Forums » General Gaming

Gaming Mix-and-Match

    • 393 posts
    October 9, 2018 10:22 AM EDT

    I have two dudes in my office who played Destiny and now play Destiny 2. They play every day, have a lot of friends in the game, that sort of thing. I've listened to their talks about it for around 3 years, sometimes asked questions. The questions I never got any answer to were if it has a plot and what it is about...

    So is it that Destiny doesn't have a plot of just that most of the people generally don't care about it?

    • 321 posts
    October 9, 2018 10:31 AM EDT
    Destiny does have a plot... somewhat. The first Destiny had collectibles that were hidden all over the world maps and unlocked snippets of lore... in the Bungie website. The second had forgone the collectibles and included in the snippets on the super rare Exotics items... which were okay, I guess. I'll be honest with you, Destiny doesn't have a solid story and they barely flesh out the lore. In the words of a certain female Exo, "I don't have time to explain what I don't have time to explain."
    • 393 posts
    October 9, 2018 10:46 AM EDT

    Dragonborn2021 said:

    Hey >.> The majority are 16 year olds who never opened a book in their life unless it was an unavoidable part of their school program...Well that and 8 year olds :P

    The world seems to consist entirely of these lately.

    Dragonborn2021 said:

    Bah, nobody ever sides with me on DA2. I'll admit that was probably one of the worst parts of the game (beaten only be the laziness of the repeated dungeons, though the more I've learnt about the shitty situation that the creators had for the game, the more slack I give them)...Hmm actually I wonder if there's a mod that lets you play as non-human Races... 

    Well damn, only found one that would let you Play as an Elf, and it's not exactly the deepest mod out there. I mean, the issue there is that you just wouldn't fit in with Hawke's backstory...It sucks but I probably could've gotten over it if I could find a semi-decent mod, but yeah it's just not a big thing for modders (of which there seem to be very few) so that's not even nearly an option.

    But yeah, I loved DA2 myself but I can understand that dislike (plus assuming it goes further then that, which is fair).

    No, I actually like DA2. It has a nice plot, a fascinating atmosphere, cool characters (mostly). It's just that I really dislike playing as humans, but that is my own personal quirk. It irked me through Mass Effect too. The only game ever where I played as a human and was okay with it was KotOR II...

    Dragonborn2021 said:

    That's fair. I'm definitely of the same mind when it comes to games that I might buy. There are more than a handful of games (Bloodborne, Witcher 3 and God of War just to name a few) that I would've never bought if I hadn't done plenty of research before they came out...Probably a few games that I would've screwed up and bought earlier if I hadn't researched them too, so that aspect is definitely good as far as I'm concerned.

    A funny thing, I have read (or, more accurately, tried to read) the Witcher books back when I was in high school. And this is how I know that I'll never ever buy that game no matter how cool the developers may make it, even if it's the last RPG ever. No amount of Kirkbride's Talos-centric posts can ever make me feel that sick. I wonder what I would think of it if I hadn't read the books.

    On the other hand, I only bought DA and Mass Effect because I liked what I read.

    • 127 posts
    October 9, 2018 11:34 AM EDT
    I always find the argument that AAA games are getting simplified peculiar, partly because I believe that there is a difference between a game being simple, and a game being streamlined. Like, Skyrim is an incredibly streamlined game, but I would never call it simple.

    A lot of the recent releases that people decry as being simplified too much are simply being made more accessible for new audiences - the complexities behind the game are nearly always still there if you want to look for them. Take a look at Pokemon, for example.

    It’s always been a children’s game, but there is so much behind the scenes that the older fans can even develop the VGCs that make the game part of the phenomenon that it is.

    This thread is very telling about the sort of games people here go in for. There’s a lot of fantasy elements implemented (obviously), but the little touches around the edges that fascinate me.

    I don’t know if anybody played the X-Men Official Video Game where Nightcrawler was playable, but his teleportation mechanics are perfectly suited for an open world game a la GTA.
    • 393 posts
    October 9, 2018 12:09 PM EDT

    I wouldn't call Skyrim exactly simplified. It could use some more plot options and choices, but one the big scale it's satisfying. It has a lot of new lore to add to the previous games, nice atmosphere, plenty of room for RP.

    Okay, it doesn't have Morrowind's crafting system where you need 10 items to make one potion (or whatever). It doesn't force you into a class. It doesn't have 100 gameplay elements you would have to always remember and you don't have to hold a Skyrim manual in front of you the first few playthroughs. Does that mean it's simplified?

