The ever-present constant in your gaming journey, hitboxes, are incredibly challenging for video game developers to make, constantly varying from game to game.
But, what exactly are hitboxes? Let's find out.
Hitboxes in Video Games
Hitboxes are a set of 2D or 3D shapes that a game uses to register real-time collisions. For example, hitboxes register if you've hit an enemy and vice versa.
People sometimes use "hitbox" for a box that can deal damage and a "hurtbox" for a box that can receive damage. If the hitbox overlaps with a hurtbox, the game registers that as a hit.
Though we refer to them as boxes, hitboxes can take the form of circles, spheres, and unique meshes. In general, though, they're a rough set of shapes that match a character model, with different hitboxes registering different kinds of damage (i.e, the hurtbox for a character's head is usually high damage).
Hitboxes are a fundamental part of game design, so you'll find them in all kinds of games. Though you'd always want good hitboxes, some games can get away with less-than-pristine hitboxes if other parts of their game design make up for it, such as the writing, or the exploration (ahem, RPGs).
However, hitboxes really need to be up to scratch in competitive fighting games, for example, as they're incredibly important to their core gameplay loop.
Games like Street Fighter V or Soulcalibur VI rely on accurate, well-designed hitboxes in order to deliver a satisfying gameplay experience.
If these hitboxes or hurtboxes are the wrong sizes, for example, it could lead to a frustrating gameplay experience, such as your hits not dealing any damage when they've clearly made contact.
Knowledge of hitboxes helps you identify the exact areas where your character deals and receives damage, as, usually, they don't perfectly line up with the character models or stances.
In games like Dark Souls, this could be the difference between dodging attacks by the skin of your teeth and gearing up for your 20th run at the same boss.
Well Designed Hitboxes Correlate With Fair Video Games
Hitboxes are a key part of your gameplay experience and a big contributor to how much fun you'll have within a game's combat loop or platforming sections.
Video game designers are always looking for ways to improve hitboxes and hurtboxes as they help dictate how fair a game's challenge is.
So, next time you're fighting a horde of enemies or battling your friend in Mortal Kombat, take a moment to think about those invisible yet important shapes.