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"Ask me - I'm a gamer..."

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Thu 26/12/02 at 19:02
Regular
Posts: 787
Who should ask us what?? Well developers should ask us what we want.
I think developers miss out on one main thing which could make most games out there more appealing and generally better than they already are.
The idea is simple. Get more feedback on games from the gamers.
At the moment most information developers get from games is from sales (I could be wrong), they know what does well and what doesn't. With all the new ideas they have it is really the only way of making games that seem similar to others different. For example why make another GTA vice city type game unless you can have different missions, weapons, storyline etc.

For every game that comes out there will always be a way to make it better, this all depends on the gamer as we all have different tastes. With an industry so big obviously it is the majority who would rule, upset the large amount of gamers and the game isn't going to sell well. So if you were making a football game you would be mad to turn down using premiership teams and replacing them with Conference teams as it wouldn't sell as well. These are easy decisions for the developers. Use ideas that will make the game sell, combined with great visuals, sound and gameplay the game could be huge. Apart from one thing, the developers can't possibly come up with every idea that could make the game great, but maybe asking the millions who play games what kind of things they would like to see would increase the ideas and options the developers have and ultimately increase what us gamers get to do and see in games.

Every developer/publisher of all the big selling and even the smaller selling games have a website so at this moment in time it is easy to set up a way of allowing gamers to get their points across. Internet access is so common in the developed world that in most houses, schools, libraries etc you will find a way of getting on-line. In the future consoles will go on-line and there will be possibilities to directly send information and views directly to the developer perhaps from in game menus etc. So there is no point saying the technology for this isn't already available or could be introduced in the near future. Hey, it would be even possible to use the snail mail approach and send mail through the post with your ideas to the developers.

This kind of idea would benefit both developers and gamers. As the standard of games would rise making more people buy the game, this means the developer makes more money and us gamers get higher quality games. Can't go wrong there can we?
Being honest I am surprised that this hasn't been around for the past few years. To me it just seems like the best way of developers improving, especially with the number of sequels we see again and again being released.
I know that in some cases, very few, developers get views from beta testers but this is usually just concerning bugs in the code and areas where faults occur. Not on where it could be improved or replaced with something better.

My first thought of this idea was after playing Americas Army (The free downloadable game that Mr Happy suggested to us). The developers worked closely to the american army and this can be seen in the game as it closly ressembles the army way of things from the training, weapons, missions etc.
I also read a Playstation 2 magazine which ran a competition - Give us the things you want to see in GTA-Vice city and we will send them to the developers.
A while back they printed the best, and as promised sent them off and it seems a few of them will be included in the game. Sadly I doubt the people with the ideas will be given a mention but in the future they could be.
I also noticed that a great number of the new ideas we will see in GTA: Vice city have infact came from gamers, Rockstar decided to take notice of what gamers wanted by reading there ideas on webpages and from letters in the post, obviously all the ideas weren't included as some would be pants, some to hard to include and some just too evil even for GTA games.
But it does show that to make great games you have to know what gamers want - surely there is no better way than getting it straight from the horses mouth - or even the gamers.

I for one would like to see this. Obviously like most on-line things people will abuse their rights, send SPAM and crap ideas but from those who do take it serious we could see some excellent ideas being introduced to our favourite genres and games. The only problem I see for the developer is someone has to look through the ideas and decide which are good, which are possible to include (ie can it be coded into the game) and which are not good enough or not right for the game. Also adding more will mean it takes longer to produce and a longer wait for the gamers, but I think it is better to wait a little longer for a better game.

Following on from this maybe we could even see developers using peoples own game ideas and turning these into games (Obviously making their own ideas and suggestions to the original idea along the way) which would be a good thing for all those out there who have the dreams and talent to write the ideas for games but just not having someone willing to take time and effort looking through the idea and deciding what to do with it.
There are so many games out there, all fall into various genres. Many of them are sequels or copies of previous ideas, this could be the next best way of getting unique ideas, a good thing that I am sure many gamers would like to see.

