quote:Original post by Anonymous Poster Even Pac-man''s not a very good example. If you took it to real life, imagine a Jew, running from four Nazi stormtroopers and picking up his valuables in a network of tunnels. Usually, he just tries to avoid them, but sometimes he finds a weapon and wastes the Nazis. Just because Pac-man hides behind a euphemism doesn''t mean it isn''t violent in nature.
pacman is a JEW? i have no problem with this, i am not being antisemetic or anything, i just never knew...
quote:Original post by Anonymous Poster Even Pac-man''s not a very good example. If you took it to real life, imagine a Jew, running from four Nazi stormtroopers and picking up his valuables in a network of tunnels. Usually, he just tries to avoid them, but sometimes he finds a weapon and wastes the Nazis. Just because Pac-man hides behind a euphemism doesn''t mean it isn''t violent in nature.
Yeah, anyway... I suppose with you could also correlate Pac-man''s consumption of the dots as the shadow of imperialism''s rampage across the Earth, checked only by the spirits of empathy, morality, virtue, and chaos.
If you take enough narcotics, that is...
-------------------- Just waiting for the mothership...
--------------------Just waiting for the mothership...
I think the point was that pacman is not a very good example of a nonviolent game.
EDIT: How about a run and jump platformer somewhat like supermario 3d world (or whatever the name was) on N64? There was some fun things about that game like when you could get in the cannon and you had to aim it just right so you could land on that floating platform. And Zelda on N64 wasn't very violent at all, except when you had to fight the bosses.
[edited by - nonnus29 on July 23, 2002 9:24:12 AM]
quote: Human motivation culls the space of possibilities; you''re not going to play if there''s no reason to play. Deus Ex or Final Fantasy VII is much more compelling at least in the short term than Pac-man.
Do you think that computer games up to this point in time have covered the entire range of human motivation?
quote:Original post by Barn Door Having said that, I''ve chatted with ''chat bots'' a bit and I reckon they''d be good enough for a game.
What bots have you talked with? Most of the chat bots I''ve talked to have been pretty much incoherent (most of the time) or don''t say anything that interesting. I would like to see how a chat bot performs in a closed environment (like a game.) If the player starts talking about something weird, the bot could just say something like "What the hell are you talking about, this is serious. Our lives are on the line" and other stuff to get player back on track and focused on the game.
I was talking to TechnoChick at http://chat.lycos.co.uk
I didn't know it was a bot but I worked it out because it kept changing the subject.
Of course, it might have taken me a bit of time to work it out because I was being thick.
quote: If the player starts talking about something weird, the bot could just say something like "What the hell are you talking about, this is serious. Our lives are on the line" and other stuff to get player back on track and focused on the game.
Too right!
Imagine how much better GTA3 would be if, instead of just turning up at a dudes' home and being shown a cut scene, you had to talk to them in order to get a mission? Furthermore, the missions could have involved talking to people instead of just killing them.
Maybe a menu of words would suffice.
[edited by - Barn Door on July 23, 2002 1:31:38 PM]
Edited by Moderator a person, your points below are good so I left them, but the insulting commentary doesn't fly, so it's gone. Please check the FAQ, I'm serious about personal attacks.
now crazy climber on the other hand is a story about a young man and his goal of climbing buildings whle dodging obstancles to reach the helipad on the roof and take a helicopter to yet another building.
most current games dont seem original since they copy gameplay elements from original games back in the day. they were mostly non violent with no blood. but look at pacman. he did eat his foes. how about mario? he stomped and flattened those goombas. contra? shot the baddies. smash tv? you were in a game show to kill baddies and win prixes and money.
tetris? you were dropping blocks so you could destroy them. any thing can be considered violent. ussually if its "harmless" violence (ie bugs bunny anvil stuff) its ok. i mean in simcity you can cut the power to all your simitizens houses. send in earthquakes and tornados. destroy buildings and send a giant lizard threw the city. not violent? heh.
make a puzzle game that has good gameplay. look at chu chu rocket. a GREAT puzzle game about getting mice to a space ship and keeping them away from the cats. fun and entertaing (quite action packed mulitplayer as well). go the super moneky ball route (marble madness as well). you move marble around a world (or move the world to move the marble) and get to a finish line. throw a monkey in the marble and things get so much more fun. of courtse the TONS of mini games like monkey mini golf, monkey bowling, monkey target, monkey fight, monkey 9 ball, etc dont hurt either.
you dont need action packed. you dont need great stories. you dont even need fancy graphics. you need solid gameplay with lost of levels. you need variety and use of brain power. look at bomberman, its a hit that has been on TONS of systems and juts wont die. the gameplay is simple. you move a bomber around the level and place bombs down to destroy blocks. in multi player you try to blow up the other players. in single player you try to find the exit and key while destroying blocks and dodging enemies.
how about chew man fu (i bet few heard of this great pcengine classic). you are a person in a simple level in which you need to place different colored balls onto the correct colored pads. each ball was different (ie one was heavy and destroyed walls well, another fast, etc). without a ball you could not kill the enemies who would move the balls off the pads or even freeze them. you could kick the balls and destroy walls and foes as well as hit other balls. its was even 2 player and had a soccer minigame along with over 150 levels. you could even create your own levels. naturally the level sets had themes and monsters to go along with them. also a funny old man in a cloud and catchy level names.
how about the classic mule or jumpman? there are tons of gampley ideas to copy. just realize that many audience members may be stupid and may not like the "original" gameplay of puzzle elements.
racing games are good as well. play some old games and see just how well you can get away without violence or fast paced action. or puzzle games that have fast aced action.
basically first person shooters sell well because violence sells. humans like to destroy things thats their nature. in fact since violence is linked to sex in the brain. so its a great wa y to get ppl to like the game 9as well as be controversial). also having sex (ie scantily clad attractive females, since even females perfer the female figure to the male figure even if most dont realize it consciencely, yes real studies show this, i am not making it up do research. heck notice female mags have nice looking women in them,a dn male mags have nice looking women? hmm thats odd, heh. you would think the female mags would have some men in there as well. just observer the covers or page through one while at the dentist office. show me a female mag that has a male on the cover and not a sexy female, and i will show you tons that do.) helps since it will sexual arouse the prospective player enough for them to like the game better. they may like the game fine without the women, but with them it adds to it.
[edited by - Wavinator on July 24, 2002 6:05:23 AM]
