Different games require different things, and something vital to one might be completely trivial to another. The goal of this post is to consider how important spot-on collision detection is to Darkfall, and to also touch on some other games and how collision impacts them.

When I say the collision is spot-on in Darkfall, I mean it. The smallest rock, wall angle, or board across a window will stop a projectile (arrow, spell, cannon), and character collision is 100%: if someone is in your way, at no point will you ‘pass through’ them, regardless of how long you push against them. The collision is so accurate it’s always surprising when something DOESN’T stop a projectile, such as certain tree leaves or ground vegetation.

If Darkfall’s combat was tab-target based, the collision would not be as important, but when you factor in manually aiming every arrow or spell, its impact starts to add up. Ducking behind a window is 100% viable in DF, while in most MMOs it’s generally useless (if it’s even possible). The different races in DF having different height values are not just a graphical difference, but a gameplay one as well. A tall Maharim peaks out above a wall more than a short Alfar, and this has significant tactical value (easier to hit the Maharim, easier for him to look over a wall to get a shot off, etc). That same Alfar might be able to get through a small window, while the Maharim will run up tall stairs that the Alfar would have to jump to climb.

The layout of each boat, the location of a window in a house, how a city is laid out, how a wall starts to deteriorate from damage; all of these things have major gameplay impact that skilled players will take full advantage of. The arc of an arrow has value beyond just looking realistic. That some spells arc while others fire straight, the size of their AoE, that a few pass through walls, etc, all of these are not just graphical differences in Darkfall, but things that must be calculated and mastered.

And if the collision was not so spot-on, if objects had an ‘estimated’ size rather than an absolute one, much of this would be lost. If a wall did not allow objects to pass through the lower sections of its crenellations (Google ftw), this would not only ‘cheapen’ the experience, but cause confusion as to what does or does not block a projectile or player. If house windows were just ‘fluff’, the different combat situations I’ve experienced fighting around them would be drastically different. If that newly-fallen piece of rubble from a wall was just an empty graphical effect, siege tactics would simply not be the same.

Before WAR was released, I posted how crucial collision detection can be for a PvP game. (Bonus points to Spinewire for mentioning DF back then!) The ideas behind that post still stand, but where WAR failed Darkfall got it right. WAR simply did not do enough with collision to really make it matter, at least in the way I had envisioned it. Yes, you had players pile up at the top of a ramp, but it never got as detailed or important as two players blocking a ship ramp, or the tactics that go into a small scale engagement. The ‘zerg’ in WAR is not the same beast it is in Darkfall, and collision plays a large role in that (friendly fire be the biggest factor).

On the other hand, having collision as accurate as it is in DF occurring in WoW would be, at best, a non-factor. Sure, it might be neat to see players go around and over the details of a battleground field, but with tab-targeting, no friendly-fire, and the overall pace of the combat, how much would collision really add? Is the importance of a WoW window the same as in DF? With nametags (another WAR mistake) above everyone’s head, is it really all that important to have a small rock block spells or arrows? And ultimately, is that really what the PvP combat in WoW is all about? LoS arena mechanics aside, does the average players even factor that in, or do they value that the game has lower system requirements and an easier ‘feel’? Outside of PvP, how enjoyable would fighting a WoW mob be if you got stuck on every little detail or your attacks failed because the mob ran behind a rock?

With so many new MMOs in the pipeline for 2011, it’s easy to get lost in the big features and not consider the small stuff. Rift has some interesting ‘big name’ mechanics that it hopes to bring to the genre, but what does its collision detection model look like? Just how important will character size be? Will the overall mechanics lean towards PvE or PvP balance? These among other questions are difficult to full answer until you experience not just one game, but also another that does it drastically different.

If you asked a WAR player who has not played Darkfall about collision, I doubt many of them consider it an issue. If you asked a WoW-only player about it, I doubt many would even know what you really mean. The reverse could be said on other issues; ask a DF-only player about gaming the Auction House for instance and I doubt you would get much out of them.

Point being, it’s only when you truly consider the countless factors that go into the MMO design soup that you can you really start to piece a game together, and figure out what really makes it work, or in some cases, not work.