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[egypturnash]

As a side note, since some people seem to want to convince me that Bioshock is actually a really good game - an opinion you're welcome to have; it's clearly a finely-crafted instance of an experience I simply don't care to have - I would like to note that so far, the only FPS I've actually enjoyed as a game is Thief, which I've been playing on and off the past week via Rik's machine. I had fun with System Shock 2 a couple years back but by the end, I was sick and tired of the basic game mechanics and just wanted to find out what happened to SHODAN. I really don't like FPSs.

As I've gotten older, I've slowly learnt how to see people as, well, people. I'm not very good at it; I never was. As video-game technology marches on, the creatures the games pit you against have gotten more like people. When I play some games made in the last decade or so, I can feel them training me to see people as just things. I'm still working out what factors make this happen; it's only a handful of games that do this so far.

I really think that the increasing drive for 'realism' in video games means that the game industry has a big moral quandry coming up. The forty-year-long focus on the hurt button as the core mechanic becomes creepier as the things you hurt become more and more like people. What happens when the project lead on a game focused on killing and blood plays his game and feels that weird sense that it's gnawing away at something in his soul? What happens when this is a regular occurrence?

A few major choice-points over, there's another me who went into video games. Is she (or he; I might never have transitioned in that life-path) getting ever more uncomfortable with these themes, or has it been completely burnt out of her by this point?

Comments

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[turbinerocks.livejournal.com]

So it's...a bad game because you don't like the intent. Contrary much?

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[kensan-oni.livejournal.com]

When your reward structure is based around fighting bosses that you can choose not to fight, but in order to advance you must fight them, so you end up fighting them even if you never ever really wanted to, then there is a flaw with the system as it offers a way to play that can not be played due to the system not offering any reward for doing so, and specifically as you end up handicapping yourself significantly if you in fact, do what the developers suggested you could do, and not fight them.

Yes, bad game design.

(frozen)

[turbinerocks.livejournal.com]

It's not a flaw with the system. First of all, there's no reward system based on choosing not to fight bosses. So I have no idea where you got that idea. You must defeat enemies to proceed. It's a scripted event, you solve it, you proceed. In no way does it offer a way to play that cannot be played. Seriously, where are you getting this nonsense? Have you actually played the game? Are you getting this second hand? The game also forces you to pick up the controller and make an X360 profile to play it, so I guess that's bad design too, huh?

It sounds like you want this game to somehow transcend every other game in its genre ragardless of technological or budgetary hurdles, and have labeled any failure to just utterly blow your mind bad game design. I submit that you have no clue as to what it takes to develop a video game, what the contraints are, what is possible versus what isn't. Which is okay! Most people don't, and that's fine. But you seem to think you do.

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[kensan-oni.livejournal.com]

I KNOW what it takes to develop a game. I've read about video game development, so I know the subject. A WHAT IF tree does not BREAK GAMES. This game only follows one switch. Kill_Little_Sister? It's a Y or N statement. It has the sophistication of a LOGO program.

You seem to be under the impression that creating a baseline tree is a complicated process that takes hundreds of programmers thousands of man hours.

The developers spent so much time developing powers so that when you exploited the bosses and their little charges that you would have cool things to do. Which is fine. Having powers is neat. They were so worked up about the (Random) Boss Battles though, that they left no other options on gaining those powers. That is a Design Flaw. You Must Fight the (random) bosses, that the developers, in their game demos, said you can ignore. They want you to make a choice about the Sisters, but they gave the illusion that it was an optional thing.

Would the game play any differently if you decided not to Kill Ryan, but help him get rid of Atlas? Not really, as you had to kill atlas anyway. Would the game play any differently if you had another option outside of killing Mr Bubbles to get Adam? Yes, but the planning stage should have planned for such a circumstance. The Designers failed to give players another option, which would not have taken that much to do, as they included the bloody ... whatchyacall it as weapon later in the game.

The designers limited choices becuase they didn't plan for them, which means a bad design was in place during the concept stage. I am not asking for Bioshock to transcend the genre, but build upon what has come before. The difference is what you believe has come before, and I have, obviously, is huge.

(frozen)

[turbinerocks.livejournal.com]

I KNOW what it takes to develop a game. I've read about video game development, so I know the subject. A WHAT IF tree does not BREAK GAMES. This game only follows one switch. Kill_Little_Sister? It's a Y or N statement. It has the sophistication of a LOGO program.

I'm going to repeat this for emphasis.

I KNOW what it takes to develop a game. I've read about video game development, so I know the subject.

You hear that, everyone? He KNOWS THE SUBJECT! He read about it once! Perhaps in Electronic Gaming Monthly! Do you watch G4 as well?

Once more...

I KNOW what it takes to develop a game. I've read about video game development, so I know the subject.

Wow.


Yes, truly next-gen games are just that easy to build. It's just a bunch of if-then statements in BASIC. That's how those software engineers earn their six-figure salaries. I read a lot about World War 2, I guess that makes me a soldier! I read a whole bunch about Bruce Lee, so now I'm a kung-fu master.

I'm going to end this conversation, and then marvel at your ignorance. Another game developer on this thread has already explained to you how it actually is, in very patient and polite detail, I'm not going to repeat what he said. I will, however, take a long hot shower tonight to attempt to scrub all your WRONG away. Cheers!

(frozen)

[circuit-four.livejournal.com]

Grr. I'm sorry. I'm going to retract that, because I really am not interested in reopening hostilities -- or contact -- with you and Andy. I'm going to keep my opinion of this sort of debate off the public record, and we can live out our lives peacefully under our own respective delusions, okay?