Maybe we could see developers using names or images of the people who submitt the best ideas they use in their games, as a kind of reward, or offer them merchandise or a copy of the game etc just to show they appreciate the idea you suggested. Would be great to say to your mates, see that bloke who just got balsted to bits or that driver who is getting lapped - yeah, well thats me. Cool huh. To me this is an idea we need to see more developers making use of.

Lets just hope the other decent developers consider something like this in the not to distant future and actually pay attention to what the gamers want. After all thats who all these games are for is it not? So go on discuss your views on this, good idea, one you would use?
Thu 26/12/02 at 21:31
Regular
"bWo > You"
Posts: 725
You say that if you were building up your developers' studio, you would ask the gamers themselves what they wanted. As much as you and I would like to believe that, it's inevitable that this wouldn't last very long.

Firstly, there would be the problems with time constraints. You would have so many different types of ideas from gamers to put into the game, that it would be impossible to incorporate everything into the game. You'd doubtless end up making some people unhappy, even if you satisfy others. People would still be disillusioned with the industry, possibly even more so than now, seeing as this facility you provide would have led them to being ignored, which is never a good feeling.

Secondly, there're the ideas themselves. Sure, you'd set a certain subject/topic, but people would definitely stray from the original themes. This would lead to more people straying away from the subject, and so the whole process would be thrown into confusion. These people who are posting these different ideas would end up being rejected, so you'd reject a lot of people in the end.

Thirdly, there's the execution of the ideas. How detailed would the descriptions of the ideas be? There would have to be a close sense of communication between the developers and the ideas' creators. This would lead to revenue problems (more on that later) and so the process would have to be very slow. If the ideas turn out to be really good, then fine, that'll be great for the game itself, the developers and the customers. However, if they have no place in the game, then they'll have to be scrapped. This could be discovered at the first stage of the idea process, or it could even be realised at the very end, just when it has been placed into the game. It could be discovered that the idea actually tarnishes or ruins the game, and so will have to be taken out, but what will replace it? Yet another potential pitfall. If an idea doesn't work, but is left in, then the game is unlikely to be very successful, and those who conceived the idea will be left very unfulfilled.

It all comes down to one thing: profits. To keep the company going, and so keep you in a job, you'll have to make money as quickly as possible. If you can't keep the company afloat by using this method, you'd end up either ditching the concept altogether, alter it, or go out of business. You would only be able to use this idea if you had almost unlimited money, such as Nintendo. Unfortunately, the games industry just won't let this happen. Why make a really innovative game when you can just release FIFA 2190? For this sort of concept to work, the industry has to change first.
Thu 26/12/02 at 19:46
"period drama"
Posts: 19,792
If I ever started up a developers I'd definatly come onto somewhere like this and ask people's opinions on what idea I've come up with and what they've always wanted in a game.

There's nothing worse than buying a game and thinking its no where near as good as it should have been.
I'm going a little of the issue here, but what the hey. Dark Cloud is a perfect example. I saw footage of this game early on - the chance to build a whole town just as you want was a new, fresh idea. But every aspect of the game wasn't quite up to standards.

There was little freedom in placing the houses and other objects down, the exploration in dungeons was boring as anything and endlessly repetative, the other charcters added nothing to the plot at all (which itself was lazily pur together).

If the developers had asked the people who were going to by the games their veiws, ideas etc. before putting ut into the world it would have been much better
There's a sequal coming, so hopfully it should be the game the original should have been. Whcih properly goes for every sequal - if they asked us there'd be no need, the game would be better right at the start.
Thu 26/12/02 at 19:13
Regular
"Picking a winner!"
Posts: 8,502
It was a mistake, something went wrong when I posted.

Already have asked for one to be removed.
Thu 26/12/02 at 19:11
Regular
"aka memo aaka gayby"
Posts: 11,948
good work, double posting a topic will get you noticed more and help your word count alot, why don't i do this????


*sorry if i sound too aggressive, my anger management course was paused during the christmas break*
Thu 26/12/02 at 19:02
Regular
"Picking a winner!"
Posts: 8,502
Who should ask us what?? Well developers should ask us what we want.
I think developers miss out on one main thing which could make most games out there more appealing and generally better than they already are.
The idea is simple. Get more feedback on games from the gamers.
At the moment most information developers get from games is from sales (I could be wrong), they know what does well and what doesn't. With all the new ideas they have it is really the only way of making games that seem similar to others different. For example why make another GTA vice city type game unless you can have different missions, weapons, storyline etc.