    For me simplified is when you have no lore to speak about, cartoony plot and NPCs, a villain who wants to destroy the world because he is evil, that sort of thing. And judging by what is going on with TES Legends (even before the other things) this seems to be the current tendency and even TES apparently won't remain unscathed. Maybe I'm just whining like a foolish old hag I am, but after all the years I have been practically living with that universe, studying its lore, waiting for every weekend so I can play Skyrim, I would feel quite a tad betrayed if TES VI turns out to be a copy of a Korean shooter.

    J.D. Primrose said:I don’t know if anybody played the X-Men Official Video Game where Nightcrawler was playable, but his teleportation mechanics are perfectly suited for an open world game a la GTA.

    I have played it. Indeed, would be cool to have that teleportation. In some nice urban setting game. Don't know much about GTA though, past the fact that it would make my inner Justiciar very upset, she is a very gentle soul)))

    • 127 posts
    October 9, 2018 12:32 PM EDT

    Justiciar Thorien said:

    For me simplified is when you have no lore to speak about, cartoony plot and NPCs, a villain who wants to destroy the world because he is evil, that sort of thing. And judging by what is going on with TES Legends (even before the other things) this seems to be the current tendency and even TES apparently won't remain unscathed. Maybe I'm just whining like a foolish old hag I am, but after all the years I have been practically living with that universe, studying its lore, waiting for every weekend so I can play Skyrim, I would feel quite a tad betrayed if TES VI turns out to be a copy of a Korean shooter.

    I wouldn't call it whining, but's good to know how you think of simplification in regards of these games.  I suppose a part of the problem is that these games are a part of a larger franchise and as such are actually capable of having the differences between them highlighted as newer releases come out, and as fans we notice the shift in plot and lore much more than the casual gamer.  I usually hear about simplified games in regards of mechanics, which is sometimes true, but generally is a load of baloney, in my opinion.

    Justiciar Thorien also said:

    I have played it. Indeed, would be cool to have that teleportation. In some nice urban setting game. Don't know much about GTA though, past the fact that it would make my inner Justiciar very upset, she is a very gentle soul)))

    Well, I don't know about GTA myself, but it's more about the style of well designed open world gaming with very good high points and vantages.

     

    Also another thought:  It's an FPS, but you're the Dragonborn and it's a Tower Defense Game.  You shoot from crossbow-turrets that you have to install at different levels of your keep, improve them, and level up, unlocking new shouts by defeating increasingly difficult Dragons and Dragon Priests after you've defeated the Draugr hordes attacking your keep.  I would play that to death.


    This post was edited by J.D. Primrose at October 9, 2018 12:33 PM EDT
    • 393 posts
    October 9, 2018 12:52 PM EDT

    J.D. Primrose said:

    I wouldn't call it whining, but's good to know how you think of simplification in regards of these games.  I suppose a part of the problem is that these games are a part of a larger franchise and as such are actually capable of having the differences between them highlighted as newer releases come out, and as fans we notice the shift in plot and lore much more than the casual gamer.  I usually hear about simplified games in regards of mechanics, which is sometimes true, but generally is a load of baloney, in my opinion.

    I'm absolutely not a mechanics person. Give me a good plot with a lot of lore (the weirder the better) and I'll love the game forever. Actually Skyrim was my first ES game, when I started playing it I didn't know a thing about TES lore. Still, it bugged me quite a bit that the game treats you as a total imbecile. Took me quite some time to dismiss it.


    This post was edited by Justiciar Thorien at October 9, 2018 12:53 PM EDT
    • 1467 posts
    October 9, 2018 7:36 PM EDT

    I always find the argument that AAA games are getting simplified peculiar, partly because I believe that there is a difference between a game being simple, and a game being streamlined. Like, Skyrim is an incredibly streamlined game, but I would never call it simple. 

    See...I'm not entirelly sure that I would agree with that. I (quite obviously) love the hell out of Skyrim, but in a manner of speaking it's certainly both streamlined and simplified. I'm not the sort of person who's going to point to the lack of 8000 armour pieces and complain about it, or that there are less weapon options (except maybe Spears...I can always find time to complain about the lack of spears in a somewhat joking manner)...But I can certainly say and feel that a lot of the writing was either simplified, or just...ignored, because for the most part I found Skyrim to be a much 'smaller' world than Morrowind or Oblivion. There's less depth to the world, less to the storylines and just...less writing for the most part.

