Post by nocturnal YL on Sept 8, 2023 13:12:08 GMT -5
Just for fun, I tried to imagine what a game I would consider ideal would be like. An easy answer would be to take parts of my favourite games and combine them. But how to do that?
Save data management
Before we get to the actual gameplay, let's look at the save data management of the game. After all, bad data management has soured my taste of otherwise-good games before.
The are roughly two types of games in terms of progression: games made of small play sessions that can be replayed at any time (example: Luigi's Mansion 2), and games with an overarching progression (example: Luigi's Mansion 3). For the former, a single, automatically-updated save file is good enough, since the player can go back to earlier sessions at will. If the game is simple enough, a save file isn't even needed.
Thunderax9k
Games where the player cannot simply pick up and replay previous sessions would need a more advanced save system. As far as the choice of save mechanism goes, for the most part, a simple manual save system plus an autosave slot would suffice. If I must pick either, I would have manual saves.
Epic Battle Fantasy IV
Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key
Generally speaking, the more save slots the game provides, the better. For an average RPG, about 30 would be good, although I certainly would appreciate more. Also, these save data should be individually erasable.
Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland DX
This is where PC games can potentially shine. Since desktop computers allow for much more flexibility when it comes to file management, PC games can have infinite save slots. PC save data can also be potentialy modified. In some cases, this is explicitily made easy. But as far as I know only small, mostly non-commercial PC games do that.
Seraphisno
Treasure Tower
Session structure
A somewhat related consideration is how are the play sessions structured. Long story short, I prefer replayable sessions. Yes, that means I like Luigi's Mansion 2 over 3. Even for RPGs and other games where the player characters get stronger over time, leaving the option to replay older sessions allows the player to re-enact a previous part of the game.
Failing that, having a large number of save slots or an event viewer can mitigate the problems with not having replayable sessions.
Fire Emblem Warriors
Genre and type of game
I have played through a large variety of games, and the main takeaway is that I like individual games, rather than the genres they're in. My top and bottom games on Nintendo Switch are both RPGs revolving around leading relatively uneventful lives and doing tasks related to item collection and creation. Most competitive puzzle games are fun but I can't get myself to like Dr. Mario and Wario's Woods. Even within the same series, there are contrasts like how I'm fine with 2D Zelda but can't stand the 3D entries.
That said, there are recurring themes behind games I consider my favourites. In order from the most important to the most negligible:
Atmosphere. Generally speaking, I have to like the characters and environment (if applicable), and the general look and feel of the game.
They tend to require some level of in-advance thinking. In particular, I'm not good at games that require tight, on-the-fly reaction; or games that require rapid or precise button tapping. All of my top favourites fit this: RPGs, easy action games, rhythm games with lenient hit windows and ample prep time, and puzzle games.
They tend to be easy and relaxing. Using platformers as examples, Kirby would fit this criterion for the most part. Metroid is barely OK. The Donkey Kong Country series is too difficult. Yoshi is outright impossible for me. Umihara Kawase made me quit before I even hit the 10% mark.
I like linear games. Games with straight story paths and a line of pre-determined goals. Sandboxes can be fun, but if I see no goals, I wouldn't have much motivation playing.
Some level of story depth would be good, although it's not a requirement. For games with stories, I would like to know more about the backgrounds of the characters and settings beyond what is shown in the main plot. Supplementary information, even if it's done as huge walls of text in a foreign language I don't fully understand, is much appreciated.
Gameplay depth would help making the game more replayable. Games with goals that can be achieved in multiple means (like Project DIVA giving different ways to handle the same button combinations), or arcade-style games with minor variations in the playfield (like competitive Tetris) are good examples.
Exploration and discovery are nice-to-haves, although they have a lower precedence, and certainly not at the expense of making the game non-linear.
Graphics
I'm not much of a graphics person. That said, I do have some preferences.
For non-action games, maintaining a high resolution should be a primary goal. Keep both the 3D model rendering and the application of filters at at least 720p. And do keep the 2D textures high-resolution. I'd also say resolution is more important than effects; if everything looks busy but blurry, the blurry part will really stand out. Good example: Disgaea 7, which looks primitive but runs at 1080p at 60 fps on Nintendo Switch (all Nippon Ichi Software games do). Bad example: Atelier Ryza 3.
Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless
For games where there are a lot of action and timing is important, the opposite holds and a stable frame rate should be prioritised. Project DIVA is a very good example on this: the newest games target 60 fps on all systems, and if it cannot be met, it would interpolate the PV but would ensure the rhythm game UI always runs at 60 fps.
I prefer 3D over 2D, and high-resolution 2D art over fake retro graphics. The vast majority of modern games with retro graphics don't actually feel authentic, so don't bother.
Super Mario Maker
exception conflict
Audio
Unlike graphics, I am very much an audio person. But I'm not good at describing music.
In broad strokes, I like music that is complex but have an obvious melody. Songs with a simple melody track, consistent bass tracks (for rhythm-keeping) and about 10-15 background instrument tracks that play more complicated tunes would be good. Unless suitable, game music should not use unusual time signatures.
Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War
Also, don't forget about the sound effects. Some games from old series use the same sound effects from the NES and SNES, which can feel weird. Looking at you, Mario.
New Super Mario Bros.
Extra features
Generally speaking, I like having in-game options to view the cutscenes, events, 3D models (either as a viewer or incorporate a photo mode in-game) and extra artwork. Music players and the options to change in-game music are good too, with the latest Atelier games being a rather extreme example to offer 1400+ songs across Gust's catalog if DLCs are bought.
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
The Puyo Puyo games have instant unlock codes that immediately unlocks everything. This is good for players switching platforms, not wanting to play through everything or setting up the game for competitive play. This is really nice to have.
Puyo Puyo Tetris 2
So, putting everything together, what do we have?
So, I'm looking for a game with:
I still don't really have any concrete idea what do I want, although now I'm wondering if an experimental escape game I made a long time ago could somehow be expanded into what'd be ideal to me. Too bad I have almost no talent in anything related to making games. Drawing the graphics alone took me forever.
Rescue Your Friends …from your own office!?
Save data management
Before we get to the actual gameplay, let's look at the save data management of the game. After all, bad data management has soured my taste of otherwise-good games before.
The are roughly two types of games in terms of progression: games made of small play sessions that can be replayed at any time (example: Luigi's Mansion 2), and games with an overarching progression (example: Luigi's Mansion 3). For the former, a single, automatically-updated save file is good enough, since the player can go back to earlier sessions at will. If the game is simple enough, a save file isn't even needed.
Thunderax9k
Games where the player cannot simply pick up and replay previous sessions would need a more advanced save system. As far as the choice of save mechanism goes, for the most part, a simple manual save system plus an autosave slot would suffice. If I must pick either, I would have manual saves.
Epic Battle Fantasy IV
Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key
Generally speaking, the more save slots the game provides, the better. For an average RPG, about 30 would be good, although I certainly would appreciate more. Also, these save data should be individually erasable.
Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland DX
This is where PC games can potentially shine. Since desktop computers allow for much more flexibility when it comes to file management, PC games can have infinite save slots. PC save data can also be potentialy modified. In some cases, this is explicitily made easy. But as far as I know only small, mostly non-commercial PC games do that.
Seraphisno
Treasure Tower
Session structure
A somewhat related consideration is how are the play sessions structured. Long story short, I prefer replayable sessions. Yes, that means I like Luigi's Mansion 2 over 3. Even for RPGs and other games where the player characters get stronger over time, leaving the option to replay older sessions allows the player to re-enact a previous part of the game.
Failing that, having a large number of save slots or an event viewer can mitigate the problems with not having replayable sessions.
Fire Emblem Warriors
Genre and type of game
I have played through a large variety of games, and the main takeaway is that I like individual games, rather than the genres they're in. My top and bottom games on Nintendo Switch are both RPGs revolving around leading relatively uneventful lives and doing tasks related to item collection and creation. Most competitive puzzle games are fun but I can't get myself to like Dr. Mario and Wario's Woods. Even within the same series, there are contrasts like how I'm fine with 2D Zelda but can't stand the 3D entries.
