What do YOU want to be the next evolution in gaming?

[Epyc Wynn]

Gaming has been adapting at an incredible pace over the last few decades. In order gaming has gone from consoles, handhelds, motion controls, touchscreens, augmented reality games to ___. What is the ___ going to be? What should it be and why? I want to know what you think the next evolution in gaming should be.

 

[Esotera]

Better developer tools, that allow pretty much anyone to write their own game, at around the same level of graphics as AAA games had 10 years ago. That would bring out some phenomenal stuff.

We're sort of getting there with programs like GameMaker & intuitive libraries such as PyGame, which are easy to pick up, but there's a lot more potential there. If companies like Rockstar can make an engine & base various games in different settings/styles from it using mainly scripts/artwork, then I see no reason that something similar (but slightly easier to use) can't be extended to the general public.

 

[Jetbat]

Virtual reality. Now.


Realistically speaking, what I mainly personally want is for consoles to now be on par with PCs. I mean this in terms of graphics, online capabilities, interface (controls...?), processing power, and modding. The other stuff is pretty simple, but as a Console gamer predominantly, I do miss out on modding opportunities that have helped the PC gaming market tremendously.

 

[skywolfblue]

Well, given that current motion controls are absolutely abysmal.

Motion Controls. Finger movements, Gesture Recognition, Lip Reading, Position Independence (stand anywhere) yadda yadda. But actually decent and not absolute shit like Kinect currently is.

 

[MammothBlade]

True Artificial Intelligence in gaming. With RPGs, you could have an AI game/dungeon master which ensures an element of unpredictability and cunning behind the sorts of challenges that games throw at you. And for strategy, opponents which are not just pre-programmed to respond to certain patterns, but which can keep up with a human opponent without resorting to spamming tactics.

 

[Freechoice]

A focus on motion in 3rd person. Fuck chest high walls, I want characters to be pulling platforming shit with wall running, retardedly high jumps and impossible acrobatics.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Matrix, the ultimate gaming environment, not to mention how much better porn would be

 

[Keava]

To be perfectly honest? Nothing. I'd prefer the studios to focus on improving with what tools They have rather then trying to push another gimmick forward. The motion controls alone still need whole lot of work, and games themselves, even without all the additional bells and whistles are far from perfect.

Less shovelware to promote gimmicky addition, more quality games.

 

[Zhukov]

Does "decent writing" count as evolution?

EDIT: Good God I sound jaded. But I honestly would prefer that developers, or at least those for whom it is relevant, focus on achieving a level of writing above that of daytime TV, as opposed to shiner pixels, more/less buttons and louder bangs.

 

[Alphavillain]

For console games to look even half as good as PC games!

But I think seriously that MammothBlade above has made a great point. AI in games is still shockingly bad, even in games that most people love (Deux Ex, for example). I'd love to see FPSs where you shoot an enemy and his friend standing next to him actually reacts as if his friend has been mown down, and acts accordingly. Is that too much to ask for?

 

[Alphavillain]

True Artificial Intelligence in gaming. With RPGs, you could have an AI game/dungeon master which ensures an element of unpredictability and cunning behind the sorts of challenges that games throw at you. And for strategy, opponents which are not just pre-programmed to respond to certain patterns, but which can keep up with a human opponent without resorting to spamming tactics.

Very good point. I can't help thinking that the whole explosion of multiplayer in gaming has helped delay or even curtail the development of advanced AI by developers. MP has very cynical applications for lazy devs (although not all of them, of course).

 

[Sacman]

The utilization of games as an actual story telling medium... I mean there's just so much potential there and if someone other than valve, and the handful of out of business 90s Pc developers, is able to understand the dynamics of interactive storytelling and pacing within the context of gameplay the AAA industry would be better for it...

We don't need anymore hardware bullshit complicating how we play games... buttons are good enough and even than we should be concentrating on simplifying there use...<.<

 

[Alphavillain]

Virtual reality. Now.


Realistically speaking, what I mainly personally want is for consoles to now be on par with PCs. I mean this in terms of graphics, online capabilities, interface (controls...?), processing power, and modding. The other stuff is pretty simple, but as a Console gamer predominantly, I do miss out on modding opportunities that have helped the PC gaming market tremendously.

I'm old enough to remember all the hoopla about VR in the early 1990s, when it was meant to be the Next Big thing ("Lawnmower Man", and all that). I don't know what happened to it. I suppose people settled for shooting people in the face in HD.

Also your point about graphics is very well made. People say how amazing the Vita is, but turn the argument on its head; doesn't the tech in the Vita then mean the PS3 is hopelessly outdated?

 

[Sacman]

Virtual reality. Now.


