Games: What do we all look for in them?

[Jonty]

In a respectful attempt to branch out in a proper worthwhile discussion, which for my part, does interest me, comes with this topic. Games. What do we really look for? What can make a game so addicting, or rather than that, just all 'round fun to play? So I thought it would be appropriate to ask some of you guys what makes a good, well structured and worthwhile game to purchase. Me being rather short handed at the moment, I'm always reluctant to buy any game for that matter :/. CoAS is a game I would probably want to own, since I like the adventurous, pirate game, which is probably why I play PoTC: B14 a lot of the time. :nk

Anyway, I always look around at these other games like CoD, Crysis 2 and other FPS's that seem to flood the gaming market. I've even played them, and for me personally, they don't capture my interest hard enough :? So in order to understand what makes a good game for different people, I have decided to ask you guys in the PA community and see if you have any proper answers, unlike the "fanboys" I might encounter outside of here.

Of course, for me, a good game has to have the ability to explore; to find new places and discover new things within a broad world. If a game is constricted to one map/area per mission or whatever, where you are basically on rails 99% of time will not do. That's probably why I don't tend to enjoy games like CoD, amongst other shooters that follow the same trend, as much as some people might. It's just that, to be honest, being restricted to one particular path and objective at a time just seems to quickly diminish my attention span. So any good mechanics that the game might have going for it, is just watered down with the restrictive gameplay.

Another key point that makes a good game for me has to be uniqueness in some form or another within every release. Something new to add to the recipe to give it that extra bit of flavor. Recycling the same idea does get boring, which does stick out like a sore thumb in a majority selection of games today. Again, I personally think this is what a lot of FPS games are falling victim to. Map packs for games like Halo and CoD are supposedly to refresh the experience and add uniqueness to the game. Well to be honest, for me, it doesn't. The end result would be me paying an unnecessarty amount of money for something that would only capture any intrest in me for a very limit time, and even after that, you can forget you have actually installed them. I would only buy extra content if I deem it to expand on the game for what it is worth. 1200 Microsoft Point/ $20 for 3-5 maps is, well, just plain ridiculous

I could very much go on for a considerable amount of time, but I think it would be best if I heard from what other people got to say. So like I mentioned at the begining of the topic, what do any of you guys look for in a game? What makes it worthwhile and fun for you? Thanks

(P.S. This topic is to break out of my habit of invading the forum with constantly streaming anything I can think of at any given time. I guess that's the problem with being around very large forums filled with people who seem to find it fun to tell people they are eating a bag of Cheetos... <_< , so yeah, I am trying to break free of that)

 

[Akella Fan]

I like a game when it has interesting quests, missions etc. You got the idea. I am very much enjoying masively games (not MMORPG), with huge worlds, that you can freely explore. In other words, Sand-Box games. I am looking first for an interesting story, so I can guess what the quests, missions etc. are like. Then I think about the gameplay. I am looking for gameplay vids on YouTube. If I like them, then I look for the graphics. I need just to like them, not them to be Crysis 2 graphics. Hope it helps!
Note: Very interesting topic. I think it will be a very hot one. Good job!

 

[Jonty]

Thanks Akella. Your preferences pretty much fit Skyrim. Which I have pre ordered by the way . Of course, the quests/missions have to feel like an actual adventure, and not a chore you HAVE to do at any given time. With these games like I mentioned in my first post, they force feed you what it has got going for it, without allowing you to slowly take everything in. It rushes you through the environment, and simply focusing on the on-rails action. Simply put, you don't appreciate anything the same when they force feed you an experience, rather than allow you to take everything in yourself at the pace you want.

They say graphics doesn't make a good game, but for me, it does add richness into the overall experience. Hell, I remember thinking the Legend of Zelda games in the past had good graphics, and look at things now. In my opinion, I can still massively enjoy those games without the need of excellent graphics, since the adventure and feeling of the game pretty much overwritten my need for said graphics. But an excellent LoZ game with a 1080p HD image, maximum anti aliasing to smooth down those jagged edges, maximum anisotropic filtering for bumping up oblique surface texture quality would just blow my mind If I had an extremely good computer that could handle anything at maximum settings would make me very happy , because in order to achieve what I mentioned just a moment ago with the maximum anti aliasing, anti anisotropic filtering, per pixel lighting rather than per vertex amongst other graphical enhancements, you would need a very capable computer if you were to use an emulator. :urgh I know it won't just simply replace all the textures with HD ones. It don't work like that with the options I just mentioned, but it would definitely improve a few things :nk

Thanks for your note as well I am following my true interests, and aiming to find out other members' interests on this. Not all my posts now are going to be "polluting" or be considered "SPAM". I'm following my own honest interests here, and would appreciate it if others would understand that I'm not just here to annoy every member, but in fact here to enjoy being part of a friendly, understanding community :nk

P.S. I think I still might use emoticons a bit much more that what need be at times...

 

[Akella Fan]

No problem, @Jonty! You won't upset members. From what I learned until now, this is a very social community. The rules make it to remain like that. Thanks for the answer. I'll check Skyrim out.

