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Miyamoto Lecture At Smithsonian Documented
Thanks to 1UP for its report on last week's Smithsonian lecture featuring game industry luminaries, including Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto, and as previously mentioned on Slashdot Games. After Miyamoto's entrance, heralded with "hoots and hollers [so loud] that you'd think Natalie Portman had just walked out on stage at a Star Wars convention", the article quotes the Nintendo mainstay on his entrance to the industry ("When I originally I came to Nintendo it was to do industrial design... I wanted to make the new Rubix Cube. I never imagined that I would work in video games, especially since I don't like computers"), and his concern over making videogames accessible: ("Everyone should be able to pick-up a controller and play a video game... But still so many people think games are too complex. So I developed the L/R buttons and analog stick to simplify things.")
Game makers don't have to use all the buttons on a controller. If a D pad and 4 buttons are all a game takes, then the developers shouldn't feel the need to use all the buttons. There just there in case a game company wants to use them.
At any rate, I personally don't think controllers are to blame, but that's just my $0.02
/me whacks parent with clue stick. if you've ever watched a young kid or even average middle aged or old person trying to play a game, you'd know that many buttons are confusing. whether they are used in the game or not is irrelevant, they'll be trying to push them anyway, and that includes wondering why some aren't doing anything.
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No, that was part of the 1UP.com write-up, although it's enclosed in brackets (implying editorial modification) in quotes that trace back from the author, then to the translator, then to Miyamoto, with who knows how many dimwits in between.
Same thing for the misspelling of "Rubik's Cube," along with other quoed and non-quoted bits from the write-up. You know, typical game journalist fare.
But he also mentioned the analog stick, which the SNES did not have.
But his comment is wrong either way. Adding buttons doesn't make it easy to use, especially the way the n64 was set up. L/R/Z? Different grips for the D-Pad and stick? I'm not sure that the N64 was meant for people to simply pick up and play. Even the buttons were set up in a manner that wasn't too smart... they kind of went backwards when they excluded the X/Y buttons, especially given the setup of the SNES controller.
But I do agree with him that people should be able to pick up and play, so on that note get rid of these ridiculous load times that are built in to the system. The splash screens are so annoying, especially after going back to SNES/NES recently and having a simple chime, then a menu in seconds. Of course, that's a limitation of the media.
Life goes on.
-Dizzle
"I most likely AM so interested in myself."
Yes, his comments on the over-complexity of games were spot on. The real-life game of football hasn't changed much in the last 20 years. Why are computer football games today absolutely impossible to play?
I dread it when I'm playing PS2 with my buddies and somebody pulls out a new game that I havn't played yet. It means I'm going to spend the next hour getting whooped as I try to figure out which of the 18 buttons and levers on the controller does what.
I also don't get as much pleasure playing online first-person shooters. It doesn't matter that I am a great melee'r because I havn't figured out the exact manner to shoot X at Y and jump at Z at the exact moment to catapult myself impossibly across the map.
Vonnegut was right: Of all the words of mice and men, the saddest are, "It might have been."
The 'controller invention' N64 comment was added, presumably, by the person who wrote the article for 1UP (not by lovely Slashdot editors, although it is in the same bracketing format we use), but I removed it, because you're right, it doesn't seem to make total sense. Doh.
As noted above, I believe Miyamoto's quote is being misattributed,
Anyway, I don't see the significance in your evaluations of the N64 controller. I prefer the multiple grips of the N64 controller to the compromised placement of the d-pad and analog stick on all current controllers (especially the left analog stick on all analog Playstation controllers, forcing the matched poor position of the right stick).
Z-button was obviously only used as a replacement for either L or R, depending on controller orientation.
The C buttons replaced X and Y, while providing a 3-over-3 configuration (popularized by Street Fighter 2 and by Sega's recent controllers of the time - which is not to say that there was ever a SF2 game for N64). A and B lined up with the C buttons, and were easy to identify by feel, while the C buttons were raised very slightly, and the diamond configuration of these four buttons felt very natural.
Lastly, system splash screens on modern consoles can serve multiple purposes on top of hiding disc load times (if that). They can serve as POST screens (like on PCs), they can be used as copyright enforcement tools (a la Dreamcast), they can provide system introduction in anticipation of the user deciding to enter the configuration screen (just like with a POST screen in relation to entering BIOS config), and they can also be used as inobtrusive blipverts in the process. Not that they actually always DO all of these things.
The trick when designing a videogame is allowing the average gamer to pick up the controller and have fun playing the game while simultaneously allowing a level of complexity and difficulty that will challenge even the most accomplished gamer... something that, not all but a majority of, game developers have seem to have forgotten lately. With the exception of a few games like Ninja Gaiden, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and Ikaruga, today's games often lack the ability for a player to create and optimize advanced control strategies - often at the expensive of over-the-top graphics that serve as little more than eye candy. Miyamoto at one point knew this and it was the foundation on which the Nintendo Empire was built. Somewhat older Nintendo games such as Mario Kart 64 offered that. Any n00b can pick up the controller and drive around the track firing random weapons at other racers and have a good time. However with the addition of the mini-turbo world-class gamers have the ability to refine their skills on a ridiculous learning that can take up to several years to master (as evidenced by the guys at www.mariokart64.com). Other games that come to mind are GoldenEye and Perfect Dark... anyone, regardless of ability, can have fun in a GE or PD multiplayer match but the games offer players the ability to use advanced strategies that can take months upon months of practice and refinement to truly master.
Ah, the good old days...
