Not really a game mechanic, but it always breaks the immersion of Assassins Creed games when there's a nice little passage to get round the gate or an alternative route in a chase that goes to the perfect place. Always ruins it a little.
Praised Game mechanics you don't enjoy.
- Thread starter Daymo
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It could be a little more clear that its the games abstract perspect of group scale battles, if it is at all. How about they make it so I issue all the attack moves in one turn, then my whole group runs up and attacks the enemies while the enemies run up and attack me. At least that way its like a real battle or fight. They could even make it slow motion when I pick a new attack or item for a character, so there is some feeling of "I need to hurry!"Deshin said:
In Dragon Age Origins it is actually a necessity so you can beat enemies or fight off an ambush that you don't have the skills attributed to buttons for. And it is not as painfully dull and flow breaking because after you close the menu to cast the spell, all the enemies and allies immediately start moving around and fighting again giving the impression of a realistic battle. Because simply, battles are hectic, bloody, frightening and messy, this is something turn based combat rarely expresses, it mostly seems to be neat and organized like playing Chess (without the use of brain power). I can't comment on Dungeons and Dragons the board game because I have never played, if you are talking about the MMORPG then I can only say that the dice roles are instant with no wait.
I don't have one main reason to dislike Turn Based Combat, I assume its just a composite of the many bad things I don't like about it. But I suppose if I were to chose I would think that I dislike it because in a fight/battle, even a small one, you can only really prepare yourself for the initial attack. In turn based combat if everything goes to shit you can just pop a mass healing potion, be a coward and leg it, or redesign your entire strategy with the infinite time you get given between turns with no or very little ramifications. I would have to say I don't like this because it makes the game boring and often repetitive and when you're in a fight, within the second or third move you can often tell if you're going to win or lose and by how much. Excuse my opinion but when I have a small/medium/large fight I will plan ahead like any rational person, but I want the game to feel like a gritty brutal battle. When my battle ax collides with the giant Ogres patella separating his tibia from his femur, I want him to immediately throw everything he has at me, causing me to rethink my motives and perception of the attitude belonging to the enemy.
Basically in a good and proper swords and shields fight you will often have to make the best of what you have, and if that means fighting off undead horsemen with a small unprepared group so be it. In MOST turn based combat you can re assess your actions mid game and completely make your group switch to V line formation with spears or whatever to mow down the enemy with out a problem.
Motion Controls.
I thought it was stupid in Killzone to go from mass-murder to turning the controller to open valves but that's the only non-wii thing I can really think of. I've never tried the Kinect yet and still don't plan to. As for the Wii, I'm only really playing games that allow you to play with the classic or, gamecube controller.
The exceptions I did enjoy though, were Donkey Kong: Country on wii, DDR and, the Guitar Hero series.
I thought it was stupid in Killzone to go from mass-murder to turning the controller to open valves but that's the only non-wii thing I can really think of. I've never tried the Kinect yet and still don't plan to. As for the Wii, I'm only really playing games that allow you to play with the classic or, gamecube controller.
The exceptions I did enjoy though, were Donkey Kong: Country on wii, DDR and, the Guitar Hero series.
I didn't find it to work overly well in Dragon Age 2, but only through poor implementation, not because its bad. I've never had a problem with it in Mass Effect.Azure-Supernova said:
It really doesn't remove that many options (if any), when you consider that in KotOR or DA: Origins, you generally did have 3 responses, and the ability to ask questions. You get the same with the wheel. The main issue comes from how transparent it is. I think sometimes a "Hi" on the wheel could actually represent a "hi" that's spoken - that was the biggest issue with it in DA2.
The Mass Effect guys do it better.
I think you should realize some games have made an attempt at making combat look more hectic. Your suggestion of everyone attacking at once, no offense, would not work at all; the whole point is that attacks are different, and players should be allowed to see what all their different effects were.Dimensional Vortex said:
So for example, in Skies of Arcadia...nobody was lined up; people were either in the fray, or at the back doing ranged attacks (usually split by fighting style). Also, while only one person was doing an actual "attack" at any one time, they still played little fighting animations for characters that were next to each other, though it didn't really do anything.