For every game that comes out there will always be a way to make it better, this all depends on the gamer as we all have different tastes. With an industry so big obviously it is the majority who would rule, upset the large amount of gamers and the game isn't going to sell well. So if you were making a football game you would be mad to turn down using premiership teams and replacing them with Conference teams as it wouldn't sell as well. These are easy decisions for the developers. Use ideas that will make the game sell, combined with great visuals, sound and gameplay the game could be huge. Apart from one thing, the developers can't possibly come up with every idea that could make the game great, but maybe asking the millions who play games what kind of things they would like to see would increase the ideas and options the developers have and ultimately increase what us gamers get to do and see in games.

Every developer/publisher of all the big selling and even the smaller selling games have a website so at this moment in time it is easy to set up a way of allowing gamers to get their points across. Internet access is so common in the developed world that in most houses, schools, libraries etc you will find a way of getting on-line. In the future consoles will go on-line and there will be possibilities to directly send information and views directly to the developer perhaps from in game menus etc. So there is no point saying the technology for this isn't already available or could be introduced in the near future. Hey, it would be even possible to use the snail mail approach and send mail through the post with your ideas to the developers.

This kind of idea would benefit both developers and gamers. As the standard of games would rise making more people buy the game, this means the developer makes more money and us gamers get higher quality games. Can't go wrong there can we?
Being honest I am surprised that this hasn't been around for the past few years. To me it just seems like the best way of developers improving, especially with the number of sequels we see again and again being released.
I know that in some cases, very few, developers get views from beta testers but this is usually just concerning bugs in the code and areas where faults occur. Not on where it could be improved or replaced with something better.

My first thought of this idea was after playing Americas Army (The free downloadable game that Mr Happy suggested to us). The developers worked closely to the american army and this can be seen in the game as it closly ressembles the army way of things from the training, weapons, missions etc.
I also read a Playstation 2 magazine which ran a competition - Give us the things you want to see in GTA-Vice city and we will send them to the developers.
A while back they printed the best, and as promised sent them off and it seems a few of them will be included in the game. Sadly I doubt the people with the ideas will be given a mention but in the future they could be.
I also noticed that a great number of the new ideas we will see in GTA: Vice city have infact came from gamers, Rockstar decided to take notice of what gamers wanted by reading there ideas on webpages and from letters in the post, obviously all the ideas weren't included as some would be pants, some to hard to include and some just too evil even for GTA games.
But it does show that to make great games you have to know what gamers want - surely there is no better way than getting it straight from the horses mouth - or even the gamers.

I for one would like to see this. Obviously like most on-line things people will abuse their rights, send SPAM and crap ideas but from those who do take it serious we could see some excellent ideas being introduced to our favourite genres and games. The only problem I see for the developer is someone has to look through the ideas and decide which are good, which are possible to include (ie can it be coded into the game) and which are not good enough or not right for the game. Also adding more will mean it takes longer to produce and a longer wait for the gamers, but I think it is better to wait a little longer for a better game.

Following on from this maybe we could even see developers using peoples own game ideas and turning these into games (Obviously making their own ideas and suggestions to the original idea along the way) which would be a good thing for all those out there who have the dreams and talent to write the ideas for games but just not having someone willing to take time and effort looking through the idea and deciding what to do with it.
There are so many games out there, all fall into various genres. Many of them are sequels or copies of previous ideas, this could be the next best way of getting unique ideas, a good thing that I am sure many gamers would like to see.

Maybe we could see developers using names or images of the people who submitt the best ideas they use in their games, as a kind of reward, or offer them merchandise or a copy of the game etc just to show they appreciate the idea you suggested. Would be great to say to your mates, see that bloke who just got balsted to bits or that driver who is getting lapped - yeah, well thats me. Cool huh. To me this is an idea we need to see more developers making use of.

Lets just hope the other decent developers consider something like this in the not to distant future and actually pay attention to what the gamers want. After all thats who all these games are for is it not? So go on discuss your views on this, good idea, one you would use?

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