The Thrill of Monster Hunter | Design Dive

[@AIandGames]

It's been a long time since I made a video diving into the design of a particular game or series. This episode on Monster Hunter is the return to what Design Dive is all about and I plan on making more videos this year looking at some popular titles and franchises. Let me know what you'd love to see. I already have some videos in the works, but always good to hear from you too!

[@BruceKendallMartinJr]

killzone???

[@BruceKendallMartinJr]

or the evolution of sports game ai?

[@AIandGames]

Sports is a pretty good idea actually. I hadn't thought of that. Killzone will be making an appearance in a specific future video, I know that's gonna happen.

[@BruceKendallMartinJr]

@@AIandGames sweet... well my random ideas are covered... ty sir and great channel btdub

[@demondude1237]

out of curiosity, what weapon do you use?

[@micheller3251]

To me a big part of the "magic" of MH is getting to know which monster parts to break and how, and getting to know monster's weak points, and as an insect glaive weilder I also get to know which parts of each monster gives def, attack ans speed buffs. It contributes to making the monster feel like a living creature more than a regular boss fight that you can just hit untill a health bar is emptied

[@ShoorfLonelyLokly]

MHW is good, but got damn it gets boring for me. I can't fathom fighting one monster for like 20 minutes.

[@strangewolf1261]

@@ShoorfLonelyLokly I know this is 3 months later but.... The solution to that is to keep on hunting! The better ya get at the hunt, the quicker the kill gets! Soon nuff that 20 mins will drop to 10, then 7, 5 & for the completely Crack heads in the community, fucking less than a min depending on how long it takes to FIND the Monster. XD

[@randomsimpson]

Not so complicated for me. I main hammers 🦏 + 🔨 = 🤪💫 💥 💥 💥 🖕💥 🔪

[@Fissiccisst1]

Great Video! One super cool aspect of the hunt that I feel most other games don't have is the ebb and flow of who's in charge of the pace of the fight during a hunt. Many other games, enemies simply grow in power as a fight goes on until the climactic finish, always simply growing in intensity. Initially the hunter has priority cause they get to choose how to start the fight. However, the monster at the beginning of the fight is also at its strongest. No parts are broken and they're fresh and not exhausted. However as the fight goes on the monster tires maybe a part breaks, leaning the balance of power towards the hunter...until the monster enrages. At which point the monster takes control of the fight again. However if the hunter persists, the monster will tire, and eventually all that built up damage starts breaking parts left and right. Its a super cool swing back and forth between the hunter and monster that feels so epic where you survive the rage and it starts shattering. Just makes you want to scream "BRING IT DOWN! BRING. IT. DOWN!" Additionally the monster retreat mechanic is a super interesting design decision to me. While I know many veteran hunters only get annoyed at the monster "wasting time" when they leave. I like that it creates both a moment of calm, but can also serve as an effective buildup. For people in a super stressful hunt, it allows you to catch your breath, drink a mega pot, and re-max out your stam bar with some meat, and get your feet under you. Additionally this is time in Rise to get a few more bird buffs as your re-locate your prey. However its also a chance for the monster to recover, often they go get a bite to eat themselves and regain some stamina, prolonging the time before they exhaust, OR in the case of a monster like Nergigante, who's spikes harden over time, its a time for him to become even more dangerous, which means the hunters want to stay on his heels, lest the fight only gets worse. Finally, the nest where monsters sleep, which they go to at low HP levels, are very commonly created in a way for the monster to be at its most dangerous, meaning the climax of the fight is often the most intense.

[@prawn1717]

100% agree with this, I love how a hunt that takes 30 mins can have you setting up traps and planning your perfect opener, leading to an enrage where you have to be playing at peak performance in order to not cart until the monster's exhausted. The pace of combat is wonderful, and things can snowball out of control QUICK which leads to the much needed reprieve of the monster switching zones. That being said, I wish more fights were like Nergi. He does TWO divebombs in that cramped space right out of the gate, and I think even gains a new move or two? A lot of monsters don't change much and I wish they'd get faster or something, ESPECIALLY if its a Rathian guarding her eggs for instance.

[@zeehero7280]

a tough monster deciding to run is a relief sometimes, you have time to re sharpen your weapon, eat another steak to top off stamina, and in general buff and prepare before going back to finish it off.

[@unabomber02]

Awesome video Tommy, I remember back when you first started mentioning AI and Games back when you were a lecturer at Derby Uni. So cool to see how far the channel has come !! I'd love to see some videos on Rimworld and Dwarf Fortress, and maybe even online card games like Hearthstone, and how there still isn't a sure fire way to make AI (that isn't hardcoded to perform) that can work with things that a human player would do, such as setting up elaborate card combos. The amount of times I've seen the AI in Hearthstone make terrible decisions (or nothing at all) is an area I've been interested in for a long time.

[@manbat4582]

I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on the essential of A.I actions conveyed by enemies of real time melee focused game. Like knowing to what degree they can predict players while simultaneously being easily predicted themselves.

