Hi tom.
I agree that repackaging old ideas is to an extent legitimate, however
equally I do appreciate innervation even in a classic title where one or two
modern twists are added to the original game along with the original
gameplay.
For instance, suppose I were to create a game with the same gameplay as the
original asteroids but with updated sound and graphics. I would however, now
that I have more time and processor power, perhaps want to add more elements
to the original game as well as the improvements.
I might for instance add a bounty system, where by destroying asteroids gave
the player money, with which he/she could buy different weapons for your
ship and swap them during the game, say you could have your standard average
weapon, or a close range but powerful laser which only hit close objects but
packed a punch and could destroy even big asteroids in one go, or maybe a
scattershot type of weapon with a wide field of fire. i might also add
defense items, say shields for your ship that repelled asteroids at certain
parts. This however would also mean I'd need some tougher enemies, maybe
some aliens who have setup gun turrets on the asteroids as well as those
alien ships, or perhaps black holes which sucked asteroid pieces towards
themselves and thus utterly changed the movement.
A great accessible example of this is rebound, Gamevial's flash remake of
breakout. Very similar gameplay, even down to the sfx, but with enemies,
various power ups, different types of blocks to hit etc.
thus, even with a classic game there are methods of expanding it, indeed
from a gameplay perspective this is why I'm a little wary of Robo E, since
in games like Igor or rocks n diamonds, while they have! the sokoban
elements and have many standard sokoban levels, they also have a huge number
of other elements to add to the puzzles, falling stones, monsters, gemts to
collect, doors and keys etc.
this is why i tend to feel a little sad when I see a classic concept which
has just essentially been remodded without any additions for people who know
the original.
Of course, that being said that only applies to simple arcade style games.
Anything more complex and featuring exploration will automatically be a
different game even if the gameplay is the same simply by virtue of the
difference in it's level design, or in the enemies it contained, indeed back
in the old days sequals or game expantions were often just like this (look
at the differences betwene original Super Mario brothers and it's japanese
only sequal, aka the lost levels), not to mention the six Nes mega man games
which had very! similar gameplay albeit with different levels, music,
weapons, items and enemies.
Btw, this is also why i am a huge fan of level editers for games. Suppose
David greenwood released an expantion to shades of doom that let people
create different mazes and mod their own enemies to populate them with. We'd
have still the same game, but with lots of new teretory to explore and new
monsters to slay, and it wouldn't matter if the weapons, mechanics etc were
the same.
Beware the Grue!
Dark.
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