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Linear is different to repetitive! aaaarrrrrhhhhhh! In that case you could call GTA3 linear, but then it isnt at all linear, because of the freedom that the game enviroment gives you, e.g. dont want to do that mission for Donald Love? Then go and do a phone mission. Dont want to do a phone mission? Run someone over. Dont want to run people over? Hire a prostitute etc,etc.
Resident Evil or Onimusha could be considered linear, because there really is only one route to completing the game. I was quite pleased with MGS2, the producers have managed to fit some variety into the missions (sniping, escorting, searching for pacemakers with a microphone, defusing bombs etc.) The whole point of MGS2 is that it provides a cinematic experience (you may have noticed that?? Or you may not have done.) If watching a film isnt a linear experience, then what is?? You have the beginning to a film, then of course you have the ending, and the rest in between has already been set out for you. Do you like films? Of course you do.
Most gamers complain about games being too linear, but then when a game provides them with a sense of freedom, they end up complaining that the game has no direction. Programmers cant win. If you ask me, most gamers need a sense of direction in a game, otherwise they end up getting frustrated and bored, simply because they just don't know where they are going.
Gamers dont really know what they want.
Neilc
Resident Evil or Onimusha could be considered linear, because there really is only one route to completing the game. I was quite pleased with MGS2, the producers have managed to fit some variety into the missions (sniping, escorting, searching for pacemakers with a microphone, defusing bombs etc.) The whole point of MGS2 is that it provides a cinematic experience (you may have noticed that?? Or you may not have done.) If watching a film isnt a linear experience, then what is?? You have the beginning to a film, then of course you have the ending, and the rest in between has already been set out for you. Do you like films? Of course you do.
Most gamers complain about games being too linear, but then when a game provides them with a sense of freedom, they end up complaining that the game has no direction. Programmers cant win. If you ask me, most gamers need a sense of direction in a game, otherwise they end up getting frustrated and bored, simply because they just don't know where they are going.
Gamers dont really know what they want.
Neilc
Neilc always gets his posts put in Prime by someone that knows they should be there.
I'll agree in saying, good post, mate.
;-)
I'll agree in saying, good post, mate.
;-)
Good post, I shoved it in prime for you.
For a game to be non linear, it needs to have no ending, or at least not just one ending.
A game like Sim City is non linear to a degree, as you can make your city grow any way you like. But there's no ending to it, you can just keep going.
A game like Super Mario Bros ended once you'd gotten through all of the levels, in a specific order, and saved the Princess. That's pretty linear.
So make a game seem less linear, you need several different paths to be available to achieve your goal, and different endings to reflect this.
Plus there needs to be an evil ending, you know, where you side with the bad guy in the end, just because it would be cool.
Let me go a little deeper into this one (not the bad guy thing the multiple paths thing). Just give the gamer options. Let him speak to the people in a town, and you can either turn left or right at the fork in the road. One way will lead to atroll's cave, where he holds a useful item, to the left is the Dragon's lair, where you will learn a new power.
You choices lead to you playing the game in a very different way, and you can start all over again when you've finished it, make new choices, and come to a differnet ending. Yes you still rid the world of evil, but you're methods are different. As are the results.
A game like Sim City is non linear to a degree, as you can make your city grow any way you like. But there's no ending to it, you can just keep going.
A game like Super Mario Bros ended once you'd gotten through all of the levels, in a specific order, and saved the Princess. That's pretty linear.
So make a game seem less linear, you need several different paths to be available to achieve your goal, and different endings to reflect this.
Plus there needs to be an evil ending, you know, where you side with the bad guy in the end, just because it would be cool.
Let me go a little deeper into this one (not the bad guy thing the multiple paths thing). Just give the gamer options. Let him speak to the people in a town, and you can either turn left or right at the fork in the road. One way will lead to atroll's cave, where he holds a useful item, to the left is the Dragon's lair, where you will learn a new power.
You choices lead to you playing the game in a very different way, and you can start all over again when you've finished it, make new choices, and come to a differnet ending. Yes you still rid the world of evil, but you're methods are different. As are the results.
If you ask me, all games linear. Whether there is one route through the game or several routes, they all lead to the same place: the end.
GTA3 is linear. Yes you have a multiple choice of which mission you want to do next, but you still have to do them all in order to complete the game. So for me it's linear.
GTA3 is linear. Yes you have a multiple choice of which mission you want to do next, but you still have to do them all in order to complete the game. So for me it's linear.
Linear is different to repetitive! aaaarrrrrhhhhhh! In that case you could call GTA3 linear, but then it isnt at all linear, because of the freedom that the game enviroment gives you, e.g. dont want to do that mission for Donald Love? Then go and do a phone mission. Dont want to do a phone mission? Run someone over. Dont want to run people over? Hire a prostitute etc,etc.
Resident Evil or Onimusha could be considered linear, because there really is only one route to completing the game. I was quite pleased with MGS2, the producers have managed to fit some variety into the missions (sniping, escorting, searching for pacemakers with a microphone, defusing bombs etc.) The whole point of MGS2 is that it provides a cinematic experience (you may have noticed that?? Or you may not have done.) If watching a film isnt a linear experience, then what is?? You have the beginning to a film, then of course you have the ending, and the rest in between has already been set out for you. Do you like films? Of course you do.
Most gamers complain about games being too linear, but then when a game provides them with a sense of freedom, they end up complaining that the game has no direction. Programmers cant win. If you ask me, most gamers need a sense of direction in a game, otherwise they end up getting frustrated and bored, simply because they just don't know where they are going.
Gamers dont really know what they want.
Neilc
Resident Evil or Onimusha could be considered linear, because there really is only one route to completing the game. I was quite pleased with MGS2, the producers have managed to fit some variety into the missions (sniping, escorting, searching for pacemakers with a microphone, defusing bombs etc.) The whole point of MGS2 is that it provides a cinematic experience (you may have noticed that?? Or you may not have done.) If watching a film isnt a linear experience, then what is?? You have the beginning to a film, then of course you have the ending, and the rest in between has already been set out for you. Do you like films? Of course you do.
Most gamers complain about games being too linear, but then when a game provides them with a sense of freedom, they end up complaining that the game has no direction. Programmers cant win. If you ask me, most gamers need a sense of direction in a game, otherwise they end up getting frustrated and bored, simply because they just don't know where they are going.
Gamers dont really know what they want.
Neilc