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Buy a driving game and you can easily obtain a steering wheel to enhance the experience. Similarly many other videogame activities are sold on the fact that peripherals can bring gamers closer to the real life equivalent: maracas for Samba de Amigo, skateboard devices for Tony Hawk's, even fishing reels for catching virtual tuna. Strange then that a peripheral hasn't been developed for the activity that gamers must participate in the most - rambling.
Force gamers on to treadmills (the animals!!!) and designers would soon have to rethink the way they structure their games. It's not the exertion that would be off putting - although exercise and gaming rarely appear in the same sentence - but the mindless wandering which seems to be a component in so many games. The opportunity to explore an open world is something to be cherished (go on give it a hug) but only when goals are clearly defined.
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of time achieves this balance by presenting a world, which gradually opens up as the player collects items and clues. The illusion of freedom is superbly engineered, but actually, Hyrule's green fields, forest glades, and mountain passes are incredibly well sign posted. Once more locations are unlocked the player has the choice to investigate the whole map. Most don't bother, but having that choice is important, never the less.
Soul Reaver by contrast is a game, which, for all it's merits, expects the player to wander endlessly around searching for new areas to explore. Portals can whisk the player around the games labyrinth underworld, but the uniform colouration of many locations only serves to confuse and confound. A glyph conjuring up a trail of breadcrumbs may have been a more practical addition to Raziel's spell list.
Some games seem to positively invite the tag of 'walking simulator'. Project IGI's insistence on real world physics went to ridiculous lengths. True, you could survey an enemy compound from a distant hill to plan your way in, but walking the huge distance towards the enemy base every time the game restarted was ludicrous. Creating a save point near to your selected entry point may have broken the real world spell, but it also would have improved the game no end.
Designers creating surreal or magical worlds really have no excuse for forcing the player into backtracking hell. I really hope that a game like Evil Twin will employ some suitable device to reduce treadmill tedium.
Thanks for reading
><{{{*>™
© Copyright
Force gamers on to treadmills (the animals!!!) and designers would soon have to rethink the way they structure their games. It's not the exertion that would be off putting - although exercise and gaming rarely appear in the same sentence - but the mindless wandering which seems to be a component in so many games. The opportunity to explore an open world is something to be cherished (go on give it a hug) but only when goals are clearly defined.
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of time achieves this balance by presenting a world, which gradually opens up as the player collects items and clues. The illusion of freedom is superbly engineered, but actually, Hyrule's green fields, forest glades, and mountain passes are incredibly well sign posted. Once more locations are unlocked the player has the choice to investigate the whole map. Most don't bother, but having that choice is important, never the less.
Soul Reaver by contrast is a game, which, for all it's merits, expects the player to wander endlessly around searching for new areas to explore. Portals can whisk the player around the games labyrinth underworld, but the uniform colouration of many locations only serves to confuse and confound. A glyph conjuring up a trail of breadcrumbs may have been a more practical addition to Raziel's spell list.
Some games seem to positively invite the tag of 'walking simulator'. Project IGI's insistence on real world physics went to ridiculous lengths. True, you could survey an enemy compound from a distant hill to plan your way in, but walking the huge distance towards the enemy base every time the game restarted was ludicrous. Creating a save point near to your selected entry point may have broken the real world spell, but it also would have improved the game no end.
Designers creating surreal or magical worlds really have no excuse for forcing the player into backtracking hell. I really hope that a game like Evil Twin will employ some suitable device to reduce treadmill tedium.
Thanks for reading
><{{{*>™
© Copyright
Buy a driving game and you can easily obtain a steering wheel to enhance the experience. Similarly many other videogame activities are sold on the fact that peripherals can bring gamers closer to the real life equivalent: maracas for Samba de Amigo, skateboard devices for Tony Hawk's, even fishing reels for catching virtual tuna. Strange then that a peripheral hasn't been developed for the activity that gamers must participate in the most - rambling.
Force gamers on to treadmills (the animals!!!) and designers would soon have to rethink the way they structure their games. It's not the exertion that would be off putting - although exercise and gaming rarely appear in the same sentence - but the mindless wandering which seems to be a component in so many games. The opportunity to explore an open world is something to be cherished (go on give it a hug) but only when goals are clearly defined.
