[gameprogrammer] Re: How to save games?
- From: Brian Barrett <brian.ripoff@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: gameprogrammer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 15 Sep 2005 00:52:33 +0100
interesting article.
but i dont agree with it completely.
point 1 - agreement is total
point 2 - good storylines make such a difference
point 3 - agreement is quite a way off.
it is part of the game culture - the user wants to feel he/she is making a
difference in the virtual world you've created for them. if they are not
amongst the main players, they may feel - "whats the point".about having the
player as a bad guy, or no clear cut lines between who is good and evil is
taken though. i suppose we could really do with some variety...
point 4 - again i could argue both ways.
i played half life 2 - my favourite thing was the physics. i would endlessly
amuse myself with trying to find inventive things to do in the enviroment
valve gave me. Garrys mod( a mod that gives you the ability to interact with
the physics engine - create ragdolls/entities, relocate them, rotate them,
freeze them in mid air, and build cool machines that work ) did it even
more. but i can't make myself play the game again, it was the physics that
held my attention - mainly because i saw the game as an artistic work, and
appreciated the difficulty in making the entire game, and the "zero point
energy manipulator" was different from anything i've ever played. the entire
room would come alive - i could see that radiator in the corner as a weapon
and as a decorative object.
and hands up who never wants to see a graphical spectical again. not me
anyway. we all know that the games gameplay needs to be top notch - but
graphics are an important way to immerse the player in the world. in
moderation.
point 5 - seems to me as to be a combination of points 2 & 3
a cinematic game with the player as the hero and the plot advanced through
set pieces or cut scenes...
the gist of the article( as far as i was concerned ) was:
"Game Developers - wake up! you're game has been done before, sure their
aliens weren't that exact shade of pink, but a little creativity can go a
long way to making you're game a top seller!"
casting my mind back over the games i've played( not that many ) and enjoyed
my favourite was probably Deus - Ex( somehow i was convinced it would be
half life ).
it had everything i wanted - the player wasn't an uber-killer at the start,
the story line was involved( i don't think i got it all now - i simply can't
remember all the factions and their goals )
the gameplay was superb - i was able to build my character towards stealth,
not always an option in the "hordes of monsters that need killing" games
that i've played. i could optionally be merciful and merely disable enemys.
every situation had different ways of beingdealt with.
being nice or mean to people made a difference, what other characters said
could give you a vital clue. i really ought to play it again and read all
the newspapers and notes... i played it again and found loads of stuff i
didn't the first time.
i was dissapointed at the end, the "thing at the end" should have occured
earlier in my opinion, so it could make more of a difference to the way you
played, and also the players abilites were a bit insane at that point...(
*tries desparately hard not to give anything away to anyone who hasn't
played it* )
i now realise how much i have typed, and end... IMHO
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