What do you look for in a game? [Archive]

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Nostrafus

2nd August 2006, 01:23 PM

Okay, so I'm getting started on programming a game, I already have more than a few ideas, but I wanted to take a Poll/Questionaire to get different opinions of what people look for in a game since this is more for the Linux gaming community than for myself.

1. What are your top 5 games (of any system) and why do you like them (please add details, and if it's an obscure game, please provide a link)? (IE: Clean interface, multiple campaigns, tech trees, ease of use)

2. What do you look for in a game? (IE: Button Mashing, Intense Action, Story Depth, Immersion)

3. What type of graphics do you prefer in a game? (IE: Latest and greatest in intensity (I'm pretty sure I won't be able to deliver on this one), Cell Shading (XIII), 3d, artificial 3d (see Starcraft, C&C, Warcraft I & II) 2d Sprites)

4. What is your favorite Genre? (Real Time Strategy, Turn Based Strategy, Action, Adventure, Role Playing, Simulation, Sports, Puzzles, Board Games)

Invader02

2nd August 2006, 05:52 PM

1. I don't really have any favorites...

2. I hate button mashing (although i'm good at it :P). Intense Action matters more in non-strategy games. Story Depth, and Immersion are pretty much always required for a good game. If you make it an RTS or TBS, a map editor is one of the first things I look for. 'Course that's not the same for everybody though.

3. Cell shading was used in Zelda:The Windwakers. Cartoonish looks are okay for games that need it (can't have a game where there's blood everywhere and people being stabbed to death with cell shading :P). I think 3d is pretty standard with good games these days. Artificial 3d is ok as long as the camera angle is ok.

4. Personally, mine is Real Time Strategy, followed by First Person Shooter, followed by Real Time Strategy Shooter (look up "Savage" in google)

Seve

2nd August 2006, 06:25 PM

Hello:
1. I like UT2004 and COD2 ... after that....dunno, I am a limited person :)

2. Shooting and I guess more shooting (boring but what the heck)

3. Whatever looks the best ...lame response I know

4. FPS, Strategy

Seve

Linux The Great

2nd August 2006, 09:42 PM

1.
a. X-wing ---- it didn't seem to matter how many times you played it, anything could always happen.
b. Civilization 2 ---- It was a relaxed strategy game.... required a lot of planning
c. Age of Empires Series ---- It's a tense strategy. While it was terribly predictable, it was still fun crushing your enemy.
d. Sim City Series ---- Required planning but also had an element of being able to control everything.

2. The thing I look for is being able to easily play the game. I don't like to get bogged down in trying to learn a ton of things just to be able to make it around the game. I guess what I'm trying to say is make it intuitive to play.

3. Graphics aren't a real hang up for me initially. I will say however that your game will have a longer play life with me if the graphics improve on each release. Right now I'm messing around with Xscorch. Not impressive graphics but the potential is there.

4. My favorite is real-time strategy, but I also like shooters, and flight/space simulators. I absolutely can't stand role-playing-games. You sit there for hours "making your character", and then you walk around 100 levels (more like mazes) collecting items and "leveling up". Then you spend more hours "remaking your character" with his new skills. The only role-playing-games I've been able to tolerate were Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog.

sgware

2nd August 2006, 10:05 PM

1. a. The Secret of Monkey Island
b. X-Wing also
c. Starcraft
d. Secret of Mana

2. I look for originality first and foremost. I tend to dislike games when you can play then and say, "Oh, this game is just like some other game..."

3. I'm oldschool when it comes to graphics. I like 16 x 16 pixil sprites. I also like the fo-3d in games like Starcraft. Pixil graphics design is an art, so I really appreciate it when someone can render a game in something so limited, yet produce a game that feels so immersive.

4. My favorite genera is probably adventure games (Secret of Monkey Island, Loom, Day of the Tentacle, King's Quest, Sam and Max Hit the Road, Manic Mansion, Peasant's Quest, etc...).