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of time achieves this balance by presenting a world, which gradually opens up as the player collects items and clues. The illusion of freedom is superbly engineered, but actually, Hyrule's green fields, forest glades, and mountain passes are incredibly well sign posted. Once more locations are unlocked the player has the choice to investigate the whole map. Most don't bother, but having that choice is important, never the less.
Soul Reaver by contrast is a game, which, for all it's merits, expects the player to wander endlessly around searching for new areas to explore. Portals can whisk the player around the games labyrinth underworld, but the uniform colouration of many locations only serves to confuse and confound. A glyph conjuring up a trail of breadcrumbs may have been a more practical addition to Raziel's spell list.
Some games seem to positively invite the tag of 'walking simulator'. Project IGI's insistence on real world physics went to ridiculous lengths. True, you could survey an enemy compound from a distant hill to plan your way in, but walking the huge distance towards the enemy base every time the game restarted was ludicrous. Creating a save point near to your selected entry point may have broken the real world spell, but it also would have improved the game no end.
Designers creating surreal or magical worlds really have no excuse for forcing the player into backtracking hell. I really hope that a game like Evil Twin will employ some suitable device to reduce treadmill tedium.
Thanks for reading
><{{{*>™
© Copyright
Force gamers on to treadmills (the animals!!!) and designers would soon have to rethink the way they structure their games. It's not the exertion that would be off putting - although exercise and gaming rarely appear in the same sentence - but the mindless wandering which seems to be a component in so many games. The opportunity to explore an open world is something to be cherished (go on give it a hug) but only when goals are clearly defined.
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of time achieves this balance by presenting a world, which gradually opens up as the player collects items and clues. The illusion of freedom is superbly engineered, but actually, Hyrule's green fields, forest glades, and mountain passes are incredibly well sign posted. Once more locations are unlocked the player has the choice to investigate the whole map. Most don't bother, but having that choice is important, never the less.
Soul Reaver by contrast is a game, which, for all it's merits, expects the player to wander endlessly around searching for new areas to explore. Portals can whisk the player around the games labyrinth underworld, but the uniform colouration of many locations only serves to confuse and confound. A glyph conjuring up a trail of breadcrumbs may have been a more practical addition to Raziel's spell list.
Some games seem to positively invite the tag of 'walking simulator'. Project IGI's insistence on real world physics went to ridiculous lengths. True, you could survey an enemy compound from a distant hill to plan your way in, but walking the huge distance towards the enemy base every time the game restarted was ludicrous. Creating a save point near to your selected entry point may have broken the real world spell, but it also would have improved the game no end.
Designers creating surreal or magical worlds really have no excuse for forcing the player into backtracking hell. I really hope that a game like Evil Twin will employ some suitable device to reduce treadmill tedium.
Thanks for reading
><{{{*>™
© Copyright
Yes, backtracking in games drives me nuts.
This might sound old fashioned, but what is wrong with starting at the beginning of a level - progressing through the level (always going forward and onward) - and then completing the level and moving to the next.
Most action/adventure games are spoiled by this never ending backtracking tedium. I agree. I want adventure were you progress through the levels or worlds in a consistent always going forward manner!
This might sound old fashioned, but what is wrong with starting at the beginning of a level - progressing through the level (always going forward and onward) - and then completing the level and moving to the next.
Most action/adventure games are spoiled by this never ending backtracking tedium. I agree. I want adventure were you progress through the levels or worlds in a consistent always going forward manner!
Fish-e did you used to play Rainbow 6 online? From the zone.
I remember that little fish sign, thought is was pretty cool and now you have it Trademarked and Copywrited!
My names were Criminal_Force, and Cheetah.
Remember me?
I remember that little fish sign, thought is was pretty cool and now you have it Trademarked and Copywrited!
My names were Criminal_Force, and Cheetah.
Remember me?
There used to be a sufing game out for the Speccy...
Which came with a keyboard surf board simulator...
You stuck it onto the keyboard (covering the nessasary keys for movement) and then move the board by leaning on it in the direction you wated it to go :)
Which came with a keyboard surf board simulator...
You stuck it onto the keyboard (covering the nessasary keys for movement) and then move the board by leaning on it in the direction you wated it to go :)