In your opinion, what types of game mechanics and or things make games replayable?
(goodness, I must have been in a rush with this post. Didn't go back and read how strange the wording was. Sorry about that.)
Replayability
I've wondered this at length before, but never came up with a particularly good answer.
The best I can say is that having lots of options is a good start. Not giving people more than one way to play through a game is going to severely limit your replayability.
That can be abstracted to a few dozen things: different characters to play, alternate story paths, different character progression options, secrets, etc.
The best I can say is that having lots of options is a good start. Not giving people more than one way to play through a game is going to severely limit your replayability.
That can be abstracted to a few dozen things: different characters to play, alternate story paths, different character progression options, secrets, etc.
1. Fun design. This is pretty subjective, but a game that is fun is one that I might play again regardless of other factors.
2. Skippable sequences. Nothing pisses me off more than trying to play a fun game and being forced to watch a long crappy video or dialog sequence. Being able to play helps when I want to play again. And game cinematics and dialog sequences seem to have gotten longer than they used to be, so they're worse than ever to have to sit through.
3. Variable plots. Even when I was younger (plots were exclusively linear in those days) I would make up my own stories when I re-played games, because I'd already done the actual story one or more times.
4. Play options. This was mentioned above, but having choices in what to do, where to go, how to approach obstacles and goals, and so on are hugely important for me for replay value.
5. New Game+. This mainly applies to RPG games, though other genres can use it as well (like God of War and the different costumes you can unlock). If I want to play a game again, I probably don't want to spend time grinding towards goals I accomplished once. For players who would rather experience the bald challenges of the game itself, they can use weaker equipment or start a normal new game.
So I guess my overall design for a re-playable game is to allow the player to allow the player to experience any aspect of the game that they choose while skipping non-play aspects like movies and level-grinding. Variable plots and approaches to obstacles provide extra incentive to play again, allowing the player to have a different play experience than they did the first time.
2. Skippable sequences. Nothing pisses me off more than trying to play a fun game and being forced to watch a long crappy video or dialog sequence. Being able to play helps when I want to play again. And game cinematics and dialog sequences seem to have gotten longer than they used to be, so they're worse than ever to have to sit through.
3. Variable plots. Even when I was younger (plots were exclusively linear in those days) I would make up my own stories when I re-played games, because I'd already done the actual story one or more times.
4. Play options. This was mentioned above, but having choices in what to do, where to go, how to approach obstacles and goals, and so on are hugely important for me for replay value.
5. New Game+. This mainly applies to RPG games, though other genres can use it as well (like God of War and the different costumes you can unlock). If I want to play a game again, I probably don't want to spend time grinding towards goals I accomplished once. For players who would rather experience the bald challenges of the game itself, they can use weaker equipment or start a normal new game.
So I guess my overall design for a re-playable game is to allow the player to allow the player to experience any aspect of the game that they choose while skipping non-play aspects like movies and level-grinding. Variable plots and approaches to obstacles provide extra incentive to play again, allowing the player to have a different play experience than they did the first time.
More choices.
More eye candy.
Small learning curve (this is why I quit The Sims on Facebook. Actually, it was because I hate the sims because there's no point to it. So, my next point...)
A way to master the game that doesn't require endless amounts of time spent playing it, like if you had a unique idea or strategy. Actually, I'm not sure if that's possible. I was just thinking of the MMORTS I am working on.
More eye candy.
Small learning curve (this is why I quit The Sims on Facebook. Actually, it was because I hate the sims because there's no point to it. So, my next point...)
A way to master the game that doesn't require endless amounts of time spent playing it, like if you had a unique idea or strategy. Actually, I'm not sure if that's possible. I was just thinking of the MMORTS I am working on.
These are not about replayability but about features of a good game. You definitely don't need eye candy for replayability (the player saw it the first time already) also small learning curve is probably a bit bad for replayability (you play next time because you learned new tricks during your first play and want to test it or because this time you will understand what you are doing).
More eye candy.
Small learning curve (this is why I quit The Sims on Facebook. Actually, it was because I hate the sims because there's no point to it. So, my next point...)
I think replayability is promoted by:
- short playing time (roguelikes)
- high difficulty OR hidden hard to find secrets OR multiple paths to victory
- non obvious winning strategy
- A steady learning curve, with rewards for small progresses, like Counter-Strike, where you gradually learn maps and pick up strategies.
I don't know, I'm bad at this.
I don't know, I'm bad at this.
Things that are designed to be played repeatedly, like multiplayer matches.
Still you would need good gameplay to get people to keep playing it.
Age of empires II is still played, and I think it's still bigger than many realise. It's a typical game that's played on lans (atleast in my experience).
-The gameplay is good.
-Everyone has a good enough pc.
-You can play it on other computers by just copying the game file map (very easy setup), or someone has made such a version.
The legality of this may be disputed, but that's how it is.
