Annoying genre mechanics
- Thread starter Saskwach
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Crucial moments at the end of a long level that makes you go through the entire scene again if you mess up a little (see: The last scene of Halo 3).
Respawning enemies (Bloody CoD4...).
Getting your hand on the most insane weapon through history, and you can bet your sorry little ass that you won't get any ammo for it at any points in the game.
Lever-pulling (it's much more fun to smash through a wall using a tank then walking over to a place pulling a lever or using retinal scans (*cough* HL *cough*))
Respawning enemies (Bloody CoD4...).
Getting your hand on the most insane weapon through history, and you can bet your sorry little ass that you won't get any ammo for it at any points in the game.
Lever-pulling (it's much more fun to smash through a wall using a tank then walking over to a place pulling a lever or using retinal scans (*cough* HL *cough*))
You can tend to separate the games that are truly non-linear vs the ones that pretend to be non-linear based on whether or not there are characters the game refuses to allow you to kill. Even Lord British in the Ultima series had ways of being killed. Using the excuse that "well, that character is critical to the progression of the storyline" is just a euphemism for "we're not actually all that non-linear."
I have nothing particularly against linear games (in fact, one of my all-time favourite genres is the point-and-click adventure), but if I play a game to be non-linear, I appreciate when it's actually non-linear.
Speaking of point-and-click, though, I really hate it when puzzle solutions are glaringly random. How was I supposed to know that you're supposed to use the multi-tool on the ice cube so that you can chill down the balloon that will repel the blue jay to get eaten by a giant frog that will then jump into the pond, causing water to splash on the fire that you're trying to put out?
I have nothing particularly against linear games (in fact, one of my all-time favourite genres is the point-and-click adventure), but if I play a game to be non-linear, I appreciate when it's actually non-linear.
Speaking of point-and-click, though, I really hate it when puzzle solutions are glaringly random. How was I supposed to know that you're supposed to use the multi-tool on the ice cube so that you can chill down the balloon that will repel the blue jay to get eaten by a giant frog that will then jump into the pond, causing water to splash on the fire that you're trying to put out?
i am curious how many people really dislike qte or are just saying it because of yahtzee. i really think more people blindly follow him than are aware of it.
but for me, it's gotta be escort missions, the only excort missions i've ever gotten along with even slighty is in army of two simply because you get to control their actions exactly, you actually can set them in a corner where they will stay until you clear out a room and go get them.
and i'll also put one more vote for respawning enemies, in crackdown this is especially detrimental simply because there is no way to clean out the den of the crime lords you have to do a smash and grab type kill EVERY TIME no matter how maxed out your character is.
but for me, it's gotta be escort missions, the only excort missions i've ever gotten along with even slighty is in army of two simply because you get to control their actions exactly, you actually can set them in a corner where they will stay until you clear out a room and go get them.
and i'll also put one more vote for respawning enemies, in crackdown this is especially detrimental simply because there is no way to clean out the den of the crime lords you have to do a smash and grab type kill EVERY TIME no matter how maxed out your character is.
The reason I don't play fighting games more often
double tap to run (who walks in those anyways?)
tolerance in ridiculously long combos (hit A+B+X+etc,etc to do this. If you don't hit B, X or any of the following at this EXACT floating-point time, you don't achieve the combo)
hundreds of combos, but you can do just fine with a select few, if not better with the basic attacks
practice,practice,practice all you want. A newbie still has an equal chance at defeating you.
Other games:
save points that are miles away from each other. not very genre specific, I just hate that sooo much
double tap to run (who walks in those anyways?)
tolerance in ridiculously long combos (hit A+B+X+etc,etc to do this. If you don't hit B, X or any of the following at this EXACT floating-point time, you don't achieve the combo)
hundreds of combos, but you can do just fine with a select few, if not better with the basic attacks
practice,practice,practice all you want. A newbie still has an equal chance at defeating you.
Other games:
save points that are miles away from each other. not very genre specific, I just hate that sooo much
To add on to this, I never liked it in any type of game that basically, to paraphrase the Bioshock ZP, sends you to Mount Doom and back to open the door or get the key or talk to the person etc. It does work SOMETIMES, but when it's over used in a game/genre it becomes quite tiresome (FPS's, hang your heads now!)Papaya Melancholy said:
Also, and understand that this is one of my favourite games and it deserves every ounce of praise that has been given to it, the entire mansion in Resident Evil annoyed the living piss out of me. I never, NEVER understood how it was that big tough manly men like Barry and Chris would rather go looking for a key instead of BREAKING DOWN THE FUCKING DOOR WITH THE MASSES OF MUSCLE THAT ARE THEIR BODIES. Sure, the game wouldn't be half as fun or challenging, but from a logical stand point I think the first thing I would do if I was that big and in a hallway surrounded by zombie dogs is try to break down the WOODEN door rather than noticing what shape was etched on the handle.