1) Turn based combat. So very dull. Even if you were really waiting for this fight to show up, even if you stocked your fenix downs and checked your gear and all that for the fight, you can just sit there for a little while waiting for the mega-mondo boss to finish scratching his butt before he comes to beat you up. Breaks the flow of games completely.
2) Multiplayer. Any kind of multiplayer. I, as an old school gamer, play games because I'm not hanging out with other people. Why would I interrupt video game time to hang out with people specifically chosen not to have social skills of any kind?
3) Monetary systems where you can easily max out your cash and buy everything worthwhile in the game by halfway through. It either makes the whole money system worthless or means the rest of the game is a breeze.
4) The ratings systems. I'm not saying 5-year-olds should be playing CoD (they should be playing Bulletstorm; that game is awesome), but the rating system has forced demographics on the industry. As a result, instead of asking what you put into the game to make it better, companies ask what you put in the game to ensure that it stays in the game's targeted demographic and/or take out to prevent shrinking that demographic. It's the same reason all the crap out these days in the movie theaters is PG-13 and thereby has PG-13 content, and why Sucker Punch was balls.
5) Giving players all the powers they will ever have in the game at the start and only changing out their weapons (unless this is just the tutorial part before they take your powers away again). I'm looking at you, Crysis and buttloads of other FPS games like this.
6) Art games. I'm not at all saying good video games cannot be thought-provoking, beautiful, stark, brilliant, etc. But a game whose commentary about games, gamers or life in general being bleak is more important to it than the gameplay is just begging to suck.
7) Replayability. I know it's easier than just making more game to give you a little perk if you play the same thing over and over again, but that gets real boring real fast. If you give me a four hour game and tell me it has millions of hours of gameplay because I can play through it with my character's hat tinted a new shade of green every time, I will at most play it once or twice and definitely hate you.
8) Bajillions of quests/achievements! This usually means 'fetch 20 X', 'kill 348 Y', 'play the whole game using only my penis to control my character', 'kill my IRL parents and send their remains to the game producers for my "parricide" achievement', etc. Not fun, just insane and largely pointless.
9) Realistic female characters! This generally means really thin, snarky women with small breasts. Oddly enough this almost never means a female character of normal (i.e. more than four days away from death by starvation) weight. Unrealistic female characters tend to be women who are of normal weight but only because they have an anorexic body and forty pounds of fat in their boobs.
10) Casual! Yep. Tends to mean about as much fun as business casual Friday.
11) Social games! Really? You want me to announce to potential employers and now formerly potential sexual partners that I ever played Farmville? No thanks.
2) Multiplayer. Any kind of multiplayer. I, as an old school gamer, play games because I'm not hanging out with other people. Why would I interrupt video game time to hang out with people specifically chosen not to have social skills of any kind?
3) Monetary systems where you can easily max out your cash and buy everything worthwhile in the game by halfway through. It either makes the whole money system worthless or means the rest of the game is a breeze.
4) The ratings systems. I'm not saying 5-year-olds should be playing CoD (they should be playing Bulletstorm; that game is awesome), but the rating system has forced demographics on the industry. As a result, instead of asking what you put into the game to make it better, companies ask what you put in the game to ensure that it stays in the game's targeted demographic and/or take out to prevent shrinking that demographic. It's the same reason all the crap out these days in the movie theaters is PG-13 and thereby has PG-13 content, and why Sucker Punch was balls.
5) Giving players all the powers they will ever have in the game at the start and only changing out their weapons (unless this is just the tutorial part before they take your powers away again). I'm looking at you, Crysis and buttloads of other FPS games like this.
6) Art games. I'm not at all saying good video games cannot be thought-provoking, beautiful, stark, brilliant, etc. But a game whose commentary about games, gamers or life in general being bleak is more important to it than the gameplay is just begging to suck.
7) Replayability. I know it's easier than just making more game to give you a little perk if you play the same thing over and over again, but that gets real boring real fast. If you give me a four hour game and tell me it has millions of hours of gameplay because I can play through it with my character's hat tinted a new shade of green every time, I will at most play it once or twice and definitely hate you.
