• 3Aug 07

  A call for modest pacing and general bravery from game makers, eh?

  Reading a recent interview on Gamespot with Richard Garriott, I found myself reminiscing about some of the highlights of his Ultima series that I had the chance to play as a kid. Specifically Underworld and Avatar. Thinking about the spells available, and the character progress as it coincided with the story and action, it suddenly occurred to me just how long those games were. And though maybe not as vast as the recent Elder Scrolls games, they still had quite a bit to explore and a good bit of breathing room. It also occurred to me that the limitations set by the game were far more dramatic in contrast with today's games. If I recall correctly, many of the more powerful and interesting spells were not usable, or even revealed by npc's and foes until you got quite well on. Get to the point, right? Alright here's my point: This modest pacing and literal LACK of expedient gameplay, which to some may seem like some sort of common flaw innate of older games was actually a great example of style, as it is envisioned by the maker(s), pulling the player along incrementally, instead of all at once. There are hints to stimulate the rising action, like a wizard raising the dead, and you've no choice but to flee, or be saved in some cinematic sequence, or that great moment when you discover that you'd guessed right, and can actually achieve that power for your own character. Instead of putting the pedal to the floor at the beginning of every game, like Jerry Bruckheimer would have it, why not give some gamers a little more credit as thinking people who can handle a subtitled film here and there without crying that it's too slow, or there's no color or something. Think about the pacing that Fallout had, and the sheer amount of written dialogue for that game . It's immense, and mostly relevant and hardly ever too dull to wade through. And, if it makes you feel any better, it's a huge bleeding franchise, millions of dollars for Bethsoft just to buy some of it off of a broke Blackisle. I just don't want the game makers to pander to the players anymore. It's seems like such a privilege to be able to make games nowadays. Don't waste time. Make the games you always wanted to see, not just the hot ticket crap everyone's 1000 percent sure will make enough money to employ everybody indefinitely. Worst comes to worst, losing your job won't mean starvation, and you'll have done something worth doing.
  • Posted Aug 3, 2007 10:39 pm GMT
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