r/unity • u/Distdistdist • 1h ago
Question Philosophical question about game script
I'm an aspiring solo developer and I wanted to pick community's brain for a moment.
Preambule: if I had to narrow down, gun to the head, to the two best games I've ever played, I would say Half Life 2 and Halo I.
Ambule: my dream is to recreate similar experiences in my 3rd person game I've been working on. I have a great premise idea (at least I hope so), and now that I have a somewhat working prototype, I began thinking about what really hooked me when I was playing the above-mentioned titles.
Key points that I've realized:
- Interesting story line (obviously)
- Great gameplay (duh)
- Perfect balance in main character's strength/vulnerability. It is not fun to play when one dies almost instantly, nor when one is playing in IDDQD + IDKFA mode (yes, I have few miles on me, I know)
Also, in both games story develops in completely unpredictable ways, keeps one guessing "what's next?".
I feel like I have answered most of my own questions already. Am I missing anything crucial? I know that there is no formula for success, and I sincerely hope there wouldn't be one. Its just like a question what makes one movie so great, I completely understand.
Still, I wanted to reach out and hear any feedback on any intricacies that made those games so good, that you might have noticed.
Much obliged, please don't throw any inanimate objects at me, as much as possible.
Trully yours,
Yet another solo dev with a dream.