8) Bajillions of quests/achievements! This usually means 'fetch 20 X', 'kill 348 Y', 'play the whole game using only my penis to control my character', 'kill my IRL parents and send their remains to the game producers for my "parricide" achievement', etc. Not fun, just insane and largely pointless.
9) Realistic female characters! This generally means really thin, snarky women with small breasts. Oddly enough this almost never means a female character of normal (i.e. more than four days away from death by starvation) weight. Unrealistic female characters tend to be women who are of normal weight but only because they have an anorexic body and forty pounds of fat in their boobs.
10) Casual! Yep. Tends to mean about as much fun as business casual Friday.
11) Social games! Really? You want me to announce to potential employers and now formerly potential sexual partners that I ever played Farmville? No thanks.
Realism. YES IT'S A MECHANIC NOW!
/troll...?
Anyway, health bars. Yes, I said it. Regenerating health may seem like complete bullshit in terms of realism(ugh...), but honestly, it makes the game a lot more enjoyable. Imagine this: You're in a tight spot. There's three baddies in front of you, all behind cover. All your AI teammates are either dead or have wandered off due to terrible AI. You can barely survive a bullet and the baddies all have assault rifles. There are no more health packs in the level, and if there were, you wouldn't be able to get to them due to being under continuous fire.
Now, wouldn't you like to have regenerating health? You'll probably say yes, unless you're lying or you're a ninja.
/troll...?
Anyway, health bars. Yes, I said it. Regenerating health may seem like complete bullshit in terms of realism(ugh...), but honestly, it makes the game a lot more enjoyable. Imagine this: You're in a tight spot. There's three baddies in front of you, all behind cover. All your AI teammates are either dead or have wandered off due to terrible AI. You can barely survive a bullet and the baddies all have assault rifles. There are no more health packs in the level, and if there were, you wouldn't be able to get to them due to being under continuous fire.
Now, wouldn't you like to have regenerating health? You'll probably say yes, unless you're lying or you're a ninja.
Final Fantasy 8's Junction system.
If you junction a spell, you can't use it in combat or it will directly degrade your stats.
If you junction a spell, you can't use it in combat or it will directly degrade your stats.
Leveling systems in the Elder Scrolls series. Seriously, they're fucking awful, I have to keep casting some stupid spells I don't really have any use for just to raise my mana points. Give me traditional XP over that any day.
Extreme linearity (I'm looking at you, Black Ops). Maybe this is why Far Cry 2 feels so fantastic over and over because of its openness. When you're being led by the hand along a corridor about 2 metres wide it gets very dull very fast.
Extreme linearity (I'm looking at you, Black Ops). Maybe this is why Far Cry 2 feels so fantastic over and over because of its openness. When you're being led by the hand along a corridor about 2 metres wide it gets very dull very fast.
The dialogue wheel. There is nothing innovative about it. It allows you to have a voiced protagonist, ooooh so impressive. I don't care for a voiced protagonist. I don't care for guessing what my character is going to say. It feels like the developer thinks that I'm too impatient to read dialogue choices.
random encounters and turn based combat
sooooo basically final fantasy
but for some reason i like pokemon? has to do with the fact that i spend a solid 70% of my income on max repels i'm sure
sooooo basically final fantasy
but for some reason i like pokemon? has to do with the fact that i spend a solid 70% of my income on max repels i'm sure
I hate how racing games are very inconsistent with how much you slip and slide when braking, turning, e-braking, or doing anything that involves a turn. I find I master a racing game when I get used to it's drifting mechanics (in Mario Kart for the DS, I can literally drift through an entire race, no matter which raceRen3004 said:
). Some games go for the "brake just slows you down", while others have the "your brake is like an e-brake, except its not". Some have a "tap the brake to drift", while most have the "tap e-brake, turn into curve and then slam back the other way" drift system. Its really fucking annoying.Also on driving games, I hate how some games have 'bouncy' collision mechanics, and others have "That wall you just hit was super-glue covered sand paper, with magnets inside" >.>
I like regenerating health, because I can just take a small break instead of having to go from the last bloody checkpoint again. Most shooters have some kind of "regenerate your X" system, whether it is shields, armor, or health. I'd rather just GET my X back, than have to go search for more.
