I’m replaying SUPERHOT (again) and it’s got such a great core mechanic that I can’t believe we’ve not seen more developers use it, or build around it.
What game mechanics seemed like they’d be the next big thing but …didn’t?
I’m replaying SUPERHOT (again) and it’s got such a great core mechanic that I can’t believe we’ve not seen more developers use it, or build around it.
What game mechanics seemed like they’d be the next big thing but …didn’t?
Integrity of power dynamics not being interfered with by sales models. Turns out that cost-benefit analysis means we can’t have nice things. People are too willing to pay money to pretend they’re better than others.
Morrowind tier of spell brokenness is actually super fun IMO. I’ve never understood the people who complain about how exploitable it is. Like. Don’t exploit it if that’s not your style. Why does the game gotta keep you contained?
Why aren’t there loads of 6DOF spaceship games? Descent is goddamn sick and there’s been depressingly few games like it since PS1.
Defrag movement style arena shooters is absolutely baller! Why you gotta have a load out when you can master the map and spawn timing instead?
Games are fucked because players want dopamine progression systems, status symbols, and to feel dominant without actually mastering mechanics.
I feel like that’s mostly a matter of expectations. Most video games encourage min-maxxing, so when players first experience Morrowind, they’ll often start looting all the houses and buy the most powerful equipment and spells, which ruins their own fun.
In a way, I definitely see it at the core of a gamedev’s job to prevent players from ruining their own fun. That happens much more often than one would think.
But in a way, you can’t win 'em all and Morrowind not preventing that, gives it lots of freedoms and playstyle choices which you don’t get in other games.
Quoting a long-lost source:
“Most people aren’t very good at video games, and nothing reveals that like arena shooters.”
The skill ramp is brutal for Quake 3 / Unreal Tournament style games. One pro can embarrass a dozen newbs. One pro can probably embarrass a dozen reasonably high-skill players, in a free-for-all. Aimbots only recreate what obsessive maniacs can do in a trancelike caffeine-fueled flow state. And peak map control means, you can try whatever you want, but you’re just picking where you’d like to die. Against someone fully-stacked and well-armed, flying around the level faster than noclip would let them, it barely matters where you stand or where you fire. You’re gonna lightly scuff their fresh armor and they’re gonna perform railgun dentistry.