Let's Talk About *GASP* GAMES!

AngelBlackChaos

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I feel like I have been hit with a shovel, shoved in a closet, and largely bowled over. Why? A majority of our forum Gaming Discussion has been about: Sexism in Gaming, Girl Gamers, GRRRL Gamers, What Someone Views as a Girl Gamer Attention Whore, What Someone Views May/May Not Be an Extreme Response toward A Kickstarter they Disagree With, and many, many, MANY More.

Not only does it depress me that its essentially showing that SOME parts of the Gaming Community have a lot of growing up to do, but that because most do not know how to deal with these current issues, that actual genderless gaming discussion has ceased.

So I said hell no, and decided to create a thread about games in gaming discussion. An Idea that seems foreign at the moment.

First Thought: What sort of Kickstarter frankenstein game would you fund?

Second Thought:If there is one thing that most Games cannot get right, what is it?

Third Thought: What sort of gaming technology do you think would be the pinnacle of perfection,
and why do you think we do not have it yet?

And Lastly: What do you think is missing in the Gaming Industry?

And if you mention something involving sexism I will flog you.-.-

Captcha: Face the music. Yeah, I know, sexism threads will continue. This probably won't, but maybe?
 

krazykidd

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First though: a oldschool rpg . Yes you read that right . An oldschool FF6/lufia style rpg , where story and gameplay are the most important elements. Such an alien concept in this day and age

Second thought: side quests/extras/ secrets . Seriously i am tired of the fetch quests , the go here get this / half asses secrets on the games . Wild arms is a great example to take from in regards to this .

Third thought: virtual reality . Although this will come sith it's pro and cons . Immersion will be the main pro , because it couldn't get more immersive than cirtual reality , unfortunately we probably wont achieve this in my lifetime . The main con will be addictiveness , people who could no longer diffrienciate reality from fiction .

Last thought : passion . The industry is missing the passion for making games as we did back when making games was the pride and joy of developpers . When making games costs a lot less and risks were taken often to diffrienciate themselves from everyone else . A time when originality was key.

Also : sexism? What sexism.
 

AngelBlackChaos

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First Thought: A Game with RPG elements that is shit your pants scary. I want to literally throw the controller/mouse in fear.

Second Thought:I agree with you, krazykidd. Its so difficult for a game to have more than fetch quests anymore, things with actual depth and meaning.

Third thought: While Virtual Reality is nice and all, I would love for something like that to happen, I would also want a way for gaming applications to do something like, find the cure for cancer, make a program for a nanobug that will alter to kill mutated strains of flu and the like. There are some games that inspire that, but I would want it on a grander scale, with a reward to those that get us closer. More might participate, and sometimes a new set of eyes is all you need to improve upon a vaccine.

Lastly: Passion and uniqueness. Unique games that have a large financial backing to make it work are few and far between. lets make it happen people?
 

Owyn_Merrilin

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First thought: Well, I'm kind of broke to be funding kickstarters at the moment, but I always wanted a Gundam simulator. Think Mechwarrior 2/3/4 sped up about 50 times.

Second thought: Story. Specifically, I don't believe videogames are primarily a storytelling medium, and while I love a game with a good story, it's just not enough to carry a game on its own. We've had way too many games in recent years, both AAA and Indie, that have tried this and failed.

Third thought: I'm really not sure with this one. Personally I don't believe in perfection. Not because I'm a pessimist, but because I'm optimistic enough to believe that we're going to keep moving forward. I can guarantee you that 20 years from now, modern notions of the perfect videogame are going to seem quaint.

Fourth thought: I really miss the days when niche audiences were still considered worthy of being catered to. We're not really getting pure examples of game genres anymore, just about everything is a mush of different genres, designed to appeal to the widest possible audience instead of to be the best game possible. It's a really annoying case of design by committee, and it's everywhere.
 

Zhukov

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Dec 29, 2009
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Wait... I can't talk about gender politics?

Uh...