    Then there's spells, I really do feel like that was a simplified element of the game. Maybe it's streamlined, or that was the intention but I feel like the deepest 'simplification' of the game, is that there are very few unique spells. Honestly speaking, I just felt like they didn't put a lot of effort into making interesting or unique spells that have cool effects.

    A lot of the recent releases that people decry as being simplified too much are simply being made more accessible for new audiences - the complexities behind the game are nearly always still there if you want to look for them. Take a look at Pokemon, for example. 

    It’s always been a children’s game, but there is so much behind the scenes that the older fans can even develop the VGCs that make the game part of the phenomenon that it is. 

    That's tricky for me to comment about, because don't get me wrong, the amount of work put inito the ORAS post-game was pretty astounding and I think X/Y had a legitimately great story, which definitely outstrips some of the classics (Gen 3 for me). On the other hand, we'll have to see where they take Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee...I feel like there's been a lot of simplified gameplay, and while I do like the new emphasis they've put on story, at the end of the day Pokemon is about 80% about the gameplay for me (but I am a somewhat semi-competitive player so...) and the new games feel like they've massively takena  step back. That said, if they write an excellent story, I'd probably be able to put that aside and just enjoy the game.

    I usually hear about simplified games in regards of mechanics, which is sometimes true, but generally is a load of baloney, in my opinion.

    As I mentioned above, I think there are some games that the simplified mechanics are more impactful. I mean, your not going to play the next FIFA game for it's story (or maybe not at all...I have no idea but it seems like there are more pre-owned FIFA games lying around than anything else), but if they simplified the gameplay too much you'd throw it out. That said, there are games like Assassins Creed, where you could probably simplify gameplay but focus on the story and it'd be a lot better.

     

     

    • 1467 posts
    October 9, 2018 7:38 PM EDT

    Also another thought:  It's an FPS, but you're the Dragonborn and it's a Tower Defense Game.  You shoot from crossbow-turrets that you have to install at different levels of your keep, improve them, and level up, unlocking new shouts by defeating increasingly difficult Dragons and Dragon Priests after you've defeated the Draugr hordes attacking your keep.  I would play that to death.

    Heh, that feels like a really nice mobile game, maybe a $10 game that you can buy online or something, but yeah definitely sounds fun :D

    • 393 posts
    October 9, 2018 7:47 PM EDT

    I only just managed to stop lamenting the miserable fate of TES Legends... and you reminded me... It was my favorite mobile game. And now it become a crossover of TES and Heartstones or whatever cheap card game there is.

    • 321 posts
    October 9, 2018 7:53 PM EDT
    Wasn't TES Legend a card game from the very start? Personally, I'm not a fan of that game genre, even if it's for one of my favorite game series.
    • 393 posts
    October 9, 2018 7:59 PM EDT

    It was, of course. But it was an ES game still. Now though it looks like it's some generic cheap card game that borrowed the cards from Legends but in a much worse quality, that's why I'm saying crossover. I'm not fan of cards games either, and played Legends solely because it's an ES game. Enjoyed it in fact, it was very beautiful. Before the downgrade, that is.

    • 1467 posts
    October 9, 2018 9:36 PM EDT

    I have two dudes in my office who played Destiny and now play Destiny 2. They play every day, have a lot of friends in the game, that sort of thing. I've listened to their talks about it for around 3 years, sometimes asked questions. The questions I never got any answer to were if it has a plot and what it is about...

    So is it that Destiny doesn't have a plot of just that most of the people generally don't care about it?

    It's...mostly the latter? I mean, the game does have a general plot but it is very difficult to care that much about it to be honest (and I haven't played Destiny 2 enough so, not sure there). Generally speaking I think the problem is more that they didn't do enough to really sell the cooler parts of the Lore/Plot on a surface level, what's there is fascinating but just doesn't go into enough detail for my personal tastes...So it's there, but it is probably a bit underdeveloped and not entirely memorable, and most people couldn't give two shits about it.

    Could be wrong though, I've never put in the time to really delve into most of the Lore, just never thought about it because I was never hooked on the game, and I guess always saw it as one of those games that have a background story for the Gameplay. 

    • 1467 posts
    October 10, 2018 12:25 AM EDT

    Been thinking of a combination that I think would work and I have to say that I'd actually quite enjoy Baldur's Gate with Skyrim's Open World and Graphics. Just the combination of the two to allow a more in-character experience of any classic RPG would be amazing for me. So really this counts for Neverwinter Nights, Baldur's Gate 2, KoTOR, etc.

