Three Great Game Design Evils

[g0zen]

To be sure, stealth elements are put into too many games they don't belong, much like RPG elements. However, 'true' stealth games like Thief and Splinter Cell are solid games and I challenge anyone to prove otherwise.

EDIT: The worst part isn't that Peter M. is criticizing stealth gameplay, but rather that those who enjoy it are creepy stalker types. This from the asshole who claimed he could make the greatest RPG ever (which had stealth elements I might add).

[kingoffighters]

I hate generic fire and ice levels. Really boring and lame.

[g0zen]

I hate platformers, that doesn't mean I think there's something wrong with the people who play them. Like they should be outside navigating an obstacle course instead.

[Diff-chan]

I hate generic fire and ice levels. Really boring and lame.

Is this even an issue anymore? It's not 1993 anymore.

[Nash]

If you want really frustrating stealth gameplay, try the Syphon Filter series. In SF2's McKenzie Airbase mission where you are Lian Xing, you need to escape. Taking out any of the airbase personnel is not an option. If you are seen, you are SOL- you can not try to run for cover and ride out the alert ala Metal Gear. Mission failed.

That's in almost every stealth sequence in the Syphon Filter series. And yes, they completely suck.

I agree to an extent with the dislike for stealth. If a game is based on stealth (Metal Gear Solid, Splinter Cell) then I'm all for it. I also don't mind stealth in non-stealth games as long as it is only an option, and not a requirement (Escape From Butcher Bay). But when stealth is required in non-stealth games (Wind Waker), it really irks me.

My personal game design evil is unconsistent save/check points. By this I mean parts of a game where you can long stretches without a save or check point, and other parts where save/check points are every few minutes. Metroid Prime's Phazon Mines come to mind.

[Yoshi]

My personal game design evil is unconsistent save/check points. By this I mean parts of a game where you can long stretches without a save or check point, and other parts where save/check points are every few minutes. Metroid Prime's Phazon Mines come to mind.

Speaking of it not being 1993 anymore, why doesn't every game have a save wherever feature like PC games have for the last 15 years?

[TaekwondoNJ]

Though i don't really agree with Molyneiux about the whole "if you play stealth games you're a stalker" bit, he DOES make a point that a lot of the design to stealth games is just plain crap. Like when you're 20 feet away from a guy in MGS and he just can't see you. I think it has more to do with the AI in stealth games being crappy. They just aren't as observant as they should be to make the game believable and enjoyable.

And I dunno wtf the first guy is talking about games being too balanced. I personally think games are the most fun when they require a high level of skill to play through, like Ninja Gaiden and God of War on very high difficulties. Who the hell wants to play a ridiculously easy game? Because it gives you a feeling of "godly power"? That becomes boring after like 2 minutes of playing the game. The guy's mental.

[Tain]

I love being able to save whenever, but I find it very hard to avoid abusing it.

Maybe I could go for a temporary quicksave system or something. Self-deletes on loading.

[Diff-chan]

Though i don't really agree with Molyneiux about the whole "if you play stealth games you're a stalker" bit, he DOES make a point that a lot of the design to stealth games is just plain crap. Like when you're 20 feet away from a guy in MGS and he just can't see you. I think it has more to do with the AI in stealth games being crappy. They just aren't as observant as they should be to make the game believable and enjoyable.

And I dunno wtf the first guy is talking about games being too balanced. I personally think games are the most fun when they require a high level of skill to play through, like Ninja Gaiden and God of War on very high difficulties. Who the hell wants to play a ridiculously easy game? Because it gives you a feeling of "godly power"? That becomes boring after like 2 minutes of playing the game. The guy's mental.

1. MOLYNEAUX DID NOT COMPLAIN ABOUT STEALTH. GAH!
2. He SPECIFICALLY SAID that games should be either very hard or very easy (I assume your NG and GoW examples are in the former). He said it was NOT GOOD how so many games are "medium", and require you to just bleh your way through. Combined with liberal save systems this sucks the tension and fun out of a game. If you kept reading you wouldve noticed he said that RPGs are pretty lame because all they require you to do is grind your way up to a high level. There's no skill involved, all it requires is your presence.

[Melf]

I love being able to save whenever, but I find it very hard to avoid abusing it.

The good thing about them is that no one's forcing a pre-determined save point on you. You decide when to save, not the developer.

As for esccort missions: I loathe them. I played GTA 3 all the way up until that point where you had to escort the bank vans and were pursued by another gang (I think). I did it around 3 times and got fed up. My game's still there, waiting 3 years for me to go back to it. Bleh.

Another design evil that they forgot is excessive trial-and-error, which developers erroneously call "replay value." Doing something 40 times to get it done right is not fun, no matter how "real" you try to say it is. I can't tell you how many times games like Splinter Cell and Medal of Honor: Frontline pissed me off in that you did one little thing wrong and had to redo the entire level. Fuck that noise.