Good luck with you game. :)

Flounder

2nd August 2006, 11:15 PM

Well this information is void for me now but when I used to play games...

1: a. Eve Online
b. Battlefield 1942
c. Americas Army
d. True Combat Elite mod for Enemy Territory

2: I wanted to play in a massive universe where anything and everything could be done. Where I could take an RPG blow a hole in a while and flank the enemy, or build defenses such as makeshift walls or dig trenches, and be able to climb into a vehicle and go. Also I wanted weapons selection instead of getting fixed weapons for a class, and great realism.

3: Best if possible but gameplay outweighs how much I care about the graphics.

4: A mix of first person shooter with MMO is probably what I'd like best.

Linux The Great

3rd August 2006, 12:02 AM

I absolutely can't stand role-playing-games.

WAIT!!! What have I said??? Make Leisure Suit Larry for Linux! :cool:

mlavalle

3rd August 2006, 12:10 AM

1. TOP 5 GAMES:

a. Commander Keen (DOS). Fun side-scrolling game that has a great story and atmosphere. The levels were challenging and the puzzles engaging. The only reason I don't play it any more is because I have long since lost my diskettes. http://www.3drealms.com/keen4/
b. Dark Age of Camelot (Windows). Great MMORPG, I keep coming back to it. Great visuals and their player vs player combat and siege warfare system are the best I have seen so far. Runs great under Linux. http://www.darkageofcamelot.com/
c. Doom 3 (Linux). I scream like a little girl when I play this game. Story is simple, but the atmosphere is fantastic. Other than the humans, the design of all the monsters is fantastic. http://www.doom3.com/
d. Duke Nukem 3D (DOS). Again, this game has a great and fun atmosphere. It's consistent "world" and style of play make immersion easy and the attitude of the main character is hilarious. A very memorable game.
e. Prey (Windows). A recent game, but I have fallen in love with it. Although not funny like Duke or scary like Doom, there is something about the atmosphere of this game that pulls me in. As with the others, it's the consistency of the game and the UI that really impresses me.

2. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A GAME?

I would have to say immersion, story and enjoyment. Good graphics and sound are important, but they don't have to be "state of the art". They just have to be good. For example, Commander Keen is fifteen years old but I still find the graphics to be "good".

3. WHAT TYPE OF GRAPHICS DO YOU PREFER IN A GAME?

I find a new game has to have graphics near or almost as good as the latest games for me to enjoy it.

4. FAVOURITE GENRE

You might not be able to tell from the list above, but I really enjoy side-scrolling platform games like Keen or Mario. SuperTux, for example, is one I'm watching... right now it has decent graphics but there's nothing "to" it. Not enough variety of bad guys, not enough things to do (ie Keen riding Nessie or the giant foot, or Mario crawling down secret passages).

jsdewey

3rd August 2006, 12:18 AM

1. (not in any specific order)
1. America's Army - The realism concept really makes it unique, as it is done so well and I can't jump from the top of a cliff to the bottom and survive.
2. Halo 2 - Large multiplayer capabilties.
3. Counter Strike: Source - Many weapons to choose from, and they're similar to real life.
4. Half-Life 2 - Storyline is great, challenging, and some unique ideads (i.e. gravity gun).
5. Age of Empires series - Addicitive

2. A nice story line, and nice graphics.

3. I like 3d games myself. The kind where you can see all different sides of the character or other charaters (i.e. Looking around in an FPS)

4. First Person Shooters, though Real Time Stratagy is very close.

Nostrafus

3rd August 2006, 03:00 AM

WAIT!!! What have I said??? Make Leisure Suit Larry for Linux!

heh, although they were funny games, no... as sgware pointed out, I want to maintain an originality to my game... however I want an opinion on what type of game was most popular (I have ideas for just about everything except a "new" puzzle game) and why people are drawn to certain games. Not only that, but if people really are only drawn to games that are flashy with little playability, or are more geared toward games with hours upon hours of replay time.

Firewing1

3rd August 2006, 03:15 AM

Well, first of all I'd like to say I haven't played many FPS games or any recent games, for that matter... BUT....