What is a POST? Point Of Sale Transaction? On some consoles the splash screens are used to wait for the controllers to be detected (like 1.5 seconds on one evil machine) and as the required 2 second legal screen.
The 'controller invention' N64 comment was added, presumably, by the person who wrote the article for 1UP (not by lovely Slashdot editors, although it is in the same bracketing format we use), but I removed it, because you're right, it doesn't seem to make total sense. Doh.
Well, the N64 shoulder buttons (and gamecube) are much different than the shoulder buttons on the SNES. The SNES shoulder buttons were buttons, but on the N64/GC they were analog triggers.
That could've been what he meant.. it fits with the analog control stick.
My guess is Power On System Test.
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Miyamoto was probably counting on the diamond configuration to provide enough tactile feedback to know where your fingers are placed. The SNES controller was a genius of design. The introduction of L/R buttons was really intuitive, and the positioning of the 4 buttons in a diamond (like a D-pad) was so simple that people intuitively "got" which button they were over. Those four buttons were easier to use than the Genesis' 3 buttons.
It's so good that every controller after it has borrowed all of its conventions. Diamond button configuration with shoulder buttons? Cube, Xbox, PS2? Dreamcast, PS1, N64? Even though it messed up my Street Fighter playing for years, the SNES controller really was the best.
Lastly, system splash screens on modern consoles can serve multiple purposes on top of hiding disc load times (if that).
If there was the option for instant boot, would you? Splash screens can be mildly interesting... they can display gameplay hints, serve up humorous in-game advertisements, or even play their own games... but there is no reason why someone would actively want to sit and watch a static image for fifteen seconds. And until techniques improve for more dynamic background loading, that's all people are going to get.
The ______ Agenda
I'm afraid they were still digital on the N64...
-Dizzle
"I most likely AM so interested in myself."
All I'm saying is, you can't satisfy everyone, to few buttons and you limit game play, too many and inexperienced people get confused, at least at first. I'd prefer to have too many than not enough, since like I said not all buttons are required in every game (for example, tetris worlds), but in a game like Unreal, they're nice.
On a slightly off topic, everyone I know who played video games but doesn't anymore doesn't play them because they can't find games they like. IE: Gone are the 2-D Sonic games, now they have this half-baked 3-D version that's crap, IMHO.
IMO the only time a game is truely a 'pick-up and play game' is when a newbie can play the game with one hand and be able to beat the stage (though he'll probably die a couple dozen times). Atari 2600 games? A joystick and a button, you could play with one finger and chin. Turn-based games, nuff said. Tetris, Super Mario Bros (early ones), Sonic are all pick up and play games. Looking at modern ones is kinda... well strange when you look at how many buttons there are. (ALL FPSs, RTS games, any online game, even the new Sonic and Mario games.)
I also don't get as much pleasure playing online first-person shooters.
Play cooperative multiplayer games. It's much more fun.
May we never see th
You're confused. It was the Dreamcast that had analog throttle shoulder buttons, although I've only seen a handful of games that exploit that.
IMHO, the best gamepad layout is the PS2. First of all, the extra triggers are good for more complex games. Just 'cause children's gamedevs are too stupid to realize "you don't have to use all the buttons" doesn't mean that the pad shouldn't make them available to overcomplex games. Second, the dual-analog symmetry is so much nicer than the lopsided dual-analogs of the newer systems. Why are the analog sticks in different positions on the newer pads? It just works so well for so many gametypes - FPS? Leftanalog=aim, right=move, 4 triggers to jump, duck, shoot, etc. and all the old digital buttons are available for weapon switching and suchlike. Descent games even play like a dream on those. Meanwhile, playing FPS games on simpler pads results in a severe button shortage.
OTOH, the N64 pad also has wonderful features. First of all, it deserves credit for introducing the analog stick (although that one was a little rough and wore down easy). Second, the 3-prong layout allowed you to play games one-handed - something none of the newer pads allow. For simple racing games like cruis'n this was a dream.
Still, I just want people to bring back the Space Orb.
Making things simpler by adding more buttons? Anybody can play an NES game (not necessarily well) with it's 5 buttons. Try and teach somebody who has never gamed how to play just about anything these days and you spend half an hour answering "What's this button do again?". Lets see off the top of my head PS2=13 buttons, XboX=13 buttons, GameCube=10 well Nintendo is still less complicated, but 5 10 = TRUE!
Trust Your Technolust
Wasn't Will Wright speaking at that conference? Miyamoto's cool, granted, but some of the other designers are just as brilliant, if not so popular. Does 1up have transcripts of their discussions?
That's one of the things I really like about the GC, and something that not enough people recognize.
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I attended the discussion and found it very enjoyable. Mr. Yee did a good job moderating - although the questions to the panel seemed to be a bit generic and occasionally confusing to the participants. Despite the well deserved attention to Miyamoto, I felt the best responses came from Garfield. In particular, he explored his work in more "traditional" board/card games and how they translate to the video world. I enjoyed his use of math / modeling for designing games - some people may be intimidated by that connection but I thought he made a good point of having a solid understanding of rules as the base of the game design. Church gave off the vibe of a very talented artist designer. The show had a nice display of his past projects. Although he has obviously graduated to senior management, he seems like he could still relate to the actual code producers. He definitely gave the impression of a "big picture" person and a useful resource for bouncing off game ideas. The most interesting discussion was on the role of luck. Garfield clearly emphasized its importance - and this was echoed by Church. I didn't get the feeling that luck played much of a part in the world of Miyamoto games - you either make the jump or fail. Anyway, clearly an interesting issue for any designer on how to balance skill vs. chance.