New Rules: Video Game Edition
Hey game developers! Here are a few rules I wish you'd use when making your next game:
1. Never, under any circumstances, use a countdown timer in your mission. What a cheap, frustrating way to add "urgency." Seriously, you can't think of a more interesting way to challenge me than to put a clock on the screen? Lame.
2. Be smart enough to know when I'm safe to quit. If I literally JUST saved my game and am now exiting to the main menu, don't tell me "Any unsaved progress will be lost." Why isn't the game smart enough to know when I've saved and when I haven't? Any simple word processing program since 1982 has that feature, can't a highly advanced video game system do the same?
3. And while I'm at it: Have a smart checkpoint system! Don't want to just let me save the game anytime I want? Ok, I can live with that. But you'd better not force me to sit through the same cutscene twice, or get back into a car just to drive to where the mission starts, or re-complete any objectives that were part of a mission. Anytime the game updates me on my situation, there should be a checkpoint.
4. Minimize the time between when my character dies and when I can get back to playing. My frustration level is in direct proportion to how long it takes between dying and trying again. Granted, I'm no expert on the intricacies of game programming, but if I've just been running around the Big Library, why does the game have to re-load the Big Library when I restart? Isn't it there all along?
5. Don't ever make me defenseless. I know you're in love with your snazzy rag-doll physics, but please, if something knocks my character back and triggers the rag-doll animation, don't also make him vulnerable to being shot at the same time. I'm so happy I survived the blast that rolled me down the hill, but I'm riddled with bullets from enemies on the way down, completely unable to defend myself. Frustrating!
Have any more rules you'd like to see added to this list? Reply below!
Thursday, June 25, 2009 at 08:00PM
Reader Comments (56)
Dude. I love the look of this site. This is epic.
Oh and FIRST
Sounds like almost all the rules could be applied to Red Faction: Guerrilla! And yet, it somehow doesn't detract from the game...
I must say, I agree entirely. Can't think of too much else after reading number four, though. That just reminds me of the frustrations of playing Ghostbusters on the harder difficulty levels.
Actually, here's one:
Developing for the PS3? If I have to sit through a ten minute install, why do I have to wait up to a minute for the levels to load? I'll wait another couple minutes on the install portion if it would actually help the load times.
I agree with them all, especially the 1st one. Timed missions are my number 1 gaming pet peeve.
First of all, loving the new look. Squarespace?
Second, love you on TRS. I love the look on your face when Dan does into his 'indie film' mode and when Alex totally gets some info wrong, but you can't be bothered to correct him. The look is classic!
Anyway, hope you are well.
Concerning countdown clocks, what about the "hacks" in BioShock and other games who do similar things like Simpsons Hit and Run? Or are you specifically referencing shooter games?
Totally agree with all of those Jeff,
Just started playing Red Faction : Guerilla, great game IMHO, but FFS I want to retry a mission so give me that option, don't make me drive all the way back.
I also got incredibly frustrated with Star Wars : The Force Unleashed for it's crappy choice of save points!
The defenceless thing is so true, if you get hit by a truck and knocked over the bad guys can just pepper you with pretty bullets until you're dead. Also why is it that the bad guys are 10x harder to kill than you are in some games!.
Cheers,
Stu
6. Don't stop me from doing an attack that works just because I "shouldn't be doing that now". Fight Night 3 had this. You have to vary up your combos even though you've countered the opponent so many times on one side of their jaw that they would have lost their head. Fair enough have the opponent block me, but if they can't then the game shouldn't just ignore the hits. Loads of games have that "do it our way" to continue annoyingness.
Wow this site looks rad!
Escort Missions Get rid of them. Nobody likes these missions. They make you feel like you are just essentially babysitting your AI partners and are then punished because of flaws in their intelligence and not because of a mistake you made. I cannot think of a single game that has done escort missions right but I can name dozens that have done them wrong.
Along the line of saves, If you're not going to let me save whenever I want you better have a Quicksave option so I can at least put the game down and come back later. I might not be able to go back to this point whenever I want, but at least if I need to get up and go I can do so without wasting the last 30min of play time.
I agree with all of them expect 5. I'm pretty sure if I'm rolling down a hill and I am being shot at I don't some how form a shield of awesome to stop them.
The loading thing really pisses me off.
If I die, then stick me back in the action very quickly.
Hate having to sit through loading screens etc.
Sounds like you have been playing [prototype] as well
Open world games must be the worst offenders at this.
I think I encountered all 5 with Red Faction.
I was once on a mission which had a count-down (1), and an EDF APC drove into a building beside me. A bit of wall knocked into me triggering my rag-doll animation. As I fell to the ground helpless (5), I was shot to death by the EDF. It then took it's sweet time to reload (4) at the start of the mission (3)… and when I quit out of frustration it notified me all unsaved progress would be lost, even though it autosaves when you die (2).
Having said that… 5 incredibly painful issues can't ruin a game that has a sledgehammer. After half-an-hour calming down, I was back in playing wrecking crew.
Don't put achievements in your game. They're a completely artificial way to keep people playing your game. Just make the game cool enough on its own and people will continue playing it regardless.
Pssssst Jeff… change the way the comments are displayed. It's not clear which date+name are associated with which comments.
Wow a side of Jeff I have never seen, then again I don't watch TRS as much as I would like to.
Site looks awesome by the way.
1) This is 100% correct. It's the reason I never finished The Phantom Hourglass. That stupid temple of the Sun King or whatever it was called. Maybe it's my old age or something, but I just don't have time for that crap anymore.
2) I actually really like the constant reminders to save my game. Once you've seen them a few times, you know to just hit whatever button to pass them. I frequently play games after I've been out and I may be slightly inebriated. I think that may have saved me a few times, but I can't be too sure. I was probably drunk at the time.
3) Absolutely. I don't play as many games as you do, but I do know the lameness that is the unskippable cutscene. The save points should be after the cutscene. Also, I don't like RPGs that have the only save point right before you go into the dungeon. Then you play for an hour or so and you die. Then what? Do it all over again? Bullocks.
4) When I first saw number four I immediately thought about multiplayer online games like TF2 or whatever. I don't think that's what you're talking about. Yeah, that's stupid.
5) Is this kinda like in Mario Kart where you get hit by a shell and then someone parks right behind you and waits for you to start spinning around and then once you start slowing down they shoot another red shell at you and they time it perfectly so that it hits you after you start spinning? No? Well, that's the only time I've seen that. That's a multiplayer game so it's different. I'm going to assume that you're referring to single player campaigns in some Call of Duty game or something. I am poor so I don't play lots of games. Therefore, I may not know what you're talking about. I apologize.
Also, I couldn't think of my own rules. I've had MJ on the brain all day. I'll let you know if I come up with anything.
I couldn't agree more Jeff, I was just talking about the warning messages about exiting games today, look I've just saved! if I was being reckless I would've just turned off the console. Also the lack of checkpoints in bionic commando made me stop playing very quickly. Playing Prototype at the mo, fly kicking helicopters is too much fun.
Good post, love the site by the way looks like a cafe.
Stu.