WHAT ANNOYS YOU IN A GAME?

Posts

Max McGee
with sorrow down past the fence
9159
I hate slow text speed. Literally nothing kills my will to play a game harder or faster.
Installers of any sort

Zip up your game so when I want to play it I just dump the ZIP contents into a folder and game playing can immediately commence.
harmonic
It's like toothpicks against a tank
4142
author=Max link=topic=2479.msg47660#msg47660 date=1227903361
Really, really disagree with harmonic. I think that making sure your items are not named after the items in Final Fantasy is sort of a prerequisite for your game not being retarded. In other words, I agree with Saedom.

No one said it's better to name everything specifically after final fantasy items. Also, preventing ANY FF names in your game in order to avoid retardedness is a little overboard.

What I meant was that merely renaming items that do the exact same thing isn't something that should be considered "cool." Like phoenix down -> healing sandwich. It just adds another step to the player's learning curve. Of course, it is possible to rename something in a way that makes it universally and immediately known exactly what the item does, but I was using the FF names as an example of easy communication of an item's function.

Bottom line, if you want to innovate, function > form. It's just like renaming "attack, magic, items" to -> "strike, special, backpack" or some shit. There are too many RM games that are mechanically identical to final fantasy, just with all different names. No thank you.

Since nearly every game you make is futuristic dystopian setting, I can see why you'd want to rename items, but that's a much better reason that just to be different.

Healing sandwich... sounds like it belongs in a Craze game.
1 - Slow walking speed : Self explanatory, especially annoying when combined with...

2 - Frequent Random Battles : Oh boy, you mean I get to fight the dreaded retarded cabbit, THREE times in four minutes?

3 - Excessive mini games : Annoying mini games thrown in for no good reason. Especially irritating when these mini games are difficult and required for you to advance.

4 - Half naked female characters : Honestly, this is getting a bit tiresome. Every female protagonist has to be made out of a pre-packaged template and sold to an imbecilic player base. Even Samus, who once possessed dignity, has been subject to this courtesy of Super Smash Brothers Brawl... Or maybe it came before then; I don't keep track.

5 - Excessive sequels : Tales of Destiny, Tales of Destiny 2, Tales of Inferia, Tales of The WORLD, Tales of Symphonia..> AGAL:GHDAOK Stop making these crappy interchangeable games with crappy interchangeable characters and crappy interchangeable plots. Tales of Destiny 1 was probably the only one I enjoyed; and that's probably just the nostalgia talking.

6 - Fallout clones : Sorry, but I've seen two of these thus far; and I'd wish they'd just go away... Of course, I didn't really care too much for fallout 3.

Max McGee
with sorrow down past the fence
9159
You better not be referring to my game because it is not a fucking Fallout clone, in fact, Fallout is just a Wasteland clone and my game is closer to Cormac McCarthy's The Road than Falllout.
harmonic
It's like toothpicks against a tank
4142
author=Nightblade link=topic=2479.msg52262#msg52262 date=1230105678
3 - Excessive mini games : Annoying mini games thrown in for no good reason. Especially irritating when these mini games are difficult and required for you to advance.

Massively agree.

author=Nightblade link=topic=2479.msg52262#msg52262 date=1230105678
4 - Half naked female characters : Honestly, this is getting a bit tiresome. Every female protagonist has to be made out of a pre-packaged template and sold to an imbecilic player base. Even Samus, who once possessed dignity, has been subject to this courtesy of Super Smash Brothers Brawl... Or maybe it came before then; I don't keep track.

You know, I used to really find half-naked female characters obnoxious. I still sort of do, (see avatar for a true lady with dignity) but only when it's excessive and in the spot light. DoA for example.

I think it's okay for the element of sexy characters to be in a game. Keep in mind, sexy does not necessarily = more naked, but sometimes showing some skin with a neat outfit will enhance it.
author=Max McGee link=topic=2479.msg52263#msg52263 date=1230105729
You better not be referring to my game because it is not a fucking Fallout clone, in fact, Fallout is just a Wasteland clone and my game is closer to Cormac McCarthy's The Road than Falllout.


You seem to devote a lot of time to this. I wonder what you could release if you devoted all of your time to one of your best projects, rather than darting around doing different mini projects.
Max McGee
with sorrow down past the fence
9159
There's nothing mini about EtG. Iron Gaia: Virus was my best project ever and you hated it. Because you're a big jerk. :-*

Anyway, I am devoting all of my time to EtG now so hopefully it will be really, really, really good.
author=Clest link=topic=2479.msg45321#msg45321 date=1227020334
-I hate leveling, not just is it annoying that in most cases even with the best strategy you still need level to have CHANCE against some enemy, but also if you go and fight to your heart´s content you may end up overlevel and own enemies too easily. It also gives a chance for dumb ppl to claim "I finished X ultra hard RPG, I am very good gamer!" when all they did was sit pressing attack button while their mind was somewhere else.

