Why is everyone associate "shitty" with "linear"?

[Pi Mu Rho]

Deus Ex isn't a non-linear game. It's entirely linear, with a few preset choices.

 

[Sparta]

Deus Ex isn't a non-linear game. It's entirely linear, with a few preset choices.

It's still about as non-linear as any other game out there. I dont think there is any game out there that is truly non-linear.

 

[Zerimski]

Deus Ex proves this wrong.

No it doesn't, for two reasons. Firstly, as Pi and several other people have stated, Deus Ex is not a non-linear game, but multi-linear. There is more than one path to go down, but each one is as "linear" as the next. And secondly, AmishSlayer states in his original post that he believes almost all "non-linear" games lack a sense of direction.

Also, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a linear game. See Fahrenheit for a good example.

 

[Fishlore]

I enjoyed playing FarCry. I didn't enjoy playing HL2 or D3. Why? Simply because FarCry was much less linear. I couldn't care less if anyone agrees with me or not. I play games that *I* find fun. The more decisions I get to make as opposed to the level designer the better. Does this mean that I find all linear games shitty? No it doesn't mean that at all. Of coures I've never heard anyone claim that all linear games are shitty, but that's beside the point. I'm sure that there are many "non-linear" games that aren't good.

If I had my choice I'd play "non-linear" games exclusively. Why did games change from side scrolling to 3D? Why did consoles put more buttons on the controllers? Because innovation is a good thing. Game types get boring if they keep being repeated. Real life isn't linear. You're not confined to one path. Games these days seem to strive to be more realistic. As a result of innovation and the desire to be more real life-like I would imagine people would want games less linear.

 

[Cole]

Farcry is Linear, infact very linear. It just has more open space. HL2 is very linear, it just has less open space.

You get to make just about as many decision in HL2 as you do in Farcry. Except maybe in Farcry you just make a decision on how your going to get there. While HL2 you have many more decisions on how to kill your eneimes.

Linear vs Non Linear has nothing to do with Innovation. Side Scrolling vs 3d has nothing to do with Linear or Non Linear. Both can be achive On the same level as the other. Adding more buttons to controller just allows games to take advantage of a better control system. Not all games will benifet.

Do you play Morrowind alot? It is by far one of the most non-linear single player games ever made. Also, non linear can get very repeatitive. Diablo 2 you arn't confined to one path as you can branch off and do whatever the hell you want really. Go to any town, any act, etc.. No diffrent than morrowind really except not as interactive.
Yet if you take the time to relize all that is ever done in that game is...the same thing over and over and over..
Make Char
Rush
Cows\Baal Runs
Maybe Mf Runs
Repeat 2x
make mule character
repeat until relization that it's the same thing over and over.

It's fun but in the end it's no diffrent than why people complain about linear games. There are just one big repeat.

 

[Top Secret]

You guys realise that saying "Multi-linear" is about as retarded as saying jumbo shrimp, right?

 

[operative x]

hahahahaha

 

[Warbie]

I never really considered Far Cry to be anything but linear, or Deus Ex for that matter. Every game gives the player choices to make, choosing one of 2 or 3 obvious routes doesn't equal open ended gameplay to me. I guess they gave you more options than most titles, though.

 

[Reaktor4]

Well, you could exploit-fly over ravenholm if you really wanted, but how much fun would that be?

not much fun and very linear. i dont see your point.

The more paths they add, the less attention they can spend on each path, or the shorter they have to make the game. There are games who work best with linear paths, and one of them is HL2.

I think the best game to support my thesis is FEAR. FEAR has so many scripted sequences it plays like a damn movie, but is that a bad thing? Would you rather have it that the little girl appears when you go through that hallway and that a helicopter drops a bunch of bad guys around you, or that the developer tries to guess where you are and you'll probably end up missing half the scripted stuff?

id rather there was no little girl. id rather the writers put some creative thought into their story and didnt come up with some cliched piece of crap that isnt scarey and that anyone could have written. all i could think when i saw that was 'pathetic'. seriously, almost the entire horror movie/game genre is a complete joke.
anyway, games dont have to be fully open ended or fully linear, scripted scenes arent a problem.

 

[Sulkdodds]

It's still about as non-linear as any other game out there.

Operation flashpoint?

 

[Warbie]

Operation flashpoint?

Agreed, this is probably the most open ended game i've played that doesn't lose foucs. Good stuff.

 

[$kelet0r]

Operation flashpoint?

its still a linear story but like deus ex there is real choice to be made and multiple paths to be taken
non-linearity within a linear story is the holy grail of gaming i suppose - few have achieved what the op flashpoint and deus ex games did

 

[Sulkdodds]

Flashpoint is non-linear in that you have an enormous area, an objective, and you can accomplish that objective in any way you damn well want (within the confines of it being a war). Everyone has already been singing its praise somewhat.

The thing about Deus Ex is it isn't totally non-linear. It's a fudge. Compromise. You can go through this door or this door or this door or this door. Where it excels of course is not in where to go but how you do things, both your mode of operation (sneak or shoot. wheee) and morally speaking as well. Even then though, it's still a choice between several paths.

Of course, true non-linearity would be exremely hard. Even the GTA games don't quite manage it.

 

[Zerimski]

You guys realise that saying "Multi-linear" is about as retarded as saying jumbo shrimp, right?

So you're saying that as soon as a game gives you a choice of any kind, it is non-linear? If there are two different endings to the game, the routes to those endings are no less linear, there just happens to be two of them. Therefore, multi-linear. Think of it like a train journey. You come to a station, have a choice of trains to get on. You pick one and go on your journey. Things can happen to you on the way, but you're still on the way to your destination. You arrive at another station. You then have a choice of which train to get on, each arriving at different destinations...repeat till fade.

This is not non-linearity, you still end up at one of a number of pre-defined destinations.

 

[Sparta]

Operation flashpoint?

Forgot about that.

****ing awesome game.

 

[$kelet0r]

sparta your avatar is soooo disturbing!

the problem is that games that attempt to offer multi linear gameplay fail every time which is a real pity
it's why everyone plays online - multiplayer is the only true non/multi linearity