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Do Gamers Want Simpler Games?
A recent GamePro article sums up a lesson that developers and publishers have been slowly learning over the last few years: gamers don't want as much from games as they say they do. Quoting:
"Conventional gaming wisdom thus far has been 'bigger, better, MORE!' It's something affirmed by the vocal minority on forums, and by the vast majority of critics that praise games for ambition and scale. The problem is, in reality its almost completely wrong. ... How do we know this? Because an increasing number of games incorporate telemetry systems that track our every action. They measure the time we play, they watch where we get stuck, and they broadcast our behavior back to the people that make the games so they can tune the experience accordingly. Every studio I've spoken to that does this, to a fault, says that many of the games they've released are far too big and far too hard for most players' behavior. As a general rule, less than five percent of a game's audience plays a title through to completion. I've had several studios tell me that their general observation is that 'more than 90 percent' of a game's audience will play it for 'just four or five hours.'"
Resolutions that work on todays pc lcd, home media setups.
A smarter AI, we have cores and more cores, RAM and broadband - make it work for the end user.
3d sound fit for a blu ray media room, not some space saving lossy best effort.
Tools to create new worlds and art with. For the fans with Macs, Windows or Linux and time to dream.
The game may only support Windows but let other OS users help, then dual boot to play.
Server options for local low ping hosts or ISP support ect.
Less DRM drama for people who paid for the game.
Get the basics in and then build world size and detail beyond a ps3 or xbox 720p smaller world size 'limits'.
Dont send legal teams after your fans. If they are not profiting from physical media sales ect, let them enjoy and add to the game community.
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
What is this social interaction of which you speak? And do I want it?