Only excetion is when you use exp to customize your character in irreversible ways to the point where a bad build/skill choice might fuck you up for good, as long as there is a "good build" for each kind of player.

-I HATE equipment upgrading (maybe even more than leveling) because most of the time you just get to a new town and you get to check shops and you barely has a choice: you just buy the next most powerful thing of each equipmnent for each character, which is just a mindless chore, then you have to sell the old stuff back. On top of that, whenever there is an equip with a special property (inflict/resist status/element) said item will soon be outdated in favour of something which is overal better. So where is the strategy in chosing equipment? Also no, a steel sword won´t cut meat 200x more than Iron one, it may just take longer to break clashing against bones/armor.

I want to go to an equip store and just find different brands of balanced itens to buy according the different needs. Maybe an armor which gives +10 Defense then an armor which gives +7 defense but +3 agility or other which gives +2 defense but makes me VERY resistant to ice.

-I hate the classic predictable and very artificial RPG flow where you go to town, buy stuff, talk to NPCs, then walk on map, reach dungeon, fight ramdom monsters, kill boss then town again... It is sick :P Every hell hole shitty cavern has a damn boss, every town sells every equip your party needs and NPCs only give you the info you want or ramdom one line stuff about their lame artificial lives. Also dungeons follow an incredibly predictable architeture to the point I always know which way to go for loot and to find the boss.

I think we need more vilages being raid, more safe camp spots and meeting other adventurers/soldiers in dungeons, bosses which appear in unexpected places and dungeons which... oh no boss there :O

-I usually hate last dungeons: If the game is bad I know the ending already and I will be too lazy to level up for the most dificult and probably boring dungeon.

If game is good I may just get depressed that my wonderful adventure is going to end...

Best ways to solve this: Don´t let me know it is the last dungeon, make previous dungeons seem like they would be the last to the point I stop believing when characters say "this will be our last battle" and of course, store a lot of unsolved things for the end and let them all hanging for the whole game, the ending is the time for answers, not before the last dungeons as Square loves to do. If I have all the answers I can basically predict the ending.

-I hate looong walks though empty spaces, ramdom encounters just make it worse

-I hate ramdom encounters, I can play games with that, but I´d rather have everything touch based.

-I hate pure healers/pacifist characters, if you can´t at least kill something, stay in your church/hospital and let the brave ppl do the dirty job you sissy cowards. Death to White Mages.

-I hate when everything depends on kids/teenagers. I don´t mind some young heroes here and there, but decisions should be made by adults, the older and more experienced the better.

--I hate the platonic relationships involving the dumb/shy/cold hero and the shy/avoidant/religious girl which stay just indirect until the end and stays like that. No kisses, hugs, marriage, sex, no concrete relationship, nothing, just shitty anime cliched insituations of interest. Better make everyone just friends than that.

-I hate when the villain feels more right to my ideals than the hero, or more developed, this makes me think I am playing the wrong side. It almost made me quit playing Tales of Phantasia and when I beat it I was still hating Cless for his stupidity.

-I hate having a specific main hero in a party who I can´t relate to (most of the time I relate to the older experienced character/mentor ) but is there and I can´t dismiss to put on a better/more interesting character. And even when I can, the hero is the best playable character which is still not fair. FF6 was the only game that handled this issue perfectly. I wonder why in hell it was not done again (it should become a fucking LAW :P). I don´t mind any of that with single heroes (Link, Alundra, Slade (IGV), neither with small parties (Wild Arms).

-I hate having battles in puxzle areas, I want to either fight or solve a puzzle.

-I HATE HATE HATE when story and game mechanics clash, it is not hard at all to at least deceive the player into thinking things work the same in and out of battles and Phantasy Star IV is there to show proof. If something kills a character outside battle the rest of the party should try to use regular means to revive/heal the fallen friend and if it doesn´t work I want an explation of how come someone can endure NUKES but dies by a regular sword hit. Was the blade poisoned? did it has any magic to it? Even if the characters are not sure, they should be surprised and concerned because it was something different than what happens REGULARLY in battle :P

-As Suzu, I hate repeition, staying in the same area, fight the same enemies with the same skills... boring

-I hate the anti ecologic monster devastation in RPGs, no matter how furry and defenseless a monster is it will attack you or you are able to attack it, even if your characters claim to be fighting for nature, life and good. Pitting monsters to fighting arenas is just as cruel. I could see an amoral hero doing those things, but not your typical jRPG hero.

