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Elements. No not the usual Captain Planet (does anybody else remember that?) 'Fire' 'Earth' stuff, but elements of games, or rather, the good ones. All games have good elements. Even if its the intro FMV and the rest is utter rubbish. All games have them, and its up to developers to link, create and add new elements to each other and to games.
Take two extremes. Chuckie Egg and Halo. Chuckie Egg - Simple, addictive, frustrating, but can keep going because you will. Not. Give. Up. Halo - Lovely aesthetics, new ideas in a FPS, but not that many, well, hooks to keep you playing. Imagine if the two were linked - No I don't mean the Master Chief climibng up ladders and pecking, and I certainly do not mean chickens firing eggs at each other while driving in giant jeeps. What I mean is this - Halos elements of innovation, graphics and Chuckie Eggs addictiveness and simplicity. Imagine the two linked in some game. Not a cross-breed between actual genres and games, but in their individual components. Some games achieve this - Goldeneye, Mario, Zelda, Unreal Tournament and several more (for me anyway).
What I cannot understand is why developers seem to refuse to pick out these elements and weave them into a coherent game that actualy plays well. Most games turn out average or even well above average, but many simply fall into the dungheap, and never return. Why? Why don't the devlopers pull these elements out and use them? They are there! I don't expect all of them to invent new ones, but at the very least, could they not use some existing ones in a coherent way?
But - How do you 'use' an element of a game such as 'aesthetics'. Sound and looks can vary wildy, and still be appealing. Zelda GC is cel-shaded - looks vastly different to Metroid Prime, but both look appealing. What I am talking about is the actual execution of using an idea. 'Good looks'. Okay. Thats a fine idea to aim for, but its all in the execution. Perhaps all developers use these elements, but some can't or won't even execute them in any special way. Thats where the special developers come in. Nintendo, Sega, Rare, Capcom and more. They can actualy execute these ideas in a good way.
I suppose that, despite my earlier wondering, all developers use these elements. Just not all make and 'use' them in the right way. Some, unfortunately, and inexplicably, just can't seem to be bothered. its like wasting a natural resource. Why?
Take two extremes. Chuckie Egg and Halo. Chuckie Egg - Simple, addictive, frustrating, but can keep going because you will. Not. Give. Up. Halo - Lovely aesthetics, new ideas in a FPS, but not that many, well, hooks to keep you playing. Imagine if the two were linked - No I don't mean the Master Chief climibng up ladders and pecking, and I certainly do not mean chickens firing eggs at each other while driving in giant jeeps. What I mean is this - Halos elements of innovation, graphics and Chuckie Eggs addictiveness and simplicity. Imagine the two linked in some game. Not a cross-breed between actual genres and games, but in their individual components. Some games achieve this - Goldeneye, Mario, Zelda, Unreal Tournament and several more (for me anyway).
What I cannot understand is why developers seem to refuse to pick out these elements and weave them into a coherent game that actualy plays well. Most games turn out average or even well above average, but many simply fall into the dungheap, and never return. Why? Why don't the devlopers pull these elements out and use them? They are there! I don't expect all of them to invent new ones, but at the very least, could they not use some existing ones in a coherent way?
But - How do you 'use' an element of a game such as 'aesthetics'. Sound and looks can vary wildy, and still be appealing. Zelda GC is cel-shaded - looks vastly different to Metroid Prime, but both look appealing. What I am talking about is the actual execution of using an idea. 'Good looks'. Okay. Thats a fine idea to aim for, but its all in the execution. Perhaps all developers use these elements, but some can't or won't even execute them in any special way. Thats where the special developers come in. Nintendo, Sega, Rare, Capcom and more. They can actualy execute these ideas in a good way.
I suppose that, despite my earlier wondering, all developers use these elements. Just not all make and 'use' them in the right way. Some, unfortunately, and inexplicably, just can't seem to be bothered. its like wasting a natural resource. Why?
