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LadyCrimson

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I liked this article, I tend to like most of this guy's articles.
Not really news but good read, IMO

http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2014/01/31/why-assassins-creed-style-eagle-vision-is-terrible-game-design-and-needs-to-stop/

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I'd say the answer to that question is kind of like the answer to "who's the sucker in this poker game?"*

 

*If you can't tell, it's you. ;)

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I liked this article, I tend to like most of this guy's articles.

Not really news but good read, IMO

http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2014/01/31/why-assassins-creed-style-eagle-vision-is-terrible-game-design-and-needs-to-stop/

 

I agree with the general view of this article. This is a really about dumbing down games to the point where we don't even think anymore. But one consideration is we have become lazy to a certain degree, so when you remove  something like Eagle Vision people complain that the game is confusing or frustrating.

 

A good idea as he mentioned is some sort of penalty if you use abilities that reveal locations. I think Mana drain would be appropriate

"Abashed the devil stood and felt how awful goodness is and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely: and pined his loss”

John Milton 

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” -  George Bernard Shaw

"What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead" - Nelson Mandela

 

 

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One thing about features like that is that it could be argued that it compensates for the in game character (i.e. Batman) being simply much more adept at spotting things than the game player.

 

I find the inclusion of it to be analogous to "player skill" vs "character skill" debates in RPGs. I'm pretty indifferent to the feature, and don't really care if it is or is not included in games.

 

Although I disagree with the notion that enemies won't ever surprise you (unless I'm just terribad at games...) simply on the basis of the inclusion of this mechanic. One positive is that this mechanic (especially in Batman) can really help the player get the lay of the land, and come up with creative (and fun) tactics/strategies to deal with the impending challenge. When you successfully execute the plan and it works out, players get enjoyment. The more badass/risky the plan, the greater the high (in my experience).

Edited by alanschu
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One thing about features like that is that it could be argued that it compensates for the in game character (i.e. Batman) being simply much more adept at spotting things than the game player.

 

I find the inclusion of it to be analogous to "player skill" vs "character skill" debates in RPGs. I'm pretty indifferent to the feature, and don't really care if it is or is not included in games.

 

Although I disagree with the notion that enemies won't ever surprise you (unless I'm just terribad at games...) simply on the basis of the inclusion of this mechanic. One positive is that this mechanic (especially in Batman) can really help the player get the lay of the land, and come up with creative (and fun) tactics/strategies to deal with the impending challenge. When you successfully execute the plan and it works out, players get enjoyment. The more badass/risky the plan, the greater the high (in my experience).

There is a difference between giving the player information and giving them perfect information, a power that lets you see through walls or tag and track enemies falls on the latter. It is not the same as character skill as it is a game mechanic that deals directly with the player. 

I'd say the answer to that question is kind of like the answer to "who's the sucker in this poker game?"*

 

*If you can't tell, it's you. ;)

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There is a difference between giving the player information and giving them perfect information, a power that lets you see through walls or tag and track enemies falls on the latter. It is not the same as character skill as it is a game mechanic that deals directly with the player.

A power that lets them see through walls simply reframes what the gameplay is specifically about. It can also be a game mechanic that directly compensates for the deficiencies that the player may have compared to the game. Stating that it deals directly with the player is irrelevant, since ultimately all things still deal directly with the player since ultimately the player is still driving the input and formulating the decisions, even in the event of character skill. If the game is going to attempt to do anything to ensure character skill is recognized, it's nigh impossible to do so in a meaningful way without communicating that directly to the player.

 

 

Having said that, if it's simply an "in game cheat button" then it would seem like the obvious solution would be "don't ever use it." Or is this a situation where a game developer needs to protect players from themselves? Because if you suggest that the inclusion of the ability is required to play the game, then that means that the game would not be the same if the feature did not exist. It would have to be designed differently.

 

I already detailed how it changes Batman's encounters from "be perceptive and make sure that you don't miss where a hostile is located" to "examine the hostiles and the immediate surroundings, formulate a plan and attempt to execute it." Note that despite all this, I still died on numerous occasions. It means it's framing the encounters and the mindset of the player onto something else. It's also a means of conveying information to the player within the context of the game's setting. Unfortunately, to continue using Batman as an example, there's going to be issues with conveying information as to what areas batman can quickly grapple to, which walls are destructible, and what objects are actually interactive, due to the nature of 3D game world design. This problem is compounded as graphical fidelity goes up.

 

While you may disagree, I do not feel that requiring trial and error for the player to learn which walls can be destroyed, or whether that statue is one that the game engine supports Batman grappling towards and hanging inverted, is a positive feature.

 

 

This doesn't mean that having stuff like this is superior, or that every game that has this is just as well served with its inclusion. I hear that something like this is going to be included in Thief, which is a setting where it may not make much sense.

 

Even then, with respect to looking through walls and whatnot, gamers have been able to exploit this since the beginning of games and it's hardly a new feature of the gaming world. Top down views give players omniscient clairvoyance in Metal Gear Solid, while camera manipulation lets the player look around walls and know where characters are that Sam Fisher shouldn't know about either.

 

This seems more like a fidelity issue, where as games become more realistic looking, some gamers are less willing to accept some of the gameplay mechanics that provide the game player with a degree of information that they otherwise may not have. I'm curious if Pac-man, if down entirely from a first person perspective, would face scrutiny if we could still see the ghosts through the walls.

