Does Clipping Ruin A Game For You?

[Gallant Pig]

Splinter Cell was bashed by a select few on here for having clipping problems. For them it made the game less fun. For me and many others, it was a forgivable problem since the graphics and gameplay were so good. Grand Theft Auto 3/VC both have clipping problems as well and are both universally loved. Just recently I was playing the new Zelda at a kiosk and I saw the same sort of clipping problems I saw in Splinter Cell, Link could put his sword through the ground, etc, yet the game was still fun and great looking to me.

Do you let clipping ruin a game for you or do you ignore it? If you let it ruin a game for you: why? If the gameplay and graphics are otherwise very good I think it is a forgivable crime.

[cubanx]

No.

Clipping has been in 3D PC games forever. I got over it long ago. Does this make clipping "ok", no it doesn't but until there is a uniform way of programming or graphics technology to prevent it all they can do is minimize it.

[Groucho]

I try not to let it bother me. The way I look at it: if I could handle it Goldeneye (which had HORRIFIC clipping but was still a great game), I can handle it in anything else.

[darkside]

Not really its a limitation of 3D gaming. The GTA3 games were buggy as hell, but still fun to play. Considering I started out gaming by playing the Atari 2600 I can deal with clipping. As long as its not so bad my character is getting stuck in a wall or something I can deal with it.

[RoQuEr]

yeah, I've turned on no clipping mode before in games and wall walked all the way to the end of a level. Thats ruined a game or 2 for me in the past.

[Trigger]

Pretty much every 3d game has some clipping. I think only a few people made a big stink about the Splinter Cell clipping. In all fairness, it features some of the most realistic graphics of any game on any console ever to date. It has some minor clipping issues just like any other 3d game... I chalk it up to the fact that you can't please everyone. You know, these same people didn't complain about the horrible clipping problems in Turok, Timesplitters 2 or GTA3 & Vice City. Mind you, all of this complaining happened before the game came out. :) Now, Splinter Cell - as great looking as it is - has worse problems than clipping... water doesn't look that great and reflections in mirrors and such are non-existant. Maybe for Splinter Cell 2. If not, then surely some other game will have it.

In answer to your question, I said "no" - I can look past this sort of thing... just like I was able to look past the unrealistic lighting in every 3d game since the invention of 3d games. Just like I was able to look past blocky graphics of older games. Someday, 3d games will be without clipping - by then of course we'll be complaining about something else that isn't realistic - like the lack of shine on teeth enamel or something.

[Gallant Pig]

Does anyone know why clipping occurs? A technical or non-technical reason would be fine!

[menaz]

I heard somewhere it has to do with collision detection in the programming. When I was playing Bloodrayne, at one point, I was walking through a table, and if I stood in the middle, it looked like a cool magic trick. I guess the table was non existent to her, but it was visible.

[Centurion]

Not in the least does clipping ruin a game for me. Unfortunately, I've become immune to it since I see it occur in almost every 3D game I play.
I would think that this is a programmer issue. It would seem that clipping can be avoided but would require a game to be downgraded in other areas. It's a 'give and take' situation.

[KingSmoth]

Depends on the game. It annoys me in games like Splinter Cell, Hitman 2, and The Getaway when enemies clip through doors and walls and kill me. In GTA3 and Vice City there is lots of clipping, but I never had guys walk through walls and kill me because of it...

[SuprVgeta]

Originally posted by Gallant Pig
Just recently I was playing the new Zelda at a kiosk and I saw the same sort of clipping problems I saw in Splinter Cell, Link could put his sword through the ground

Well, it is possible to stick a sword into the ground if you think about it... But refering to the clipping question, it's not something I ever look for, so no, it doesn't affect me.

[Ginwen]

Nope, I've gotten used to it.

If a game is fun, it can have lots of clipping problems, bad graphics and mediocre sound (not beeps like the old PC speakers though, unless I can turn it down) and I'll play it anyway.

[Gallant Pig]

Originally posted by SuprVgeta
Well, it is possible to stick a sword into the ground if you think about it... But refering to the clipping question, it's not something I ever look for, so no, it doesn't affect me.

True, but it wasn't some sort of effect. It was a castle floor and part of Link's hand and sword go into the floor (steps) with no animation or sound effect to make it sound like it went in and it goes in like butter. Very obvious clipping. I think 3rd person 3d views are the most susceptible to it.

[Gallant Pig]

Originally posted by KingSmoth
Depends on the game. It annoys me in games like Splinter Cell, Hitman 2, and The Getaway when enemies clip through doors and walls and kill me. In GTA3 and Vice City there is lots of clipping, but I never had guys walk through walls and kill me because of it...

Weird, that's never happened to me in Splinter Cell and I've played for more than 30 to 40 hours. You can see their parts go through doors when they walk in (sometimes0, but they never actually just walk through the door without opening it.

[RoQuEr]

Originally posted by Gallant Pig
Weird, that's never happened to me in Splinter Cell and I've played for more than 30 to 40 hours. You can see their parts go through doors when they walk in (sometimes0, but they never actually just walk through the door without opening it.

drop a body beside a wall and half his body will go thru the wall.

If you alert guards, run behind a door, let it close, then stand in front of it to block it from opening. The bad guys guns will penitrate the door.

Personally I found the glass ramps covering stairs far mose disconcerting than I did clipping

[Ralph Wiggum]

It can be obnoxious, but doesn't bother me that much.

Bad camera? Totally different story. . .

[Josh H]

Could care less unless it's really really bad, to the point of being distracting or effecting the game play. And personally I haven't seen anything really, really bad since the early PS1/N64 days.

[menaz]

Actually, thing that annoys me the most about splinter cell is how whenever he sammy is going down stairs or ladders, his feet/hands arent actually on the step. They just kinda float there.