True Gaming Is the man-with-no-name story model just lazy storytelling? |
- Is the man-with-no-name story model just lazy storytelling?
- I love it when the user generated content rivals or outclasses the game itself. They are true labors of love done for no compensation.
- Why a free expression group sent copies of a video game to Canada's Parliament and Senate
- What is it about the Japanese gaming industry/culture that makes their games so distinct visually and gameplay wise? Conversley, do Japanese consumers think western games are too simple or that the graphics are weird?
- Difficult x Artificial Difficult
- Why funny and adorable characters are always sidekicks or npc's, but rarely a protagonists?
- How To Avoid Resource Gathering Grind In Survival Crafting Games
- If you play games differently then they were designed to be played, there is a list of reasons why.
- Help me start Metal Gear Solid Games!
- If you have more than one gaming system, do you play a game on each system simultaneously or just on one?
- LFM: Discussions on how we use games 2.0
- Level design and the dotted line in The Division
| Is the man-with-no-name story model just lazy storytelling? Posted: 29 Mar 2018 06:08 AM PDT So I'm playing Far Cry 5 after recently completing a very lengthy run at Witcher 3. As people started calling me 'rookie' or 'rook' and my character said nothing in return, I couldn't help but compare this model to what was used in Witcher. I prefer the Witcher model. Controlling a Geralt of Rivia or a Snake or a Shepherd or a Nathan Drake is, in my opinion, so much better. I am always much more vested in those characters then, say, my Skyrim character where it is left to me to create him, largely in my mind. I think the concept is that putting a mute character in surrounded by other characters that walk up and perform soliloquies to you and then walk away is somehow more immersive. It isn't that way for me. By the end of Far Cry 5, my guess is that my character will have developed just as much as my PUBG avatar, maybe with some more clothes, who knows. Any thoughts on this, or is this a well worn topic here? [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 29 Mar 2018 06:14 AM PDT Shadowrun: Hong Kong (and Dragonfall) is like a choose-your-own-adventure book (Mass Effect/Fallout conversation options) with XCOM combat. The writing is good, the universe is complex and interesting, and the game is fun and very re-playable. And fans make their own campaigns that rival or outclass the games themselves. Case in point: The CalFree series. This all takes place in CalFree, which is part of future magical California. As I said, this universe is complicated and involves cyborgs and dragons. It's best just to jump in, be confused for a while, and not try to understand it all immediately. Shadowrun Dragonfall expansion campaign: Antumbra Saga Shadowrun Hong Kong expansion campaigns: Caldcott Caper CalFree in Chains They basically follow the stories of different groups vying for control of future magical California. Xenophobic elves, Imperial Japanese, megacorps, etc. And your character is somehow becomes involved in the schemes of the groups trying to control CalFree. I've been playing them backwards but... Holy shit, guys. These are really good. The creator uses the game mechanics themselves to help tell the story in ways that the original campaigns don't. I would liken it to Bioshock: Infinite where a large part of the reason I cared about Elizabeth was because the combat was far more fun with her than without her. When she wasn't around, I wanted to rush thru and get my multiverse witch back, so my normally conservative save-every-potion-and-grenade playstyle became one of urgent rampage. One aspect of this is in Shadowrun is that, unlike in the normal campaigns, in these expansions you can actually anger your team to the point where they abandon you. Imagine playing Mass Effect and Mordin just gets sick of your shit and leaves. Yeah. You're going to start paying closer attention to those dialog options now, aren't ya? This is just one example of how the creator has played with the game mechanics to tell his story. Note: I still haven't made it very far in the first of the series and probably won't. The latter two are significantly better (no judgement, everything get's easier the 2nd or 3rd time you do it) and Shadowrun:Hong Kong is also a better basis than Shadowrun: Dragonfall. Both are great games but it's hard to go backwards. It would be like trying to play the original Assassin's Creed again. It's fun but you'll miss all the cool mechanics that came about in future iterations. [link] [comments]  |
| Why a free expression group sent copies of a video game to Canada's Parliament and Senate Posted: 29 Mar 2018 07:18 AM PDT Hi TrueGaming, CJFE here. We're a human rights organization that fights for free expression, press freedom and privacy rights. We thought people here might be interested in a partnership we put together with an indie games developer that we're really proud of. CJFE has partnered with publisher Surprise Attack Games to send 443 license keys for the video game Orwell: Ignorance is Strength to Members of Canada's Parliament and Senate. We are doing this as part of an educational initiative to familiarize Canada's lawmakers with the ethical implications of new espionage powers that would be created for Canada's spies following the passage of Bill C-59, An Act respecting national security matters. CJFE is concerned that many of the same fictional powers on display in Orwell: Ignorance is Strength are being made available to Canada's very real cyber spies through Bill C-59, a deeply troubling update to the widely opposed Anti-Terrorism Act, 2015 (Formerly, Bill C-51). The plot of Orwell: Ignorance is Strength puts the player in the role of a digital spy charged with collecting open and closed source information about