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Elements. No not the usual Captain Planet (does anybody else remember that?) 'Fire' 'Earth' stuff, but elements of games, or rather, the good ones. All games have good elements. Even if its the intro FMV and the rest is utter rubbish. All games have them, and its up to developers to link, create and add new elements to each other and to games.
Take two extremes. Chuckie Egg and Halo. Chuckie Egg - Simple, addictive, frustrating, but can keep going because you will. Not. Give. Up. Halo - Lovely aesthetics, new ideas in a FPS, but not that many, well, hooks to keep you playing. Imagine if the two were linked - No I don't mean the Master Chief climibng up ladders and pecking, and I certainly do not mean chickens firing eggs at each other while driving in giant jeeps. What I mean is this - Halos elements of innovation, graphics and Chuckie Eggs addictiveness and simplicity. Imagine the two linked in some game. Not a cross-breed between actual genres and games, but in their individual components. Some games achieve this - Goldeneye, Mario, Zelda, Unreal Tournament and several more (for me anyway).
What I cannot understand is why developers seem to refuse to pick out these elements and weave them into a coherent game that actualy plays well. Most games turn out average or even well above average, but many simply fall into the dungheap, and never return. Why? Why don't the devlopers pull these elements out and use them? They are there! I don't expect all of them to invent new ones, but at the very least, could they not use some existing ones in a coherent way?
But - How do you 'use' an element of a game such as 'aesthetics'. Sound and looks can vary wildy, and still be appealing. Zelda GC is cel-shaded - looks vastly different to Metroid Prime, but both look appealing. What I am talking about is the actual execution of using an idea. 'Good looks'. Okay. Thats a fine idea to aim for, but its all in the execution. Perhaps all developers use these elements, but some can't or won't even execute them in any special way. Thats where the special developers come in. Nintendo, Sega, Rare, Capcom and more. They can actualy execute these ideas in a good way.
I suppose that, despite my earlier wondering, all developers use these elements. Just not all make and 'use' them in the right way. Some, unfortunately, and inexplicably, just can't seem to be bothered. its like wasting a natural resource. Why?
Take two extremes. Chuckie Egg and Halo. Chuckie Egg - Simple, addictive, frustrating, but can keep going because you will. Not. Give. Up. Halo - Lovely aesthetics, new ideas in a FPS, but not that many, well, hooks to keep you playing. Imagine if the two were linked - No I don't mean the Master Chief climibng up ladders and pecking, and I certainly do not mean chickens firing eggs at each other while driving in giant jeeps. What I mean is this - Halos elements of innovation, graphics and Chuckie Eggs addictiveness and simplicity. Imagine the two linked in some game. Not a cross-breed between actual genres and games, but in their individual components. Some games achieve this - Goldeneye, Mario, Zelda, Unreal Tournament and several more (for me anyway).
What I cannot understand is why developers seem to refuse to pick out these elements and weave them into a coherent game that actualy plays well. Most games turn out average or even well above average, but many simply fall into the dungheap, and never return. Why? Why don't the devlopers pull these elements out and use them? They are there! I don't expect all of them to invent new ones, but at the very least, could they not use some existing ones in a coherent way?
But - How do you 'use' an element of a game such as 'aesthetics'. Sound and looks can vary wildy, and still be appealing. Zelda GC is cel-shaded - looks vastly different to Metroid Prime, but both look appealing. What I am talking about is the actual execution of using an idea. 'Good looks'. Okay. Thats a fine idea to aim for, but its all in the execution. Perhaps all developers use these elements, but some can't or won't even execute them in any special way. Thats where the special developers come in. Nintendo, Sega, Rare, Capcom and more. They can actualy execute these ideas in a good way.
I suppose that, despite my earlier wondering, all developers use these elements. Just not all make and 'use' them in the right way. Some, unfortunately, and inexplicably, just can't seem to be bothered. its like wasting a natural resource. Why?