I think humans are far better "monsters" since most of the time, we have more conscience of what we do, so when we fight someone, it is instinct and if villain human goes against me I do have A LOT of pleasure giving then some bloody pain and tormenting death :P

Well there is probably more... :P

Dude, it's a video game. You sound like you just want to read a good novel.
I would love to see you personally make a game without all the shit you just mentioned.

Equipment Upgrades??? Why the hell would you hate to get a new weapon? O.o Some of the shit you said is mindless babble. Wtf kind of post is this? I have played RPG's since dragon warrior 1 and it's always had some kind of grind. Every game has a grind, and if it doesn't it's not an RPG. Even life has it's grinds that we have to do to survive/get better.
author=Nightblade link=topic=2479.msg52262#msg52262 date=1230105678
1 - Slow walking speed : Self explanatory, especially annoying when combined with...

2 - Frequent Random Battles : Oh boy, you mean I get to fight the dreaded retarded cabbit, THREE times in four minutes?

3 - Excessive mini games : Annoying mini games thrown in for no good reason. Especially irritating when these mini games are difficult and required for you to advance.

4 - Half naked female characters : Honestly, this is getting a bit tiresome. Every female protagonist has to be made out of a pre-packaged template and sold to an imbecilic player base. Even Samus, who once possessed dignity, has been subject to this courtesy of Super Smash Brothers Brawl... Or maybe it came before then; I don't keep track.

5 - Excessive sequels : Tales of Destiny, Tales of Destiny 2, Tales of Inferia, Tales of The WORLD, Tales of Symphonia..> AGAL:GHDAOK Stop making these crappy interchangeable games with crappy interchangeable characters and crappy interchangeable plots. Tales of Destiny 1 was probably the only one I enjoyed; and that's probably just the nostalgia talking.

6 - Fallout clones : Sorry, but I've seen two of these thus far; and I'd wish they'd just go away... Of course, I didn't really care too much for fallout 3.





Fallout does not have magic and Indians that deal with mystical and unseen beings the world before the war has never known.

Aftermath does.

Just because it's post nuclear or post apocalyptic does not make it a fallout clone.
There is a lot of games and movies based in a post nuclear world before fallout 1 even launched. Mad Max might ring a bell.


Also, not caring for Fallout 3 just shows you're pretty square. That's one of the best games ever made.



Slamming me and Max is pretty childish.
author=Fallen-Griever link=topic=2479.msg52298#msg52298 date=1230129312
Also, not caring for Fallout 3 just shows you're pretty square. That's one of the best games ever made.

Sorry, but most of the best games ever made are on the SEGA Mega Drive SNES...
I fixed it for you.
And to keep this on topic, I really hate slow walk speeds, random encounters and crappy ATB systems in RM games. See Dark Eternal for all these things in one.
author=harmonic link=topic=2479.msg52258#msg52258 date=1230103478
What I meant was that merely renaming items that do the exact same thing isn't something that should be considered "cool." Like phoenix down -> healing sandwich. It just adds another step to the player's learning curve. Of course, it is possible to rename something in a way that makes it universally and immediately known exactly what the item does, but I was using the FF names as an example of easy communication of an item's function.
No way dude, you can't be serious.

Do you really think the Mother series would have items like a phoenix down? Nobody does this to be "cool", they do it because it fits the atmosphere and style of the game. Really, can you even name one game that renames items just to be annoying? I can understand where you're coming from if somebody renames Fire to IGNIFIRAL or something, but nobody really does that.

I like Healing Sandwiches anyway. They heal good HP in real life. >:(

Not in game related, but it is annoying when people keep referring to their games in their posts and how they do things right. I just chuckle whenever I read things like that, but I know I'm just being cynical.
I am really bothered by the outright misogyny in video games. Almost every video game depicts all of its women as sex objects, victims, trophies, or a combination of all three. In the rare case that a female character in a video game is strong and capable, she is probably still a sex object.

This is aside from the fact that there rarely are female characters in video games, anyway. Half-Life 2, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, and Beyond Good and Evil are celebrated for their positive feminist messages, but in both cases their non-sexualized female leads are like the only female characters in those universes.

There is some wiggle room in games where all male characters are sex objects, too. An example is the Final Fantasy series, where the characters are as much about their personalities as they are their fashion sense. Incidentally, Final Fantasy XIII's lead is probably the only prominent example of a non-sexualized, strong, capable lead in a Japanese game I can think of (she looks kind of like a man you know).

