Re: Seriously, what is it you guys want?
@Topic in general:
I might call the following rant "The almost lost cause - Or the search for fun in audio games".
What I found in almost all requests for game features is that people don't seem to understand what a game feature is supposed to do.
A game is like a well balanced cocktail. You first have to have a vision how it should taste. Then you add the ingredients to achieve this vision. They could be the freshest juice, the oldest whiskey and the ripest fruits - if all you wanted to make is a Bloody Mary you've done it wrong.
Always ask the questions:
- why would I add this?
- Will this be fun?
- Will this fit?
- Will the fun it might provide add to or distract from the vision I have?
What I mean by this is: Know your game first, then try to add stuff according to your vision. Don't water it down with randomly poured liquors - all probably tasty on their own - add just the right amount of carefully picked ingredients to really hone the taste profile.
A well established development practice actually does it almost the other way around as I see in most feature requests on this forum. They actually don't even think of a feature first. They first search for the fun and then try to emulate it with a specifically tailored feature.
Super Mario 64 started with just Marios move set. They didn't have a single level design in mind. They first tried to make just his movement fun.
The developers of the new Doom Games wanted to discourrage careful and slow play and wanted to make combat more erratic and action packed. So they invented the Glory Kill mechanic where you have to confront the demons and engage in melee combat to gain goodies. If you play cowardly you quickly run out of health and ammunition.
The list goes on and on. I really recommend the YouTube channel Game Makers Toolkit for anyone actually interested in game development.
There is nothing wrong in adding realism or more sophisticated maps into an FPS. It can make combat more complex and strategically engaging.
But this is again putting the cart before the horse. Try this one out instead: I want to have a more complex and strategically engaging combat. How can I achieve that?
With a single change in perspective you all of a sudden have a much broader scope of solutions. What if instead you make the game physics super unrealistic, maybe extreme weapon recoil, maybe super fast or super slow movement, maybe randomly appearing cover.
Or what if you make the maps super small and simplistic? You'd have an extremely quick paced game about aiming precision and reflexes.
And the best thing about this is: No one could ever call those games clone because they aren't! Even if they have 100% of sounds and even weapon loadout of any other FPS on the market.
Tldr:
Mechanics should always serve the game, never the other way around.
-- Audiogames-reflector mailing list Audiogames-reflector@sabahattin-gucukoglu.com https://sabahattin-gucukoglu.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/audiogames-reflector