[@neferoku]

when it was finished I couldn't believe this video has 23k views man, this is such a great video

[@AIandGames]

Thanks. Go smash that share button! 😉

[@LiterallyPolio]

As a long time Monster Hunter giga-fan it's really nice to see people talking about the games. Great video.

[@TheOlian04]

I'd be interested in seeing your take on designing raids for MMO:s. Maybe even making some comparisons between games and genres, like for instance: Destiny 2, World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy, Guild Wars 2.

[@startide]

I would love a view on eve online and it's "emmergent" gameplay

[@ArvindRajAgnosticAtheist]

This is an amazing video capturing almost everything I love about the franchise, thank you.

[@videoslinkman8423]

Great video again, Tommy. I used to love MH4U on the 3DS. If you set your language to French then your character says "Je suis monté!" whenever you mount a beast which I always found hilarious for some reason. Do you have any plans to explore the STALKER series? Enemy soldier AI has always been a highpoint for those games, plus the wild animals have some really interesting behaviours. Would be great to see your thoughts on it.

[@AIandGames]

Sorry just dying a little at that expression. 😂 STALKER has been one of those games I really need to get around to at some point...

[@null_9689]

for some reason most french player's choice of weapon is insect glaive, they keep spamming jump attack and failed to do the mount

[@oneeyemonster3262]

@@null_9689 The game is closer to Dragon Dogma ( Capcom) Alot of it is becuase you can scale monsters/dragons in Dragon Dogma and you can also JUMP during Combat. I practice..I can actually mount it..do spinning attacks...back and forth and remain on the monster's back. You can also run up a wall/tree in the arena...while using DRAGGERS.. do a back flip and land on monsters...It's not the easiest thing in the world..Monsters dont stay STATIONARY for too long...and the CAMERA messes you...but when you land on it ...or hit it while you land. it's cool looking. Dragon Dogma dosnt a spear/lance. So I use the insect glaive becuase master Bows/swords/daggers already. Play something DIFFERENT or different combat style. The game isnt too easy..but it'll make more sense if you're familar with Dragon Dogma..Crafting weapons..different armor. Different enemies has different weakness...such as you use the dragon dogma sword to wack all day long on Daimon. it;ll barely do any damage to him.. You need lighting or holy light.

[@heysamesam]

Now I need a Monster Hugger game

[@Jonathon_Hennessey]

I enjoy watching your content, it's very informative, Maybe for a future design dive segment you could talk about Sekiro and it's focus on parrying and deflecting enemy attacks.

[@babayaga4320]

Monster Hunter has the most addictive game loop of any game I've ever played. And it can be almost as simple or as complex as you want it to be. It's video game crack. World was my first MH game and, it blew me away. I just wish MH4U was available on the Switch, I'd love to play it.

[@ImDenny_]

Excellent video, as always

[@AIandGames]

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@solidreactor]

I'm still waiting for your Karaoke performance of the food part Tommy :)

[@kizuma4269]

very good video I am happy you talked in some way about the series in this channel but btw when you said that streamlining some mechanics was for the sake of portable experience did not the old portable game had these mechanics before stream lining them like paint ball and finite wheelstone I do not say it is bad or good I mean it is more of stream lining for the sake of it or another reason not really cuz of the portable experience cuz most of the games before world was on portable devices . and hope you make more videos on the series if you found something interesting

[@camil3545]

from what i recall, the only "streamlining" that prior portable games had were HP values were generally scaled down and the Event Quest system was one-time download and you keep forever (like Rise does) whereas the actual Console titles (that weren't ports) like MH3 had rotating schedules for Event Quests (like World does).

[@Razorwire882]

Looking at how Crusader Kings 3's AI nations make decisions would be neat. Might be a lot to do though!

[@Ascendeus]

I played Monster Hunter: Freedom Unite like crazy as a kid, but could never really get into Monster Hunter: World... this video may have had changed my mind ❤

[@SepticFuddy]

Weird, it was the opposite for me. I enjoyed the crossover missions in MGS: Peace Walker so I picked up MHFU and was completely lost (and felt like I needed a right thumbstick). When MHW came out I was happy for the chance to finally dig into a MH game on PC and from my perspective, much more accessible

[@Ascendeus]

@@SepticFuddy MGS: PW was also a masterpiece ahead of its time 😌

[@SepticFuddy]

@@Ascendeus Absolutely. I'd love to see another game like that made today and cross-platform. MGSV was the closest but didn't have the co-op orientation and end-game boss capture replayability that gave PW its staying power. MH is still the closest on the latter minus the army-building, but the ground warfare angle is an interesting variety. I guess HD2 touches on that side of it but it's still not a replacement for PW

[@Lukz243]

Great video, Tommy!

[@vermincrown]

Tam Bawsmasher is one of the finest character names there is.

[@romainquintosol4575]

Super qualité comme d'hab !

