Nathan Drake Doesn't Have A Health Meter In Uncharted, He Has A Luck Meter

According Naughty Dog animator Jonathan Cooper via Twitter, Nathan Drake never actually gets hit by more than one bullet before dying. While enemy soldiers and mercenaries shoot boatloads of ammo at him, the darkened, red-laced screen that emerges when Drake is "shot" multiple times actually represents his luck running out after having consecutive near-misses.
Amy Hennig, creative director of Uncharted 1, 2, and 3, confirmed the tidbit. "That was the original intention," she said. "To stay more aligned with the spirit and tone of the films we were homaging."

[Skuletor]

That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard all day. XD

[-Foxtrot]

I don’t know it fits in with that action adventure film theme the games have

When the character always gets away with his life by pure luck

Like that scene in Shanghai Noon near the end where Roy goes out in the duel with only one bullet and is fired upon by dual revolvers only to win by a lucky shot. Afterwards he then notices all the bullet holes in the side of his robes.

[Skuletor]

Historically red-laced screens in games have been used to show blood loss, a luck meter could have been fading to black and white or something, I doubt anyone playing the games thought it was a luck meter thing before hearing this. I sure didn't.

[CorndogBurglar]

I kind of get what you mean, but action heroes also get shot quite a bit in movies. I would say more movies have the hero getting shot in the arm or leg or shoulder than not getting shot at all.

So that kind of goes against the idea that Nathan isn't getting shot at all until the final bullet.

Also, the red outline on the screen is meant to represent blood in pretty much every other game it's used it. It seems weird they would choose that as some form of luck indicator.

[Skull521]

Ah so they ripped off the Master Chief, not surprised

[UltraNova]

The author clearly doesn't get "games". Uncharted is not a shooting simulator. Its a fun action adventurer game and thats that.

Skull,

Dude...I lost all hope for you.

[Obelisk92]

The original intent may be that, since Drake "heals" with time. But visually it just doesn't work like that, the red screen gives a sensation of injure.

@Skull

If you're not intentionally trolling for fun, I'm seriously worried for you.

[Skull521]

https://youtu.be/jVzKVuCmak...

[yeahright2]

@corndog, yeah and Drake actually gets shot and stabbed also. remember how uncharted two opened? Guess what happened? drake got shot, one single bullet put him down despite him taking dozens or even hundreds of rounds up to that point. So yes, just like in films, the hero also gets hurt from time to time.
As for the red, I said this earlier, but would have preferred if the screen flashed baby blue?come on. red= blood, ok. but we as gamers also associate red on the screen with getting closer to death, and guess what if his luck runs out, he dies.

[Dark_Knightmare2]

Not really it fits in with the adventuring theme of the game. I think it’s pretty cool actually

[Skuletor]

I more mean how they implemented it, every other video game I can remember, red on the screen equalled damage taken, blood spilled etc

[ShadowWolf712]

To me it was just an indicator of where you were taking fire from, given the directional implementation. And that it really doesn't look like blood...

[Dark_Knightmare2]

I haven’t played it for awhile but didn’t the screen fade to black and white when you were close to death

[yeahright2]

It did, the red came up to let you know it was fading to black and white as it would have been too subtle otherwise.
I honestly don't see the big deal, sure red usually means damage, but what you wanted it to be summer blue? red meakes sense because that's what we're used to with getting closer to death.
the luck meter actually explains why drake can take 12 9mm rounds and just duck down for 10 seconds and be fine. That's always been a pet peeve of mine with game touting realism. I always just took it as "it's a video game, let it go."

[CorndogBurglar]

@yeahright2

So when Drake gets behind cover for a few seconds and gets better, you are okay with that being his "luck" recharging?

Does luck work like that? If you avoid getting shot by 10 rounds, but one more bullet will definitely land and kill you then that is not luck. Or, on the other side, you dodge 10 rounds, then get behind cover so your luck recharges and you can now dodge 10 more rounds with no fear of death?

Yeah lol. Luck doesn't work that way either. Luck is unpredictable. If you can "dodge" the same amount of rounds every time before one finally kills you then that is not unpredictable.

I get that actually taking damage and then healing once you get behind cover is not realistic. But let's not pretend that everyone has some unseen luck meter that can be recharged either, and that is somehow a better explanation lol.

[yeahright2]

No but if you read what she says, it's not based on luck in real life, it's based on luck that you see in movies, more akin to Indiana Jones getting shot at than a real life shoot out.

[joab777]

Nooooo! That’s epic! He is our cinematic hero, like all those that have come before. This is brilliant. I wish they hadn’t made it seem like he gets shot though, and instead made it seem as though he was getting very lucky all the time. But you have a luck meter and after so many near misses, one will finally get you! That would have been soooo great!