Well, can I at least imply that people that enjoy different games to me are inferior forms of life? After all, that's what gaming is all about.
 

dreadedcandiru99

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AngelBlackChaos said:
First Thought: What sort of Kickstarter frankenstein game would you fund?
Hmm. Maybe a version of Watch Dogs without the cover-based shooting. You know, more Deus Ex and less GTA. I mean, that one trailer was all, "privacy is dead, governments and corporations can control everything and find out everything about you and manipulate you into doing or thinking what they want without you even knowing it," and so forth, and I was all, "Yes, I'd like a game about those things. Can there be a sidequest where you manipulate information in order to make people stop bitching about Anita Sarkeesian?" (Sorry, it had to be done.) But then the gameplay trailer was just, "spy on a cell phone conversation and change a traffic light--okay, now duck behind a car and shoot at guys you can't see for five minutes."

AngelBlackChaos said:
Second Thought:If there is one thing that most Games cannot get right, what is it?
Half-decent storytelling integrated with gameplay. A lot of game developers don't seem to put much effort into it, and the ones who do often think that cutscenes and quick-time events are good enough.

AngelBlackChaos said:
Third Thought: What sort of gaming technology do you think would be the pinnacle of perfection, and why do you think we do not have it yet?
The pinnacle of perfection? That'd be the Holodeck. Or maybe the Matrix. Yeah, we've got a ways to go, there.

AngelBlackChaos said:
And Lastly: What do you think is missing in the Gaming Industry?
A few years ago, I would've said Kickstarter. Big game publishers generally aren't willing to take a chance on new, original game ideas, not when the brain-dead masses will happily shell out millions for Brownish-Grey Cover-Based Military Shooter XXIII. But a couple of months ago, I was able to contribute to the development of an animated strategy RPG about a Viking apocalypse [http://stoicstudio.com/]. I don't think EA would've made that game.
 

Smeggs

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Zhukov said:
Wait... I can't talk about gender politics?

Uh...

Well, can I at least imply that people that enjoy different games to me are inferior forms of life? After all, that's what gaming is all about.
Don't forget to call their sexuality into question.

OT: A kickstarter to fund a zombie apocalypse game. Here me out, now, I don't count things like L4D or RE zombie apocalypse, those are shooters and (very bland) horror. I want a proper ZA game, like the ARMAII mod DayZ. Huge open map, survivors can do whatever they want, your goal is literally survival and whatever is left to your imagination. You can start fires, hunt animals for meat, look for supplies, guns and ammo are very scarce, etc. Humans are a bigger threat than the actual zombies, which is how it should be.

I watched a few videos of that game and my mind was reeling. The intensity of some of the situations you are in is amazing.


An apocalypse should be intense, and it should be serious.
 

Atmos Duality

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Huh. Actual attempt at discussion rather than just bitching.
I might stick around on the site yet.

First Thought: What sort of Kickstarter frankenstein game would you fund?
Hmm.
A space-battle game. Capital ships, mechs, assault shuttles, starfighters...etc. It's sort of like Warhawk/Starhawk, but in 3-dimensional space. The goal is to capture or destroy the enemy fleet.

Second Thought:If there is one thing that most Games cannot get right, what is it?
Level design.
Environmental interaction is pretty weak currently. Shooters are obsessed with providing linear hallways littered with cutscenes. And games with exploration elements keep them squirreled away behind instances or they ruin the fun with "breadcrumbs" (Idiot Lights).

Third Thought: What sort of gaming technology do you think would be the pinnacle of perfection,
and why do you think we do not have it yet?
Perfection is...difficult to describe.
As far as hardware controls go, I think we've reached the happy pinnacle that incorporates our ability to use our hands. Next step would be designing a hand-held system that is based entirely around the ergonomics of the human hand, I'd think.

