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Unwelcome technology in games.
Polago
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
In an effort to be a little more inclusive than the last op I wrote, this one will be shorter and with a topic more people will have experienced. 
Next gen has been around for a good while now, and has become the current gen quicker than most people would've cared. Moving games into the future has made for some slick graphics, unique gameplay elements, epic scales, and increased connectivity. However many games have had seemingly now standard elements of the next gen shoehorned in for better or worse, and in some cases has actually been a detriment to the overall game, or been plain frustrating to the player. This isn't an issue relevant only to current gaming either, and has existed throughout the years.
Given that pre-text, the question of this thread is: Have there been occasions in gaming where the technology in a game detracted from other elements, or frustrated you as a player? This can be whether it's shoehorned or pioneered.
Crackdown makes a good example for this. It uses an increasingly standard process called HDR, which simulates the eye focusing and readjusting when it looks at different light saturations and levels. In crackdown, it's made for some VERY frustrating moments while scaling taller buildings, where the side of a building will be drowned out in light or darkness and the HDR won't kick in making it nigh impossible to tell where you are while you attempt to navigate a thin ledge or pipe. When leaping onto a roof as well, the light will suddenly saturate and make it difficult to distinguish the roof from it's surroundings. The same occurs more frequently with piping in the Volk areas, where HDR causes climbing points to be obscured more than they should be half the time. In a game based on a comic line art style, HDR averts from any real contrast ever occuring, and while being a "next gen" graphic effect, does nothing but hinder the gameplay without offering any beautiful benefit, and when it results in falling to your death a few too many times, it's a pain, and in the game it's needless. I'll also add that I loved the HDR effects in Lost Planet, and felt they added to the atmosphere, so i'm not against the technology as a whole, only in situations like crackdown.
Anyways, what're your experiences with this?
Next gen has been around for a good while now, and has become the current gen quicker than most people would've cared. Moving games into the future has made for some slick graphics, unique gameplay elements, epic scales, and increased connectivity. However many games have had seemingly now standard elements of the next gen shoehorned in for better or worse, and in some cases has actually been a detriment to the overall game, or been plain frustrating to the player. This isn't an issue relevant only to current gaming either, and has existed throughout the years.
Given that pre-text, the question of this thread is: Have there been occasions in gaming where the technology in a game detracted from other elements, or frustrated you as a player? This can be whether it's shoehorned or pioneered.
Crackdown makes a good example for this. It uses an increasingly standard process called HDR, which simulates the eye focusing and readjusting when it looks at different light saturations and levels. In crackdown, it's made for some VERY frustrating moments while scaling taller buildings, where the side of a building will be drowned out in light or darkness and the HDR won't kick in making it nigh impossible to tell where you are while you attempt to navigate a thin ledge or pipe. When leaping onto a roof as well, the light will suddenly saturate and make it difficult to distinguish the roof from it's surroundings. The same occurs more frequently with piping in the Volk areas, where HDR causes climbing points to be obscured more than they should be half the time. In a game based on a comic line art style, HDR averts from any real contrast ever occuring, and while being a "next gen" graphic effect, does nothing but hinder the gameplay without offering any beautiful benefit, and when it results in falling to your death a few too many times, it's a pain, and in the game it's needless. I'll also add that I loved the HDR effects in Lost Planet, and felt they added to the atmosphere, so i'm not against the technology as a whole, only in situations like crackdown.
Anyways, what're your experiences with this?
Polago on
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Rumble.
I find it distracting, it makes my wrists itch and sometimes I can find that it throws my aim off. The troika in Gears reminded me how much I dislike rumble. I find that it's usually tacked on and I don't find much of a benefit in having it in games.
By the way, this is a very serious response.
Likewise.
For how to do these things correctly, however, see Lost Planet and Gears of War.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/Cykstfc
Oh, and tacked on touch elements in DS games controlled by the face buttons. Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, I'm looking at you.