It really, really bothers me. I love video games, but I don't like carrying in the back of my mind that they are often subversively channeling the barbarian values underpinning a male-dominated market. The message is that men are strong, and that we use our strength to earn women. Is this right? If video games are supposed to be a respectable entertainment medium, they need to stop thinking in terms of gender roles in terms of patriarchal pre-civilized society.

author=harmonic link=topic=2479.msg52264#msg52264 date=1230105898
You know, I used to really find half-naked female characters obnoxious. I still sort of do, (see avatar for a true lady with dignity) but only when it's excessive and in the spot light.

This is ironic because the woman in your sig has an enormous ass that is pretty much 100% synonymous with modern ghetto sex culture. I am pretty sure that it is not official art and if it is then that is kind of gross. Shake it, Agrias!

Fallout Clones

You two give us a break. You started making your games immediately after Fallout 3 came out and I am pretty sure that both games use the same strapline "A Post-Nuclear RPG" (change to your favorite synonym). It is fine to make a Fallout clone if that's what you want to do and people enjoy playing it. But, just like Dragon Fantasy 2 is a Dragon Quest 3 clone and Aurora Wing is a Fire Emblem clone, you guys are making Fallout clones. Any differences that you are illustrating are purely tangential. Don't be so sensitive!! Also I just noticed that Everything turns Gray has a S.T.I.L.E. system. Not a clone? Come on!

ALSO: Don't turn this into a debate about video game consoles please.
author=drakiyth link=topic=2479.msg52281#msg52281 date=1230116036
Aftermath does.

Just because it's post nuclear or post apocalyptic does not make it a fallout clone.
There is a lot of games and movies based in a post nuclear world before fallout 1 even launched. Mad Max might ring a bell.


Also, not caring for Fallout 3 just shows you're pretty square. That's one of the best games ever made.



Slamming me and Max is pretty childish.

I'm not slamming you, I'm just saying that the fallout inspired games that conveniently pop up after fallout 3 was released annoyed ME.

My opinion isn't law, hell; my work isn't exactly highly original either. I just found it a bit annoying(title!) that these two games are trying to copy an intricate open ended game with a watered down 2d version. Space Indians who tell your fortune by squeezing the goat's testicles? Minor differences aside; they are fallout like games. One of you even states so in the game thread.

As for Legion Tupaq Juan Giganté Max, IGV was not your best; because you've already released better then that.



As far as Harmonic's complain goes, I think people are misunderstanding him. I think what he means is that Item names should not be ambiguous; and that's something I agree with.
DE
*click to edit*
1313
I agree with Brandon on the topic of misogyny in jRPGs, and also in the context of anime.

99% of Japanese pop creations present women as either big-boobied, scantily clad whores, or big-boobied, scantily clad virgins, or big-boobied, scantily clad androgynes (preferably military types). Do you see a pattern here?

This is seriously infuriating. I'm not a feminist or something, but I crave (nice choice of words here) NORMAL, perfectly normal women in games. Not those archetypes listed above. Is that so much to expect from Japanese writers?

But I guess it's a part of a broader issue of inane, juvenile scripts catering to sixteen year olds.

Oh, those Japs and their sex fetishes! ^o^
author=DE link=topic=2479.msg52324#msg52324 date=1230139644
I agree with Brandon on the topic of misogyny in jRPGs, and also in the context of anime.

99% of Japanese pop creations present women as either big-boobied, scantily clad whores, or big-boobied, scantily clad virgins, or big-boobied, scantily clad androgynes (preferably military types). Do you see a pattern here?

This is seriously infuriating. I'm not a feminist or something, but I crave (nice choice of words here) NORMAL, perfectly normal women in games. Not those archetypes listed above. Is that so much to expect from Japanese writers?

But I guess it's a part of a broader issue of inane, juvenile scripts catering to sixteen year olds.

Oh, those Japs and their sex fetishes! ^o^

I'm the one who mentioned it first, damnit!

:'(

Though, I'm pretty sure American made games have the same problems.
DE
*click to edit*
1313
OK, I agree with both Brandon AND you (i.e. Nightblade) :)
author=Nightblade link=topic=2479.msg52326#msg52326 date=1230139747
Though, I'm pretty sure American made games have the same problems.

American games almost never feature major female characters. They do have a better track record for positive roles than Asian games, but at the same time Asian games feature major female characters all the time. There are lots of Asian games that are narrative-driven and have female main characters, but I can only think of one AAA US game where the main character is a woman and is a decent person (Beyond Good and Evil). Every other example I know of features them in a supporting role (Half-Life, Uncharted etc).

Like what is sad is that if I made a list of the top five most tasteful female leads in narrative-driven US games, Lara Croft would be on it.