I understand people's arguments that it slows things down, but I still enjoy it
Bullet penetration in some shooters is really hit/miss too. While some games take the "everything is made of diamonds!" approach, games like MW2 have really random bullet penetration. I've shot through cardboard in some games, and been unable to shoot through it in others. I've been invincible behind rocks in some games, but been sniped in others. I've had to shoot a guy twice through wooden posts, but been 1-shot from behind a concrete wall >.> such extreme random bullet penetration...
The last thing that I hate is "random-ness" or "luck" in games.
You could be hoping your bullet hit the head-part of his head instead of the neck-part of his head that totally doesn't count as a head-shot, baffled at how your 90% accuracy move missed 4 times in a row but your enemy's 30% accuracy move hit 4 times in a row, or be shaking in frustration at how you have yet to get a critical hit when you are wearing every piece of +critical hit chance gear ever...
Randomness is such a fucking pain in the ass, and only belongs in strategy games damnit >=/
With you 100% on both points and not much more to add on top.. Though I have to say its the console brand of cover mechanic that I particularly dont like, I.e. the stick-to-wall variety. I have no problem with cover per se e.g. its used very well in Brothers in arms road to hill 60, I just hate canned cover moves...I want to duck behind cover and peer round corners myself using a crouch key and a lean key, I don't want to stick to the terrain like I'm some sort of terrain magnet.Daymo said:
As for dialogue wheel... I don't really care if its voice acted or not, I just want good branching script and real choices. or at least minimal information and quest convos like in STALKER. Don't give me fluff that does nothing but look fancy and get in my way.
are there actually any praised mechanics? I don't read reviews any more, so I don't really know...
Holding your breath for sniping. Fuck, CoD, if I wanted to play the part of an asthmatic sniper who was short of breath all the time I'd run around for a few minutes with an airsoft gun. It's annoying, it makes sniping useless, and it makes the only people who snipe fucking quick scopers.
Driving segments in games with shit driving controls. Half Life 2 on the PS3 is a completely uncontrollable wreck in the driving department. The left stick is steering, throttle, and reverse commands are all on the same stick, presumably because parents in Washington didn't know about fetal alcohol syndrome thirty years ago. It's like attempting brain surgery with a chainsaw and you're getting shot at by fucking helicopters the whole time.
Non-regenerating health. I know everyone in this thread will hate me for it, but I love regenerating health. I'm sorry, but accidentally passing through a check-point with 2 health just before a fight with a fucking helicopter and getting slaughtered over and over again is not how I like to have fun. It can work, but it rarely does. And that was Half Life 2, an excellent game, some are even worse about it.
Games sticking weird enemies in for variety. I'm all for variety, okay. But I'm not for desperate attempts at variety when they aren't necessary and make the game worse. If your game is a realistic modern shooter, it's okay if all the bad guys are soldiers. I'm fine with that. Killzone 2 is like a six hour game, and someone on their staff decided that, as a soldier, fighting other soldiers for six hours was incredibly boring and monotonous and horrible. This person decided to spice it up with electric spiders that exploded when shot and fucking helicopters.
Skeletons. They just suck to fight. They sort of shatter, and they make this noise like a vase broke. Did I just kill someone or vandalize the Smithsonian? And pretty much any scenario that lets you fight skeletons also allows for the much better zombie.
Fucking helicopters. Stop making me fight helicopters on foot. It's not fun anymore, because it's always "go find the rocket launcher conveniently in the next room. Here, we'll even highlight it for you". And then they survive like three of them without a scratch until the fourth magically turns it into a giant fireball.
Driving segments in games with shit driving controls. Half Life 2 on the PS3 is a completely uncontrollable wreck in the driving department. The left stick is steering, throttle, and reverse commands are all on the same stick, presumably because parents in Washington didn't know about fetal alcohol syndrome thirty years ago. It's like attempting brain surgery with a chainsaw and you're getting shot at by fucking helicopters the whole time.