 

[Akella Fan]

Question: What's you opinion about MMORPG's (World of Warcraft)?

 

[Jonty]

A already posted a brief opinion on your profile I think. But I were to try and offer an opinion here on types of games I've never played, it would seem biased. I'll try though.

MMORPS's to me can be very addicting according to a lot of people. Usually I love a game I will enjoy for a very long time, but being completely hooked and unable to come off it seems a bit of a problem to me. I wouldn't get any work done, and it would soon take over my life, knowing me. You don't want to end up like the people who have died after playing it constantly every day with hardly/no sleep at all. Not saying it would happen, but you'll realise that in about 5-10 years of playing WoW constantly, that you have wasted a considerable amount of time you wished you spent on other things. That's the only problem I can see from playing those sort of games. However, it is not the game that is the problem, it is usually the person. If you are able to play it responsibly, and don't abuse the game, you won't end up like this guy:

Like I said, they can be good games, since it fits a lot of my preferences. You just have to be responsible with them and you should be alright.

 

[Armada]

Interesting; I haven't seen a topic like this before. Most of the gaming ones here are only pirate-themed.

For me personally, I never stick to one genre, because I like to have a variety of different games.
I play FPS games, racing games, strategy games, and actually tend to steer clear of RPG's in general (with the obvious exception of PotC: New Horizons!).

What I usually consider is replayability above all else. How does the game offer something I'll want to play again and again?
For that it needs to have solid gameplay which is fairly easy to pick up, and it needs to maintain and build upon it.
Whether that means simple, repetitive gameplay as in FPS's, or complex and challenging gameplay as in strategy games, usually I'm not disappointed.

I also consider realism, within reason. How believable is the game, in whatever context it's set?
When it comes to FPS's and racing games, often this is done pretty well, because realism is integrated without compromising gameplay.
For instance, most racing games offer a wide range of real cars to drive, but they give the option to tone down the realism of the performance if a car is too difficult to handle.
We try to do the same for Build 14. Players can sail realistic ships, with the option of real or arcade-style handling, and it works really well.
However, sometimes games can be too far-fetched or unusual for me, which is why I'm not a huge fan of games involving magic or super powers etc.

Graphics are also important for me. I always like to see how developers are pushing the boundaries.
I'm not someone with a high-end gaming PC- I use a PS3 for most of my games- so this is particularly important, since the console's capabilities are limited.
When I see a racing game like Dirt 3, with absolutely stunning best-in-class graphics and physics, that's what I call pushing the boundaries.
Some games can make up for a lack of graphical quality with great gameplay (like Build 14 can), but for me, there aren't many which do it successfully.

I guess those are the main aspects I like to have in a good game.
Others, like freedom to do what you want, can be good in some cases (again, like Build 14.; noticing a trend, here? : ),
but sometimes I like to play scripted events or storylines if they're done well.
Also, I like the feeling of progressive achievement in games which offer it. That's another thing which adds to replayability, because it motivates you to play different parts of the game.

It's interesting because, as a developer on the Build Mod team, this kind of analysis is particularly important when considering how to improve the game, and in which directions to take it.
That's why we're so keen on feedback, to make sure we're taking the right steps to make the game the best pirate RPG we possibly can.


On a side note, don't be put off by what one member has said about your posts.
The way I see it, we're a non-judgemental community which accepts people from all over the world, and the opinion of one person does not reflect that of the whole community.
The thing is, at one end, some members are used to posting far more comprehensive posts, and at the other end, some prefer to post random nonsense for a bit of fun (that's what 'Throwing the Bones' is for! ). We accept and welcome both. We can't all be expected to produce essays on demand, so there's no reason why you should be forced to.

The bottom line is, if you ever feel you're being discriminated or misjudged in any way, don't let it get to you, and be sure to report it if necessary.
Oh, and use all the smileys you like! They're there to be used, and can add a lot to conversations.

 

[Jonty]

I'd probably enjoy anything I play if I had the money to buy every game

Anyway, probably why I have wavered away from FPS games, is probably because I overplayed them when I was a bit younger But like you said, I do like my realism, but it is usually dependant. I play RPG's and platformers because it just seems something fresh to me with constant replay value that never seems to get stale. As long as character development, story development and execution of the story line is perfect, I wouldn't mind buying FPS's more often.

I guess I forgot to mention about racing games. My requiremnets for those are quite simple, like your points surrounding Dirt 3. Nice presentation and real life simulation of every single car is a must for me; generally just realistic all over. You see, I tend to play Forza Motorsport games often, when I'm not playing Build 14 . If I had the money available, I would definitely buy Forza 4, but I thought it would be better if I just invested in a computer. Hopefully with the latter, I'll be able to buy the components at wholesale price, thus I won't get ripped of with retailers and get a computer than might be worth more than double it's value at retail price than what I bought it for If I knew the average mark up for computers, it would help me judge that more acurately.

As with your side note, I just felt like I was let down on a bit heavy. I just like to have fun without causing trouble with another member that's all. I have the ability to get on with anyone at all, if they are willing to get along with me as well. But I take all yours points there