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Old 04-10-17, 13:38   #17
Titak
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Like:
  • Places that can be explored but without being open world.
    Meaning that I do like exploring, but at the same time, Lara's space should be limited so you don't end up traveling LONG distances only to find out you needed a key or something at the end there.
  • When there's a certain logic to things in both gameplay and the looks of a level.
  • A bit of magic in levels. Something magical/mystical/esoteric, fantasy elements.
  • Natural environments mixed with manmade structures, preferably old structures.
  • Platforming,
    without some of the stuff I put in my "hate" section.
  • Finding modern ammo in ancient tombs.
    This is an odd one for me because even though it is not realistic at all, I still like to go looking for such pickups. Like in TR1. Every time I play TR1 I enjoy looking for all those pickups.
    And because I like it in TR1, I've decided to put it in my "like" section.
    That said... I'm going for the more realistic approach in my WIP "Mists of Avalon part2 game..."
  • Some nice (new) puzzles.
    This can be a lot of things really. Puzzles that need a bit of thinking, harder puzzles. Puzzles/setups that use new objects and/or new animations for both the object(s) and Lara.
  • Levels that look good and have atmosphere.
    Be it textures, lighting, atmosphere, objects, the whole package.
    Be it classic assets only or custom HD stuff, does not matter. Both are great when done right.
  • Lara's "bottomless pit" backpack.
  • A story.
    I do not hate games without a story and that are simply about Lara going into a place and at the end she emerges with the throphy, but I do like it when people have added a story and this story plays out nicely. Using cutscenes, voice-overs or text on the screen or a diary of some sort, does not matter when done nicely.
  • New animations for Lara.
    As long as they are done well and don't have weird controls.
  • When a game has a good "soundscape".
    When sounds and background audio are fitting for the environment, samples have the correct pitch and volume and such.
    When levels use ambient background audio instead of music all the time. Music often gets annoying after a while.


Not everything in the following "hate" section is really hate hate in a way that I quit playing a level when I see it.
Most things are more of a nuisance or are annoying instead of really hate.

Hate:
  • Switches shouldn't open up gates on the other end of a level.
    Unless it is made clear that there's somehow a connection between the switch and the gates, like chains or cogs or flowing water through a previously empty canal or whatever.
  • Mismatching objects/textures and locations.
    For example clearly Egyptian objects and textures in a level that supposedly takes place in Central America, without an explanation as to why they might be there. Or something along these lines of mismatching textures/objects and locations. Tropical sea fish or tropical (water) plants in an outdoor setting in a cold place.
    This is not really a hate thing, but more a thing that takes away from the immersion.
    This said, no need for all builders to become scholars in history and art, but nowadays we have enough resources available to at least get a close enough representation of a general location. Aztec, Toltec and Mayan are all different, but I do not think it is necessary to really go into the differences there. Same for the different Greek or Egyptian era's.
  • Objects going into eachother or into roomgeometry when it is clearly not meant for those objects to do that.
    Chairs going into walls and paintings going into pillars for example.
    I don't mind plants going into walls much, as long as it is not large treebranches doing that.
  • Pixel-perfect jumps.
    I don't mind a couple thrown in, especially if it is a multi-level game, or if they are needed to get to a secret for example, but all the time? No.
  • Banana jumps, other very curved jumps and other moves that require a perfect timing of hitting certain keys.
    Like for example where Lara can land on a ledge below by hopping back off the ledge and then pressing Action at the right moment.
    Moves like that somehow feel like cheat moves to me...
  • Very tight timed runs.
    And a very tight timed run for me is one where I need more than 10 tries to make it.
  • Lots of objects that hinder Lara's progress due to their collision.
    I also use a lot of objects in my games, but I also try to make and place them in such a way that the player does not get stuck in them every other step.
  • Limited pistol ammo
    Even when the builders has provided plenty of ammo to pick up.
  • Difficult (boss) fights which fastly drain Lara's health and then not having enough medipacks. Or some more powerfull ammo.
  • Checkpoint/savecrystal save system...
    Even when implemented pretty well, with enough opportunities to save the game, I still do not like it much.
    To me it feels like an artificial way of making a game harder.
    And don't tell me that's how it worked in the classics, because that's not how it worked for me: I've only played the games on PC.
  • Traps or tough enemies every other room.
    I don't mind traps (or traps gauntlets) and I don't mind enemies, but not in every other room for the entire level(set). Give the girl a break will ya!
    So no shooter games for me either.
  • Custom animations that look odd or that are buggy.
    Lara is what we see all the time. If her animations are shaky and/or buggy, it bugs the hell out of me.
  • A clearly visible end-of-the world, seen from the playable area.
    Not really a hate, but it is something that makes me kinda sad when I see it...
    Mind you, I'm not talking about spots you can get to by finding a non-intended route or by using cheats/glitches.
    Seeing the end of the world makes Lara's world look fake and small in my opinion.
  • Puzzles that need a lot of trial and error to solve.
    A player should somehow be able to figure out what needs to be done.
    If that takes 1 or 2 trial-and-error moves to see what happens, I'm fine with it, but the whole puzzle shouldn't have to be solved this way. For example with pushable puzzles where it is not clear in any way where the pushables should be placed.
    No need for "in your face dude" hints either, it is perfectly fine to have to think for yourself a bit to solve it.
  • Lots of backtracking.
    Especially when the path is riddled with traps you have to go through over and over again, or when it is a long route, or when you have to go the same route multiple times.
    I've been guilty of backtracking myself (it was especially mentioned in HM) and while I don't always think it is a bad thing, it is better when the path back is either a different path or other things have to be done. Like the traps are now disabled, or if they were disabled before, they are enabled on the way back. Or enemies appear, or...

Miss:
  • Secret areas like in TR3 Gold.
    Those were often completely different areas, especially the prehistoric cave in "The Chunnel" level.
    I know it can be very difficult to ad such different areas, because I always run into limits, especially the texture limits. And such areas would require different textures, and perhaps even different objects.
  • Alternative routes.
    I liked this very much in TR3 and that one level in TR4.
    This said, I've been trying to add this to my levels on several occasions but as with the special secret areas mentioned above, I have never been able to do it...
  • Stealth
    Like in the London levels in TR3 where you have to duck and crawl behind crate and such to avoid being spotted by the guards.
  • Villains in a story
    (thanks to Xopax for this one. )
    Not just the random enemies that Lara encounters, but an actual organisation or person that's at the head of all those enemies.

Last edited by Titak; 04-10-17 at 13:43.
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