07-10-2014, 03:22 PM
My seven rules for a perfect action platformer.
1: Tight controls. No slipping or immediate loss of momentum or long stun periods, and especially no having to wait through a character's animations before the action you called is performed.
2: Readable environments. A player should never be able to lose themselves behind a foreground piece, and elevation should be immediately recognizable.
3: Reward exploration and achievment, not patience. Grinding for upgrades is a cheap way to increase play time, and does not feel as rewarding as discovery or victory through skill.
4: Enemies should require thought to defeat. If a single technique (that is method of attack, not the attack itself) can effect everyone, then that's all a player will use, and play will become repetative.
5: At least three ways to attack, but not too many. Three gives enough variety to a player without overwhelming them.
6: Backtracking, if available, should be rewarding, especially in games where this is a requirement.
7: Teach new concepts in as few words as possible (and for Myamoto's sake, don't repeat item-get messages or hold them for seven seconds. I'm looking at you, Super Metroid).
These are my rules to perfect action-platform GAMEPLAY, meaning they don't apply to story, music, pacing, or theme. I've only ever seen a few games follow these rules entirely, one of them being Spyro: the Eternal Night on GBA.
1: Tight controls. No slipping or immediate loss of momentum or long stun periods, and especially no having to wait through a character's animations before the action you called is performed.
2: Readable environments. A player should never be able to lose themselves behind a foreground piece, and elevation should be immediately recognizable.
3: Reward exploration and achievment, not patience. Grinding for upgrades is a cheap way to increase play time, and does not feel as rewarding as discovery or victory through skill.
4: Enemies should require thought to defeat. If a single technique (that is method of attack, not the attack itself) can effect everyone, then that's all a player will use, and play will become repetative.
5: At least three ways to attack, but not too many. Three gives enough variety to a player without overwhelming them.
6: Backtracking, if available, should be rewarding, especially in games where this is a requirement.
7: Teach new concepts in as few words as possible (and for Myamoto's sake, don't repeat item-get messages or hold them for seven seconds. I'm looking at you, Super Metroid).
These are my rules to perfect action-platform GAMEPLAY, meaning they don't apply to story, music, pacing, or theme. I've only ever seen a few games follow these rules entirely, one of them being Spyro: the Eternal Night on GBA.