Realistically speaking, what I mainly personally want is for consoles to now be on par with PCs. I mean this in terms of graphics, online capabilities, interface (controls...?), processing power, and modding. The other stuff is pretty simple, but as a Console gamer predominantly, I do miss out on modding opportunities that have helped the PC gaming market tremendously.

Yus... than they'd stop being consoles at that point... the point of a console is that its basically a computer with a streamlined and focused purpose... and once you introduce an open OS to allow modding, hardware upgrades(which is the only way a console can stay on par with pcs in terms of graphical capability) and such they just become desktop computers... and it of course begs the question of what's the point...<.<

 

[IBlackKiteI]

To be perfectly honest? Nothing. I'd prefer the studios to focus on improving with what tools They have rather then trying to push another gimmick forward. The motion controls alone still need whole lot of work, and games themselves, even without all the additional bells and whistles are far from perfect.

Less shovelware to promote gimmicky addition, more quality games.

Basically this.
If a game comes out that's a lot like one before it but is improved upon significantly, say if it's essentially Call of Duty just with better writing, AI, level design, audio and other core elements of that kind of game, then that'd be a hell of a lot better than another shooter that ends up being a lot like CoD anyway but without any real advancement or improvement, just some gimmick like the ability to throw sand at enemies or something.

Probably due to hardware and development constraints, I've yet to see any game have some sort of significantly changing weather system that dynamically shapes the playable world. There are of course games like From Dust where manipulation of the elements is the entire focus, but it'd be great if it'd just sort of be there in the background of another game.
Say if your playing an open world RPG. On your way to the next town it begins raining heavily. The road you're going on starts to wash away from all the water and little streams form here and there, sweeping away all the leaves and whatnot and turning the ground to mud, making your horse have difficulty getting through it.
Or if it's a modern warfare themed RTS. Heavy rain causes your units sight lines to shrink significantly. Maybe it's so bad air units are rendered ineffective or even unuseable. The high winds cause long range shots to potentially miss their targets.
Possibilities are endless. From what's been revealed, it seems Assassins Creed 3 will have something along those lines with a winter/summer cycle or something, which is pretty cool.

Also as someone already mentioned I think there needs to be a particular focus on AI. Artifical Intelligence in games really just isn't.

 

[rob_simple]

I'd like the industry to drop the 3D/motion control bullshit, call a ceasefire in the hardware cold war and just make games with decent graphics, an engaging story and a solid engine.

I'd also like a talking bear in a fez and the power of flight.

 

[Clive Howlitzer]

Holodecks please. If we are being more realistic, I would just like to see games become deeper. Lately it seems like the next "evolution" has been to make games shorter and shallower than ever.

 

[Vanitas likes Bubbles]

Unlimited polygons. There is some pretty interesting tech in development. Also better AI. That and what Zhukov said, actually decent writing.

 

[babinro]

I'd love to see an evolution in game design / player choice.

As is we have a lot of choose your own adventure games. Pick 3 and regardless of your choice you'll go and do the same thing but with a different intent. I'd like to see game development take the pick 3 idea and stretch it into essentially 3 completely different stories with different environments and outcomes.

I'd also want every game released to provide full control options to a player. Every game should offer motion and non-motion controls. All games should allow full customization of the controllers, the game difficulty and all mechanical specifics of a game so players can adjust as they please. Have sliders for how much damage a headshot does, how much damage specific weapons deal, etc. I realize this sort of menu would probably have 300 sliders, but at least each gamer could potentially tailor the experience to one that best suits them if they wanted to.

Lastly and most importantly, I want to see the future gaming let go of grinding. Activities that are not fun should be absolutely minimized or provide options to bypass them. I'm sick of slowly running down huge corridors for 2 minutes just to get to a quest giver who has me run back down these corridors just to start the mission. It's not uncommon for quests to be shorter than the travel time required to really start them. Games like MMO's, Fallout, FF, etc should all have optional fast travel to get to your quest location so you can actually enjoy the gameplay and story within seconds of being issued the quest.

 

[Sarah Frazier]

I'm going to have to jump on the AI bandwagon here.

Having Group B of enemies actually react when Group A is getting pulverized only 30 yards/meters away would be nice, if annoying when I have to kill them too. Maybe now I have to wait for them to come back when they think the coast is clear, or hunt them down and risk catching them talking to an even tougher group that could pulverize ME if I rush right in.

Alternately my minions could hopefully learn not to stand in front of which I need to click on. As adorable as you little guys are, I don't want to hear how bored you now are so freaking often.

Maybe something to go with the minions not spazzing out all the time would be NPCs forced to get to places with the same methods as players. Rather than simply teleporting up onto a wall (unless that's programmed into the fight) they should have to run and jump from other ledges to get there, just as the player would have to. This way the player can try to booby trap the ledges, knock the NPC off, or use the time to recover before the fight is back on.