And Lastly: What do you think is missing in the Gaming Industry?
Variety.
Sounds absurd, but this is probably the worst variety I've ever seen in the AAA industry.
 

dreadedcandiru99

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Atmos Duality said:
Hmm.
A space-battle game. Capital ships, mechs, assault shuttles, starfighters...etc. It's sort of like Warhawk/Starhawk, but in 3-dimensional space. The goal is to capture or destroy the enemy fleet.
Like Sol: Exodus, you mean? I think that came out a few months ago. I haven't played it yet, but it's supposed to be kind of Wing Commander-ish.
 

AngelBlackChaos

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I have to say, I am really loving all of the responses. A few, like the space game, I have thought about but thought it would be made eventually, and shockingly enough, it hasn't. But due to the insane amount of debt that AAA publishers usually accrue during the developement of something like Starcraft, they have to KNOW, it will sell, or they just won't attempt. I think some looked toward the Kingdoms of Amalur (Spelling? not a clue.) as an example why it won't work. And its hard to think of Larger Publishers besides Valve possibly taking a chance at it.

And I would love some variety. Hell, its a pretty sure bet I will at least buy something if its reasonably priced and different, even if i think there is a chance I will not like it. Please Gaming industry, experiment!
 

dreadedcandiru99

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AngelBlackChaos said:
But due to the insane amount of debt that AAA publishers usually accrue during the developement of something like Starcraft, they have to KNOW, it will sell, or they just won't attempt.
It seems to me that the big publishers cause more problems than they solve, in the final analysis. Where do you stand on publishers just going away forever? Because I can see that day coming eventually: it seems to be getting more and more practical for indie developers to come up with an original game idea, make it and pay for it themselves (or Kickstart it), and sell it online without a publisher ever getting involved.
 

Atmos Duality

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dreadedcandiru99 said:
Like Sol: Exodus, you mean? I think that came out a few months ago. I haven't played it yet, but it's supposed to be kind of Wing Commander-ish.
I own it. It isn't.
It's primarily a series of dogfights similar to how Freespace played, but without the variability or multitudes of craft.

Think Freespace, but add elements of shooters, ship-building, and tactics to it.
 

the abyss gazes also

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Apr 10, 2012
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I'm going to throw my vote behind old school rpg. I'm okay with a text wall over voice acting if it means I can get a good story again. Take Plainscape: Torment model and go from there. Add in a classless you level the stuff you use ala skyrim.

I liked gaining exp from avoiding combat and talking to people.
 

Mr. GameBrain

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Publishers are making themselves irrelevant.

Besides, if you look at the behaviour of these companies in a business sense, it makes no sense whatsoever.

The point is, you can't just "go bigger and better", because at some point its just going to be too big to handle (Kingdom of Alamur, Duke Nukem Forever, and Spore are good examples for different reasons).

Its about effieciency, and utilising the technology on hand to produce something with a good cost/quality ratio.

I think even games like Unreal Tournament 2004 look good, (at max. Its a little dated, but on a large screen it still looks very nice), and I think that as long as the game is well designed around its technical limitations, most people won't complain.

Visual design > "Graphics" any day.

I think the future of the industry lies in smaller, but more highly skilled and efficient teams.
(And in many cases, it helps because there is a better creative direction going on, especially if you have someone like Sakaguchi at the helm of it (though having a leader doesn't always help, Peter Molneux for instance...))

Why should companies work on only 1 or 2 things at a time, when they could divide their resources up more effectively to these teams.

We've already seen how well this sort of strategy works with Double Fine.
Psychonauts and Brutal Legend were commercial failures (despite being good games in their own right), but their XBLA games have performed extremely well.

They managed to shrink their costs enough to put themselves into a crowd-sourced area, and it probably will pay off for them, both the game itself, and the strengthening of the company's relationship with its fans.
(That documentary running along with the game is incredibly insightful and interesting, and is highly valuable alone! :D)

Eventually they may have enough cash to be self-sufficient, and not even need publishers, (or if they end up like Valve, become their own publisher! XD)

The market is very, very different these days. Your average consumer is incredibly well informed with resources instantly available that a person in the 80's or 90's just didn't have.

