I both love and HATE oblivion's leveling system. Mainly because I didn't read a faq on how you need to level your minor skills before you hit enough major skills to rest in order to get the max +1 to +5 a level...
I both love and HATE oblivion's leveling system. Mainly because I didn't read a faq on how you need to level your minor skills before you hit enough major skills to rest in order to get the max +1 to +5 a level...
I hate shit like that. Having leveling is bad enough, but this is even worse. Hey, you leveled up, but it wasn't as good a level as it could have been. Yeah, you can't try again, now you're just going to suck forever. Do better next level!
The game should prevent you from leveling and give you a message for example "Hey, you've got enough XP to level up, but you didn't max out your skills. Go level your skills, and we'll tell you when you've maxed them out. Then click here to actually level up."
I hate shit like that. Having leveling is bad enough, but this is even worse. Hey, you leveled up, but it wasn't as good a level as it could have been. Yeah, you can't try again, now you're just going to suck forever. Do better next level!
The game should prevent you from leveling and give you a message for example "Hey, you've got enough XP to level up, but you didn't max out your skills. Go level your skills, and we'll tell you when you've maxed them out. Then click here to actually level up."
What makes it worse is that the enemies level with you.. so if you don't level properly the game starts getting extremely hard. If I run into a high hit point/high damage guy like an Ogre the fight revolves around me running away and firing fireballs behind me while attempting to heal myself or jumping up on a big rock and getting out of the way (Ogre's apparently can't jump :-p)
if you don't level properly the game starts getting extremely hard.
It's broken in an entirly different way. I avoided leveling up, in order to make the game harder, but game balanced the monster, so they always remained too easy to defeat. I was clearing the final dungeons as a 14 level character, when I decided it was boring, and leveled all they way up. The monsters immediately changed to harder versions of themselves. Off course, I was also much stronger, and so the actual difficulty remained the same.
Also, many of the bosses are deceptively hard as well.
The Frankenstein Monster wasn't deceptively hard, that guy was practically yelling "I am going to be a major pain in your ass with my super overpowered punches" as soon as the fight began.
I hated that guy so much and relished when I finally killed his annoying ass.
Yes, many of his attacks were bullshitty. It involved a lot of dieing and learning every stinking one of his attacks, and a lot of luck to slide/jump out of the way at exactly the right time. My biggest beef it that you can almost never beat a boss the first time through. They all have weapon immunities that are hard to figure out other than via trial-and-error, particularly since there are a gazillion weapons. I also beat Albus and then still lost because I had no idea there was another person to rescue. I did this TWICE. It falls into the category of "fuck that shit you asshole programmers".
It falls into the category of "fuck that shit you asshole programmers".
I ran into a very similar situation while playing Red Dead Redemption the other day. One of the in-game challenges is to kill a grizzly bear with your melee knife. Grizzlies typically spawn in groups of two, so you're pretty much going to have to kill the first one outright and then try to get the challenge kill on the second one. You don't have to take it all the way down with the knife, just the last hit has to be a knife attack. I spent a couple hours' worth of getting mauled by grizzlies because of the "oh, you've been in this area X amount of minutes, time for another pair of bears to spawn right behind you" code in the game kicking in while I was chasing down the bear I had already pumped a couple shotgun rounds into, to get the last hit on it. I have to wonder what the neighbors were thinking when they heard multiple rounds of me yelling "FUCK YOU, YOU CHEAP-ASS FUCKING BEAR!!!" coming from my windows. The programmers that came up with that need to be strung up by their testicles.
Been hooked on Carcassonne for the iPhone. You can actually reliably be matched up with another player for an online game, whereas most iPhone games I've tried seem to have nobody at all playing them. I had never played Carcassonne before but knowing how well it is spoken about, didn't hesistate to drop a few bucks on it, and really loving it so far.
My only problem is that I only ever seem to get 2-player matches. Not sure if the system supports more than that, but from the graphic design it seems like there is room built in for additional players. Anyone have this and want try to put a game together? You can link up accounts and choose to play with friends.
Took a quick look at the 360 version of this and it seems to have some expansion content. Probably a no-brainer for them to bring this to iPhone as well? I hear the game plays a lot better with the river, but I have yet to try it (or get bored with the base game).
If that trailer appeals to you at all, I highly recommend buying it. I beat it in two sittings, so it's pretty short, and there are roughly 40 puzzles total. So it isn't quite Professor Layton in terms of number of puzzles, but unlike Layton most of the puzzles actually tie into the plot. The plot's funny and interesting (I'd say more so than Layton), and it's only $10, so if you like Professor Layton or adventure games or whatever, you should get it.
Only flaw, too short. Really, why can't someone make a game in this genre that is so epic in size? I'm talking like 10x the size of Super Metroid. At the very least do the episodic DLC thing and continually grow the world.
Only flaw, too short. Really, why can't someone make a game in this genre that is so epic in size? I'm talking like 10x the size of Super Metroid. At the very least do the episodic DLC thing and continually grow the world.
I have a feeling that it's because the longer you make that kind of game the easier it is to start becoming/feeling repetitive.
I have a feeling that it's because the longer you make that kind of game the easier it is to start becoming/feeling repetitive.
Keep adding new items that actually do stuff. The whole point of games like that is the cycle of discovery.
First you explore every place you can go. While you are exploring, you see all these interesting things you would like to explore, but can't because your items don't cut it. Then eventually you find an item such as bombs or grappling hook that open up a new world for you. Ahhh, you can now push the frontier even further and discover even more. Repeat.
You just have to come up with a few more interesting items to maintain the cycle. Also, you want to be like Zelda and create places where people need to combine multiple items together in order to gain access. For example, some places in Zelda you use the hook shot. Some places you need the red fire suit. Then you have to use both to do a hook shot through the fire.
