Re: New games you'd like to see from Ultrocity Audio
@Coltonhill, one problem with this higherarchical thinking that complexity in game design also goes with coding is that it means nothing changes, if developers just! aspire to create the same sort of games we've seen before in a sort of set hierarchy, from target to side scrollers to 3D then we'll never see any evolution in any genre.
One of the most basic problems I've noticed in audiogames is most people do not know about basic game mechanics that mainstream developers have used sinse the 1980's. I don't mean having huge, ultra complex systems here, I just mean the basic things that make a game addictive and make a person come back to play again even if that game is a simple side scroller or an arcade game.
The reason Super Mario Brothers is one of the greatest games in history is not because it is a complex game with all sorts of bells and whistles, it is because the engine is designed to require that the player learn the properties of the different game elements in detail and then put what they learn into practice.
Mario, (and indeed most characters in graphical side scrollers), do not walk in a simple press button one speed walk type of mechanic. When you hold a direction mario will first start walking slowly then speed up until he's at full speed, also he does not immediately stop when you let go of the button either. Similarly with jumping, mario's jumps are analogue, the more you hold the key the higher mario jumps, and the more you hold a direction during the jump the greater the horizontal distance, not to mention how fast mario is walking or running before the jump, and when mario lands he doesn't just land pat, but slides a little and has stopping distance like a car.
Back in the eigties games needed to be difficult, but that difficulty came from giving the player a tough challenge with the engine and the mechanics, not from having thirty billion levels or enemies or a hugely comple x character generation system.
One complaint I've seen of audiogames time and time again (most recently of psychostrike though not having played myself I can't confirm), is that however good the sounds, however good the extra systems like stats or levels the game still boil down to the same thing, particularly in side scrollers or arcade style challenges, and the chief reason for this is likely that so many developers don't! use these tricks such as accelleration, such as needing more complex attack or action range than just "when it's in the center", don't require tactics that need the player to learn anything, it's all instant press button and thing happens and all you need to do is press button at the right time.
After all, has any audio space invaders game actually required the player to anticipate the movement of the enemy ship vs speed of his/her shots? Heck, most don't even let the invaders fire back.
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While I do vaguely understand why these factors such as accelleration or range aren't used to make the games more difficult and challenging and a bit more than just glorified boppit, I do think it's time something changeddd.
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