I think the biggest mistake is not included gameplay features which have become "standard". Take rts games for example. It has now become standard to be able to que up items for production. It is also standard now to be able to do production routing (setting a gather point for new units produced). Yet, there are still games being produced which dont have all the modern features in them and I am not talking about technology or graphics advancements, just gameplay advancements that you expect to be available. When there not there it just sucks ass.

Possibility

Many "game designers" make stuff that just isn''t fun to play.

So I guess the mistake in this case would be that they''re not designing "games" at all but "demos" and "simulations".

Also, I agree with the technology before content statement.

One of the things that I think most spoils a game is too much of the ''no way'' factor. This is when you are playing and something happens that makes you go "That is such Bullsh$%%!!!!" An example of this would be a computer opponent that is exceptional accurate in a first person shooter or incredibly efficient in, for example, an RTS.

If the computer doesn''t APPEAR to be playing by the same rules as the player, then the player is going to feel that he/she is being cheated even when the computer IS playing by the rules, but playing too well.

Another design problem to avoid is something that is annoyingly difficult without adding to the gameplay. For example, in the old Lucasarts game Full Throttle, there is a part where you have to fight other motorbikers by beating them up and taking their weapon to use against other motorbikers. Not only is this completely pointless and out of genre (Full Throttle is an adventure game, not an action game) but it can also be incredibly difficult, annoying, and (since the enemy that you will fight next is random) time consuming. This is something that should have been removed from the game in the design stage or at LEAST while playtesting. It adds nothing to the experience other than several minutes of frustration.

I guess my main point is that a good game design needs to keep things FUN. Nobody wants to play a game that makes them do tedious, frustrating, or mundane tasks. There is a big difference between difficult and frustrating. Difficult is ok, but Frustrating is not. Also, very few times have I been playing a game and thought, "Gee, wouldn''t it be neat if I was forced to make sure that my character brushes his teeth and eats a balanced breakfast?" Boring and everyday things should be done automatically if they are even addressed at all.

Just my thoughts on the matter.

One of the things that I think most spoils a game is too much of the ''no way'' factor. This is when you are playing and something happens that makes you go "That is such Bullsh$%%!!!!" An example of this would be a computer opponent that is exceptional accurate in a first person shooter or incredibly efficient in, for example, an RTS.

If the computer doesn''t APPEAR to be playing by the same rules as the player, then the player is going to feel that he/she is being cheated even when the computer IS playing by the rules, but playing too well.

Another design problem to avoid is something that is annoyingly difficult without adding to the gameplay. For example, in the old Lucasarts game Full Throttle, there is a part where you have to fight other motorbikers by beating them up and taking their weapon to use against other motorbikers. Not only is this completely pointless and out of genre (Full Throttle is an adventure game, not an action game) but it can also be incredibly difficult, annoying, and (since the enemy that you will fight next is random) time consuming. This is something that should have been removed from the game in the design stage or at LEAST while playtesting. It adds nothing to the experience other than several minutes of frustration.

I guess my main point is that a good game design needs to keep things FUN. Nobody wants to play a game that makes them do tedious, frustrating, or mundane tasks. There is a big difference between difficult and frustrating. Difficult is ok, but Frustrating is not. Also, very few times have I been playing a game and thought, "Gee, wouldn''t it be neat if I was forced to make sure that my character brushes his teeth and eats a balanced breakfast?" Boring and everyday things should be done automatically if they are even addressed at all.

Just my thoughts on the matter.

Sorry about the double post. Stupid DNS error made it forget my password.

I think one of the worst things that can happen in game design is relocation of skills. What i mean is when you have a team working and developing a project and they get transfered and swapped to another project. Game Design to me is too too delicate an operation to handle this sort of stupidity.

Another bad thing in game design is forgetting what you first started out trying to do, lossing you focus and vision! This too is a catasrophy in my books.

I love Game Design and it loves me back.

Our Goal is "Fun"!