... I got nothing else.
im sick of seeing objects give off a bloom effect when they shouldnt be emitting any source of lighting at all.
Pokemon Diamond:3394 0249 9567
(And I'm not even going to start with the VMU, what the fuck?)
"Hey, you just checked the player stats menu, have 50 points!"
Fuck you.
Games on blue-ray is a nice idea for a console, but at this point in time it's just too expensive (for me, anyay).
edit: Also, in-game advertising. Fuck that shit.
edit 2: Also, twist in joysticks. Damn well drives me up the wall. I'm not too crazy about force-feedback either.
Old PA forum lookalike style for the new forums | My ko-fi donation thing.
Was just about to add that. Achievements are fantastic when it's ACTUALLY an achievement or something you can be proud of (Geometry Wars and Turtles are both pretty great examples of this), but games like worms where the achievements are based almost completely on how long you play a game, not how good or skillful you become at it, are pretty damn lame.
Alternately, psychopathic and needlessly tedious/frustrating/impossible achievements. Dodging lightning comes to mind.
Also, bloom lighting. It still gets on my nerves in Jade Empire. On my TV, I have trouble seeing nearly anything in outdoor areas in that game for the huge spot of glare reflecting off a character's SHIRT.
I don't know if it's just cause I'm using it with the PC or what, but I find the rumble on the X360 wireless pad to be pretty rubbish, wheras the gamecube pads rumble is pretty awesome.
Seriously, snes/megadrive had practically no load times, why should todays consoles
(I understand the technical reasons, don't worry, but I think hardware manufacuturers and devs should do more to reduce load times, MP =
That's a really good point. I find massive load times to really pull me out of the "experience". You're hoppin along, wastin the bad guys, doin your thing and LOADING.
*sigh*
Sonic 360/PS3 was a great example of this, but then again it was a great example of what not to do in a lot of fields. :P
I was sonic, carrying a Chibi girl, and there was quicksand, and it controlled bad, real bad.
Then I shed a single salty tear, and made a mental note to replay Sonic 3 & Knuckles at the next opertunity.
O_o
Either you have rudder pedals, or you don't play many flight sims.
agreed.
Unfortunately, another area where Crackdown can be faulted. It would've been nice if instead of zooming into me while I attempt to ascend a great tower, the camera would zoom out so that I have a better view of what i'm trying to do. Hell, that would probably have solved the HDR problem somewhat that i'd vented about in the op.
[EDIT]Thread was meant to be about technologies specifically, but the few focuses on design decisions are rad too. Good posting everyone!
Whatever the reason, every tutorial should have an opt-out as its first function.
I also don't like when sandbox games have boring level design. It defeats the purpose.
Such as in Gears of War. Was a nice way of bypassing the tutorial. "Let's take the prison blocks. I'm ready to kick some ass..."
Not to attack crackdown yet again, but it's a good example of a similar design issue which is non skippable intro credits (renderware, havoc, bink, microsoft, realtime, etc...). What does everyone here think of them? Despite being a pain, are they at least warrented because the developer and providers some face time, and is outside of gameplay?
If they're hiding a load, fine. Otherwise, put them all on one screen, the credits, or the manual and game package.
Voice acting itself isn't unwelcome. Its just that its "expected" now, so every game has it. Really, it should only be there if its good (or so bad its good, like Dynasty Warriors). No voice acting is better than poorly done VA.
I am of a similar opinion, but I'd still be happier without any VA at all than deal with most of what's out there. I have yet to play a game with voice acting so good that removing it would significantly impact my experience. I've played a lot of games that would be made much more enjoyable without it.
The Bard's Tale.
Tony Jay narrates and Cary Elwes (sp?) plays the Bard. Both are wonderful and made a good game into an even better game.
As if retail price wasn't high enough, the game companies send a virtual bend over message with those in game billboards.
It can be done tastefully however, case in point, Pikmin 2.
Though, more product placement than in-game advertising.
Yeah, screw in-game advertising.
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