That said, there are recurring themes behind games I consider my favourites. In order from the most important to the most negligible:
Atmosphere. Generally speaking, I have to like the characters and environment (if applicable), and the general look and feel of the game.
They tend to require some level of in-advance thinking. In particular, I'm not good at games that require tight, on-the-fly reaction; or games that require rapid or precise button tapping. All of my top favourites fit this: RPGs, easy action games, rhythm games with lenient hit windows and ample prep time, and puzzle games.
They tend to be easy and relaxing. Using platformers as examples, Kirby would fit this criterion for the most part. Metroid is barely OK. The Donkey Kong Country series is too difficult. Yoshi is outright impossible for me. Umihara Kawase made me quit before I even hit the 10% mark.
I like linear games. Games with straight story paths and a line of pre-determined goals. Sandboxes can be fun, but if I see no goals, I wouldn't have much motivation playing.
Some level of story depth would be good, although it's not a requirement. For games with stories, I would like to know more about the backgrounds of the characters and settings beyond what is shown in the main plot. Supplementary information, even if it's done as huge walls of text in a foreign language I don't fully understand, is much appreciated.
Gameplay depth would help making the game more replayable. Games with goals that can be achieved in multiple means (like Project DIVA giving different ways to handle the same button combinations), or arcade-style games with minor variations in the playfield (like competitive Tetris) are good examples.
Exploration and discovery are nice-to-haves, although they have a lower precedence, and certainly not at the expense of making the game non-linear.
Graphics
I'm not much of a graphics person. That said, I do have some preferences.
For non-action games, maintaining a high resolution should be a primary goal. Keep both the 3D model rendering and the application of filters at at least 720p. And do keep the 2D textures high-resolution. I'd also say resolution is more important than effects; if everything looks busy but blurry, the blurry part will really stand out. Good example: Disgaea 7, which looks primitive but runs at 1080p at 60 fps on Nintendo Switch (all Nippon Ichi Software games do). Bad example: Atelier Ryza 3.
Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless
For games where there are a lot of action and timing is important, the opposite holds and a stable frame rate should be prioritised. Project DIVA is a very good example on this: the newest games target 60 fps on all systems, and if it cannot be met, it would interpolate the PV but would ensure the rhythm game UI always runs at 60 fps.
I prefer 3D over 2D, and high-resolution 2D art over fake retro graphics. The vast majority of modern games with retro graphics don't actually feel authentic, so don't bother.
Super Mario Maker
exception conflict
Audio
Unlike graphics, I am very much an audio person. But I'm not good at describing music.
In broad strokes, I like music that is complex but have an obvious melody. Songs with a simple melody track, consistent bass tracks (for rhythm-keeping) and about 10-15 background instrument tracks that play more complicated tunes would be good. Unless suitable, game music should not use unusual time signatures.
Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War
Also, don't forget about the sound effects. Some games from old series use the same sound effects from the NES and SNES, which can feel weird. Looking at you, Mario.
New Super Mario Bros.
Extra features
Generally speaking, I like having in-game options to view the cutscenes, events, 3D models (either as a viewer or incorporate a photo mode in-game) and extra artwork. Music players and the options to change in-game music are good too, with the latest Atelier games being a rather extreme example to offer 1400+ songs across Gust's catalog if DLCs are bought.
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
The Puyo Puyo games have instant unlock codes that immediately unlocks everything. This is good for players switching platforms, not wanting to play through everything or setting up the game for competitive play. This is really nice to have.
Puyo Puyo Tetris 2
So, putting everything together, what do we have?
So, I'm looking for a game with:
- Versatile save data management options
- Playable in short, pre-defined sessions
- Easy, linear, non-action game with puzzle elements
- Atmosphere thematically to my taste
- Some story depth
- Some exploration
- Sacrifice graphical effects for clarity
- Good sound design
- Feature for viewing individual elements and early unlock
I still don't really have any concrete idea what do I want, although now I'm wondering if an experimental escape game I made a long time ago could somehow be expanded into what'd be ideal to me. Too bad I have almost no talent in anything related to making games. Drawing the graphics alone took me forever.
Rescue Your Friends …from your own office!?