1. What are your top 5 games (of any system) and why do you like them (please add details, and if it's an obscure game, please provide a link)? (IE: Clean interface, multiple campaigns, tech trees, ease of use)
1. Warcraft III: Awsesome custom games.
2. Diablo II: I like the patience needed, and the strategy of it. Just the differnt approches you can take to beating the game.
3. Starcraft: One of the first good video games I played, it's just stuck with me.
4. Roller Coaster Tycoon 3: Well, the 3D ride (I think it's called coaster cam? I haven't played in a year or two...) view is pretty neat, and it's just fun to crash your rides, too :D
5. Freeciv: Simple interface, but really cool game!

2. What do you look for in a game? (IE: Button Mashing, Intense Action, Story Depth, Immersion)
Story depth for sure, but what's really needed to make it captivating is interesting campaigns that integrate very nicely with the story, and also strategy. Action is fun, but it get boring after a while. There definetly needs to be a balance of actions and storyline.

3. What type of graphics do you prefer in a game? (IE: Latest and greatest in intensity (I'm pretty sure I won't be able to deliver on this one), Cell Shading (XIII), 3d, artificial 3d (see Starcraft, C&C, Warcraft I & II) 2d Sprites)
Doesn't matter, as long as it looks nice. Warcraft III / Diablo is a good reference point. A good game is worth it, even if the graphics suck, but really nice (3D) graphics are a BIG bonus points!

4. What is your favorite Genre? (Real Time Strategy, Turn Based Strategy, Action, Adventure, Role Playing, Simulation, Sports, Puzzles, Board Games)
Real or turn based time strategy, RPG, FPS.

Good luck on the game! Let us know when the beta's out, I'd be glad to test it for you.

Firewing1

Invader02

3rd August 2006, 04:10 AM

I'd be happy to alpha/beta test as well.

It seems that everybody's favorite genre is either RTS or FPS. Not much for anything else.

4: A mix of first person shooter with MMO is probably what I'd like best.

the FPS side of Savage is close to that. Only things missing are weapons/armor and the ability to keep your levels/money...

rappermas

3rd August 2006, 04:22 AM

Nostrafus

3rd August 2006, 04:48 PM

Hmmm, so it seems the notes I took on why people are drawn to certain types of games before this were pretty accurate.

Most likely I'll be sticking with my turn based strategy, it's a space combat/empire building game. I got the idea after playing Galactic Civilizations II.

The thing is, I didn't like how they made it. The races were pretty generic, The UI wasn't that great, the scaling of the ships/planets/stars was way off (a scout ship was the size of a small planet), There wasn't much storyline, the campaigns weren't that good, the combat was just number crunching, there wasn't any kind of strategy involved, there weren't any resources other than currency, which in turn made trading almost worthless, there wasn't much of a conceivable time scale. And worst of all, being a turn based strategy they missed out on one of the best parts of a TBS, hotseat multiplayer.

So I decided I'd go with a turn based strategy that had more strategy other than just number crunching in combat, had one good campaign for each race, the planet/star/ship scale was fairly accurate (IE: Stars would be about the size of a dime, planets would be very small, and ships would be almost dots until you entered combat), the UI was better laid out, there actually were resources that you could mine/collect, trade would be based on which star systems needed what resources, there was something of a timeframe, and had hotseat multiplayer.

Invader02

4th August 2006, 02:46 AM

The thing is, I didn't like how they made it. The races were pretty generic, The UI wasn't that great, the scaling of the ships/planets/stars was way off (a scout ship was the size of a small planet), There wasn't much storyline, the campaigns weren't that good, the combat was just number crunching, there wasn't any kind of strategy involved, there weren't any resources other than currency, which in turn made trading almost worthless, there wasn't much of a conceivable time scale. And worst of all, being a turn based strategy they missed out on one of the best parts of a TBS, hotseat multiplayer.

