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[Jill Valentine]

Thinking of a better thread title...

So we all remember the Mr.X debacle. He provided lots of fun for monetization prostitutes, but there were quite a number of people frustrated by his presence. I have shifted back and forth.

There is an absolute necessity for his existence, though I think people would preferred a unique A and B route with him in B only. But anyway. In the absence of any easily created alternatives (or you might have some) he is necessary to provide an obstacle as the player has a increase in power. At this point they likely have the Shotgun/GL and will have access to the magnum/Uzi during his pursuit (in A).

Not long after release it was discovered as most people assumed that he moves at increased speed when outside the adjoining rendered rooms


Now for me I think this was the wrong decision, because now you expect him to be there every 2 minutes instead of trying to anticipate avoiding him or being surprised when he shows up. Perhaps having to walk everywhere instead of running would've been a fair alternative in avoiding his attention.

I can see how with the map distribution this might be an issue of course. The walking time between left and right wings of the station would be high, and there's still the question of should he approach when you make sound through gunfire etc. Of course the silencer on the uzi does not attract lickers so I assume it works the same for Mr.X

Now when I say Clock Tower I'm thinking of the last time I played Demento (Haunting Ground). I remember the stalkers being fairly sparse. It genuinely felt like their pathing was under the same constraints as the player character in that they had to explore.

In considering White Day, the janitor characters can be annoying as heck and the areas are quite small, but when off screen they obey all the limits of the player, barring some frustrations with the range in when they see or react to noise on the higher difficulty options. There are also times it seemed like their exploration could magnetize toward the player, but I think it was down to luck. Notably the janitor can open doors the player has unlocked yet.

And that's my showerthought/blog for the day. I'm of the opinion that the stalker should be like the player in terms of exploration, no magical teleports or speed boosts.The worst part for me is the success of Mr.X means games are now going to follow his template. The more encounters, the more videos, the more free promotional material.

I don't know if it's known already if Nemesis can be avoided like Mr.X, but I'll keep my eyes open.

 

[Zambatoh]

The level design was designed specifically with him in mind. Mr. X is so ridiculously easy to avoid or run around, that he barely registers as a threat.
And even when he "speed walks" around the map, you can still hear him coming a mile away.

 

[Alexios]

They should teleport and have player radar as in Alien Isolation and whatever else actually makes for half decent situations in the games they're in. If they had realistic AI then you could meet them once and never again if you successfully outsmarted them or left them behind without such.

Just play rather than try to figure out how they work, any enemy would just seem dumb with such deconstruction, they're games after all, like how everyone complains about "bad" AI in stealth games not realizing that actually realistic AI would mean they can't move an inch in a protected area.

I'm not even a fan of such Mr. X or Nemesis style enemies (but Nemesis was better in that you could put it down every time it showed up iirc), I think it goes against the rest of the game design that allows you to kill everything then some thing is arbitrarily not vulnerable when it's meant to chase you around so even shooting it is a waste of resources then suddenly it becomes a boss fight at some point and then you can kill it or otherwise impede it or whatever. But that's not to do with the AI and how it keeps showing up. If they're gonna have them at all this is how in terms of AI.

Just think of it like a somewhat evolved version of scripted events/cut scenes/encounters, it's not that uncommon for a game to have you fight an enemy, then have it escape, then at some later part of the story have it show up again for a final showdown. Similar thing, just a bit more organic.

 

[DeltaPolarBear]

As an old episode of Doctor Who explained, it is actually not that difficult to avoid a walking pursuer if they make noise.

But I think MR X is not so much cheating, as he being slowed down once he is in the room with the player so you have a chance.

Still, i am a bad judge of this as I don't like survival horror games in general.

 

[kunonabi]

Mr. X is pretty much a non-factor outside of rooms with lickers and the library if you dont manage it properly. He's not quite as pointless as Lisa was but he's close.

 

[Arachnid]

I think it's necessary. He wouldn't be much of a threat if he couldn't make a quick entrance when you make noise. He's already simple enough to avoid, and he added just the right amount of tension for the first playthrough IMO.

 

[xrnzaaas]

This is something I can't agree with. If you're bothered by teleporting stalkers you also shouldn't be able to heal all your wounds in an instant or obtain resources from simple item mixing. It's a mechanic designed to make the horror games fun and tense, not always being super realistic is the correct approach. I wasn't bothered by Mr.X in RE2 at all, especially since you can quickly learn he's not a formidable foe after all. With Nemesis in REmake 3 it should be different and I'm looking forward to that.

 

[Nickolaidas]

He provided lots of fun for monetization prostitutes,

Explain.

 

[Oddspeak]

One of the few non-scripted startles I got from RE2 was when I got Tyrant off my tail for a few minutes and felt safe, then opened the door to the library only to catch an eyeful of his massive torso, promptly followed by his cinderblock-sized fist hitting me in the face. I yelped, got up and ran away, but then laughed at how effective it was. It was a great encounter.

After playing both Leon and Claire's A Scenario on both Normal and Hardcore, I don't think I ever felt like Tyrant's teleporting was cheating. Even if it was clear he might've skipped to the next room, he was always the approximate distance away I assumed he'd be after running for a minute and then stopping to listen to his footsteps, which is the most important detail. I think the moment I described above was the only time he managed to "sneak up" on me; it made for a memorable interaction, and it wasn't even during my first playthrough when it happened.

The stalking mechanic exists explicitly to create those startling moments. The important thing to know isn't whether they teleport or not, it's how strong that teleportation is, and I think Tyrant hit the perfect spot. Obviously, poor imitators who don't understand that balance are going to end up with a much more annoying enemy, but that's just a given regardless of how Tyrant was programmed.

 

[New Yorks Finest]

No wonder this mofo pos drove me nutz!!..what a cheating bastid...just wait for Mar.4th, Ver #2 of this Abomination is coming

 

[Dr.Morris79]

It just flat out ruins the game for me and no, he is not an absolute necessity, at all. The game could have still been great without an unkillable yawn fest.

 

[Ivory Blood]

I liked Mr. X, but yeah, him being on your tail just like the Alien in Isolation got old real quick.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Teleporting is fine for Nightcrawler tho

 

[AV]

Explain.

This sums it up nicely

 

[Screamer-RSA]

I finished the game with 2nd playthroughs for both characters and Mr.X is nice and all but when I play RE2 again, I'm removing the fucker.

 

[The Bloody-Nine]

I played the original RE2 and I don't recall any unstoppable stalker. I do remember the unstoppable stalker, Nemesis, in RE3.

Is this a new addition, or is my alcohol frazzled brain finally failing me?

 

[sunnysideup]

You need to play the second disc to meet mrx