    I'd also enjoy a strange mash-up of Pokemon and Mario Kart...Seems incredibly strange when I say it but a Pokemon Racing game would be, either the worst thing ever (and exactly the sort of thing I'd expect from the N64) or the greatest racing game of all time :P Especially if they went crazy with it, throwing in Moves, Abilities, Triatholon Mode (where you need a Land, Air and Sea Pokemon to finish the Race) and so on...just weirdly fun idea :D

    • 122 posts
    October 10, 2018 2:13 AM EDT

    It would be pretty outstanding to have the gameplay of from Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild paired to a story based off of Fable, one where you have to make tough choices and determine your morality while exploring ruins. I feel like the dark fairy tale atmosphere of Fable would let you squeak by some of the cel-shaded whimsy of Breath of the Wild without losing too much.

    Mostly I just adore Breath of the Wild. It the world were a little more populated it would have been perfect for me.

    • 1467 posts
    October 10, 2018 2:24 AM EDT

    It would be pretty outstanding to have the gameplay of from Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild paired to a story based off of Fable, one where you have to make tough choices and determine your morality while exploring ruins. I feel like the dark fairy tale atmosphere of Fable would let you squeak by some of the cel-shaded whimsy of Breath of the Wild without losing too much.

    Mostly I just adore Breath of the Wild. It the world were a little more populated it would have been perfect for me.

    Hmm, almost kind feel like Ocarina and Time and Breath of the Wild would be a rather potent combination...hitting somewhere in the middle of the two would make for a very interesting game.

    But Fable's a good game to bring up, feel like it's kind of strange that it hadn't been until now, but that's definitely the sort of combination that I'd play the shit out. I would probably add a bit of Fable's Character Creation/Customization to the mix as well, but it would be very cool.

    • 77 posts
    October 10, 2018 3:30 PM EDT

    This is a pretty small one compared to what I've read from other people but I would really like a left hand in Fallout 4.

    • 127 posts
    October 10, 2018 5:27 PM EDT
    Well, I always did think that my approach to simple vs. streamline was somewhat controversial, and I’m not going to try and change any minds, and your are compelling. Guess that’s just a ‘me’ thing.

    And a big thumbs up to having a left hand in games. Not enough out there with protagonists who are lefties.
  • October 10, 2018 7:07 PM EDT

    Justiciar Thorien said:

    A funny thing, I have read (or, more accurately, tried to read) the Witcher books back when I was in high school. And this is how I know that I'll never ever buy that game no matter how cool the developers may make it, even if it's the last RPG ever. No amount of Kirkbride's Talos-centric posts can ever make me feel that sick. I wonder what I would think of it if I hadn't read the books.

    That's a pretty popular opinion, apparently. Many people aren't that fond of the books. Some claim it's because of poor translation (books were originally Polish and all that), while others just say that it's the writer messing up character development. The games are a different beast, but many of the themes you find in the books are present in the games' narratives as well, most notably the whole 'But what if the humans were the real monsters??!!!!' schtick many people seem to think is getting a bit stale at this point.

     

    Anyways, for my own entry: Some original title assassination game with the Middle-Earth series' Nemesis System and the dialogue interactions in Deus Ex. Conventional stealth approaches are pretty common in video games nowadays, but picture a social stealth system added on top that's actually social and not the 'sit down on a bench/walk into a crowd and I'm invisible whoopee' approach that AC uses. Each NPC has specific preferences/personality quirks that can be exploited and used to befriend, seduce, turn enemies against each other or isolate a target and eliminate them, and your actions make your own mini-stories within the game.

    It's probably going to be exceptionally hard to implement well, though.

    • 127 posts
    October 10, 2018 7:17 PM EDT

    Hworra said:

    Anyways, for my own entry: Some original title assassination game with the Middle-Earth series' Nemesis System and the dialogue interactions in Deus Ex. Conventional stealth approaches are pretty common in video games nowadays, but picture a social stealth system added on top that's actually social and not the 'sit down on a bench/walk into a crowd and I'm invisible whoopee' approach that AC uses. Each NPC has specific preferences/personality quirks that can be exploited and used to befriend, seduce, turn enemies against each other or isolate a target and eliminate them, and your actions make your own mini-stories within the game.

    It's probably going to be exceptionally hard to implement well, though.

    I know it's not exactly what you've described, but I've got it in my head that this is a Management Game / Dating Sim.  Follow classmates, disrupt their love lives and set them up with other people more suited to them.  End goal: make everybody in your high school hook up with everybody else.


