I think the problem comes from the time when game development became a "business". Realistically, once every company started looking out for what was copying the "next hot thing" rather than innovating was when everything started to suck (and if I see another "Tycoon" game, I''m gonna vomit). I think that "back in the day", games were generally programmed by gamers -- not marketing.
-Chris
Games are now flashy, not fun.
quote:Original post by GoofProg
Do not have fun of the way people coded a few years ago. PONG or other wise. sarcasism???? create a game and learn to respect the creator's intent. MR. anonymous. They did not have 3rd party API's back then.
i wasn't making fun!
i recently went through the trouble of finding and restoring to operation one of those old PONG consoles (the ones with two paddles, and a few [physical] switches for game speed and vs).
quote:Original post by Anonymous Poster
has anyone ever thought that the reason games seemed to be better back in the day was because we were younger? i think the reason we think games were better back then is because we were a lot more easily amused. we were young, at least i think the majority of us were. personally, i feel that todays games would be just as fun if i were young again. but sadly, it takes a lot more to amuse as you get older.
i guess i'm just lucky, i'm still easily amused
--- krez (krezisback@aol.com)
Edited by - krez on January 2, 2002 11:34:17 AM
3D has taken over the look of 95% of all games published today. But, there are games that look better in 3D than 2D... example: DOOM. This was/is a great game! It invites the player into a world much darker than the life the player lives (usually.)
As for the Quest for Glory series (my personal favorite!), King''s Quest series, Space Quest, Monkey Island, etc. They were great stories/games that game developers need to use as a foundation of game design. They were great to play because the player would type in a command and wonder if the character would react to it.[I''m currently playing The Curse of Monkey Island, and it is awsome. All hand drawn images with some very clever humor/puzzles. Long live 2D art/animation!]
Playing games is all about getting the player sucked in. Wondering... "What''s going to happen next?"
My main problem with game design is... I don''t read! No, I can read, but I don''t. I feel that our society has a big problem, and I''m apart of it. If we all read books, the way the designers did in the early days of game development, we would all be making extraordinary creations, (and playing them as well.)
Roberta Williams (Sierra Co founder) knew how to write a story, this is why she was so successful in game design. So if we were all to pick up a book and read more often, I guarantee are designs/games would be more original and entertaining.
We all have our own opinions about games we love, but I''m sure almost all of you will agree that games aren''t the way they should be and can be.
The next time you are tempted to watch TV, a movie or play a video game to get ideas, don''t. Read a book, your imagination is endless!
(P.S. Reading would greatly reduce spelling errors, incomplete sentences and improve English grammar... as you may have caught in this commentary.)
-Rick
As for the Quest for Glory series (my personal favorite!), King''s Quest series, Space Quest, Monkey Island, etc. They were great stories/games that game developers need to use as a foundation of game design. They were great to play because the player would type in a command and wonder if the character would react to it.[I''m currently playing The Curse of Monkey Island, and it is awsome. All hand drawn images with some very clever humor/puzzles. Long live 2D art/animation!]
Playing games is all about getting the player sucked in. Wondering... "What''s going to happen next?"
My main problem with game design is... I don''t read! No, I can read, but I don''t. I feel that our society has a big problem, and I''m apart of it. If we all read books, the way the designers did in the early days of game development, we would all be making extraordinary creations, (and playing them as well.)
Roberta Williams (Sierra Co founder) knew how to write a story, this is why she was so successful in game design. So if we were all to pick up a book and read more often, I guarantee are designs/games would be more original and entertaining.
We all have our own opinions about games we love, but I''m sure almost all of you will agree that games aren''t the way they should be and can be.
The next time you are tempted to watch TV, a movie or play a video game to get ideas, don''t. Read a book, your imagination is endless!
(P.S. Reading would greatly reduce spelling errors, incomplete sentences and improve English grammar... as you may have caught in this commentary.)
-Rick
I''m still playing Tranportation Tycoon Deluxe... The game is over 5 years old had somewhat lame graphics but the game play was completely addicting.
Only four other games have "caught" me like that and they are (in no particular order)
1)The Ultima series - lame graphics nicely done game.
2)Flight Simulator - by subLogic on the C=64 so the graphics were horrible by todays standards but we played the heck out of it!
3)Frontier: Elite II - 3D graphic lame by todays standards Gameplay! Wow
4)Ultima Online - 4 years of my life in that game - need I say more?
I think the primary reason that games have become flashy and have lacked the element of play is because gamers now want nicer graphics. They expect it. The unfortunate part is that deep down inside (at least for me) they do want better gameplay... will the consumer sacrifice nice next generation graphics for gameplay? Maybe. Can a game have flashy graphics and still have enthralling game play? I think so. If you really think about it, all of the games that we have mentioned here had very nice graphics for their time.
Games are now big business, it''s a 10 billion dollar industry, and many game development houses are pressured by publishers to get it out. So, in effect, the game houses become factories - pushing the next product out of the assembly line. The only time they feel the pressure/need to re-tool is when the last product didn''t succeed or that genre is on a down-ture.
(Don''t get me wrong I''m not an anti-capitalist - far from it)
Maybe if consumers were more demanding publishers would give game houses the opportunity to create games like the days of old and less like reproductions -- my $0.2 worth
Dave "Dak Lozar" Loeser
Only four other games have "caught" me like that and they are (in no particular order)
1)The Ultima series - lame graphics nicely done game.
2)Flight Simulator - by subLogic on the C=64 so the graphics were horrible by todays standards but we played the heck out of it!
3)Frontier: Elite II - 3D graphic lame by todays standards Gameplay! Wow
4)Ultima Online - 4 years of my life in that game - need I say more?
