[video=youtube;3xsgZtZw_N0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xsgZtZw_N0[/video]
Hope you guys enjoy it!
Although you make an excellent example out of Max Payne 3 I wonder if perhaps you haven't fully considered the issue. The Max Payne games have always had linear gameplay by design with one entrance and one exit to a map. I was surprised you didn't discuss games like Silent Hill or resident evil which are notorious for their confusing, and often unintuitive puzzles that many guides facilitate. To cite an infamous example: Simons Quest, where the only way to get to Dracula involved having just the right things in just the right place at just the right time without any prompting or hinting from the game (as I recall it gives you one or two hints, but they come from unreliable sources and are practically meaningless if and when you hear them.) You also didn't mention any open world games like The Elder Scrolls games or Fallout where it can sometimes be unclear where you ought to go to continue some kind of progression. What about games like Dark Souls where enemy tactics can be boiled down to a few attack patterns. You could repeat the Max Payne argument, pointing out that a guide cannot teach you timing, or quick reactions but they can certainly help a good deal with pattern recognition.
[QUOTE=Dark Kite;37629012]Although you make an excellent example out of Max Payne 3 I wonder if perhaps you haven't fully considered the issue. The Max Payne games have always had linear gameplay by design with one entrance and one exit to a map. I was surprised you didn't discuss games like Silent Hill or resident evil which are notorious for their confusing, and often unintuitive puzzles that many guides facilitate. To cite an infamous example: Simons Quest, where the only way to get to Dracula involved having just the right things in just the right place at just the right time without any prompting or hinting from the game (as I recall it gives you one or two hints, but they come from unreliable sources and are practically meaningless if and when you hear them.) You also didn't mention any open world games like The Elder Scrolls games or Fallout where it can sometimes be unclear where you ought to go to continue some kind of progression. What about games like Dark Souls where enemy tactics can be boiled down to a few attack patterns. You could repeat the Max Payne argument, pointing out that a guide cannot teach you timing, or quick reactions but they can certainly help a good deal with pattern recognition.[/QUOTE]
That's a good point. However, if we're going to go into The Elder Scrolls or Fallout, or even Silent Hill, my points from the episode still come into effect. Discovering new things in those games should really be something you do yourself, as (at least to me) reading info about an undiscovered item, or how to beat a dungeon just isn't fun.
I have a friend who consulted a walkthrough to work out how to unlock the door in Skyrim's very first dungeon, and that's probably the best example I can think of to add here. The (minimal) happiness from working out the solution was utterly neutered.
[QUOTE=KitAlexHarrison;37629193]That's a good point. However, if we're going to go into The Elder Scrolls or Fallout, or even Silent Hill, my points from the episode still come into effect. Discovering new things in those games should really be something you do yourself, as (at least to me) reading info about an undiscovered item, or how to beat a dungeon just isn't fun.
I have a friend who consulted a walkthrough to work out how to unlock the door in Skyrim's very first dungeon, and that's probably the best example I can think of to add here. The (minimal) happiness from working out the solution was utterly neutered.[/QUOTE]
You have a point there, but I think comparing my Simons Quest example and your Skyrim example is a bit like comparing a house cat with a leopard. Recent games like Skyrim have no shortage of hints or clues to help players work things out if they don't just outright tell the player what needs to be done (ala the quest marker we've had since oblivion.) Simons Quest on the other hand didn't tell the player anything. Players had to go to a dead end and crouch next to it at night with a red crystal equipped. The two hints about how to get to past the dead end are as esoteric as a french art film watched through a kaleidoscope, and come from villagers whose hints are as often wrong as right. That's the only help the game gives the player. I'll agree that game guides aren't necessary for the vast majority of today's games and that reading a game guide cover to cover will really ruin the experience. Some games, especially older ones, can sometimes benefit from having a guide on hand, but that guide shouldn't be read cover to cover and should certainly be considered a last resort.
What about guides for competitively building characters in a MMO, RPG, or MOBA? Or some games need to be played with a comprehensive guide in order to avoid getting violently murdered due to a [URL="http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/DF2012:Quickstart_guide"]steep[/URL] [URL="http://nethackwiki.com/wiki/Main_Page"]learning[/URL] [URL="http://i-wanna-be-the-guy.wikia.com/wiki/I_Wanna_Be_The_Guy_Wiki"]curve[/URL] (though some do argue NetHack is "best enjoyed unspoiled").
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.