residents of a country known only as 'The Nation'. Information is collected in order to tick off goals in a sweeping national security investigation. As information is revealed, the player becomes the arbiter of truth, with the option of allowing lies and fake news to spread unchecked while monitoring their uptake and spread on social media. The impression Orwell: Ignorance is Strength gives is the overwhelming omniscience of the 21st century digital spy. It thematically reinforces many of our most pressing concerns with Bill C-59. Chief among these concerns is the establishment of an offensive cyberwarfare mandate for the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), which would allow the CSE to "degrade, disrupt, influence, respond to or interfere with the capabilities" of non-Canadian entities. An aggressive reading of this statute could permit the CSE to, for example, "disrupt" access to the website of a foreign news organization, "influence" a foreign news organization by forging or altering documents relied upon by its journalists, or "interfere with" key technologies such as encryption tools and anonymity software that journalists and others routinely use in their work. All of these scenarios pose unacceptable risks to journalists and the free press. We are also concerned that foreign communications monitoring activities of the CSE could incidentally or intentionally result in the collection, use, and analysis of the communications of Canadian journalists with overseas sources. Considering the breadth of information available online, in combination with the CSE's powers to collect information from foreign allies by entering into arrangements, and from other branches of government, the CSE could potentially build comprehensive digital dossiers on Canadians without ever running afoul of Bill C-59's prohibition on directly targeting Canadians. As a political statement and an educational product, Orwell, like the eponymous author, gives us a glance into the grim dystopia of total information awareness. Many of the same powers in the game are proposed for Canada's digital spies in Bill C-59. This partnership is an excellent opportunity to educate parliamentarians about what exactly is at risk in the current wording of this bill. Check out this link if you want to learn more. Happy to answer any questions about it as well! https://www.cjfe.org/why_we_sent_copies_of_a_video_game_to_canadas_parliament_and_senate [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 29 Mar 2018 07:58 AM PDT X-post from r/answers IMO, a majority of Japanese games, even those for very popular IPs (except maybe Final Fantasy and a few other exceptions), look like they were designed for at best, last generation's hardware. Do they just not prioritize this kind of thing? Why don't they like rag doll physics, instead favoring fixed death animations? It can be hard to put down all the specifics, but you can definitely feel the difference when you're playing. I'm sure there are a bunch of reasons why, I'd love some insight into them. [link] [comments]  |
| Difficult x Artificial Difficult Posted: 29 Mar 2018 07:52 AM PDT This probably was talked here already but since I new in this sub reddit I would like to see what you guys has to say about the subject. Before start talking about difficulty, I need to make it abundantly clear exactly what difficulty entails. Difficulty refers to the amount of skill required by the player to progress through a game experience, with higher difficulty obviously meaning more skill is required. The distinction worth noting here is that skill doesn't only refer to the typical physical aspect of playing a video game, i.e. reaction time - it can also refer to many other aspects of playing a video game, such as memorization and strategy. I'm a fan of hard games, in special games like Dark Souls. I beat the dark souls trilogy and after play other genres for a while I felt like playing something similar to dark souls and that was when I came to Nioh. For many Nioh is basically dark souls with samurais and I found it to be true, but the main difference lies in the type of difficult each game uses.** Imao I think dark souls has the 'right' difficult** because the difficult comes from the level design:
While Nioh difficulty lies in get one shotted and multiple enemies fights. Once I finished the game in NG++ I went to \Nioh to discuss what I thought about the difficult, that for me was obviously artificial, but for my surprise a lot of people there think the opposite: Nioh is a 'true' hard game while dark souls has the artificial difficult. I found this to be curious and after see such different points of view I would like to hear what more people think about the subject. So, what do you guys think is artificial difficult? [link] [comments]  |
| Why funny and adorable characters are always sidekicks or npc's, but rarely a protagonists? Posted: 29 Mar 2018 02:42 PM PDT To be sure we are talking about same thing - i will give several examples: Rikku and Yuffie from Final Fantasy games, Magilou from Berseria, Meru from Legend of Dragoon, Harley Quinn from different dc games, Tiny Tina from Borderlands, __ae from Pyre, Sera from Dragon Age (not really cute, but works as well), Enu from Dreamfall Chapters. Well, you got the idea, right? There is two overused protagonist archetypes in games, and i think that two latest Tales games are great for demonstrating it - in Zestiria we have nice and cheerfull (but not cute or adorable) Sorey, and in Berseria - glum and violent Velvet. And that's two type of characters that usually end up the main ones in many, many games, while those like Edna or Magilou usually being either partners, or npc's. Only games that i can remember fast enough is Deadpoll (he is funny, but not adorable) and Resident Evil 0 (Rebecca is adorable, but not funny). Also maybe Lollipop Chainsaw have both of these combined - can't say for sure because i didn't played the game, but it looks like it. But i can't remember any other games with characters like i described (i am sure that i forgot a few, but still there is too little of them). Even fighting games who don't have "main" characters still feature "strong" ones as a "face" of the game, for example - Chun Li from Street Fighter, when those like Elena not even appearing in all games of the series. The question is - why? I was thinking that maybe it's hard to write a story about someone who makes you smile all the time - but as a writer, i don't see any major problems with it personally. Maybe publishers not allowing for someone unusual to become main character? Then they would appear in indie games, but they are not. Then what's wrong? [link] [comments]  |
