Dumbing down or butchering a game
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Every time a sequel is announced to a game I like there is a moment of excitement, ideas race through your head and I start to wonder what improvements they will make.
Sadly this has started to change to dread instead and wondering what they will do to dumb down the game. I'm a console player as well as PC but every time they announce that the game will be released on both warning bells ring for me.
The latest game to suffer from this is Supreme Commander. This game spoke to most TA fans. It brought new life to this game, new hope to this massive scale of RTS.
Now when the second game is released it is a huge let down for me and many other TA lovers.
When designing a game or a sequel in this case that is built upon the concept of resource management and grand style of TA why turn against this fanbase?
I can understand the money side bu why not create another game instead of a sequel?
I too suffer the "sequelphobia" that many gamers have as well.
What appears to be the problem is apparantly the cropping of features to cram more storyline or maps into that disk or download, depending on how the game is acquired.
Maybe one thing that in a way ticks me off is the fact that many game producers are not learning from others'/their previous mistakes.
What appears to be the problem is apparantly the cropping of features to cram more storyline or maps into that disk or download, depending on how the game is acquired.
Maybe one thing that in a way ticks me off is the fact that many game producers are not learning from others'/their previous mistakes.
What exactly do you see as being butchered in SC2?
I've not played it yet, but I'm sure Chris Taylor would call it something like a new game that is more refined in concept. One review I looked at say it's as epic as TA but as simple to play as SC1.
There's always spring...
I've not played it yet, but I'm sure Chris Taylor would call it something like a new game that is more refined in concept. One review I looked at say it's as epic as TA but as simple to play as SC1.
There's always spring...
Quote:Original post by Cosine
What appears to be the problem is apparantly the cropping of features to cram more storyline or maps into that disk or download, depending on how the game is acquired.
I doubt this is the case. Code takes up space, but it's not THAT big.
The reason games are being "dumbed down" is so they are more appealing to the massive demographic of casual gamers. Do you remember the first game you played? It was probably very simple. My first video game had 3 controls: left, right, and jump. It's boring to someone with years of gaming under his belt, but it's not so intuitive to someone who doesn't have that background.
When's the last time getting MORE complicated has benefited a genre or IP? Adventure games, perhaps? Flight sims?
Sounds like what Deus Ex 2 Invisible War did to Deus Ex. They could have kept the different ammo, more complicated inventory, lockpicks and multitools and so on and still expanded the levels etc etc.
Quote:Original post by Hodgman
What exactly do you see as being butchered in SC2?
I've not played it yet, but I'm sure Chris Taylor would call it something like a new game that is more refined in concept. One review I looked at say it's as epic as TA but as simple to play as SC1.
There's always spring...
Based on the demo, it's far less epic. The UI in particular makes the thing seem awkward and 'gamey'. The units themselves seem to have far less punch. Even the experimentals are kinda wimpy compared to the awesome power you got from seeing the first game's. The fatboy is just a big tank now... The addition of research and downplaying (removing?) the neighboring building benefits (and removing upgrades/levels) makes it feel a lot more like 'yet another RTS'. Battles go even more towards 'throw more units until you win' stupidity.
But the UI is really what struck me. The original game had such a clean ui. You could zoom from space on down and then see useful details. Now it seems like you're looking at an image and just zooming into it. The icon-view is way too busy and unclear. And even zoomed in there's no details. Just noise.
I do agree the zoom in SC2 looks a little more boring, but in general I'd say if you don't like the sequal then don't buy it. There's no clearer message that you can send the developers than that!
I was once an avid RTS player and like to think I was pretty good at them.
I don't much bother now though, on account of the games not supporting >10 units before the FPS crashes. I weakened and bought SC recently though and just finished the single player missions on hard. Decent fun but seriously samey.
Then I thought about playing skirmish. Tried a big map with 3x good AI's. Lost early a few times. Finally figured out how to win, ran out of units. Downloaded the patch to up the limit, started again. Beat the game this time, but it took all of Sunday playing at 10fps.
Uninstalled it now. Do you think the sequel is gonna run faster or slower? No? Same here - I'll pass. Starcraft 2 will be just as slow when you have a real battle going, I guarantee it. And my PC ain't no slouch either. Developers just don't make games for currrent pc's anymore.
I don't much bother now though, on account of the games not supporting >10 units before the FPS crashes. I weakened and bought SC recently though and just finished the single player missions on hard. Decent fun but seriously samey.
Then I thought about playing skirmish. Tried a big map with 3x good AI's. Lost early a few times. Finally figured out how to win, ran out of units. Downloaded the patch to up the limit, started again. Beat the game this time, but it took all of Sunday playing at 10fps.
Uninstalled it now. Do you think the sequel is gonna run faster or slower? No? Same here - I'll pass. Starcraft 2 will be just as slow when you have a real battle going, I guarantee it. And my PC ain't no slouch either. Developers just don't make games for currrent pc's anymore.
Quote:Original post by CadetUmfer
When's the last time getting MORE complicated has benefited a genre or IP? Adventure games, perhaps? Flight sims?
What about FPS? We're not exactly looking for the red key card anymore, and FPS games are one of the most straightforward of genres out there.
Open world sandbox games have become more complex. GTA used to be about driving around in top down perspective either gunning people down or doing very limited missions.
And what about hybrids? Or 4X Strategy games???
I think this "we must simplify everything in order to reach everyone" meme is very short-sighted. Not exactly sure where it's coming from (consoles?) but I'm glad to see that not all game series are falling for it.
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