What makes games great for you?

[Grunge]

Dear community,



I'm writing an article about what it takes to make a good game, with a side focus on what I think made wow a good game and why I don't believe its that good anymore.



Of course, I have my own views, but im looking to get imput from players on their experiences with content and interaction with the community, positive or negative. Anecdotes and rants are welcome. If you'd like to include expriences or comparisons with other games that's fine too.



I'm really curious to see what people have to say.



If I use something you write and you'd like to be qouted or if you'd rather remain anonymous, please include permissions in your post.



<3,

~Grungemuffin

 

[Sneaky]

Well, for me...It's pretty much a tough game where both FC's are holding flags waiting for their offense to return their flag. I get a thrill from these games where it's extremely close and I usually play a pretty big role in killing the EFC/returning the flag.

 

[Druiddroid]

a game that is easy to learn and hard to master.



WoW is kind of like that, you can learn to PvE really easily but move on to PvP and have more of a challenge



there's also card games like hearts that are kind of like that, poker also comes to mind

 

[Damage123]

a game that is easy to learn and hard to master.



WoW is kind of like that, you can learn to PvE really easily but move on to PvP and have more of a challenge



there's also card games like hearts that are kind of like that, poker also comes to mind

Or starcraft 2 from my experiance so far....easy to learn the basics, but hard as hell to learn to be good.

 

[tweedledum]

unlimited ammo and licence to kill

 

[Tonkks]

a game that is easy to learn and hard to master.



WoW is kind of like that, you can learn to PvE really easily but move on to PvP and have more of a challenge



there's also card games like hearts that are kind of like that, poker also comes to mind

A game that ends when you decide it ends. WoW comes to mind, with The Elder Scrolls Games being the opposite. When you finish the storyline(s), the game ends. (I still loved these games, but you wont see me playing them anymore)

 

[Turtlez]

When you finish the storyline(s), the game ends. (you wont see me playing them anymore)

yeaa the main questline is far from the end of the game



unless you want it to end there



c wat i did thur

 

[Tonkks]

yeaa the main questline is far from the end of the game



unless you want it to end there



c wat i did thur

Oh i have many days played in Oblivion after the main questline is finished, it just feels like the game is already over and being apart of certain guilds just becomes a drag.

 

[Sneaky]

Oh lol i misinterpreted game as BG

 

[roudy]

games were there is always something to do, multifaceted like wow is great. tired of slaying dragons you can go pvp etc. being able to play with people when you want and being able to play alone if you feel like it is also great. since i started playing wow i have had trouble going back to some of the old fps games i played becuase theres only the same thing to do over and over

 

[Solipsist]

When I Fc and cc them for 7+ stacks and then cap.

 

[Razzerz]

eots 4 cap cause its the worst bg eu

 

[Falkor]

a game that is easy to learn and hard to master.



WoW is kind of like that, you can learn to PvE really easily but move on to PvP and have more of a challenge

you can learn to pve easy...but mastering pve isnt that ez, just look at places like ej, etc. same for pvp, you can que up and try to pwn people, but thats far from mastering your class

 

[Rivfader]

It has to be multiplayer, online or otherwise. It need engaging dynamic PvP (why I don't like most FPSs). PvP should be balanced and fairly slow paced. It should allow for some escapism. I think back to goldeneye, the greatest game ever, and all the hours of entertainment my buddies and I got out of it because it was fun to play over and over again. There were all kinds of tricks you could use to outsmart eachother.

 

[Druiddroid]

you can learn to pve easy...but mastering pve isnt that ez, just look at places like ej, etc. same for pvp, you can que up and try to pwn people, but thats far from mastering your class

PvE is memorization of what you're supposed to do, i guess i never did hardcore raids but i can't imagine it's difficult if you know what you're supposed to do and have the proper gear

 

[Kirise]

Geek response incoming.



Great games land on the better side of the following axes:



1) Maximize depth/complexity and minimize complication. The more of an impact I can create in-game (be it through control, like a driving game, or via complex cause-and-effect, like a good card game), the more I enjoy the game. However, the more I have to wade through complications due to bad design or unforeseen limitations (can we get a definitive answer on PvP hit rating vs. higher levels, Blizz? Like, is two years enough time yet?) the less I enjoy a game.



2) Make the interface (eventually) as transparent as possible, not a thing in itself. Ideally, the interface of the game works so well that it melts away from consciousness, and players translate their intentions directly into the game. Once your muscle memory knows how to do a dragon punch, you don't think "over-down-crouchforward-plus-punch". You think "dragon punch" and the move materializes onscreen. Contrast that with constantly wrangling with controls to get things to happen (how does anyone play a first person shooter with a gamepad?). Extra penalty: game rules that break themselves for no clear, warranted reason (old-school Mario Kart AI foes suddenly caught up after being way behind, and you had to anticipate when this might happen).



3) Reward or regulate emergent behavior in-game, and restrict it out-of-game, instead of vice versa. Rocket jumps in Quake, level requirements on bandages in WoW Cataclysm 4.1, good. High latency modems, lag macros, and banning bots, bad. That's right -- I said it's bad to ban bots. If your game is vulnerable to bots, you need to redesign it to make botting not worthwhile -- that's the real problem, not the botting itself.



This yields a lot of interesting combinations. Some awesome games have very complex interfaces, while others have very simple interfaces (literally one button). Some awesome games have little depth, but are so polished and without gameplay obstacles that they play superbly (Super Bomberman comes to mind).



There's my short version of a response.

 

[Tonkks]

PvE is memorization of what you're supposed to do, i guess i never did hardcore raids but i can't imagine it's difficult if you know what you're supposed to do and have the proper gear

And the response shows that you have never done hardcore raids.



I have done both. My main has a few realm first FoS, been in the top guild on my server since i began raiding and been fortunate enough to earn a world first achievement back in ICC. (Even if the achievement weas "I'm on a Boat", still world first imo).



On the pvp side of things, i have premaded with GuP, once the "#1 guild" if you would. My main had a MMR of 2300 with 0 resil in RBGs. And no, i was not carried, the healers were the worst part and reason we didnt go further.



Enough of my wow story, my point is that both parts of the game are challenging, and i would look at either side differently if i had not played both. You cant be glad and be good at PvE, and likewise be a frequent realm firster and still be great at pvp.



Completely different parts of the game, and its more fun when you can competitively play both sides of it.