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The Other Side of Death...
Author
I just read Necro''s post about player death and such, and i thought of another question for you people.
What happened to the games where losing was incomprehensable???
Mainly these were adventure games like Monkey Island...the only way you could really *lose* was to not finish the game...or not solve a puzzle.
Why did this change?! When did games start giving the player a true need for a saving system not due to length of the game...but because of the mortality rate?!
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I think that you are right about the reason for the saving system. I think it also gives people the macho effect if they can charge in with guns blazing, and EVENTUALLY win through. It is much more satisfaction that way... 
As for death in games. I suggested in Necros post about the possibilities for a game consisting of two planes. You alternate between the two when you die. This would need to be thoroughly designed, but I think it would be a nice change from current saving-loading systems
-Chris Bennett of Dwarfsoft - Site:"The Philosophers'' Stone of Programming Alchemy" - IOL
The future of RPGs - Thanks to all the goblins over in our little Game Design Corner niche
As for death in games. I suggested in Necros post about the possibilities for a game consisting of two planes. You alternate between the two when you die. This would need to be thoroughly designed, but I think it would be a nice change from current saving-loading systems
-Chris Bennett of Dwarfsoft - Site:"The Philosophers'' Stone of Programming Alchemy" - IOL
The future of RPGs - Thanks to all the goblins over in our little Game Design Corner niche
I always thought it would be interesting in a story-based game if when you die you had to do some sort of favour for the god of the underworld or something to get resurrected. Maybe you could only get ressurrected so many times, but you may have to do evil deeds and stuff.
"All you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be --Pink Floyd
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur.
Need help? Well, go FAQ yourself.
"All you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be --Pink Floyd
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur.
Need help? Well, go FAQ yourself.
Maybe you have to have done deeds for a god IN ADVANCE to get ''credits'' for new lives. This way, if you didn''t complete certain tasks, you would be unable to continue on in the physical world.
However, you don''t want to force the player into a rut where they are unable to continue. Therefore, you allow the game to continue on in the netherworld
-Chris Bennett of Dwarfsoft - Site:"The Philosophers'' Stone of Programming Alchemy" - IOL
The future of RPGs - Thanks to all the goblins over in our little Game Design Corner niche
However, you don''t want to force the player into a rut where they are unable to continue. Therefore, you allow the game to continue on in the netherworld
-Chris Bennett of Dwarfsoft - Site:"The Philosophers'' Stone of Programming Alchemy" - IOL
The future of RPGs - Thanks to all the goblins over in our little Game Design Corner niche
hmmm...like get on the god of the underworld''s good side before dying?
...yeah that''s pretty interesting.
"All you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be --Pink Floyd
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur.
Need help? Well, go FAQ yourself.
...yeah that''s pretty interesting.
"All you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be --Pink Floyd
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur.
Need help? Well, go FAQ yourself.
In answer to the original question, I suspect that it was historically the difference between computer games that derived from Adventure (the mainframe computer games) and the games derived from the video arcades.
In games where part of gameplay is to kill opponents it seems only fair that they have a chance to kill you as well.
Adventure games don''t usually kill you because they have little replay value. Once you solve them it''s a waste of the player''s time to retrace steps.
Games that have more random elements (maps, dungeons, etc) can afford to kill the player knowinghtat the game will change the next time they play.
In games where part of gameplay is to kill opponents it seems only fair that they have a chance to kill you as well.
Adventure games don''t usually kill you because they have little replay value. Once you solve them it''s a waste of the player''s time to retrace steps.
Games that have more random elements (maps, dungeons, etc) can afford to kill the player knowinghtat the game will change the next time they play.
I think the adventure vs. arcade (enemies) game thought is right on. Most games these days, no matter the genre, are combat oriented, and you can''t really make the player feel like they''re under true threat without death. Increasing realism in games reinforces this, as you tend to expect realistic consequences.
The only way around this probably is to either implement some life-after-death scheme like mentioned above, or (perish the thought!) de-emphasize battle. But with the industry''s creativity shortage, I don''t see either of these coming from the professional side.
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Just waiting for the mothership...
The only way around this probably is to either implement some life-after-death scheme like mentioned above, or (perish the thought!) de-emphasize battle. But with the industry''s creativity shortage, I don''t see either of these coming from the professional side.
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Just waiting for the mothership...
I don''t think that it is really a creativity shortage Wav, but I think it is cowardism. They are stuck in the rut of thinking that people want <This>, and are too afraid to try something new. It all comes down to them gambling on a new concept...
That is why us indi/demo/shareware developers can change the world. Once they see that an idea is marketable, it will take off throughout the industry
... IMO <- of course 
-Chris Bennett of Dwarfsoft - Site:"The Philosophers'' Stone of Programming Alchemy" - IOL
The future of RPGs - Thanks to all the goblins over in our little Game Design Corner niche
That is why us indi/demo/shareware developers can change the world. Once they see that an idea is marketable, it will take off throughout the industry
... IMO <- of course -Chris Bennett of Dwarfsoft - Site:"The Philosophers'' Stone of Programming Alchemy" - IOL
The future of RPGs - Thanks to all the goblins over in our little Game Design Corner niche
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