| How To Avoid Resource Gathering Grind In Survival Crafting Games Posted: 29 Mar 2018 11:48 AM PDT I made a video that discusses the resource gathering and base building in modern survival crafting games. I discuss why having purpose and challenge is important for any crafting games and why many games including the biggest titles in a genre get gathering resources wrong. Below there is transcript so there is absolutely no need to watch anything if you don't want in order to participate in discussion. TranscriptGrind, grind never changes. It started with Minecraft and it's mine design, poor people spend hours if not day s staring at the cubical rocks, other games followed with 2D rocks of Terraria or voxels Space Engineers. Developers often confuse things that are time consuming with things that are challenging. It's not a problem unique to survival and crafting games idea of grind is well know to any World of Warcraft or Diablo player. Let's be honest wasting players time is not fun. But Grind, grind never changes… or does it? Some developers will argue that there are players who enjoy the grind because so many players choose to do this. This is ultimately false. Player will always choose optimal strategy even if this is the most boring strategy available in the game. Good developers make games where the most optimal strategy is also a fun one. We players need to have a sense of accomplishment and that what we do matters. Fortnite from all things has one of the best resource gathering mechanics I have seen I am going to analyse why it feels so good. Apart of mindlessly basing with a picaxe player can chase ever moving weak spot for extra damage more resources and faster mining. With this simple game developers added a challenge to otherwise brain dead mechanic. Listen to how satisfying it sounds to destroy the the car in this game. In fortnite you work with a team and are constrained for time this two factors make gathering resources fast important for your overall success, not only that game rewards you badges for your ability to scavenge environment that then in turn give you better schematics and further help in the game. Every feedback fortnite gives you is reinforcing idea that smashing cars with oversized picaxe is lots of fun let's be honest it is and that's why this is usually the first thing players do the moment they spawn on the map. This takes us to other important point in the discussion players don't want to go mining or tree chopping they want to go on the thrilling expedition and have their skills put to the test. In most games you find resources on the map sit down and suck the patch dry for all it has in relative safety. Not the case in fortnite yes some places are better than others but really good stuff comes with challenge players can even voluntarily increase their mission difficulty to end up with better rewards. In fortnite you have usually about 15 min to complete the mission. You must make quick strategic decision do I go after steel to make a base safer and help my team succeed should I chasse additional objectives for extra reword at a cost of potential failure for the team or should I scavenge through crates and look for trap and weapon components to make defense easier that way. Each player will go with what their priorities are at the moment. Not only that but you also try to save some resources to take home with you to protect your homebase so now building comes with decisions and compromises. To recap players want challenge, danger and meaningful decision making process to feel that they are in control. Let's quickly look at few other games that do this feedback loop just right from survival and crafting genre. Early Project zomboid all the way up to mid game. Each expedition is potential death sentence. Players really know that when their leave protected base. Do you scavenge nearby buildings so you can return home easily multiple times but risk activating alarm and bringing zombie horde straight to your front yard or do you venture further afield and try but risk being cut off from your home base? This Long Dark is another great game that pushes players to risk a lot. Leaving a relative safety of the house is necessary in order to survive. Player will need to leave in order to find food, water and warmth and each trip comes with high risk reward cost. It never feels like a chore because every time it's a new expedition. Even retrieving some rabbits you cough in a trap can result in meeting eye to eye with hungry wolf attracted by its prey. More game developers need to put gameplay before realism and focus on creating fun challenging experiences. I would like to hear your opinions on games that game resource gathering just right and how it can be improved from standard punch tree for 30 sec to get some wood. [link] [comments]  |
| If you play games differently then they were designed to be played, there is a list of reasons why. Posted: 29 Mar 2018 01:48 PM PDT I play games in unconventional ways. Now I know Why. According to Craig A. Kindley, we all have play styles that fit into 4 rough categories.
