Innovation in gaming...

[mchammer75040]

Would anyone say that innovation in gaming is begginning to taper off? I suppose its cliche saying this, but I definetly think it is starting to atleast die down..we arent exactly bursting at the seems like we were a few years ago(or were we?). What kind of ideas would you like to see implemented in your favorite genres? Is there something that you think game developers completely ignore (Ex: clumsy controls in survival horror games)?

My personal opinion is it seems that less and less mainstream games are innovating, but all the niche games that never make it out of japan (or are ignored in general) always end up getting overlooked.

 

[Stitch]

I agree. Nintendo are at least trying to bring some innovative games to the world. Perhaps we are developing on tried and tested game mechanics and are scared to think outside of the box, you know push the envelope. Games like Republic are fresh, however, badly done. id Software still haven't learned anything and continue to remake their old titles. I hope the Quest is drastically different. I vote for a change. I should go hook up my Genesis and play General Chaos again as it is the only game I have fun with these days.

 

[mchammer75040]

I agree. Nintendo are at least trying to bring some innovative games to the world. Perhaps we are developing on tried and tested game mechanics and are scared to think outside of the box, you know push the envelope. Games like Republic are fresh, however, badly done. id Software still haven't learned anything and continue to remake their old titles. I hope the Quest is drastically different. I vote for a change. I should go hook up my Genesis and play General Chaos again as it is the only game I have fun with these days.

Yea I agree sometimes I wanna repurchase me a dreamcast just to play jet grind radio. I think Nintendo and Sega are the only 2 companys (someone correct me if im wrong, havent been keepin up on gamin news) that seem to really try to think outside the box. Sure sometimes they games suck are dont sell good, but I think its doing ourselves a great disfavor to just stick to the tried and true for money rather than try somethin different.

 

[dawdler]

The innovation would be if PC developers actually stopped to think on what they are doing. Half of the games coming out on PC arent designed for the PC. Go 5 years back, and its a CRAPLOAD of difference between a console game and a PC game. Now its more like the console gets the fancy accelerated graphics of the PC, the PC gets the crappy controls from the console.

 

[Brian Damage]

Well, if I go all the way and become a fully-fledged games designer, I think I'll just stick with designing PC games for the PC.

 

[mchammer75040]

Well, if I go all the way and become a fully-fledged games designer, I think I'll just stick with designing PC games for the PC.

I love you. No seiously I agree with dawdler. Im so sick and tired of console games now though, they make me sick they all seem to be so linear and boring now. PC games foreva!!11!

 

[Brian Damage]

I like keyboards and proper joysticks and mice and harddrives and the internet and High-resolution monitors and...

Anyway, by the time consoles have all those everything will be a PC anyway. Half Life 3 on your fridge, anyone?

 

[mchammer75040]

I like keyboards and proper joysticks and mice and harddrives and the internet and High-resolution monitors and...

Anyway, by the time consoles have all those everything will be a PC anyway. Half Life 3 on your fridge, anyone?

Or maybe HL3 on palm piliot?

 

[dawdler]

I like keyboards and proper joysticks and mice and harddrives and the internet and High-resolution monitors and...

Anyway, by the time consoles have all those everything will be a PC anyway. Half Life 3 on your fridge, anyone?

Only problem is, console mentality is still there: Fast, cheap and unmoddable games developers dont care a jack about once they are done. And especially not any expansions.

Compare that to Morrowind... Its got a pretty arcadey combat engine, but once you go beyond that, its fully fledged PC: Expansive, top of the line with new water shaders (back then), customizable ingame (ie windows style menus, shortcuts for items), customizable outside (toolkit), great modding support (with mods built on mods, the entire game is a mod of the engine) etc... And finally, they did it on the XBox. But they lost the soul in the transfer, the only thing kept is the arcade combat style!!!

I fear that the next Elder Scrolls will be worse, with no customizable windows, no toolkit and the usual DX9-that-really-is-DX8 fancypants engine and use it on XBox/PC, not PC/XBox. Just look at the disaster that is KOTOR ;(

 

[mchammer75040]

Erm good point Dawdler. I wonder when console developers will begin to give mod support. Maybe next generation? Either way Im sticking with PC the games are actually worth the money, you can spend 50 bucks on a ps2 title and only get maybe 10-20 hours of gaming (without replay). But on PC games you have the mods, custom levels, and all that crap. I mean jeez I played dod for 6 months! I dont even spend a month on most console games.

 

[dawdler]

I mean jeez I played dod for 6 months! I dont even spend a month on most console games.

Fun note:

I still play Morrowind (must have started a new character 200 times now. Or more). Hyped up with dozens of mods of course (and a few of my own, like fun size alterations (orc are big (and fat), elfs are small (and I do mean *small* ), etc)). Its been what, 2 years since release? 3? That is singleplayer without a hint of multiplayer!!! And the community is *still* going strong!!!!!!

I played KOTOR 3 times, 15-18 hours each (never finished the third). Total playing time including breaks: about a week.