[rainslacker]

It's like one RPG calling it Magic, and the other calling it Mana. Call it what you will, it's the same thing in the end.

[Ceaser9857361]

skull
Dude MS ripped off the entire Sony e3 presentation starting with MS copying "Sony Interactive Entertainment" TO "Microsoft studio present" Same black background with white fonts So troll elsewhere and you certainly aint funny anymore

[PhoenixUp]

Luck isn’t an ability and it’s not cinematic

[Goldby]

Domino would like a word with you

[gamer7804]

I did a search, couldn't find any of the naughty dog agenda articles, it looks like N4G is censoring that content. check out https://www.oneangrygamer.n...

[rivaldoo777]

Because it's a rant of a youtuber expressing his concerns on an unfinished product. If the product is finished and has some sort of a negative political impact, it will become an issue on media outlet anyways.

[gamer7804]

what? all of naughty dogs games are unfinished products? It's just an article with opinions, whether I agree or disagree isn't the point, only that it should not get blocked from submission if its properly submitted.

[rivaldoo777]

@gamer7805
I mean the TLOUP2 isnt finished yet. My point was, how can you criticize an unfinished product? Considering NDs track record it's going to be nothing but phenomenal but we can wait and see how this turns out. It's not too late to judge the game when its released. You get it now?

[Doge]

Only morons think game developers have some “sjw agenda”.

[gamer7804]

I disagree, but even if you were correct, I don't believe media outlets should censor or block opinions that differ from their own, especially something as mild as this.

[Doge]

Except this “opinion” that’s being blocked is the same tired garbage from the same GamerGate crowd. Nothing new, nothing productive. Just going by ridiculous accusations and attacking developers and media folks who call it out for what it is. Garbage.

[BenjaMan64]

One Angry Gamer? Really? That site is brain poison.

[ShadowWolf712]

Usher used to make some good points back before he went insane.

[ginganinja]

Maybe N4G actually does have some standards.

Stop spamming this BS.

[gamer7804]

I'm not saying i agree with him at all, my point is the policing of what types of posts are acceptable to a degree. Which is a news media right of course, just voicing my dissent.

[Silly gameAr]

What does that have to do with anything here?

[ShadowWolf712]

Holy crap there is a metric assload of genuine racism in that comments section.

Yeesh.

[gamer7804]

welcome to youtube comments, they can be the worst.

[rainslacker]

YouTube videos aren't sufficient submissions. Overviews of a YouTube rant or opinion piece also isn't considered a valid submission.

For the most part, none of the articles about some game dev having an agenda are on here, or get banned. This was part of the fall out of the gamer gate restrictions implemented on the site.

[gamer7804]

it was originally posted as a youtube link, and thats only permissible if its been picked up by another news source (which it already has). They then tried to put it on a website but they still claimed it hasn't been picked up by other news sources.

it's also the first news result you get when you type in n4g on bing.

Its a topic on several forums already including ign etc.

[rainslacker]

You left out the part where they have to be newsworthy. Specifically stated in the actual submission guidelines.

This isn't really newsworthy, because the story is based off a youtube rant, and articles about said rant, and their ensuing opinion pieces, are not considered newsworthy because they're about the journalist, and not the story themselves. I don't agree with this policy, but it's been that way since they enacted the gamergate article policies.

The mods here aren't trying to prevent anti-Sony stories. There are already plenty of those without some stupid nonsense like your'e trying to get on here.

And an anti-Sony piece on YouTube is number one on Bing? The search engine where it's been proven that MS weights the results to serve their own purposes? Yeah, OK. Where's it at on Google? A site with no stake in the console war?

[HeisenbergX]

hahahahahahhahah

[Razzer]

Cool. Worked pretty well.

[bluefox755]

I've heard this before, it's funny. He's just dodging bullets until it turns completely red, that's when his luck runs out and it hits him. This is kind of a joke, I don't think it's meant to be taken seriously.

[madforaday]

I mean, why not take is seriously? It makes sense. The first thing that pops up when you type luck and color is this, "The red color of the packet symbolizes good luck." - Chinese Culture.

[yeahright2]

Wouldn't it be more of a joke that he takes that many bullets and doesn't die? on top of that, he's completely fine a few seconds later, no need for medicine, no doctors, no lasting injury, nothing?

[Toiletsteak]

I don't get this at all. How is it luck when he is clearly getting hit by bullets? I would say that's bad luck.

[yeahright2]

He's getting hit? I don't recall a drop of blood on him from those gunshots.

[CaptainOmega]

You haven't played any uncharted game on brutal

[yeahright2]

I have, platinumed every uncharted game actually, even golden abyss. 1,2,&3 twice. But this is about when Drake appears to get shot and it being luck that he survives rather than a superhuman resistance to bullets.

