working hard to recreate.
I still have the game save on it, so I can go back and show doubters that it is real and the neat stuff you can do with it (li
It's all about the unintended features (Score:3, Interesting)
You could also do the following on the Street Fighter 2 machine during the demo to see how many credits where used for each character (see who was being played the most): "On the player 2 side press Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, MP, LP" which always got an "ohh" out of my friends since you could make the machine do something without actually putting money in.
Finally, when Mortal Kombat II came out, my love for glitches came out. Since Midway decided to release rom upgrades to the game you could always hunt down the specific version of the game you wanted. My favorite was the V2 (I think) that allowed you to do multiple babalities over and over. It sounded so sweet on those arcade speakers with explosions over and over. I would finish it off with a friendship on top of the babality. Super sweet.
Re:It's all about the unintended features (Score:2)
A red ninja popped up with a title "Errormachine". Which later became the character "Ermac".