Thread 720438257

What are your general game design principles and preferences?

I agree with everything he says

suffering builds character

if it has women in it im not buying it

>>720438257 (OP)
Games that define "difficulty" as "being forced to do the same thing over and over again" aren't games, they're work

>>720438352
but you don't do the same thing, you improve and learn from your mistakes

Controls and hitboxes should cheat in player's favor due to input lag and perception biases existing.

I-frame stuff like ds3+ rolls and parries is objectively inferior and is a giant downgrade to positional dodging and you need to be insanely good to execute a game with both like Nine Sols was.

Don't put stuff in a game that a hoarder will never ever use

>>720438434
>positional dodging
examples?

>>720438352
Unless the game is completely non-deterministic, that's always true.

>>720438547
as i've said, nine sols. Monster Hunter unless you run evade window. DeS to DS2 unless you run ninja flip shit. Basically every platformer ever, many beat em ups, shmups etc etc. There's still more games with positional dodging, but the parry rot spreads.

>>720438547
Mario? Basically every game that doesn't have iframe/parry buttons?
How's that even a question

>>720438257 (OP)
-bros before hoes
-ALWAYS wipe your ass
-keep it real
-call your mom
-never eat fake food

>>720438631
speaking of mario
>have fucking context in lore and world building, don't just throw random shit and expect me to care about the game in the slightest

Like fr who looks ar mario and kirby and thinks "wow looks so interesting i must play it"

>>720438779
Gameplay? You sound like you would rather enjoy movies and books.

>>720438965
wow so clever. No, i want to live in a world and maybe even save a world. WORLD, not random bullshit. Random bullshit wouldn't fly in a movie or a book, so why should it fly in a video game? Cause it replies to my inputs? It can do that without being random bullshit just as well, you know?

>>720439079
>so why should it fly in a video game?
Because it's not a fucking movie or a book.
No one played tetris for lore.

- minimal handholding
- medium sized map design
- non-linearity
- diegetic integrations
- indirect storytelling
- vulnerable rather than awesome

>>720438779
Me. The art direction (not "art style") made those games interesting. That's only part of a game's appeal, but it certainly fucking helps when all you see at first is a trailer or someone else playing it.

A philosophy I abide by is that enemies and hazards should be introduced separately, at any point and for any length of time, no matter how brief, before putting them together. Especially for platformers and action games, it's nice to feel like the level is building up to something. Levels don't feel as fun to play when the difficulty curve feels flat throughout, even if the difficulty to start with is high. Sequences that are more elaborate with enemies and gimmicks and hazards need to be set up with earlier sequences.

I also think that "metroidvanias" need to move on from leveling, the need for currency, and skill trees of any kind. Let the player find items that grant those increased abilities and powers, it's always more satisfying than grinding for them, even if grinding is minimal.

>>720438257 (OP)
Sexy loli

enemies should be simply obstacles to a goal rather than either a mandatory objective or a resource pinata. the second you demand that every enemy in your path has to be seen through to their full extent elegance goes out the window.

NO TURN-CRINGED CRAP

>>720439119
yeah, people played tetris to kill time. Or have a high score if they are autistic. Doing actual game with people or watching a movie or reading a book was PREFFERABLE to playing tetris once it's novelty wore out. It's once Ultima n stuff started coming out it became prefferable.

>>720439340
>to kill time. Or have a high score
Videogames indeed.
> Doing actual game with people or watching a movie or reading a book was PREFFERABLE to playing tetris
By normalfags sure.

>>720438257 (OP)
It has to be fun to play. No movie game nonsense.
It must have replayability. Movie games can only be played once.
It must be challenging but still fair and fun.
It must have nice artstyle and music.
It needs scoring mechanics for replayability.
If the game requires self-imposed challenge runs for replayability, then it's shitty game design.

>>720439568
puzzles don't have replayability, what about them?

>>720439860
Puzzles can have replayability if they are action-puzzles, like in Tetris, Lode Runner or Catherine.
There needs to be a focus on tight execution and to a degree an element of randomness to the gameplay.

>>720438257 (OP)
Fun > everything else
Style/art direction > muh graphics
Appeal to yourself and to you're ideal niche > Appealing to "everyone"/No one
>>720438434
Personally disagree. Hitboxes can be "unfair" like MH plesioth, or some darksouls attacks. And controls should just feel honest, not necessarily tuned to the players favor.
I like dodging/positioning, but Parry/i-frames is fun when the execution is sufficiently challenging.

>>720438257 (OP)
If a game has respawning enemies, then any items you find from exploring (in chests etc.) should not be consumables, they should be permanent upgrades. For example if you find a hidden room with a chest, it should contain a tenth of an estus flask, or a weapon, not a firebomb or a single-use temporary potion.
Applies to games like Dark Souls, Tunic, Silksong, etc.
Drops from enemies or respawning resources can be consumables though, or money that you exchange for consumables.

>>720440652
>For example if you find a hidden room with a chest
I read it as "hidden room in a chest"
Now that sounds fucking cool.

>>720438257 (OP)
Good design gives you clues on how to solve a problem, it doesn't tell how solve them for you.

All the information I need should be inside the game itself. If I have to refer to external resources You failed as a designer

Harder difficultly settings should be about testing the player's knowledgebase of the mechanics and testing how resourceful a player is with the tools available to them. Harder difficult modes should change behavior of the enemy not just inflate stats.

Good level design means your world is navigable without a map or waypoints on the UI.

Failure, should feel like it is my fault. No being cheeky to with stupid or unfair failure states. If a no damage encounter is actually impossible, you made bad enemy or boss.

>>720438257 (OP)
I like games that do not compromise on it's execution to achieve the creative vision.
I don't think there are "generally good" design choices - only the ones that work in the context of the current game. Some of my most favorite games are obtuse, unfriendly, clunky and opaque - but pushing the paradigm allows them to create an experience no conventional principle could achieve.

bump

>>720442085
favorite games?

Levels that introduce a mechanic, and then bosses at the end of said level that use that mechanic but also throw a curveball to throw you off.

>>720443084
Rain World, Cogmind, Pathologic 2, Deadeye Deepfake Simulacrum, Starsector, Mech Engineer
Not in a particular order

>>720438257 (OP)
I like the hand of fate series and the tabletop game that was based on it. You tell me about my game design preferences.