I think the primary reason that games have become flashy and have lacked the element of play is because gamers now want nicer graphics. They expect it. The unfortunate part is that deep down inside (at least for me) they do want better gameplay... will the consumer sacrifice nice next generation graphics for gameplay? Maybe. Can a game have flashy graphics and still have enthralling game play? I think so. If you really think about it, all of the games that we have mentioned here had very nice graphics for their time.
Games are now big business, it''s a 10 billion dollar industry, and many game development houses are pressured by publishers to get it out. So, in effect, the game houses become factories - pushing the next product out of the assembly line. The only time they feel the pressure/need to re-tool is when the last product didn''t succeed or that genre is on a down-ture.
(Don''t get me wrong I''m not an anti-capitalist - far from it)
Maybe if consumers were more demanding publishers would give game houses the opportunity to create games like the days of old and less like reproductions -- my $0.2 worth
Dave "Dak Lozar" Loeser
I think capitalism has gone to far! I''ve seen how it has taken quality out of life and has placed quantity in its place.
We need to get that "almighty" dollar out of our heads, it is ruining all of our creativity and abilities.
(Don''t get me wrong, I''m a capitalist... But I think I''m going to change that starting NOW!)
The average person thinks of sex, money and power... Let''s get rid of these 3 obstacles and produce games worth while.
I rest my case...
-Rick
We need to get that "almighty" dollar out of our heads, it is ruining all of our creativity and abilities.
(Don''t get me wrong, I''m a capitalist... But I think I''m going to change that starting NOW!)
The average person thinks of sex, money and power... Let''s get rid of these 3 obstacles and produce games worth while.
I rest my case...
-Rick
(being honest here)
I''m not intrested very much in power and money. Just enough to live comfortably.
(still being honest)
There are three types of games that can keep my attetion, and are well worth my money.
RTS, Warcraft II and Sacrifice (which, was poorly advertised, but that game did a good job of combining gameplay with graphics with the "What''s happening next?")
and MMORPG, Ultima Online took up 3 years of life (community) and Asheron''s Call took up another year. (1/2 story, 1/2 "maybe they will ungimp melee next patch)
and the last, Snood and BOXWORLD BABY!
I''m not intrested very much in power and money. Just enough to live comfortably.
(still being honest)
There are three types of games that can keep my attetion, and are well worth my money.
RTS, Warcraft II and Sacrifice (which, was poorly advertised, but that game did a good job of combining gameplay with graphics with the "What''s happening next?")
and MMORPG, Ultima Online took up 3 years of life (community) and Asheron''s Call took up another year. (1/2 story, 1/2 "maybe they will ungimp melee next patch)
and the last, Snood and BOXWORLD BABY!
>>Maybe if consumers were more demanding publishers would give game houses the opportunity to create games like the days of old and less like reproductions
Er...I think if consumers were more *descriminateing* in the games they purchase...things would change...
Many people on this and other forms are wanting (demanding even) "more realisam"...and from the descriptions of the "realisam" many seem to want, they seem to equate "realisam" with game graphics...pity really...as the one thing that really draws you into a game is if it connects with your imagination (same principal as used in books, and even films)...
The game graphics are simply the tool used to inform the player of the current game situation...really nothing more...the trick is to provide just enough detail that the player feels compelled to "fill in the blanks" with his imagination (to get that "what''s next?" feeling, etc..) as long as the game design supports the gameplay features it implys, this is achieveable...for example...if in a FPS you walk into a trashed, hole ridden room...but the gameplay has no feature allowing you to simularly trash a untarnashed room to the extend visable to you now...well the graphics are indicateing something you cannot do (so you get sucked out of the game)...conversely if a game has "room trashing gameplay features" but this has little actual effect on the game itself (other then graphic)...well you can get sucked out of the game then too...
But..Blah!...DOOM is my favorite FPS...simple and direct controls...well balanced...and with atmosphere in spades.
Er...I think if consumers were more *descriminateing* in the games they purchase...things would change...
Many people on this and other forms are wanting (demanding even) "more realisam"...and from the descriptions of the "realisam" many seem to want, they seem to equate "realisam" with game graphics...pity really...as the one thing that really draws you into a game is if it connects with your imagination (same principal as used in books, and even films)...
The game graphics are simply the tool used to inform the player of the current game situation...really nothing more...the trick is to provide just enough detail that the player feels compelled to "fill in the blanks" with his imagination (to get that "what''s next?" feeling, etc..) as long as the game design supports the gameplay features it implys, this is achieveable...for example...if in a FPS you walk into a trashed, hole ridden room...but the gameplay has no feature allowing you to simularly trash a untarnashed room to the extend visable to you now...well the graphics are indicateing something you cannot do (so you get sucked out of the game)...conversely if a game has "room trashing gameplay features" but this has little actual effect on the game itself (other then graphic)...well you can get sucked out of the game then too...
But..Blah!...DOOM is my favorite FPS...simple and direct controls...well balanced...and with atmosphere in spades.
quote:Original post by MSW
Er...I think if consumers were more *descriminateing* in the games they purchase...things would change...
You are correct. Discriminating can equal demanding really
And that was my implicatiion - I mean how else are they going to wake up the publisher than by not spending their money? Protest rarely work and boycott''s are just as lame. Those things were what the 60''s was all about
*GRIN*Money talks! and gamers in general have the power... Don''t get me wrong here... In my salad days, I had that pie in the sky philosophy concerning games and really did not fully understand the economic realities. I''m older - much older - now and do have an understanding of what makes the world turn. The poster who said that all we think about is sex, money and power... wasn''t too far from the truth. Everyone has their set percentages of each and for some one leads to the other (in their minds (think about it and you''ll understand)).
At any rate, here''s to games... the normal mans drug!
Dave "Dak Lozar" Loeser
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