30 replies to this topic

[Dimsey]

Changed yeah.
But I dont really like anything different or not like a certain genre now that I did years ago, if I'm phrasing that right.

I started out with platformers.
Alex The Kidd and Mario. Woo.

I then got heavily into RPGs and Simulations.
I liked the added complexity of doing more then just walking to the right side of the screen. They're probably my favorite genres now, even.

Upon getting into RPGs and Sim games I in what might be a bout of youthful ignorance started looking down on other genres.
I'd see FPSs as being dumb and racing games as being boring as driving in a circle.

But I eventually lightened up and.. Well, theres nary a game I won't play these days.

Even sports games, which I had a heavy distaste for grew on me and now Madden and Tiger Woods are a couple of my favorite franchises.

Fighters, shooters of third or first person variety, puzzle games, adventure, mmo's, rts, tbs, whacky offbeat japanese stuff - anything.

[TheChosen]

Ever since I got this new computer (last year), I stopped playing old games and started playing more new games and freeware games.

Pretty weird. I always tought that Im a big fan old games, but It was just becase I had old computer, which was cabable of running those games without any problems.

[Juni Ori]

Dimsey brought a question to my mind: Why do sidescrollers advance right?

Quote

Psychology. We read and write from left to right and thus it was obvious direction to make game advance.

[DeathDude]

Thats more the older titles though. Think the Sonic games were one of the first well known games to change that perspective in that you could move left and right across different scenes.

[Potatoe]

DeathDude, on Mar 19 2007, 03:14 PM, said:

Thats more the older titles though. Think the Sonic games were one of the first well known games to change that perspective in that you could move left and right across different scenes.

But the general direction is the same.

[DeathDude]

Usually, some games mix it up where there has been more left screen movement than right, Sonic 3 there was a lot of left screen movement for example, to change it up.

[Potatoe]

DeathDude, on Mar 19 2007, 05:02 PM, said:

Usually, some games mix it up where there has been more left screen movement than right, Sonic 3 there was a lot of left screen movement for example, to change it up.

I've played some sonics(sonic and knuckles collection). Yeah, there was some left movement, but mostly it was from left to right.

[DeathDude]

Anyways my point was that there are games were its opposite, so back to ze topic.

[Doubler]

I've certainly moved away from adventures, but with a reason - the same thing that frustrated me to no end in the past still seems to be a major element: Finding out what you're supposed to do in normal environments. It's fine with puzzles, but I don't like randomly walking about, clicking and using whatever on whatever. Too often you're left clueless and without any room for your own solutions, a rather narrow window of progression for my tastes. So the genre doesn't appeal to me that much anymore - I like the stories, I dislike the gameplay. My dislike for the gameplay won

Although I still like massively expansive CRPG's more then any other sort of game, I seem to have lost the patience (and time?) to play them thoroughly.

Biggest step has to be from RTS. Used to be my favorite genre, now I don't care that much anymore. When playing Dune or the original C&C or AoE I can get some of that feeling back but, beyond that, there's not many out there that I care about.

For platformers, I pretty much only enjoy those I know from back in the day. I really can't say why, though

To be honest, I'm not really sure what genre really appeals to me today. Mostly RPG, but I think it's more the game elements rather then a boxed-in genre that draws me. I want to be immersed in a game, and be free in a positive and negative sense.

[Juni Ori]

Btw, I think I've become faster in changing a game. Long time ago I could play one game for weeks. Nowadays, not a chance. Only some strategy and roguelikes still have some chance, but normally even they change sooner or later to different game.

[taikara]

Juni Ori, on Mar 19 2007, 05:25 AM, said:

Dimsey brought a question to my mind: Why do sidescrollers advance right?

Quote

Psychology. We read and write from left to right and thus it was obvious direction to make game advance.

That explanation might make more sense if early platformer and side-scroller development hadn't been so heavily influenced (read: dominated) by the Japanese, who traditionally read and write from top to bottom, then from right to left.

I'm not saying it's not psychology, but I doubt it has to do with reading.

@Doubler: I always found adventure (and RPG) puzzles much more fascinating than standard logic puzzles. There's a lot more connect-the-dots to it, because it's not so mathematical, purely logical, visual, or language-oriented as a typical puzzle game, it's based on what actual people perceive as "normal" or "logical" in the fabricated environment. It's much tougher to guess what people you've never met are thinking than it is to work out a math or language puzzle, thus I appreciate it more. I especially love it when said puzzles require some type of literary or historical knowledge, such as mythology, world religions, etc. The craziness of the human element increases exponentially when it involves interpretation of such things.

[Juni Ori]

Very first ones came from west and they japs followed their lead.

[DeathDude]

taikara, on Mar 19 2007, 11:28 AM, said:

Juni Ori, on Mar 19 2007, 05:25 AM, said:

Dimsey brought a question to my mind: Why do sidescrollers advance right?

Quote

Psychology. We read and write from left to right and thus it was obvious direction to make game advance.

That explanation might make more sense if early platformer and side-scroller development hadn't been so heavily influenced (read: dominated) by the Japanese, who traditionally read and write from top to bottom, then from right to left.

I'm not saying it's not psychology, but I doubt it has to do with reading.

@Doubler: I always found adventure (and RPG) puzzles much more fascinating than standard logic puzzles. There's a lot more connect-the-dots to it, because it's not so mathematical, purely logical, visual, or language-oriented as a typical puzzle game, it's based on what actual people perceive as "normal" or "logical" in the fabricated environment. It's much tougher to guess what people you've never met are thinking than it is to work out a math or language puzzle, thus I appreciate it more. I especially love it when said puzzles require some type of literary or historical knowledge, such as mythology, world religions, etc. The craziness of the human element increases exponentially when it involves interpretation of such things.

Yeah those puzzles are quite interesting, and really make ya think moreso than the simple straight forward puzzle. Sure they take more effort, but you get a greater sense of satisfaction from completing such a puzzle.

Adding literary or historical knowledge to puzzles is also coolies, does give you a chance to learn more sometimes about a particular piece of writing or event or whatnot, whatever the developer decides to do, needs to be more of that.

[Doubler]

Quote

@Doubler: I always found adventure (and RPG) puzzles much more fascinating than standard logic puzzles. There's a lot more connect-the-dots to it, because it's not so mathematical, purely logical, visual, or language-oriented as a typical puzzle game, it's based on what actual people perceive as "normal" or "logical" in the fabricated environment. It's much tougher to guess what people you've never met are thinking than it is to work out a math or language puzzle, thus I appreciate it more. I especially love it when said puzzles require some type of literary or historical knowledge, such as mythology, world religions, etc. The craziness of the human element increases exponentially when it involves interpretation of such things.

What I can't take is the constant struggle of trying to understand and consequently draw out what the creators would do and think, as any other paths are effectively blocked. What you call puzzles I see as problems that require solutions, and those solutions can be plentifull. There's differences in people and their ways of thinking, every element of which can be enjoyed, but for me that's not by isolating it and making it a one-way trip. It's only when placed in the whole that it is, alone and cut off nothing remains. It's the one winding path out of many, not the one highway all alone

I like adventures where as much ground as possible is open, where the possible solutions to the problems proposed are limited only by imagination and recourcefulness. That way, one quickly ends in CRPG's.
Regrettably, the problems in those aren't often that detailed or specific as those in adventures. I'd like to see an adventure once that tried and worked out such complexes of possibilities.

[Blood-Pigggy]

Juni Ori, on Mar 19 2007, 01:36 PM, said:

Very first ones came from west and they japs followed their lead.

Yeah, games like Pitfall were out before Super Mario Bros.