 

[Brian Damage]

I've been playing Morrowind recently, too. Care to suggest any mods?

 

[PvtRyan]

It's really hard inventing a totally new game genre and having it actually sell some copies. All you can do is pretty much throw together old concepts and call it new.

 

[dawdler]

I've been playing Morrowind recently, too. Care to suggest any mods?

Better bodies (that's a mod name) and terrain/world texture replacements. Its makes it like a new game... Along with minor stuff such as window lights at night, stores that lock up, some balancing mods (many to choose from), Giants, etc etc... Just go to any Morrowind modsite and search.

That's another important part of the general PC game: It can literally update itself, to keep being new. Modteams... Its a whole society inside the gaming world. Its hard to describe it really. Console games dont have *anything* like it, besides the occasonail hacker that wants to burn PS2 games and the like.

 

[mchammer75040]

Fun note:

I still play Morrowind (must have started a new character 200 times now. Or more). Hyped up with dozens of mods of course (and a few of my own, like fun size alterations (orc are big (and fat), elfs are small (and I do mean *small* ), etc)). Its been what, 2 years since release? 3? That is singleplayer without a hint of multiplayer!!! And the community is *still* going strong!!!!!!

I played KOTOR 3 times, 15-18 hours each (never finished the third). Total playing time including breaks: about a week.

Wow, yup no console game has that kind of staying power thats just crazy. I bought Morrowind at one time, didnt really like it but I see its appeal. Can anyone suggest a good long RPG(besides morrowind)?

 

[mchammer75040]

It's really hard inventing a totally new game genre and having it actually sell some copies. All you can do is pretty much throw together old concepts and call it new.

I wasnt exactly suggesting creating entire new genres, only that we remix our old concepts or introduce new ones.

 

[Dedalus]

Well, if I go all the way and become a fully-fledged games designer, I think I'll just stick with designing PC games for the PC.

that's exactly the words i said to myself a couple of years ago.

example, few months back we were hiring artists/programmers/2d artists, we got a shitload of applications...we ended up rejecting every single console developer because of their reactions towards a few of our introductory questions. fact is, game devs for consoles are narrow minded (not their fault but it's ingrained onto them). PC game devs tend to be more open minded and more innovative. if anything, the innovation won't come from consoles, it'll come from the underground PC games scene. i know there's a huge indie games scene here in the UK, lots of developers and thinking up some new games, but even they are suffering from 'attention whore' disorder (whereby the game in question has to make itself look pretty and has to appeal to the average person).

it's sad when there's no innovation and really nothing to spark your interest like it used to, but then think of the technology we have now, and think of the technology we could have in the future. might be worth the wait.

 

[Stitch]

Baldurs Gate II: Shadow of Amn (very long and beautiful game)
Neverwinter Nights (another beautiful game)
Fallout (Classic, amazing game)

 

[mchammer75040]

Baldurs Gate II: Shadow of Amn (very long and beautiful game)
Neverwinter Nights (another beautiful game)
Fallout (Classic, amazing game)

Thanks, I didnt even think about neverwinter I was wanting to check that one out. Ill make sure to find the others as well.

:cheers:

 

[Brian Damage]

Better bodies (that's a mod name) and terrain/world texture replacements. Its makes it like a new game... Along with minor stuff such as window lights at night, stores that lock up, some balancing mods (many to choose from), Giants, etc etc... Just go to any Morrowind modsite and search.

That's another important part of the general PC game: It can literally update itself, to keep being new. Modteams... Its a whole society inside the gaming world. Its hard to describe it really. Console games dont have *anything* like it, besides the occasonail hacker that wants to burn PS2 games and the like.

Thanks dude. The default body models aren't the best, are they?

 

[CyberSh33p]

NWN is awesome, but my attention span ran out in chapter 2. kinda got bored wit it I'm not an rpg gamer anyhow, so for the love of god don't listen to what I say about em.

Anyhow, I really think(read: hope to god) that half life 2 is going to give me some of this long awaited innovatio. Games have been so blah lately. Nothing col happens in them anymore. I want the goddamn physgun.

 

[dawdler]

Thanks dude. The default body models aren't the best, are they?

They are good cause they are modular, but pretty ugly
Better bodies has some oddities (doesnt quite fit with some clothing/armor), but they are MUCH better fit together. I'm talking as realistic as you can get in a game like this. And uncensored in the nether and upper regions
I forgot to say you want new heads too. NPC head replacement... Lets just say its droolworthy, there are heads that are 10-20 TIMES more detailed than the standard.

http://w1.855.telia.com/~u85528876/mor1.jpg (new female orc head/hair, leafy/forresty morrowind)
http://w1.855.telia.com/~u85528876/mor2.jpg (almost like Doom III huh?!)
http://w1.855.telia.com/~u85528876/mor3.jpg (new dark elf female face)

A game that STILL looks like it could rival many modern games merely from work of the fans, is what I would call a great innovation. Havent seen any 3D game equally able to stand the tests of time so far (I would say Half Life, but its MP and different. Graphics are "good enough" for what you do)