I actually don't like very long games. I like games that take me about 2 days to finish, something like 10 hours of playing time. More then that makes me bored of that one game. Off course, if it's an online game it's a different story. I'm Playing Fire Emblem for the DS, pretty cool. Just finished getting all fighters for SFIV (PS3).
First you explore every place you can go. While you are exploring, you see all these interesting things you would like to explore, but can't because your items don't cut it. Then eventually you find an item such as bombs or grappling hook that open up a new world for you. Ahhh, you can now push the frontier even further and discover even more. Repeat.
Bah, you reminded me why I hate that game. So much pointless walking.
Yeah Scott there'd be some serious issues with travel/backtracking times in a game like that.
There are many solutions. Castlevania: SotN has teleporters.
Also, if the areas changed, or were re-used, it could make back-tracking interesting. You clear out a room, then later you come back with a new item, and the old room is suddenly new again. Or maybe you clear out a boss, and later you come back and it's a zombie version of the dead boss!
Lastly, if we could somehow get some procedural content generation going on, it could be really exciting.
Here's an idea. Take a game like the original Zelda and make a dungeon creator tool. Take submissions and serve up the best user-created dungeons, or provide an area where they could be openly shared and ranked by the crowd.
Has this ever been done? The only comparables I can think of in user-generated levels would be FPS mods, RTS customs like in starcraft or warcraft, or maybe that new Wario Ware game where you create the mini-games.
Here's an idea. Take a game like the original Zelda and make a dungeon creator tool. Take submissions and serve up the best user-created dungeons, or provide an area where they could be openly shared and ranked by the crowd.
There's that game that guy we know is making that he showed us at PAX East. The flash game. I forget what it's called. Sorry dude.
I recently acquired a Dreamcast and a few games. Right now I'm playing Crazy Taxi and Grandia II. I also got a copy of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, which I am not interested in, but oh well. I tried it, and I have to be honest: Ugly, and difficult control. My biggest difficulty, though, is getting used to the Dreamcast controller. The A, B, X, and Y buttons are swapped. (Yeah, I'm pretty much only used to Nintendo controllers.)
By the way, can anyone suggest some games for me to check out?
...And Sonic Adventure 1&2, you know, if you're into that sort of thing. Also, the Dreamcast has a large plethora of Capcom 2D fighters; personally I'd recommend Marvel vs. Capcom 2 as the controls seem to be a better fit for the DC's uniquely shaped controller.
This, yes. Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 are good, in my opinion. Plasma Sword is an interesting/semi-broken fighter. Phantasy Star Online is fun, even the offline mode.
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The game should prevent you from leveling and give you a message for example "Hey, you've got enough XP to level up, but you didn't max out your skills. Go level your skills, and we'll tell you when you've maxed them out. Then click here to actually level up."
I avoided leveling up, in order to make the game harder, but game balanced the monster, so they always remained too easy to defeat. I was clearing the final dungeons as a 14 level character, when I decided it was boring, and leveled all they way up.
The monsters immediately changed to harder versions of themselves. Off course, I was also much stronger, and so the actual difficulty remained the same.
Also, the dialogs are poo.
I also beat Albus and then still lost because I had no idea there was another person to rescue. I did this TWICE. It falls into the category of "fuck that shit you asshole programmers".
My only problem is that I only ever seem to get 2-player matches. Not sure if the system supports more than that, but from the graphic design it seems like there is room built in for additional players. Anyone have this and want try to put a game together? You can link up accounts and choose to play with friends.
Took a quick look at the 360 version of this and it seems to have some expansion content. Probably a no-brainer for them to bring this to iPhone as well? I hear the game plays a lot better with the river, but I have yet to try it (or get bored with the base game).
If that trailer appeals to you at all, I highly recommend buying it. I beat it in two sittings, so it's pretty short, and there are roughly 40 puzzles total. So it isn't quite Professor Layton in terms of number of puzzles, but unlike Layton most of the puzzles actually tie into the plot. The plot's funny and interesting (I'd say more so than Layton), and it's only $10, so if you like Professor Layton or adventure games or whatever, you should get it.
First you explore every place you can go. While you are exploring, you see all these interesting things you would like to explore, but can't because your items don't cut it. Then eventually you find an item such as bombs or grappling hook that open up a new world for you. Ahhh, you can now push the frontier even further and discover even more. Repeat.
You just have to come up with a few more interesting items to maintain the cycle. Also, you want to be like Zelda and create places where people need to combine multiple items together in order to gain access. For example, some places in Zelda you use the hook shot. Some places you need the red fire suit. Then you have to use both to do a hook shot through the fire.
I'm Playing Fire Emblem for the DS, pretty cool. Just finished getting all fighters for SFIV (PS3).
Also, if the areas changed, or were re-used, it could make back-tracking interesting. You clear out a room, then later you come back with a new item, and the old room is suddenly new again. Or maybe you clear out a boss, and later you come back and it's a zombie version of the dead boss!
Lastly, if we could somehow get some procedural content generation going on, it could be really exciting.
Has this ever been done? The only comparables I can think of in user-generated levels would be FPS mods, RTS customs like in starcraft or warcraft, or maybe that new Wario Ware game where you create the mini-games.
By the way, can anyone suggest some games for me to check out?
For Dreamcast you want Soul Calibur and Chu Chu Rocket.
Also, the Dreamcast has a large plethora of Capcom 2D fighters; personally I'd recommend Marvel vs. Capcom 2 as the controls seem to be a better fit for the DC's uniquely shaped controller.
Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 are good, in my opinion.
Plasma Sword is an interesting/semi-broken fighter.
Phantasy Star Online is fun, even the offline mode.