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True, though really you could say this of any game. Ideas are cheap. It's the execution of the idea that draws the crowd. - Superhot actually took the stop tim

True, though really you could say this of any game. Ideas are cheap. It's the execution of the idea that draws the crowd. - Superhot actually took the stop time mechanic from Time4Cat [1], a free flash game. With guns added, and a unique art style, players were drawn in. It also helped that the game was originally created for the 7DFPS challenge where it received initial interest. - Minecraft gained popularity originally because it added enemies that came out at night, something the world building genre hadn't really seen before (and so the reviewers jumped on it). Voxel engines weren't new, but it was unprecedented to use them to give creative ability to the user like so ('user customization' being a common theme in many successful games, see: TF2 hats!) - Same again with Portal, the mechanic was neat, but the story is what people always talk about. - Monument Valley strikes me as another, great idea with the isomorphics, but also great art style and animation regardless. The progression of puzzle difficulty is what keeps the player interested though, as the learning curve is subtle enough to work in the casual games mobile market. - Here is an example [2] of a good idea on the scale of Portal, but so far poor execution, resulting in lackluster gameplay. It is Pillow Castle's First Person Puzzler where picked up object's are re-scaled depending on your perspective. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gO5hjxRsfo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gO5hjxRsfo [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOfll06X16c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOfll06X16c

HCIdivision17 11y ago
The Museum of Simulation Technology may actually turn out pretty good [1]. There's a sort of paradox with game development that revolves around a gameplay mechanic. The mechanics really have to be rock solid, so that gets polished out first; polishing takes a long, long time. But it also has to be engaging or else it isn't worth playing. The direction taken for SuperHot is so unexpected (to me at least) that I was hooked. The jury is still out on tMoST, but it's still rather early in, and you can already see a lot of improvement and style between the early tech demo and the small trailers. Notably, I think there is a bit of a genre trap, where this kind of mind-warp game is stuck playing out in certain stories. I'm utterly a sucker for this sort of game, so I'm getting it no matter what. But it'd be nice if it knocks it out of the park. [1] https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rN1jmsnq-iM https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rN1jmsnq-iM
- rl3 11y ago
  >Notably, I think there is a bit of a genre trap, where this kind of mind-warp game is stuck playing out in certain stories. My thoughts as well. The trap you mention is typically a linear environment with a solid-yet-comical (or whimsical) narrative, ala Portal. That allows the featured game mechanic to be introduced at an optimal pace, effectively realizing more milage out of it. It's also the safer and more conservative route. As a little thought experiment, I wondered how the perspective mechanic in tMoST would work in a completely different genre, and I figured it'd be pretty entertaining in say—an agent-based MMO simulator. I mean, just imagine watching a bunch of simulation agents wander about the map, trying feverishly hard to properly size objects to their liking. That seems as if it would at least be amusing. Bonus points for proper physics so they can accidentally crush each other with giant, oversized objects.
  - HCIdivision17 11y ago
    Plonking that idea into a brawler-style melee game would be great. Especially if you could change the game dymanics: big players have more health, but small players can't be hit; two players fighting over one object tug-of-war style; guns shoot bullets with odd distance mechanics. I could see that being a fun one-off game.
tomtoise 11y ago
At first with that Pillow Case game, I wasn't too impressed, it seemed to have one gimmick. But holy hell, as it went further on with the person resizing/fourth wall escaping I was interested.
baby 11y ago
> Superhot Isn't that game meh? Not a great example. > Minecraft gained popularity originally because it added enemies that came out at night I've never heard that point of view before. Rather that it was a cubic world were everything could be destroyed and created. > Portal, the mechanic was neat, but the story is what people always talk about What? Besides "the cake is the lie" there is no real story, people talk about the game mechanism not the story. Conclusion: I disagree with 3/4 of your post.
- hacker_9 11y ago
  > Isn't that game meh? Not a great example. I suspect it depends on your taste in games. > Rather that it was a cubic world were everything could be destroyed and created. 'Survival mode' is what was reviewed initially though [1], and gave the voxel world idea a way to flourish. > Besides "the cake is the lie" there is no real story The story drives the single player experience, ending with a fight with the main antagonist GLaDOS. This is then expanded on in the second game. The story contains well known characters such as GlaDOS, Atlas and P-Body. Particularly GLaDOS's deadpan humour is a big part of the story and is referenced frequently. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wgQvij3rVE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wgQvij3rVE
- sleepybrett 11y ago
  I'm actually convinced that you didn't pay any attention in portal. The story is thin, it's the story of a tester that is constantly being thrown curveballs. Finally the testing is done and the AI decides to kill you, you then escape behind the scenes and plot to kill the AI. I think when people praise the game for it's non-mechanics what they are actually praising int he characterization and writing of GladOS (and then later in Portal2 Whetley).
  - yesco 11y ago
    It really was the coolest thing when you escaped the final test chamber and found yourself alone in the abandoned facility; the music just stops. Up until that point you knew something was wrong but not quite what. The lack of scientists in the observation windows, the creepy graffiti in the alcoves stating "THE CAKE IS A LIE" next to a mountain of broken security cameras and the disturbing fits the robot would get into on occasion. The game was a great example of the "show don't tell" style of story telling. Also lets be honest, the whole cake thing in Portal was pretty funny. It was just the people burning the joke into the ground and snorting the ashes that ruined it.

