Comments on: The Bread Crumb Trial: Why Fable 2 should be wary of half-baked design choices http://unifiedammo.wordpress.com/2008/05/26/the-bread-crumb-trial-why-fable-2-should-avoid-half-baked-design-choices/ Mostly about videogames Sat, 29 Nov 2008 22:31:54 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Sara Anderson http://unifiedammo.wordpress.com/2008/05/26/the-bread-crumb-trial-why-fable-2-should-avoid-half-baked-design-choices/#comment-77 Sara Anderson Sat, 29 Nov 2008 22:31:54 +0000 http://unifiedammo.wordpress.com/?p=3#comment-77 There's no way in hell I am going to get good at shooters* or figure anything out when I die within less than a minute of starting the game. I got myself a Wii as soon as I could, hoping that it would be different enough that I wouldn't be fifteen years behind everyone else in learning how to play the games. Boy was I disappointed when I figured out that it's the same as every other console, except the controller is split in half and you hold each piece in each hand. There's a vocabulary of game logic that I just can't pick up with my no-skill level. The only exposure I've had to a game getting interesting is watching others play. *I am married to a big player of games, so I'm exposed to a lot of games, but I remain convinced it's the games that are too hard for me/shooters that are the more interesting ones. I absolutely love The Sims, and can handle and even enjoy fighting games like Soul Caliber, or even racing games, which require a tiny bit of game-related coordination, but less than shooters. I sat down with Fable II and have been thankful for its hand-holding, but it's just not really my kind of thing. Lame, warmed-over fantasy crap just isn't doing it for me, even if I am capable of walking a character through it. There’s no way in hell I am going to get good at shooters* or figure anything out when I die within less than a minute of starting the game.

I got myself a Wii as soon as I could, hoping that it would be different enough that I wouldn’t be fifteen years behind everyone else in learning how to play the games. Boy was I disappointed when I figured out that it’s the same as every other console, except the controller is split in half and you hold each piece in each hand.

There’s a vocabulary of game logic that I just can’t pick up with my no-skill level. The only exposure I’ve had to a game getting interesting is watching others play.

*I am married to a big player of games, so I’m exposed to a lot of games, but I remain convinced it’s the games that are too hard for me/shooters that are the more interesting ones. I absolutely love The Sims, and can handle and even enjoy fighting games like Soul Caliber, or even racing games, which require a tiny bit of game-related coordination, but less than shooters.

I sat down with Fable II and have been thankful for its hand-holding, but it’s just not really my kind of thing. Lame, warmed-over fantasy crap just isn’t doing it for me, even if I am capable of walking a character through it.

]]> By: tom http://unifiedammo.wordpress.com/2008/05/26/the-bread-crumb-trial-why-fable-2-should-avoid-half-baked-design-choices/#comment-76 tom Thu, 16 Oct 2008 09:53:57 +0000 http://unifiedammo.wordpress.com/?p=3#comment-76 super swag game right here! super swag game right here!

]]> By: Open Games v. "Hand Holding" - ABXZone Computer Forums http://unifiedammo.wordpress.com/2008/05/26/the-bread-crumb-trial-why-fable-2-should-avoid-half-baked-design-choices/#comment-26 Open Games v. "Hand Holding" - ABXZone Computer Forums Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:38:02 +0000 http://unifiedammo.wordpress.com/?p=3#comment-26 [...] Generation – Interactive Entertainment Today, Video Game and Industry News – Home of Edge Online The Bread Crumb Trial: Why Fable 2 should be wary of half-baked design choices « Unified Ammo The first article is written by Randy Smith, a former ION Storm [...]

]]> By: Stu Andrews http://unifiedammo.wordpress.com/2008/05/26/the-bread-crumb-trial-why-fable-2-should-avoid-half-baked-design-choices/#comment-16 Stu Andrews Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:40:59 +0000 http://unifiedammo.wordpress.com/?p=3#comment-16 David (if it was you) or Eliot, Kudos on the post, and the blog! Been a fan of David since early PC Powerplay days. Well, fan .. eeesshhh, probably more a fellow gamer who liked the wisdom in what you said .. heh heh. Anyway. I wonder what Blizzard would have to say in this regard. They are still the flavour of the millennia, and would definitely have thought about this stuff in games like WoW and Diablo. Ultima 7. Paperdolls, Baking bread, Flying carpets. Just wandering around. What's not to love? Except that it didn't appeal to the larger audience. And the larger audience is what guys like (and you said this above) Molyneux is wanting to hit. More accessibility. So balance would be the key. Can't please every itch the old-school gamer wants, can't please every itch the console-fanboy wants .. but you can (and Blizzard prove this) please most of the people most of the time. Although Hellgate:London shows you can also tick off most of the people most of the time. Anyway, kudos again on the blog. Have fed you to my reader. David (if it was you) or Eliot,

Kudos on the post, and the blog! Been a fan of David since early PC Powerplay days. Well, fan .. eeesshhh, probably more a fellow gamer who liked the wisdom in what you said .. heh heh.

Anyway.

I wonder what Blizzard would have to say in this regard. They are still the flavour of the millennia, and would definitely have thought about this stuff in games like WoW and Diablo.

Ultima 7. Paperdolls, Baking bread, Flying carpets. Just wandering around. What’s not to love? Except that it didn’t appeal to the larger audience.

And the larger audience is what guys like (and you said this above) Molyneux is wanting to hit. More accessibility.

So balance would be the key. Can’t please every itch the old-school gamer wants, can’t please every itch the console-fanboy wants .. but you can (and Blizzard prove this) please most of the people most of the time.

Although Hellgate:London shows you can also tick off most of the people most of the time.

Anyway, kudos again on the blog. Have fed you to my reader.

]]> By: James http://unifiedammo.wordpress.com/2008/05/26/the-bread-crumb-trial-why-fable-2-should-avoid-half-baked-design-choices/#comment-2 James Tue, 27 May 2008 17:19:48 +0000 http://unifiedammo.wordpress.com/?p=3#comment-2 I agree with you and with the author of the supplied link. Games are focusing too entirely on guiding players toward "the fun". While on one side, this is excellent in immersing new or novice gamers into the virtual worlds usually reserved for more experienced players, it also detracts from the level of freedom and immersion offered in the end product. As for Fable 2, I have heard in an interview that the "bread crumb trail" is going to be an optional utility. It can be selected off in the options, and there will be no further attempts to guide the player toward any objectives in the game, lest the trail be re-activated via the options screen. So, at least it isn't being forced upon us. I agree with you and with the author of the supplied link. Games are focusing too entirely on guiding players toward “the fun”. While on one side, this is excellent in immersing new or novice gamers into the virtual worlds usually reserved for more experienced players, it also detracts from the level of freedom and immersion offered in the end product.

As for Fable 2, I have heard in an interview that the “bread crumb trail” is going to be an optional utility. It can be selected off in the options, and there will be no further attempts to guide the player toward any objectives in the game, lest the trail be re-activated via the options screen. So, at least it isn’t being forced upon us.

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