henryadams said:
I can't even begin to list all of them. I guess, if I had to, I'd start with metrics-based game marketing. In theory it's great, you aim your development at the things people are reported as playing more often, and thus obviously must enjoy more. It becomes a problem though, after the initial run, when most of the games you develop are the same style and genre, and thus the metrics MUST reflect that they're more popular than anything else. Self-fulfilling prophecies are a bear.
Welcome to the escapist. Awesome first post.
This is exactly what I see too. It's like they are living in dreamland up in their lofty executive towers (I don't know if they are in towers), being fed mountains of bullshit statistics by people too afraid to look outside the door, less dissenting notions creep in.
They don't seem to be even open to contradicting metrics.
OT: A personal peeve of mine was in Bioshock Infinite. Forgetting the departure from the Bioshock mould (which I don't have such an issue with), there were a few design choices that really defy any reason:
Randomised Gear... not such a bad idea. Fits with the theme of constants and variables and spices up variety in subsequent playthroughs. BUT! There is a vast difference in usefulness between various types of gear. This means your playing a lottery. One playthrough might be a fun ride, the next might be a grating mess (especially in 1999 mode).
Death Refills Enemies Health... I get this. A complaint about Bio 1 and 2 was that death with the vita chambers on made the gameplay less challenging and more grindy. But Bioshock didn't have bosses or bullet sponges that are, at least on a first playthrough, really tough (huge spike in difficulty in these sequences). Not to mention you only get half health and vigor replenished and your currently held weapon is the only one that gets fresh ammo. Subsequent deaths can also make the game vastly harder because...
It Also Takes Money Away... this is insane! Without spending money on upgrades to Vigors and Weapons, you quickly become impotent against the tougher waves of enemies past the halfway point. If you had a bad luck draw of gears too, it just compounds the issue. Unlike classic bio, where respawning enemies meant you always had a lifeline if you needed it, infinites system randomises how much you get but the number of entities that can spawn cash is fixed.
(On that point, this shows how far from the tree the series has fallen since 1999's SS2. This is like dieing in SS2 and it taking away your cybernetic modules, its just crazy. The Vigors, at least, should have run on a different currency to upgrades and items, like ADAM for plasmids.)
Removal of mana and health pack stores... In a game as high octane as this, suddenly finding yourself rooting through trash cans to find a sandwich or scouring desks to find first aid, DURING A FIREFIGHT, is just bad design. Being able to store a limited number, based on difficulty, would have hugely improved the combat formula.
A Regenerating Shield That Sucks at its job even when fully upgraded... Not only is it flimsy at best, but the Smashing effect is really obtrusive during a fight. They tried to channel Halos Shield and Health mechanic, but failed to balance it in a way that makes it desirable. If they had health storage then this would be a non issue and could be removed... but nope!
The Autosave. Dear GOD the autosave. The saves are WAY too far spaced. You drop out of game due to pressing real world issues at a bad time and you can easily be forced to sit through a long ass unskippable "cutscene" AND a series of grindy firefights (varying between mild annoyance to rage inducing depending on your pot luck up to that point).
(That mildly charming sequence where you see the Twins faffing about on various platforms while you ride a tram? Yeah, I hate that scene now, as I always seem to have to switch off before getting past the subsequent fight sequence in the hall.)
Despite all this, I still liked the game. Worst in the Shock series for gameplay design, but its still fun when you get your head around a lot of these issues and how minimise their impact on the game.
