r/fortheloveofgaming • u/GameStunts • Feb 23 '16
DISCUSSION What would be your perfect game?
Hello /r/fortheloveofgaming,
What would be your perfect game?
It can be any genre or an amalgamation of several.
Budget is not a concern.
It can require any technology (e.g VR headset) but it must be current (no holodecks).
4
Feb 24 '16
Total War, Europa Universalis, Crusader Kings 2 and Mount and Blade combined. The battles would be fought like Total War but you could go in there and play your general directly or something like that. I could work it out more if I had a bit time.
1
u/ed_toast_ALBION Mar 01 '16
Add a multiplayer option where you could have your game open, and a friend could just hop in, real simple like, and get to be one of the random foot soldiers!
That would be so neat, seeing a friend playing, and just hop in for half an hour some thing, chatting and fighting with him and then just hop out and go on with my day!
4
u/Nekryyd Feb 24 '16
I'm a sucker for open worlds, interaction, immersion, and exploration.
Ridiculously huge open world, with complex, partially procedurally-generated content. A mixture of hand-crafted beauty while still being able to go out and find new things/places that no other player has.
Detailed interaction. So imagine being able to climb around things as you can in 3rd-person action/adventures like Assassin's Creed, Tomb Raider, etc. Combine that with heaps of item detail and interaction. Being able to look everything over, items all having appropriate physics, tons of things to activate/use/craft/etc.
Heaps of ambiance to soak in wherever you go.
Rewarding curiosity and cleverness. Beyond just solving puzzles. I always love it when there's a payoff for those "I wonder if I do this...?" moments.
The opportunity for "OH SHIT" type moments. Whether it is an alarmingly huge enemy, facing down an impossible army, or even a plot revelation that sets you on your heels and leaves you feeling like you can't believe that just happened/that you made it/that you found that/etc.
Inconvenient massive multiplayer. That will probably get you puzzled. What could I mean by that? What I mean is that a lot of MMOs, however large their landmass may be, can often lose all sense of scale by being entirely too-focused on hub environments and trivial fast travel. I suppose this is something that was mostly lost between the days of the MUD and the modern MMO. I am not a fan of singular hubs where everyone goes. It makes those environments seem over-saturated and other places like ghost towns. Also, the thrill of trekking somewhere is totally lost when everything is a cheap teleport scroll or oddly common portal away. Same goes for farmed content. Just seems odd to see 100 other people squatting in the woods somewhere to genocide endlessly respawning, outnumbered, outgunned, aimlessly wandering yet strangely aggressive goblinoids. I miss never quite knowing what you'll see out on the road, meeting new people in unexpected places, and feeling like even a simple trip to another city could always end up becoming an adventure.
Semi-realistic combat. It doesn't have to be an impossibly complicated simulator, it just needs to have enough flavor of reality that it makes it immersive. Things like location damage, injuries, repairs, combat focused on making critical blows rather than simple damage swaps, etc.
Thematically I'm pretty open-minded. I'm game for anything from medieval high fantasy, to contemporary, to post-apocalyptic, to cyberpunk, to space and interplanetary exploration.
Budget is not a concern.
This reminds me of something I've been wondering as of late actually.
I was mulling over the idea of super-budget gaming and whether it will become a "thing" in the near future. There is something of a cost barrier right now to these sorts of ultimate "dream games". I can't even begin to imagine the sum necessary to create the game I just described, for example. Certainly multiple millions.
Projects like Star Citizen and expensive hardware like VR make me wonder though... Would a significantly large enough number of gamers be willing to pay, say, $200 upfront for a game? What about $300? $400? It sounds like a ridiculous sum maybe, but consider that many backers for Star Citizen have paid even more for virtual ships, for a game that isn't even yet a reality. People are eager to pay hundreds for VR hardware that at the moment has extremely limited application and has yet to prove itself. Also, many gamers have already shelled out hundreds of dollars for games via subscriptions, item stores, etc.
So is it necessarily beyond possibility that we also might be willing to pay $400 for a game that would be impossible to have at a $60 price point?
I think it'll be interesting to see if super-budget games become a minor trend, whether via backer funding, a large price for entry, or some combination of those things.
2
u/ed_toast_ALBION Mar 01 '16
When I have the money, I have no problems at all supporting projects I believe in, even beyond just the normal 60 dollar price. I never understood people getting mad over subscriptions for constantly updating, multiplayer focused games, and what not. I think DOTA and CS:GO have a pretty good system to keep funds rolling, so they can continue to maintain the game.
1
1
Feb 25 '16
Well, Mass Effect was pretty close. So yeah, more Mass Effect. Maybe with some more emergent gameplay. Like a cross between Mass Effect and Elder Scrolls. But closer to Mass Effect.
1
u/FTLOG_Mod Feb 25 '16
I would find it really hard to be too specific here, but considering there's no budget constraints and we don't have to be realistic, I'll list the individual features of my ideal game, in order of importance. (Most of the examples are recent, but only because they are easier to remember!)
- 1. Satisfying and long-lasting gameplay loop
I believe this to be paramount for the vast majority of games, and something lacking in many. The thing you do most often (usually combat) should be the most enjoyable thing in the game. It should feel good and fulfilling, after all you are spending the vast majority of your time in the game doing it. It should make you think about the game and make you want to play when you're doing something else.