Having some levelling system in multiplayer mode seems to keep players to keep playing it (especially teens). CoD and Halo are good examples of that.
Gothic 2 is the game that has consumed most hours (for me), and that's a single player rpg. I've replayed it quite a few times. There's some unique story/quests to one of the three different guilds you can join. This helps replayability. However the game needs to be fun. I didn't even finish Dragon age because I thought the linear hours long corridors you had to fight your way through to get to the next cutscene was incredibly boring. Gothic 2 is an (mostly) open world game, so you have a lot of freedom. Most of all the game world is very immersing. Now there's many who didn't like it (gave up quite early), and some who found it to difficult (didn't understand how to play the game). Those who did often praise it very highly.
The devs last game was "Risen", and now they're making Risen 2. The world in Risen pales in comparison to the world of Gothic 2, but I still played through it a couple of times.
I believe many have replayed oblivion aswell, which is another open world rpg game. Two other examples are Zelda ocirina of time and Star wars knights of the old republic.
A more linear game I've replayed quite a few times is Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
I think it's most about making the game really good.
Some leveling scheme gets players to stick around for longer, but it's important to be on an even playfield in strategy games (unless it's a persistent world mmorts).
Still you would need good gameplay to get people to keep playing it.
Age of empires II is still played, and I think it's still bigger than many realise. It's a typical game that's played on lans (atleast in my experience).
-The gameplay is good.
-Everyone has a good enough pc.
-You can play it on other computers by just copying the game file map (very easy setup), or someone has made such a version.
The legality of this may be disputed, but that's how it is.
Having some levelling system in multiplayer mode seems to keep players to keep playing it (especially teens). CoD and Halo are good examples of that.
Gothic 2 is the game that has consumed most hours (for me), and that's a single player rpg. I've replayed it quite a few times. There's some unique story/quests to one of the three different guilds you can join. This helps replayability. However the game needs to be fun. I didn't even finish Dragon age because I thought the linear hours long corridors you had to fight your way through to get to the next cutscene was incredibly boring. Gothic 2 is an (mostly) open world game, so you have a lot of freedom. Most of all the game world is very immersing. Now there's many who didn't like it (gave up quite early), and some who found it to difficult (didn't understand how to play the game). Those who did often praise it very highly.
The devs last game was "Risen", and now they're making Risen 2. The world in Risen pales in comparison to the world of Gothic 2, but I still played through it a couple of times.
I believe many have replayed oblivion aswell, which is another open world rpg game. Two other examples are Zelda ocirina of time and Star wars knights of the old republic.
A more linear game I've replayed quite a few times is Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
I think it's most about making the game really good.
Some leveling scheme gets players to stick around for longer, but it's important to be on an even playfield in strategy games (unless it's a persistent world mmorts).
I believe many have replayed oblivion aswell, which is another open world rpg game. Two other examples are Zelda ocirina of time and Star wars knights of the old republic.
A more linear game I've replayed quite a few times is Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
I'm glad you brought up Ocarina of Time. It is a game that I have repeated multiple times. And I think you are on to something with it being open world.
Most of the replies thus far have had a common thread for replayability that being "multiple ways to win." And I get that and I think it is becoming increasingly popular with games now a days and is a very valid answer. However, this becomes less feasible when you are a one-man band (coding, doing the art, ect.). So what I wonder is what made games like Zelda ocarina of time so worthy of being beaten played through twice. This goes for other older games as well.
How many of us have gone back years later and replayed Super Mario World?
Is it the story? or is the game play?
It's a good point, first you have to make the game fun. If the player does not want to finish it once then the whole replayability won't matter. Replayability can be considered only after the player finished the whole game.
Zelda, and all other story based games have very low replayability (even if you are a maniac you will play these twice or three times, but not ten or hundred). These are bad examples of replayability, also, these games don't really need replayability.
Take a look at Diablo, Starcraft, Civilization, these were designed for replayability.
I think you might want to narrow the topic to a specific genre (becasue it is hugely depending on the genre, an average RTS will beat an awesome RPG when it comes to replayability, that's the nature of that genre).
Zelda, and all other story based games have very low replayability (even if you are a maniac you will play these twice or three times, but not ten or hundred). These are bad examples of replayability, also, these games don't really need replayability.
Take a look at Diablo, Starcraft, Civilization, these were designed for replayability.
I think you might want to narrow the topic to a specific genre (becasue it is hugely depending on the genre, an average RTS will beat an awesome RPG when it comes to replayability, that's the nature of that genre).
I think you might want to narrow the topic to a specific genre (becasue it is hugely depending on the genre, an average RTS will beat an awesome RPG when it comes to replayability, that's the nature of that genre).
That's a fair suggestion. Perhaps, my focus question would be aimed at RPGs. It is my hope that in the next few years I'll publishing a simple solo-RPG with a linear story that captures a similar sense of wonder that games like Ocarina of time had.
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