I remember as a kid, I didn't have good internet (so couldn't download anything), I had to rely on magazines and demos to find out what was good or not.
The cost of games were higher, so I had to save up alot for only a handful of games.

These days there are online review sites, industry-ish magazines like gamesTM and EDGE (take EDGE with a grain of salt, but sometimes there are great articles in there), cheaper and faster source of retail titles (online sites like amazon for instance), cheaper games on mobile devices (iphone and android devices), specialist trade sites like Ebay and CEX, better and faster sales on games (most games prices plummet after about a month after release), larger and more widespread gaming communities (Us gamers talk to each other all the time nowadays), online gaming (either a blessing or a burden in some cases, but definately a game-changer), motion controller devices, (wii, kinect, playstation move ect.), and so much more.

One also has to consider the age of the average consumer. That has changed too. Its older.
Licensed games are actually pretty niche nowadays, and are usually very crap because of it (and other reasons of course).

People are looking for quality experiences, and many publishers are beginning to fail to meet expectations, or are blindly ignoring that fact, and are paying for it.
(THQ, Nintendo (in some respects), Sega, Activision (becoming a burden for Vivendi X), and EA/Bioware (Mass Effect 3, Dragon Age 2, The Old Republic, and probably the next games they make if they keep trending like this), Square Enix (FFXIII, FFXIV))

But if anything, the future is going to be very interesting indeed...

EDIT: Buying smaller companies, then devouring them, DOES NOT HELP!!

IP doesn't mean diddly squat if there is no-one to develop it. The main devs almost always leave the company that devoured their company anyway which makes it a completely pointless endeavour!

Also it means that indies are likely going to go elsewhere for funding and resources.
(If I was running a studio I would think about 5 times before going to a publisher. I wouldn't want my IPs and team being dissolved into something like EA. *shudders*)

Do what valve do, and nurture them. Make them become allies. Make them WANT to work for you.
 

Don Savik

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What would I fund on kickstarter? Probably some more RTS games similar to Age of the Empires/C&C. I love DoW2 don't get me wrong, but I love building huge bases in my RTS games. Age of Empires kind of....disappeared. Same with Age of Mythology, Warcraft, Command and Conquer. All vanished.

Sins is amazing, but its more of a 4X type game. Its good but not the scale I want.

Supreme Commander 2 was a good game, but the mechanics aren't what I'm looking for.

With the huge success of Starcraft 2, why doesn't blizzard make a Warcraft 4? Imagine all the new stuff they could add from World of Warcraft. So many race and unit possibilities.
 

Mr. GameBrain

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Don Savik said:
What would I fund on kickstarter? Probably some more RTS games similar to Age of the Empires/C&C. I love DoW2 don't get me wrong, but I love building huge bases in my RTS games. Age of Empires kind of....disappeared. Same with Age of Mythology, Warcraft, Command and Conquer. All vanished.

Sins is amazing, but its more of a 4X type game. Its good but not the scale I want.

Supreme Commander 2 was a good game, but the mechanics aren't what I'm looking for.

With the huge success of Starcraft 2, why doesn't blizzard make a Warcraft 4? Imagine all the new stuff they could add from World of Warcraft. So many race and unit possibilities.
Because they can't fit an online auction into it... ;p
 

rbstewart7263

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I can appreciate this thread.:)


1stly:I would fund a kickstarter for megaman legends 3 to come back.(still pissed will be waiting for a used copy of dmc just because lol)

2ndly: something like the steel battalion controller.

third:pacing. Good pacing will push even the most antiquated rpg combat system and make a game enjoyable.

4thly: A spine. We dont believe in ourselves enough to stand up. instead whenever we are criticized we go " Uze right nana I loves you I do better I promise.

Thank god for indie gaming thats all.:)
 

Mr. GameBrain

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Don Savik said:
Mr. GameBrain said:
Because they can't fit an online auction into it... ;p
Does Starcraft 2 have microtransactions?
It would if Blizzard could get away with it! X'D

(Average Warcraft fan vs Average Starcraft fan. I know which one I would rather irritate thats for sure.)