I’ve had a few courses on usability, so I can say some of this with a bit of a snooty attitude. 8p But mostly just as a player, I’ve made a short list of things that every single RPG, without exception, should have to make the play experience more enjoyable and useful.
Be able to pause ANYWHERE. This includes in the middle of battles, inside FMVs, and story scenes (whether voice-acted or text-based). It’s amazing how many games refuse to let you do this. If I get a phone call, I have to choose to either miss the call (not usually an option) or miss what the game’s doing - which usually means I have to start from a previous save, which is ridiculous. The pause functionality should probably even be built in from the console itself.
Be able to save anywhere you have control over your character. By this I mean a “quick save” which erases itself when it’s loaded (think BoF:DQ or Shadow of Destiny). For similar reasons - as it stands now, I need at least half an hour to play any game and assume I’ll get to another save point. Why shouldn’t I be able to sneak in five minutes of gameplay here and there? This is especially nasty in Wild ARMs 3, which I’m playing now, because you have to use up save points.
Allow options to customize all game buttons. Again, to take WA3 as an example, it’s incredibly annoying that you can’t change the fact that the Run and Examine buttons are the same, meaning you have to go “walk stop walk stop” forever if you want to keep checking things.
For games with text scenes, allow you to change the text speed. koffXENOGEARSkoff
For games with voices, allow you to turn subtitles on or off. I can’t believe that games like Xenosaga didn’t allow this.
Allow you to skip story scenes - FMVs or not. I hate losing to bosses and then having to re-sit through a 5-minute scene to get back to it. Even text scenes take too long when you’ve already seen them.
Allow you to turn off in-battle voices. Even in recent games which have decent voice acting, this can get really annoying (not to mention bad ones like Star Ocean 2).
The only real problem is that when solving issues with instasave, it creates this overwhelming opportunity for cheat-like activity. As much as it is really annoying to lose to a boss and fight all the way back up to him/her, thats part of the game, and by instasaving, I cheat myself out of that aspect.
Sometimes it gets really bad, and i save mid battle, then reload if i miss an attack. I try not to do this when i can help it, but it is so easy to slip into it again.
As much as i love emulation, i have taking a severe liking to playing the old games on console and risking the memory failures, and tedious replaying of scenes, because it keeps me honest with myself when it comes to the game.
However, most RPGs have a save point shortly ebfore boss figths so it really doesn’t prevent what you are sayign can happen. Hell, in most RPGs you know a boss is coming when you are in a dungeon and see a save point. The problem is that some boss fights have long dialogue before it that you have to sit through repeatedly which gets annoying. So you aren’t ahving to fight your way back like you say currently. Also, the way you cheat seems a bit extreme.
I don’t face the dilema that you do because I don’t use save states that much like you. I use save states on ROMs (although I usually don’t play them since I like using a controller and being comfortable and not at a computer) for the exact reason of why games need to let you save anywhere.
I don’t have time top fight my way to the next save point a lot of times (one hing that bugs me about MMORPGs having a log off time and then having to go through menus to exit). Also, if a game lets you save anywhere, it isn’t cheating since it is allowed in the game, it isn’t liek a game that isn’t designed for it. Also, insta ssaving usually doesn’t let you save in the middle of a fight, so it just makes is easier to play without back tracking a lot.
Also, most importantly, you dont’ ahve to use the insta save. You can just save at certain times that would be a normal place, save with savestates. It is your choice.
I know that the problem isn’t insave state placement, my issue is with the Emulator insta-save. Because you can reload with those repeatedly. I am all for instasaves with a single load only. And I stretched it a little bit.
My point is that the games should be built with the freeze-point save, like was said by Cid, because the emulator doesn’t keep me as honest.
I know its all on me, but that doesn’t mean that i don’t have a problem. Hell, at least I’m admitting to it.
Group Leader :suckah: : Today we have a new member at save-abusers anonymous, why don’t you introduce youself, Delita.
Delita :noway: : Hi, my name is Delita, and I have a saving problem
All : Hi Delita
I dont remember which game it was offhand, but there was a game with the instasave, but saving was also how you quit playing. Prevents cheating and solves the problem. Of course, once I had a power outage and lost 2 hours of play. Oh well.
DarkKnight: That was what I was referring to, yes.
Forgot one more, too:
8) Startup screens should not take more than 3 seconds. koffKingdomHeartskoff It’s a pain to have to wait ten seconds for the PS2 startup screen and then another 10 seconds just so every single company associated with the game can flash their logo.
Don’t get me started on Shinobi. Seriously, don’t. I might start ranting about how I spent 12 hours killing Hiruko on Super Mode again, something most people can’t even do at all. (Fight him before accusing me of being an elitist gamer. You wont win, lol :P)
Here’s my choices. (Please note that I’m speaking generally here; each game is different, and what works for one type of story might not work for another.)
Character Choice, ala the Saga games. It would be nice to replay a game from the POV of ANOTHER party member. (It would be even better to CREATE your own characters, and that can be arranged, but you’d have to give up your character having a background in the game’s story. )
Better conversations with NPCs. One of the things I enjoyed about FF7 was that you often had a choice of “nice” and “jerk” answers to give the NPCs when talking to them. Ok, so the only effect in that game was to influence the outcome of the Date at the Gold Saucer, but it still allowed me to feel like I was determining my character’s personality. (Some games, Like Star Ocean 2, had even more complex interaction schemes.)
Saving ANYWHERE, and not just “temporarily”. Really, with today’s technology, are Saving Points even needed anymore? And players should always have the option to stop playing and resume where they left later.
Freedom to explore. I understand some events have to be saved for later in the story, but I don’t see why most games don’t allow access to sidequests from the very beginning. It gives the player more feeling of control.
As Cid said, the choice to freeze play at any time, even during battles. Handy when you smell your dinner burning while fighting a tough Boss. ^^
Multiple endings. They make you feel your choices in the story MATTER. (At the very least, let us see what would happen if the good guys do NOT win. How’s that for motivating replay?)
: Hi Delita
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