HCIdivision17 11y ago

The Museum of Simulation Technology may actually turn out pretty good [1]. There's a sort of paradox with game development that revolves around a gameplay mechanic. The mechanics really have to be rock solid, so that gets polished out first; polishing takes a long, long time. But it also has to be engaging or else it isn't worth playing. The direction taken for SuperHot is so unexpected (to me at least) that I was hooked. The jury is still out on tMoST, but it's still rather early in, and you can already see a lot of improvement and style between the early tech demo and the small trailers. Notably, I think there is a bit of a genre trap, where this kind of mind-warp game is stuck playing out in certain stories. I'm utterly a sucker for this sort of game, so I'm getting it no matter what. But it'd be nice if it knocks it out of the park. [1] https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rN1jmsnq-iM https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rN1jmsnq-iM

rl3 11y ago
>Notably, I think there is a bit of a genre trap, where this kind of mind-warp game is stuck playing out in certain stories. My thoughts as well. The trap you mention is typically a linear environment with a solid-yet-comical (or whimsical) narrative, ala Portal. That allows the featured game mechanic to be introduced at an optimal pace, effectively realizing more milage out of it. It's also the safer and more conservative route. As a little thought experiment, I wondered how the perspective mechanic in tMoST would work in a completely different genre, and I figured it'd be pretty entertaining in say—an agent-based MMO simulator. I mean, just imagine watching a bunch of simulation agents wander about the map, trying feverishly hard to properly size objects to their liking. That seems as if it would at least be amusing. Bonus points for proper physics so they can accidentally crush each other with giant, oversized objects.
- HCIdivision17 11y ago
  Plonking that idea into a brawler-style melee game would be great. Especially if you could change the game dymanics: big players have more health, but small players can't be hit; two players fighting over one object tug-of-war style; guns shoot bullets with odd distance mechanics. I could see that being a fun one-off game.

tomtoise 11y ago

At first with that Pillow Case game, I wasn't too impressed, it seemed to have one gimmick. But holy hell, as it went further on with the person resizing/fourth wall escaping I was interested.

baby 11y ago

> Superhot Isn't that game meh? Not a great example. > Minecraft gained popularity originally because it added enemies that came out at night I've never heard that point of view before. Rather that it was a cubic world were everything could be destroyed and created. > Portal, the mechanic was neat, but the story is what people always talk about What? Besides "the cake is the lie" there is no real story, people talk about the game mechanism not the story. Conclusion: I disagree with 3/4 of your post.

hacker_9 11y ago
> Isn't that game meh? Not a great example. I suspect it depends on your taste in games. > Rather that it was a cubic world were everything could be destroyed and created. 'Survival mode' is what was reviewed initially though [1], and gave the voxel world idea a way to flourish. > Besides "the cake is the lie" there is no real story The story drives the single player experience, ending with a fight with the main antagonist GLaDOS. This is then expanded on in the second game. The story contains well known characters such as GlaDOS, Atlas and P-Body. Particularly GLaDOS's deadpan humour is a big part of the story and is referenced frequently. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wgQvij3rVE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wgQvij3rVE
sleepybrett 11y ago
I'm actually convinced that you didn't pay any attention in portal. The story is thin, it's the story of a tester that is constantly being thrown curveballs. Finally the testing is done and the AI decides to kill you, you then escape behind the scenes and plot to kill the AI. I think when people praise the game for it's non-mechanics what they are actually praising int he characterization and writing of GladOS (and then later in Portal2 Whetley).
- yesco 11y ago
  It really was the coolest thing when you escaped the final test chamber and found yourself alone in the abandoned facility; the music just stops. Up until that point you knew something was wrong but not quite what. The lack of scientists in the observation windows, the creepy graffiti in the alcoves stating "THE CAKE IS A LIE" next to a mountain of broken security cameras and the disturbing fits the robot would get into on occasion. The game was a great example of the "show don't tell" style of story telling. Also lets be honest, the whole cake thing in Portal was pretty funny. It was just the people burning the joke into the ground and snorting the ashes that ruined it.