LOL! Another one? Hmmm... I would have to say that we Game Designers really do push the "Life Sim" idea a bit too much... But I think that by doing that you can come up with some rather whacky ideas . Nobody really takes us seriously, and that is part of the problem, maybe some should!

But I agree that we go a little too far sometimes

-Chris Bennett ("Insanity" of Dwarfsoft)

Check our site:
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Yes that''s true.Trying to make everything realistic becomes a little ackward sometimes.
We can''t ask for realism in a game full of magic,monsters and violation of the laws of nature.

What about designing a game completely crazy and surrealistic with no realism or any base in reality?That would be a major change wouldn''t it?


Or maybe i''m the only mad man around here
Voodoo4

It would be cool. It would be art. But nobody would understand it, and even less would play it (I think). If it had good gameplay despite being whacky then Im in

-Chris Bennett ("Insanity" of Dwarfsoft)

Check our site:
http://www.crosswinds.net/~dwarfsoft/
Check out our NPC AI Mailing List :
http://www.egroups.com/group/NPCAI/
made due to popular demand here at GDNet :)

Okay boys and girls,

I explained by misuse of the world ''professional'' but also explained the reasoning behind that word... I should have said, ''game designer'' who has experience working in a ''professional minded'' enviroment. Either way, its over with, and I brought this upon myself

Anyways,

I think that if designers try to push realism to the extent that it becomes ''so'' realistic, that gamers will become bored with games, as they became bored with real life. A lot of people play games to get away from life, so why make a game that give them everything they were trying to get away from? Playing ''The Sims'' made me realize that I should be doing something in real life.

if a game that simulates life is more entertaining then your own life, you have some serious issues.

Best,
President

The single-most made mistake of game designers:

Technology before content.

"We have the best lens flares, the best AI, the prettiest graphics, the most magnificent sound, and the coolest-looking boobs ever on our game-babe". Yes, but where''s the game?


Technology is in service of gameplay, and not the other way around.
AND STOP BASHING ON PRESIDENT WILL YOU ALL
Behave in my forum.



Give me one more medicated peaceful moment.
~ (V)^|) |<é!t|-| ~
ERROR: Your beta-version of Life1.0 has expired. Please upgrade to the full version. All important social functions will be disabled from now on.

LOL! I definitely think that tech comment is correct. Hmmm. I overlooked it, even though I suggested it in the medieval RPG forum.

-Chris Bennett ("Insanity" of Dwarfsoft)

Check our site:
http://www.crosswinds.net/~dwarfsoft/
Check out our NPC AI Mailing List :
http://www.egroups.com/group/NPCAI/
made due to popular demand here at GDNet :)

quote: Original post by dwarfsoft

It would be cool. It would be art. But nobody would understand it, and even less would play it (I think). If it had good gameplay despite being whacky then Im in

-Chris Bennett ("Insanity" of Dwarfsoft)

Check our site:
http://www.crosswinds.net/~dwarfsoft/
Check out our NPC AI Mailing List :
http://www.egroups.com/group/NPCAI/
made due to popular demand here at GDNet

Chris,
Your right... noone would understand it. It''s unfortunate but true. To create a game that people will play, enjoy and understand, you have to understand the reason people play games in the first place.
Let''s take (my least favorite style of game) a racing game. Nascar or Indy, it doesnt really matter which. Why do people enjoy these games so much? For one it lets them do something that they would otherwise never have the ability/chance to do. If they crash their car, it doesn''t cost them anything out of their pockets, nor do they have to be rushed to a hospital for broken bones. Essentially it allows them to escape. Escape the reallity that they will never actually race a car at 200mph around a super-speedway. This same factor is present in all games. RPGs... escapism, FPSs... escapism (with a bit of lunacy) etc...

To answer Pauls question, I think the worst thing you can do in a game is remove the sense of escape... to get away from your normal everyday hum-drum is exillerating. So, removing that is IMHO the worst thing a designer can do.





Dave "Dak Lozar" Loeser

I dunno, I like to think of real life as this big complicated system that is also completely balanced in most ways (we''re still here, aren''t we?) It can''t be THAT bad from a design standpoint to emulate that, but you need to know where to stop.

As for the worst mistake, predictably, I will say that using in your design that doesn''t belong there just because that''s the way it''s done. Ugh.

======
"The unexamined life is not worth living."
-Socrates

"Question everything. Especially Landfish."
-Matt