This can be said for various other games as well (Doom3 comes to mind) where you have the ability to perform some rather ridiculous tasks and wield super powerful weapons...but a wooden door makes you cry.
Air juggling. If your soaking wet 90lb school girl is going to keep my 250lb bruiser aloft and helpless the entire match with a flick of her wrist why am I even here?
Hmm...
Unit restrictions and bad resource systems: Choose between a) two guys with sharp sticks, or b) an economy - but not both, not ever both!
Training a single soldier at a time: I need to build four Barracks/equivalent to keep unit production above .5 soldiers per minute.
Walls in Fighting games: repeatedly tapping kick at someone who is unable to move isn't fun, stimulating or terribly realistic
Half-arsed Character developers: who can't be bothered with balancing characters, I'm looking at you Hworang and Eddy
Sniper rifles; Its a precision weapon that takes a shit load of training and practice to be able to roughly hit what your aiming at, not God's own hand...
Jumping puzzles that aren't affected by the difficulty setting: I have no problem with Prince of Splat's various enemies, sometimes their challenging. But jumping stupidly massive gaps over and over is not challenging, just annoying...
QTE: I think the majority of developers who make games with a QTE haven't actually played their own. I will concede some are rather good and make it very satisfying, but so many don't.
Grinding online: Isn't the point of online gameplay to socialize? Or at least make a human somewhere cry?
Like GTA but: Arrrggh!!! Free-Roaming needs something special to be worth playing, GTA has originality, it was the Prime, Destroy All Humans has mind-reading and an anal probe, Mercenaries had decent combat.
Vehicle Sections: See Like GTA but, but add Hollywood Car syndrome.
Durability: Its a fucking sword, its meant to cut things!!!
Stealth: Only if the entire game is meant to be about sneaking. Not if Johnny Shootsalot-McMinigun
Unit restrictions and bad resource systems: Choose between a) two guys with sharp sticks, or b) an economy - but not both, not ever both!
Training a single soldier at a time: I need to build four Barracks/equivalent to keep unit production above .5 soldiers per minute.
Walls in Fighting games: repeatedly tapping kick at someone who is unable to move isn't fun, stimulating or terribly realistic
Half-arsed Character developers: who can't be bothered with balancing characters, I'm looking at you Hworang and Eddy
Sniper rifles; Its a precision weapon that takes a shit load of training and practice to be able to roughly hit what your aiming at, not God's own hand...
Jumping puzzles that aren't affected by the difficulty setting: I have no problem with Prince of Splat's various enemies, sometimes their challenging. But jumping stupidly massive gaps over and over is not challenging, just annoying...
QTE: I think the majority of developers who make games with a QTE haven't actually played their own. I will concede some are rather good and make it very satisfying, but so many don't.
Grinding online: Isn't the point of online gameplay to socialize? Or at least make a human somewhere cry?
Like GTA but: Arrrggh!!! Free-Roaming needs something special to be worth playing, GTA has originality, it was the Prime, Destroy All Humans has mind-reading and an anal probe, Mercenaries had decent combat.
Vehicle Sections: See Like GTA but, but add Hollywood Car syndrome.
Durability: Its a fucking sword, its meant to cut things!!!
Stealth: Only if the entire game is meant to be about sneaking. Not if Johnny Shootsalot-McMinigun
Simple! Because if your bruiser wasnt there the separate breasts physics engine would be pointless if she's just stood around. Chuck in a few backflips and those boobs will be jiggling like they are made out of super Flubber.ZenMonkey47 said:
My personal hate is in RTS where the NPC knows precisely where you are, at all times, no matter what, full fucking stop.
I have played enough friends at enough fighting games to make my opinion. They play far more than I do and know a lot more moves/combos etc. Once I get a hold of the basic controls, I win a good number of times. Smash Bros and Dead Or Alive 4 may be the only exception.Marbas said:
Congratulations, your friends are terrible at fighting games. Knowing how to do moves and combos doesn't make you good. It means you know how to do moves and combos. And if your winning at DOA4 like that, your friends are definitely shit-tacular. Go to to a tournament and see if you can say that afterwards.defcon 1 said:
Scaled levelling. Cheers for that Oblivion, your absolutely ridiculous system robbed you of any fun untill FCOM was properly developed.
Instant-death-single-button-quicktime-events (see Bourne Conspiracy demo)
I really have to ask what was going on in their brainstorming sessions:
"How about we give the player half a second to press a button to avoid instant mission failure?"
"Sounds like a plan, let's repeat it as many times as possible per level"
The demo doesn't even forewarn you it has quicktime events, so you can pretty much guarantee failure first time through; and, of course, the button changes every time.
I really have to ask what was going on in their brainstorming sessions:
"How about we give the player half a second to press a button to avoid instant mission failure?"
"Sounds like a plan, let's repeat it as many times as possible per level"
The demo doesn't even forewarn you it has quicktime events, so you can pretty much guarantee failure first time through; and, of course, the button changes every time.