[@WesleyFiles]

MH Rise has 39 large monsters, without counting the other 7 variations. This might be were you made a mistake, now that I think about it. 39 minus 7 gives us 32, which is the erroneous number you used in the video. It's 39 unique monsters, and 7 variations for 46 options in total.

[@fhjunior6183]

Thanks for the vid

[@stroot139]

love the irn bru 32 name

[@AIandGames]

I panicked and now all of my MH companions are named after different Irn Bru drinks.

[@Majorblack]

Never clicked on a video lol, excellently scripted video

[@KenBladehart]

When MH World goes mainstream, the game lost a lot charms and funny interactions (remember Felvine Bomb?) Luckily, MH Rise restored the charm but still kinda lacking in the random interactions It would be nice to see you visit older Monster Hunter games and try to pick out what the older games does really well compared to the modern entry

[@AIandGames]

I might try and revisit them at some point. I remember **fighting** so damn hard with MH3 to try and like it and failing because I found it quite impenetrable. One thing I omitted from the video is how valuable a sense of community is when playing these games. A handful of people in our Discord server have played MH: World with me for a while now and it's been a great mechanism in helping me understanding mechanics/dynamics that often go over my head.

[@KenBladehart]

@@AIandGames Your skills in World and Rise actually translate back to the older games. So, you wont feel too alienated Obviously some mechanics are different or outright doesnt exist, but the core player skills will carry backwards

[@kizuma4269]

@@AIandGames btw the old game are mare defensive cuz it is a bit slower so try playing a bit more tactically

[@manbat4582]

I don't think achieving mainstream is a fault for World being at it is. It's the devs decision to further incorporate a sense of realism and that reduces the level of goofiness displayed by older games. I do prefer Rise approach in combining both of them so here's hoping the next will do as well.

[@camil3545]

@@AIandGames I remember MH3 was what got me into the franchise (tried it on PSP but i couldn't get used to "Clawing"), what was so hard about it?

[@DnVFMVs]

Being a MH vet playing for 15 years now I want to put my 2 cent that the real golden age of Monster Hunter Series were mh, mhf2,mhu,mhtri, mh3rd in that order and at least in my experience and opinions noting will replace those game ever in all its entirety. Cheers to the new worlds and its hunters.

[@camil3545]

Never really cared much about the Exploration in World (in fact, "exploring" the Ancient Forest is one of the things i hated the most about the game, just glad the other maps are nowhere near as unnecessarily obtuse to traverse), Roster is really the selling point IMO, even in older games where you didn't have much in the way of "immersive realism" the monsters animations always sold their personality in how they move around and attack, as well as the old Ecology clips they used to have.

[@prawn1717]

I think it definitely depends on the player and how levels are designed, I generally like the exploration if exploration is interesting! For instance, the Rise maps were really fun to explore if you wanted to find special wildlife, hidden lore bits, easter eggs from past games, etc. Plus, the Wirebug just made moving around fun overall. I also liked exploring the Hoarfrost reach because there were so many interesting landmarks to check out. That being said, the Ancient Forest is just too confusing. I get that the point is to get lost, but nothing in the Ancient Forest is interesting enough for me to WANT to be lost in! If there were ruins to explore, treasures to find or swamps to trudge through I would enjoy the experience a lot, but as it stands the map just feels like a roadblock.

[@tomburns5231]

Is there any AI in this? If so, it was not obvious or explained well.

[@didoma73]

MHW and MHR is still missing the most important aspect of multiplayer to me. Given that the game is built around hunting these monsters, there's not enough motivation and incentivization to do so in a party. Other games accomplish this "multiplayer first" approach by even penalizing solo type of play and openly rewards your decisions to team up.

[@freedomdst]

the problem with this franchise for me is that they are scared to innovate, core gameplay remains at 80% in every new game, attack patterns design, specially in Rise, already have the feel of a MH game, so you can dodge most thing without that preparation, observation or previous fails like before. Using the same weapons for 5 games, since the core moves of every weapon wont change, makes the game feels stale soon. World was a big refresh in everything but the weapon moves. That is the feel i get after playing almost all of these games since freedom on PSP. I cant play more than 100 hours, unite and world were over 600h, but now the game feels too familiar and fails to give a entertaining challenge.

[@simonbysshe]

So when will your videos speak about actual AI?

[@pierreo33]

first

[@brojakmate9872]

It is Dark Souls Edit: For kids

[@jesuscruz6533]

Not exactly, at least not to me. I've definitely found some Monsters to be significantly harder than most DS bosses, though only a few

[@jeronym894]

No, I don't think so... For example, the toughest boss from DS took me 20m and the toughest boss from MHW Iceborn took me 3 days to beat :D ( Fatalis)

[@Zephyr-lp2mi]

I disagree, While in terms of violence MH is abit more tame but in terms of difficulty Ive found some encouters in MH games to surpass any soulsborne fight, especially with all the mechanics and prep at play