Non-regenerating health. I know everyone in this thread will hate me for it, but I love regenerating health. I'm sorry, but accidentally passing through a check-point with 2 health just before a fight with a fucking helicopter and getting slaughtered over and over again is not how I like to have fun. It can work, but it rarely does. And that was Half Life 2, an excellent game, some are even worse about it.
Games sticking weird enemies in for variety. I'm all for variety, okay. But I'm not for desperate attempts at variety when they aren't necessary and make the game worse. If your game is a realistic modern shooter, it's okay if all the bad guys are soldiers. I'm fine with that. Killzone 2 is like a six hour game, and someone on their staff decided that, as a soldier, fighting other soldiers for six hours was incredibly boring and monotonous and horrible. This person decided to spice it up with electric spiders that exploded when shot and fucking helicopters.
Skeletons. They just suck to fight. They sort of shatter, and they make this noise like a vase broke. Did I just kill someone or vandalize the Smithsonian? And pretty much any scenario that lets you fight skeletons also allows for the much better zombie.
Fucking helicopters. Stop making me fight helicopters on foot. It's not fun anymore, because it's always "go find the rocket launcher conveniently in the next room. Here, we'll even highlight it for you". And then they survive like three of them without a scratch until the fourth magically turns it into a giant fireball.
Interactive cut-scenes:
You're not 'adding to the game', you're taking away from the story.
LEAVE THE STORY TELLING SCENES COMBAT FREE...unless you're talking to a boss mid-battle or something.
OMG BLOOM BROWN REALISTIC Graphics:
I don't care HOW GREAT your dirt, mud, and rocks look - I'd rather play a game with 'realistic' disco colors than another retarded game that looks like the only color palette for the developer was made by the military.
BRING BACK THE FREAKY, high fantasy, SHIT!
Multi-Player (at least online only) for Consoles:
Yes, we get it, XBL/PSN/'that wii thing' is cool and you want people to frag each other online, however...I do not want.
I love going, online, with a PC to swam someone or pop their head off, but when I'm on a console there are 2-4 player slots for a REASON.
Yes, split-screen can be a tad annoying - on a small TV - but I'd rather have my friends over at my house, accusing them of screen watching, then have them stay at home and try and knock me out.
It's stupid and it's lazy and...fuck...EVEN LAN WOULD BE A NICE MEETING POINT.
You're not 'adding to the game', you're taking away from the story.
LEAVE THE STORY TELLING SCENES COMBAT FREE...unless you're talking to a boss mid-battle or something.
OMG BLOOM BROWN REALISTIC Graphics:
I don't care HOW GREAT your dirt, mud, and rocks look - I'd rather play a game with 'realistic' disco colors than another retarded game that looks like the only color palette for the developer was made by the military.
BRING BACK THE FREAKY, high fantasy, SHIT!
Multi-Player (at least online only) for Consoles:
Yes, we get it, XBL/PSN/'that wii thing' is cool and you want people to frag each other online, however...I do not want.
I love going, online, with a PC to swam someone or pop their head off, but when I'm on a console there are 2-4 player slots for a REASON.
Yes, split-screen can be a tad annoying - on a small TV - but I'd rather have my friends over at my house, accusing them of screen watching, then have them stay at home and try and knock me out.
It's stupid and it's lazy and...fuck...EVEN LAN WOULD BE A NICE MEETING POINT.
Yes but Skies of Arcadia is one game. Most of the turn based games I have witnessed show all the fighters in one or two line waiting to fight. And while they may have played the other characters fighting with each attack in that game, most other games choose not to use that style and make it each fighter taking it in turns.Katana314 said:
Also I think my idea could work, you can easily see the effect against small groups or single targets, your moves don't have to be showcased in every encounter. Take Dragon Age Origins again, it worked perfectly fine when you could use a skill or ability with out having a camera film you at different view points. There were times when battles got hectic and hard to manage, but you could still kill off the enemies, and if you were that self conscious about your damage capability you could test your skills on small groups.
I guess this argument is going to boil down to its simplest form, you like or don't mind turn based combat and I dislike and prefer not to use turn based combat.