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by Worm 09/15/2013, 11:33am PDT |
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but, that kind of thinking has ruined modern MMOs. All games are going to be pastimes and MMOs are even bigger pastimes than every other game. Since an MMO needs things like a sense of agency and wonder I think just trying to make it "fun" is a huge blunder. It's a decision for people who never liked the genre by people who never liked the genre. Death penalties are a great example, they're all but gone from World of Warcraft because getting punished for dying was deemed as "not fun". Granted Blizzard doesn't really care about fun and instead uses it as a backhanded excuse to turn all their loved franchises into focus grouped tripe.
The problem with fun is that there are different ways to have it. When you take a genre like MMOs that have to take a long time and have to have very stiff penalties for mistakes and remove those penalties and overall sense of grandeur you're left with something very hollow. MMO never should have been designed for people who don't have a lot of time on their hands. There are plenty of things that having an 8 hour job and 3 mewling kids will stop you from being able to do, MMOs need to be one of them.
Another example of fun gone wrong is Stranglehold. I recently replayed this game a little when I saw there was a PC release and had a lot of fun with it, but the second level has a horrible mounted gun segment and then a bunch of place 0/9 bomb events. I can almost imagine a meeting where they have a straight up superior version of Max Payne complete with arcadey scoring and special abilities and someone stands up and says "You only run around shooting people in this game, it's too repetitive, the player needs to do different things" and bam the game was saddled with that awful second level low point.
Sometimes things can't be fun or the fun is going to come from somewhere else. Having to grind firebugs before you left Qeynos so you could get a firebug eye to have a source of light wasn't fun. Though those humble beginnings laid a ground work for a really amazing experience. |
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What does a game designer need to know to create good mechanics? Good story? by fucking newbie 09/14/2013, 6:08pm PDT 
I am hijacking this thread to talk about how much I hate Extra Credits by WITTGENSTEIN 09/14/2013, 6:25pm PDT
The Extra Credits writer was an evercrack addict and cried about it on the show by fucking newbie 09/14/2013, 8:16pm PDT
"Is this fun?" by fabio 09/15/2013, 3:58am PDT
I think it depends on the type of gaming you're making, "Fun" is a good start... by Worm 09/15/2013, 11:33am PDT
They should ask themselves: by Fullofkittens 09/15/2013, 2:38pm PDT
Ten pages of this in the New Yorker. Well, let's see how it goes. NT by fucking newbie 09/15/2013, 8:16pm PDT
Re: What does a game designer need to know to create good mechanics? Good story? by Entropy Stew 09/15/2013, 4:22pm PDT
I'D BUY THAT FOR FIVE DOLLARS! (adjusted for inflation) NT by That guy from Robocop 09/15/2013, 8:25pm PDT
We'd call it PI the movie NT by Directed by Arraanoofsssky 09/18/2013, 1:23am PDT
Too much inbred creativity by Lurker 13243 09/16/2013, 4:02am PDT
This is all 100% correct by fabio 09/16/2013, 3:53pm PDT
I have a lot of hope for these "millennials" by Fullofkittens 09/16/2013, 5:03pm PDT
I thought Gen Y was Millennials? by WITTGENSTEIN 09/16/2013, 5:41pm PDT
don't think there's a name for the new kids yet by jeep 09/16/2013, 8:50pm PDT
Generation Z or millenials both apply, but here's the real name: by fucking newbie 09/20/2013, 1:06pm PDT
Or you're only seeing the top percentage that manage to get work NT by fabio 09/16/2013, 10:56pm PDT
True. NT by FoK 09/17/2013, 3:55am PDT
If the movie rule is "Show, don't tell," the VG rule is "Do, don't show." by Mischief Maker 09/16/2013, 5:45pm PDT
If the movie rule is "Show, don't tell," the VG rule is "Do, don't show." NT by <- not bad ( jeep ) 09/16/2013, 8:52pm PDT
Without friction, there can be no pleasure. by Jerry Whorebach 09/16/2013, 10:20pm PDT
Re: What does a game designer need to know to create good mechanics? Good story? by Ice Cream Jonsey 09/17/2013, 12:11am PDT
I agree with Jonsey. by Jerry Whorebach 09/17/2013, 1:30am PDT
Whoa! by Ice Cream Jonsey 09/17/2013, 10:18pm PDT
I'm pretty sure they're still pathetic and mewling children. by Jerry Whorebach 09/19/2013, 1:32am PDT
You should try playing OFF. NT by http://offgame.wikia.com/wiki/Downl 11/03/2013, 3:13am PST
also good NT by jeep 09/17/2013, 10:00am PDT
Re: What does a game designer need to know... by Commander Tansin A. Darcos 09/17/2013, 11:07am PDT
I'd love to see a Gamasutra postmortem of Patty Flinger NT by Entropy Stew 09/17/2013, 1:52pm PDT
your ator sucks bro give up by go fuck YOURself, too 09/17/2013, 4:57pm PDT
No, it's true by Ice Cream Jonsey 09/17/2013, 5:31pm PDT
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