Re: Opinions on what makes an audio game engaging
ahh, another one of these topics.
I'm probably going to end up rambling and saying things that already has been said but here goes.
First ... the topic is extremely complicated. There are so many questions you could ask yourself to narrow it down:
what genre? What platform? What audience?
Story is extremely important ... in a gamebook type.
I feel as if, reiterating what people already said, we're just trying to polish up a dead engine block - by which I mean that we're making it sound super nice, we may even focus on the story (although give me one "audio game" with a good story. We add all the bells and whistles in the world. Sound packs, mods, etc (although that isn't necessarily a bad thing but that's not something that should take priority)
Let's face it - people love to feel awesome and accomplished and entertained, not necessarily talking about commedy entertainment but emotional investment into something.
So the developer needs to make sure the gamer is rewarded, but the reward also needs to be justified - no one is going to give a shit that they managed to answer a simple question like ... uh ... right ... and now I can't think of one that doesn't seem forced or weird. Well you get the idea. Overcoming obsticals is what makes us feel truly amazing - but in order to motivate the player to challenge these obsticals there needs to be goals set for the player, that hints of a great reward for tackling a great challenge. I also just randomly think that the things that inflict emotions - horror for horror games, panic for war games or something. That way the feelings of achievement and the desired effect of the game doesn't conflict with each other.
the bk series is a good example of challenges and ... well not so much rewards except shops and unlockable weapons
I am still going to make the claim that bk3 is the best audio game of today. And it's sounds aren't even that amazing.
I've said this before and I'll say it again, a good game is one where you don't need to read a manual, but can just launch it and figure it out.
A good game is where you are given options on how to solve a problem - options that the user itself can figure out.
Here are my favourite audiogames and a quick explaination as to why:
the bk series, particularly bk3. A semi platformer with amazing puzzles, great rewards and fun and interesting enemies. Heck, the story is pretty fleshed out too.
technoshock. What can I say? A game that had me banging my head into a wall but then it clicked and you got it.
three-d vilosity. Pretty decent story, and a god damn challenge too where you really actually have to take in information and react appropriately in a spacial environment.
Perilous hearts. We need more platformers, it was a decent beginning. Nice interactive environment for being a demo.
Alright this is it for now, figure I shouldn't write this when I haven't slept all night lol.
-- Audiogames-reflector mailing list Audiogames-reflector@sabahattin-gucukoglu.com https://sabahattin-gucukoglu.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/audiogames-reflector