[adonisisfree]

Lol. Nice try.

[Jon61586]

See that would've made sense when the game first was announced now it just seems like hindsight

[madforaday]

I mean, it still makes sense regardless when the developer said it... also, not the first time a developer said this.

[TengHu]

I knew it I just didn't know what to call it! Because Drake never really has bullet wounds.

[Jinger]

Thaaaaat doesn't make sense...

1. When you're close to enemies you clearly see Nathan get shot.
2. When you get hit with melee and still get that same red screen does that mean his luck is running out until he gets KO'd? Those punches aren't really hitting him?

Amy is amazing and it was probably her original vision, but the final product we got does not reflect that. Nathan clearly gets shot and punched and the red outline is a clear indicator of damage received until death.

[yeahright2]

It would be luck until he gets KO'd. I mean one bullet can kill you, one punch that you're ready for, most likely would not. Amazing that you seem ok with a T-shirt being enough protection for multiple gunshot wounds but not with the bullets missing him.
Ask yourself, this, why would she make this up? or the original poster that she was confirming? Is there a new uncharted game about to release? is there something to gain by fooling you?

[Jinger]

But no one gets knocked out by a pre-set number of hits... "luck" isn't about setting a preset number of times you can be shot at or punched until you are KO'd... that's called a health bar, not luck.

And it's not about realism anyway. I don't want realism... getting killed by one shot isn't fun in a GAME. Also, do the enemies have a "luck" meter also? How come they can survive multiple shots from the player which you clearly do see the bullets hitting them as well.

It's not about realism. I'm just not buying the whole "Luck" thing. "Luck" isn't about the guy standing 2ft. from you missing with his shotgun... that just seems silly.

[yeahright2]

if it's not about realism, then none of it should matter at all. if he survives a dozen gunshots or a dozen shots miss him, it's not realistic, so why does it even matter?
but again, if you don't buy the reasoning, then why would they be lying about it? just for the sake of lying? Amy wanted another news article about her because the one from last week was fading already and she has nothing on the horizon? She wants to put a spot light on her former employer? I just don't get why you think she'd just make this up out of the blue.

[FPS_D3TH]

Getting hit hundreds of times makes more sense? Weird way to look at it

[Jinger]

So you're saying that when you're standing still 2ft. from an enemy with a shotgun... he is just missing you.

It's not about realism of getting killed by ONE bullet, It's just how games are made. If a game had you be killed by a single bullet it wouldn't be much fun.

And if they are going with the "Luck until shot" how come enemies can take multiple shots? Are they getting lucky and missing your bullets until the last one finally hits them? It just doesn't make sense.

[FPS_D3TH]

@Jinger You’re thinking far too hard about this for someone whose fine with bullet sponges

[BenjaMan64]

Some of us have theorized that for a while. After all, the first game's subtitle, "Drake's Fortune" could also apply to Nate's incredible luck.

[FPS_D3TH]

I apply this idea to most of games I play since it’d be unrealistic for someone to survive hundreds of bullets

[KwietStorm_BLM]

Well that's weird

[Chocoburger]

So all of Drake's enemies can take 4-6 shots to die (Crushing difficulty), but Drake *always* dies in one bullet? Doesn't that make him the weaker than all of his enemies? Seems like an odd choice.

[rainslacker]

I'm curious why a dev would clarify something that doesn't really need to be explained. I think regenerative health in games has been fully accepted by every gamer for a long time now.

[Chocoburger]

Indeed, and doesn't Drake also make gasping noises as if he's been hit during combat? Even if this information is 'official' and 'canon' it seems inaccurate.

[Sidewinder-]

Reminiscent of Syphon Filter's "Danger-Meter". It's a cool idea.

[Dfooster]

About as good a shot as the stormtroopers in the star wars films then

[UNCHARTED2FANATIC]

This is litteraly every game though except dark souls

[Vanfernal]

Repost.

[Vanfernal]

Come to think of it... I remember Nate saying stuff like "oh crap!" while getting shot but don't actually remember hearing any pain grunts or anything while being shot at... There might be on to something. I should replay those games and check.

[Chumdiddy]

This has always been my "head canon". I try to play games with health regen with the notion that the health bar is a luck bar.

Glad I'm not entirely crazy.

[WelkinCole]

Makes sense to me. Why on crushing 1 or 2 miss and I was done.

Its about the bad guys taking bad aim like it is in many of the action adventure movies.

[Mr_cheese]

Honestly, i never picked up on this at all. Just assumed i was being shot to pieces

[mogwaii]

NO ONE thought that was a luck meter. NO ONE.