 

 

EDIT: (my thoughts are a bit scattered all over as I wrote this while doing other stuff, but would it be different if the games were unchanged, but actually required an explicit cheat code to enable those view modes?)

Edited by alanschu
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I know this may not seem relevant but it ties in Alan's point about "not using a certain ability"

 

I'm playing and loving Dishonored at the moment and I'm enjoying the functionality where you can choose to hide the quest markers so you need to explore to find where you going. The only issue I'm finding is at times I turn it back on because I'm lazy on certain maps :blush:

"Abashed the devil stood and felt how awful goodness is and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely: and pined his loss”

John Milton 

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” -  George Bernard Shaw

"What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead" - Nelson Mandela

 

 

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I know this may not seem relevant but it ties in Alan's point about "not using a certain ability"

 

I'm playing and loving Dishonored at the moment and I'm enjoying the functionality where you can choose to hide the quest markers so you need to explore to find where you going. The only issue I'm finding is at times I turn it back on because I'm lazy on certain maps :blush:

Do you think that it would be viable to do the same with a game like Skyrim where following the quest marker was all you did and descriptions where lazy?

 

@Alanschu: I understand what the mechanic is and i'm not against it; although the point brought in the article about the level design are valid, but the amount of information the player has in a game dictates the extent of their strategies. It can be an inane thing as it doesn't affect what the most viable solution is, or it can be a cheat button such as in the latest hitman. It wasn't the same in DX:HR because it came with a cost which balanced its usefulness.

Ultimately I don't believe that is a faulty mechanic but that it is being used lazily to "handheld" players and make sure they don't get lost, something that could be solved with good level design, quest objectives and a map. 

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I'd say the answer to that question is kind of like the answer to "who's the sucker in this poker game?"*

 

*If you can't tell, it's you. ;)

village_idiot.gif

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I know this may not seem relevant but it ties in Alan's point about "not using a certain ability"

 

I'm playing and loving Dishonored at the moment and I'm enjoying the functionality where you can choose to hide the quest markers so you need to explore to find where you going. The only issue I'm finding is at times I turn it back on because I'm lazy on certain maps :blush:

Do you think that it would be viable to do the same with a game like Skyrim where following the quest marker was all you did and descriptions where lazy?

 

@Alanschu: I understand what the mechanic is and i'm not against it; although the point brought in the article about the level design are valid, but the amount of information the player has in a game dictates the extent of their strategies. It can be an inane thing as it doesn't affect what the most viable solution is, or it can be a cheat button such as in the latest hitman. It wasn't the same in DX:HR because it came with a cost which balanced its usefulness.

Ultimately I don't believe that is a faulty mechanic but that it is being used lazily to "handheld" players and make sure they don't get lost, something that could be solved with good level design, quest objectives and a map. 

 

 

I have to confess I haven't played Skyrim yet but its going to be on my game list in the next 2-3 games. I have been researching exactly what you mentioned about Skyrim and there are some Mods that remove map markers and apparently one that adds more details to quest information so you can find what you looking for through decent exploration

"Abashed the devil stood and felt how awful goodness is and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely: and pined his loss”

John Milton 

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” -  George Bernard Shaw

"What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead" - Nelson Mandela

 

 

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http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=98865403&postcount=671

 

Very interesting post. Nintendo's big investor meeting is soon I think.

 

"The funny thing is, he and miyamoto said this at the unveiling of the gamecube, they were talking about everything what the Wii would become in 2006. They were talking about how an arms race will end up in a few AAA titles left to compete for the money of the customer and that Nintendo won´t participate in such a race since it will ultimately hurt the industry as a whole (because no one will be willing to take risks and the games will become very similar). "

Yet Nintendo makes the same games repackaged with the same characters from the 80s, no less. 

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User-created courses shared with friends, no swing meter, no licensed branding, no cartoon gallery, no Tiger Woods ... this upcoming golf title is all about swinging action.  :biggrin: On PC, too.

I haven't played a golf game in so long.  I used to love some golf games.  Hopefully this turns out as good as it sounds.

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🇺🇸RFK Jr 2024🇺🇸

"Any organization created out of fear must create fear to survive." - Bill Hicks

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...and PGA Tour Golf on my Genesis

For the longest time, the couple of PGA Tour games I had for the Genesis were the only ones I wanted to touch. I don't think I warmed up to the Tiger Woods ones until the PS2.

You see, ever since the whole Doritos Locos Tacos thing, Taco Bell thinks they can do whatever they want.

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Fuji Golf in the Windows Entertainment Pack for Windows 3.1. But then Microsoft was also responsible for murdering the Links LS series.

 

 

 

I've been informed that the golf game in Wii Sports Club (Wii Sports for Wii U) is mechanically superb and is arguably the best game to make use of the gamepad so far. You place the gamepad on the floor where it displays the ball on screen, and you can actually position your golf club head visually with it.

L I E S T R O N G
L I V E W R O N G

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Why didn't they do that for "Candy" and "Saga" instead? Those ones would have actually made sense.

Edited by babaganoosh13

You see, ever since the whole Doritos Locos Tacos thing, Taco Bell thinks they can do whatever they want.

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It's so bad it makes me want to scream. http://i.imgur.com/3YRiXol.jpg

 

What is this?

 

 

Wasteland 2, I think

That amazing bit of writing was by @boringgeoffk

You see, ever since the whole Doritos Locos Tacos thing, Taco Bell thinks they can do whatever they want.

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