CroftScionGuard
24-11-08, 20:12
I'm going to talk about these last three games, and not only about one specifically, although I may use examples to explain better
Should we be concerned with extras in future games? Maybe this should be a poll, because b4 TR:U players said extras weren't important, and now TR:U's out and those players say they miss the quantity and the unlockables in TR:U. Can players ever be satisfied? My conclusion? No, they can't, yet there's always a middle for everthing, like a conpensation... Let's talk about extras then:
infinite ammo
pistols upgrades
outfits
being able to play with characters that appear in the game (though they're considered outfits)
concept artwork
cheats
extra levels
special weapons (like Excalibur in TR:L)
other
All these aren't necessary if the game's well developed. Their existence only bring extra enjoy when replaying levels, nothing more (with the exception of extra levels of course).
1st: infinite ammo, useless; because if that's activated then there's no need to search in a specific level for that ammo we know we're going to need later
2nd: pistol upgrades, unnecessary; pistols should stay equal in power, range, and ammo hold from the beginning to the end of the game, except if the environment supposedly changes these factors. In this way, it keeps the game difficulty and the fact that those pistols won't get stronger if we do this or that...
3rd: outfits; nice to behold, good for modders while they are able to modd, and also increases fun and changes the replay value of the game, yet if the game's good enough, outfits won't be necessary to increase the enjoyment players will have. Veredict: don't discard but they're not the most important.
4th: being able to play with characters that appear in the game, useless imho. What's the point of playing in the game as the main enemy? Let's see TRA: what's the point of playing as the Doppleganger or as Natla, if the purpose of Lara in the game is to get the Scion and put aside every enemy that stands in her way including these two? It's only good if you want to modd, nothing more. Even Natla's model/outfit in TR:A didn't have wings, and so she wasn't teh scorched Natla we confront in the end... Imo, and tbh these kind of outfits, enemies' models as controlable characters are useless and to me they don't add any replay value to the game itself.
5th: concept artwork, something I enjoy seeing to know what they planned to do in the game, however it's bad when we see there's a pic that is a place that isn't in the final version of the game (reminds me of artwork that appears in Blood Omen 2)
6th: cheats, where's the point of giving them? where is the fun in offering them to unlock and activate them? There isn't... if the game is meant to be difficult then why offering players a way to pass levels without loosing? Where's the point of making Lara invulnerable where when a spider bites her she should loose some health and maybe become poisoned? There are some cheats that maybe could be fun, but tell me where's the point?
7th: extra levels, the most acceptable and the best unlockable that could ever exist, yet, afaik there aren't... are there any? No. Maybe we players should be able to play extra levels, eg: side levels where we could play as an ally in order to see what that character does to reach that place in the game (yeah, you can say it's like playing the Separate Ways in RE4, but imo I love more playing with Ada than with Leon in the main game, and yet levels are imilar and in some cases they are pratically the same). What do you say about this idea? sided story, fitting in the main story, where players would be able to play through by unlocking it. Imo it would be good :tmb:
8th: extra weapons, pointless... they are nice to behold its power but it turns the game shorter and easier and also turns other weapons useless. Isn't this enough? Well, then what's the point of using a poweful artifact that doesn't interact with the rest of the game? Excalibur on TR:L, for example, only gets in good use since the end of Nepal, to open the way to Lara get out, and then to defeat Fluffy in the end (talking about gameplay, not in the story). In all other levels it's only good if you want to kill a specific enemy with one shot. It doensn't even interact with the environment like the other guns, when we have to press Interact Button in order to clear the path, or destoy something specific...
9th: other... let's try to see what else could be added to game to increase enjoyment and replay-value, and not how to decrease it.
Of course this is only my opinion
What do you think about it?
Should we be concerned with extras in future games? Maybe this should be a poll, because b4 TR:U players said extras weren't important, and now TR:U's out and those players say they miss the quantity and the unlockables in TR:U. Can players ever be satisfied? My conclusion? No, they can't, yet there's always a middle for everthing, like a conpensation... Let's talk about extras then:
infinite ammo
pistols upgrades
outfits
being able to play with characters that appear in the game (though they're considered outfits)
concept artwork
cheats
extra levels
special weapons (like Excalibur in TR:L)
other
All these aren't necessary if the game's well developed. Their existence only bring extra enjoy when replaying levels, nothing more (with the exception of extra levels of course).
1st: infinite ammo, useless; because if that's activated then there's no need to search in a specific level for that ammo we know we're going to need later
2nd: pistol upgrades, unnecessary; pistols should stay equal in power, range, and ammo hold from the beginning to the end of the game, except if the environment supposedly changes these factors. In this way, it keeps the game difficulty and the fact that those pistols won't get stronger if we do this or that...
3rd: outfits; nice to behold, good for modders while they are able to modd, and also increases fun and changes the replay value of the game, yet if the game's good enough, outfits won't be necessary to increase the enjoyment players will have. Veredict: don't discard but they're not the most important.
4th: being able to play with characters that appear in the game, useless imho. What's the point of playing in the game as the main enemy? Let's see TRA: what's the point of playing as the Doppleganger or as Natla, if the purpose of Lara in the game is to get the Scion and put aside every enemy that stands in her way including these two? It's only good if you want to modd, nothing more. Even Natla's model/outfit in TR:A didn't have wings, and so she wasn't teh scorched Natla we confront in the end... Imo, and tbh these kind of outfits, enemies' models as controlable characters are useless and to me they don't add any replay value to the game itself.
5th: concept artwork, something I enjoy seeing to know what they planned to do in the game, however it's bad when we see there's a pic that is a place that isn't in the final version of the game (reminds me of artwork that appears in Blood Omen 2)
6th: cheats, where's the point of giving them? where is the fun in offering them to unlock and activate them? There isn't... if the game is meant to be difficult then why offering players a way to pass levels without loosing? Where's the point of making Lara invulnerable where when a spider bites her she should loose some health and maybe become poisoned? There are some cheats that maybe could be fun, but tell me where's the point?
7th: extra levels, the most acceptable and the best unlockable that could ever exist, yet, afaik there aren't... are there any? No. Maybe we players should be able to play extra levels, eg: side levels where we could play as an ally in order to see what that character does to reach that place in the game (yeah, you can say it's like playing the Separate Ways in RE4, but imo I love more playing with Ada than with Leon in the main game, and yet levels are imilar and in some cases they are pratically the same). What do you say about this idea? sided story, fitting in the main story, where players would be able to play through by unlocking it. Imo it would be good :tmb:
8th: extra weapons, pointless... they are nice to behold its power but it turns the game shorter and easier and also turns other weapons useless. Isn't this enough? Well, then what's the point of using a poweful artifact that doesn't interact with the rest of the game? Excalibur on TR:L, for example, only gets in good use since the end of Nepal, to open the way to Lara get out, and then to defeat Fluffy in the end (talking about gameplay, not in the story). In all other levels it's only good if you want to kill a specific enemy with one shot. It doensn't even interact with the environment like the other guns, when we have to press Interact Button in order to clear the path, or destoy something specific...
9th: other... let's try to see what else could be added to game to increase enjoyment and replay-value, and not how to decrease it.
Of course this is only my opinion
What do you think about it?