    This post was edited by J.D. Primrose at October 10, 2018 7:18 PM EDT
    • 321 posts
    October 10, 2018 7:34 PM EDT
    So basically Sims: High School Matchmaker Edition then? :P
    • 393 posts
    October 11, 2018 7:18 AM EDT

    Dragonborn2021 said:

    It's...mostly the latter? I mean, the game does have a general plot but it is very difficult to care that much about it to be honest (and I haven't played Destiny 2 enough so, not sure there). Generally speaking I think the problem is more that they didn't do enough to really sell the cooler parts of the Lore/Plot on a surface level, what's there is fascinating but just doesn't go into enough detail for my personal tastes...So it's there, but it is probably a bit underdeveloped and not entirely memorable, and most people couldn't give two shits about it.

    Could be wrong though, I've never put in the time to really delve into most of the Lore, just never thought about it because I was never hooked on the game, and I guess always saw it as one of those games that have a background story for the Gameplay. 

    Ah, I see. Tbh, I have somewhat of a hard time imagining how people even roleplay and pay attention to the plot in online games. Since I play games just for that, all the social aspect of them seems intrusive and distracting to me.

    Dragonborn2021 said:

    Been thinking of a combination that I think would work and I have to say that I'd actually quite enjoy Baldur's Gate with Skyrim's Open World and Graphics. Just the combination of the two to allow a more in-character experience of any classic RPG would be amazing for me. So really this counts for Neverwinter Nights, Baldur's Gate 2, KoTOR, etc.

    This one is cool. I'd play that forever.

    Hworra said:

    That's a pretty popular opinion, apparently. Many people aren't that fond of the books. Some claim it's because of poor translation (books were originally Polish and all that), while others just say that it's the writer messing up character development. The games are a different beast, but many of the themes you find in the books are present in the games' narratives as well, most notably the whole 'But what if the humans were the real monsters??!!!!' schtick many people seem to think is getting a bit stale at this point.

    No, as far as I remember the translation was okay. And the "humans are monsters" idea is always close to my heart. But... those characters. Not the character development, no. I cannot recall any other book I've ever opened, where right from the start, the characters made me feel such strong nausea that I simply couldn't read further. Especially the female ones. Idk, maybe it's just me.


    This post was edited by Justiciar Thorien at October 11, 2018 7:19 AM EDT
    • 1467 posts
    October 11, 2018 9:18 AM EDT

    Ah, I see. Tbh, I have somewhat of a hard time imagining how people even roleplay and pay attention to the plot in online games. Since I play games just for that, all the social aspect of them seems intrusive and distracting to me.

    Fair enough, I find it difficult purely because of the general...focus of those games. They're never built for Roleplaying, or even Storytelling because there are so many gameplay elements that need to be balanced to a further extent so it's just so incredibly rare that there's an MMORPG with decent RPG elements. Even ESO was something I struggled with maintaining any sort of RP and I'm not a heavy RP sort of person.

    This one is cool. I'd play that forever.

    Exactly :D

    • 393 posts
    October 11, 2018 10:42 AM EDT

    Dragonborn2021 said:

    Fair enough, I find it difficult purely because of the general...focus of those games. They're never built for Roleplaying, or even Storytelling because there are so many gameplay elements that need to be balanced to a further extent so it's just so incredibly rare that there's an MMORPG with decent RPG elements. Even ESO was something I struggled with maintaining any sort of RP and I'm not a heavy RP sort of person.

    As it is, I can't play ESO because of my slow internet and old PC (DA:I on medium settings is the most it can handle). But I could maybe buy a better PC and do something with my internet if I really had a great desire to do it now. The thing is, I'm afraid to buy ESO. From the videos and screenshots I've seen, it seems that it would feel a bit like a crowded subway))

    • 224 posts
    October 11, 2018 1:04 PM EDT

    Elder Scroll games, let's say TES V Skyrim (but would be cool past TES games too, TES III, TES IV) with Chivalry Medieval Warfare combat mechanics and/or Kingdom Come Deliverance :B :B!! and with an in-game mode for real time strategy (rts) aspects inside the game with Medieval II Total War mechanics and for in-side game battles with Warcraft 3 mechanics and/or Mount & Blade or also changing between all of those so you can get involved into a massive, immersive, ambitious rts game and roleplaying, oh and with Elder Scrolls Online pvp system!

    That would be the game of my dreams, nice post interesting and fun!




    This post was edited by Medieval at October 11, 2018 9:12 PM EDT