How'd it get an 8.7 on IGN if it's like that? http://pc.ign.com/objects/724/724223.html

BTW multiplayer is the best part of EVERY game :P.

Nostrafus

4th August 2006, 04:16 AM

I don't mean multiplayer, I mean Hotseat... as in 2 or more people playing on 1 machine... it's got a more bonding feel to it, it's nicer than internet multiplayer in my opinion because it forms stronger bonds between people when you get together once a week, or even once a month and sit down and play a game together. I know this goes back in my family for about 10-15 years, driving about 30 miles every other week to go to my uncles house and play Warlords. We still do it today, my father comes over and plays Civ III with my brother once or twice a week.

And the other question, I don't always take reviews from gaming sites seriously. While they may have a lot of experience in playing games, they're also biased opinions. To them that might be one of the best games ever made, but to me, I wouldn't have purchased it if I had known it was going to be that dumbed down.

sailor

4th August 2006, 08:13 PM

My favorite game of all time is Doom and Doom II...I loved all the similar games such as Heretic, Hexen, Strife and Duke Nukem. I know I am showing my age here :p...As you see I like 1st person shooters. The ability to play these on my linux system is a plus...
I like the Descent series of games, FlightSims and some of the old graphic adventures(Leisure Suit Larry, Kings Quest, Beneath a Steel Sky, The Dig...etc Most of these can be played on linux with scummv or dosbox).

Newer games Quake, Halflife, Doom III and Farcry fall into my favorite catagories as well for obvious reasons.
I do like the fast action and the task of exploring the virtual worlds they are set in.

Sure, I like the 3D graphics, but I find the old 2D Doom games just as fun.

A special mention for BZFlag..I play at least once a day to relieve tension.

darkscript

16th August 2006, 06:40 AM

Top 5 Games:

Command And Conquer Red Alert 2:
This is because it is all about strategy, and it is fast pased. Laddered, and great community involvement
Command And conquer Renegade: Great community, Irc is a must. Shooting people is fun. Satisfying boink sound

Ace combat 5 Unsung War Ps2 : This game is crazy . Compelling story line give me goosebumps alot. Story is so real it actually feels like you are thrown into battle, and that the characters are real. WOW. I love that game

Final Fantasy VII and X : I like the story of these games too. Very compelling, and memorable. Always fun and tons of extras in the game.

Halo: This is a given, the physics are just amazing.

What do you look for in a game I look For story immersion in any single player game. Otherwise, if its multiplayer, community involvment, modding capabilities, irc communities, forums, clans. etc.

What type of graphics do you prefer in a game? I guess C&C has always been cool and that seems pretty reasonable to do. You could also fit story and multiplayer capabilities into this easily. so story immersion, community. Seems like A great choice . Just do a good job on it, and make the game rounded out. Perhaps get some cut scenes.

What is your favorite Genre? RTS. or FPS

Adesso

16th August 2006, 05:22 PM

Well, my favourites.

Battefield, it makes for great fun playing agains other people, and the level of difficulty alwas changes. The fact that your caracter builds as you play is a BIG addiction factor, as one always tries to get a better rank.

CIV III, great stratagie game, and the 3d is nice, but I play it without animation and 3d, as the fun is the planning and tech tree advances... and war

Warcraft, really liked the mutiple campain that allows you to approach the story from a diffrent angle.

GTA, nice 3d fun that alows for hours of stealing and beating.

I think that making the game is the important part, then adding the bows and ribbons would be a second option. My prefference is to start with a simple idea and see how it takes off. Use civ as a example, just look at how it has developed from free civ to civ III or id it IV, not sure now anymore..

Dont worry to much about the 3D or actions pacjed game, rather try and focus on making a game that evolves. Other great games are Diablo and even Starcraft, Boulders gate, Max Pane, Grand tourismo, Street fighter, Tekken, Sim City and my all time classic, Larry.

I vote for a nice simulation game.... like simcity.. or you can totally go diffrent with a party game... Ever hear about "You don't know Jack" that could get some attention.. Like a trivial persuit, with attitude.. :D