Those categories make total sense. I think the cool part of this though is how people like myself play games how they are not intended. If you're a Fallout player, you may fall into #2. At least that's what Bethesda expects. However, you could be using fallout as a tool to relate to your friends in a discord chat. So if you are a gaming addict like I am, you can now finally rest peacefully at night knowing why you are addicted to games. .....unless you don't sleep and keep playing COD till 4 AM. [link] [comments]  |
| Help me start Metal Gear Solid Games! Posted: 29 Mar 2018 09:19 AM PDT Hi, i always wanted to start the metal gear solid games, everyone talks about how brilliant the story is and i really find fascinating all the art and moments i see in videos about the games, but i have a real difficulty with stealth games in general, either i feel like i don't know how to hide or i'll get my ass beat because i don't get the flow of these more cautious games, is there any advice to get a start on these games? or stealth games suggestions for someone starting? [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 29 Mar 2018 09:12 AM PDT I have a PC, Switch and PS4 and sometimes it's impossible to juggle between the 3. However, they each offer different things and I try to juggle my time between them as much as possible. I use the PC for smaller, unique games not found anywhere else or AAA blockbusters to get the most out of my rig, Switch for Nintendo exclusives and smaller games that work better portable, and PS4 for exlusives, online multiplayer or multiplat games where the PC version is more expensive or known to have bugs. So right now, I'm playing DOOM on PC, Disgaea 5 on Switch, and waiting for God of War on PS4 while playing COD WW2 multiplayer here and there. What do you guys do when there are multiple consoles in the picture? [link] [comments]  |
| LFM: Discussions on how we use games 2.0 Posted: 28 Mar 2018 08:13 PM PDT After some discussions with other players and a successful grant application, I am again/still looking for more participants, but I have made some changes. Amongst others, thanks a lot for the suggestions and questions I got on this subreddit. Do you play multiplayer online games, would like to talk about how you play these games, and contribute to research in a new and developing field at the same time? I (Florian, studying at Victoria University of Wellington) am currently conducting a study on how players play multiplayer online games. I am looking for participants of any game in that category over the age of 16 who would like to take part in interviews or group discussions on this topic. If you would like to contribute, but do not want to take part in a conversation or simply want to stay anonymous, please see the bottom of this information form for a link to an anonymous free-text survey instead. The focus of the discussion would be how you use a game of your choice (e.g. what you prefer to do in that game, who you usually interact with, if you watch streams, write guides, etc.; but the main question will be what you think is important to describe how you play the game). This discussion would be held via skype or zoom and is expected to take 30 minutes for an interview, or 45-60 minutes for a group discussion where the other participants would be people you know (e.g. some friends or guild mates you asked to sign up, too) or random other participants, this is up to you. Participation is strictly confidential. Your help will contribute to the understanding of how games are actually used, which is an important aspect for understanding the various effects games can have. If you would like more information or want to participate, please fill in the short form (~5 minutes) in this online form (you can also easily find the study when searching for GameUsageStudy under the tab "pages" on facebook and can contact me there, though I am still working on setting that page up properly). As thank you, you will receive a NZD15 voucher (or nearest local equivalent, e.g. $10 US or 10 Euro) for amazon or steam, depending on your preference. Thank you, and kind regards, Florian P.s.: As mentioned above, I understand that not everyone who would like to share their opinion wants to take part in an interview, for various reasons. If you feel this way, I would like to invite you to describe how you use games in this online form instead. You can be as detailed or succinct as you would like to, and your participation is anonymous. P.p.s.2: I am not affiliated with any third party or game company, this work is only for research/my PhD project. [link] [comments]  |
| Level design and the dotted line in The Division Posted: 28 Mar 2018 07:45 PM PDT So quite recently I've been playing the Division after snatching it off a sale, and a lot of my time was spent on side missions (basically errands). During these missions, I noticed something strange. Now the discussion on objective markers and "following a dotted line" thing has been gone over quite a few times, and I think it's quite agreed upon that these pathfinding features take away elements of exploration. However, in some of these side missions, in which I have to leave the open streets and go indoors, I find myself very lost, and surprisingly enough, longing for the same kind of "dotted line" that was supposed to be harmful to the experience. For context, in The Division there are markers for missions, as well as a path if you select something on the map, though the latter do not appear indoors. Even though most of these rooms are a linear path from A to B (with some dead ends), I constantly struggle with finding a way through them, bumbling about like a headless fly until one of the doors lead to where I want, which feels really awful. My personal take on this is that the indoor environments are poorly designed in that the pathway isn't readily apparent. The doors you need to take are not obvious, and are usually either hidden from plain sight, within darkness, makes little sense as a path, or all of the above. A potential remedy may be to highlight the intended direction to take with the environment itself, like light and painted arrows. I'd love to hear people's opinion on what other games have this issue or deal with them well, and anything else related. For further reading, this video by Mark Brown tackles this topic from a different light, and this one talks about the "little dotted line". [link] [comments]  |
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