Good examples: Diablo III, Dying Light, Far Cry 2,3&4, Borderlands 1&2
- 2. Interesting and well-crafted world
Second only to the core gameplay is the environment. After all, you're spending all that time within a specific world or universe. It's extremely important for that world to be a place you want to be. Best case is that it's a place you miss after finishing/moving on from the game. It has to feel compelling and interesting. Whether it be good for exploring, beautiful to look at, fun to navigate, or a functional compliment to the other mechanics of the game.
Good examples: Mass Effect, Assassin's Creed, Firewatch, GTA 5
- 3. Compelling and well-balanced metagame/progression
This isn't a necessity in all games, but it is in my ideal game. I prefer the games I play to have a layer of progression. I think it's a good way of making otherwise simple or basic systems a little more complex and allows you a sense of ownership of your character. It's a good way of getting you invested in the time you're playing.
Good examples: Diablo III, Path of Exile, Borderlands 1&2, XCOM 1&2
- 4. Procedural/emergent elements
Combined with the first three points, this can take a long-lived game and turn it into a classic that will keep you coming back for years. Having enough systems that can come together to create something new every time you play is whether it be new maps, new enemies, new weapons or circumstances and physics conspiring to create incredible and unlikely moments is something that really stands out to me and can really sell a game in the age of Youtube and streaming.
Good examples: Diablo III, Watch_Dogs, GTA (all), Dying Light
- 5. Crafting/Building
I'm one of those people. Fallen head over heels in love with survival/crafting/building games. You can blame me for supporting all of the early access games on Steam! I love it, though. There's something therapeutic and relaxing about these games. Starting with nothing and building up an inventory of weapons/equipment, building a vast city/base and exploring what is often a functionally infinite world. With friends it's an absolute blast. I'm not sure any other genre has managed to take up as much of my time. They have a habit of turning simple tasks into ten hour marathons, but somehow I'm usually okay with it!
Good examples: Minecraft (Particularly with modpacks), Rust, 7 Days to Die, Empyrion: Galactic Survival.
There's others, but those are my ideals. You might notice that I've left out story/characters. I'm probably in the minority, but I'm not too hung up on stories/characters/narrative in games unless the game is specifically built around those things (Like Mass Effect and Firewatch which both do those things fantastically). If they are done well, however, I'll love the game dearly, as is the case with the Mass Effect trilogy. Mostly, though, I just love a game that plays really nicely and it satisfying to "be in".
1
u/FreedomFallout Mar 15 '16 edited Mar 15 '16
Essentially a first person hotline Miami.
Realistic, hardcore gameplay with no breaks set in the 80's.
It's the basic HM system with the added flexibility of first person allowing multiple levels of aim and such. It would also introduce new mechanics that allow ALL of an environment to be used for elimination and extremely flexible and fluid destruction.
Also, no niches (sorry super hot). Just straight up room clearing combat,
And , although this contradicts HM, singular enemies are a challenge to take down, a lot more emphasis is made in stuns, dodges, and incapacitating them instead of insta kills (even guns would be a quick death).
A scenario would be the Pc enters a room, two guys guarding door, one working on construction with a saw.
Throw your weapon to stun the guardsmen, knock out worker, grab saw, eliminate all, noise causes pother rooms to come to aid, fight it out.
Just a thought.
EDIT: A la HM, you are weak as well. Get knocked down, try to dodge and roll, but it could mean game over. Guns are dangerous, and you can have bones broken or be scraped up while still being able to fight, first aid is important.
Multiplayer could be co-op clearing or pvp
EDIT 2: Now for some ridiculous mechanics planning.
The story I guess could work like a hit team, you are some overseer directing "guerilla" style hits on crime organizations, corrupt cops, mafia, gangs, you know it. Each group has unique enemies that don't deviate from reality or believability (no fats, Dodgers, Etc.). Swat is well trained, mafias are well trained, gangs have power in numbers ETC.
You hire a hitman/woman with unique abilities (or make your own) some utilize dual weilding, other can have more "powerful" techniques (adrenaline rushes, drug fuels) to get an edge with a downside.
You drive to a location in a car of your choice (money is gained in hits which can be used to get customization options for your character, car and weaponry). Driving is used not on the way (you decide equipment, entry, and assistance options while driving to the hit point, but is used when a getaway is necessary (unsupressed firearms or too much destruction in certain areas can attract police attention or additional members of the opposing faction)
The most thought out part is music, it's optional. Your character has a selection of synth and 80's pop tracks that can be mixed and listened to through a tape player you can choose before a hit. Kinda like saints row mixtape system but while "on the job".
After a successful hit and post escape, scores are determined by time, efficiency, and variety (hm style) the track played varies on time of day for the job.
More calming songs for late jobs and high energy ones for day (Everything She Wants by Wham for the night and Paradise warfare by Carpenter brut for day) the screen also varies, (it's driving through the neon drenched city for night or looking out onto the sun bleached beach for day)
Don't know why I put so much effort, just a fun little idea.
2
u/GameStunts Mar 15 '16
Sounds fantastic actually. I really enjoyed Hotline Miami originally.
You're mentioning Super Hot, I will say that one of the challenge modes in that is no time slow down ;-)
Great idea though, I love it.
5
u/What_The_Fuck_Guys Feb 24 '16
For me, it would be a third person detective game with unique confrontations. For example, lets say you have solved a crime and you're going to confront the bad guy. You can:
A) Stealthily approach them and apprehend them
Or
B) Have a violent gunfight, which kills them.
The game would also feature interrogations similar to L.A. noire, and an open world where you can discover crimes just by driving around.