Repetition

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gamecreator
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Repetition

#1 Post by gamecreator » Tue May 29, 2007 7:51 pm

I was reading a QfGII thread just now and noticed how much time and effort people put into repetitive tasks.  "Welcome to the gaming world" you say?  True.  But there's got to be a better way to some things.

Take maxing out your throwing skill.  You can pick up a few tons of rocks and start clicking for the next 10 minutes but is that fun?  Does that make you feel like you've accomplished something?  Yes, there is something to seeing that red number slowly get higher and higher but (and maybe it's my "old" age talking) this seems less and less appealing to me.  So, is there a better way?

I'm sure others have thought of this but how about a practice skill option?  So, once you threw 10 rocks or so, an option comes up that says "Practice this skill?"  Yes/No.  If you click Yes then it'll ask you "For how long?" and you could choose.  Until your stamina is X.  Or, for the hardcore, until your health is X.  And either it would let you type in a number, or a percent or maybe it would go in quarterly increments.  Then it would do it for you with a fade out at the start then a fade in effect at the end (with the long middle skipped).  Much the same with climbing.  And magic.  And maybe this could be done with fighting skills as well.

So, would this take away or add to the gaming experience?  Remember, you could still answer No to the first question and keep chucking rocks to your heart's content, if that's what you like.  Or, any other ideas to make something like this less tedious?

Erpy
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#2 Post by Erpy » Tue May 29, 2007 9:37 pm

Take maxing out your throwing skill.  You can pick up a few tons of rocks and start clicking for the next 10 minutes but is that fun?  Does that make you feel like you've accomplished something?  Yes, there is something to seeing that red number slowly get higher and higher but (and maybe it's my "old" age talking) this seems less and less appealing to me.  So, is there a better way?
There is. It involves telling one's ego that a number is just a number and that a throwing skill of 110 is also enough to succesfully complete the game, even if it makes you feel less of an über-player.
I'm sure others have thought of this but how about a practice skill option?  So, once you threw 10 rocks or so, an option comes up that says "Practice this skill?"  Yes/No.  If you click Yes then it'll ask you "For how long?" and you could choose.  Until your stamina is X.  Or, for the hardcore, until your health is X.  And either it would let you type in a number, or a percent or maybe it would go in quarterly increments.  Then it would do it for you with a fade out at the start then a fade in effect at the end (with the long middle skipped).  Much the same with climbing.  And magic.  And maybe this could be done with fighting skills as well.
The problem is you're taking away the very essence of gaining stats in RPG's. To me, this feels like a "blue frog"-cheat with some stamina cost. (which doesn't compensate for the time you win with it)
So, would this take away or add to the gaming experience?  Remember, you could still answer No to the first question and keep chucking rocks to your heart's content, if that's what you like.  Or, any other ideas to make something like this less tedious?
The only idea I'd support is simply calibrate stat improvement so the skill doesn't get raised TOO slowly. To me, a perfect stat or a maximum level has to be the fruit of hours upon hours of labor in order to feel good. Using an auto-pilot feature to max out your stats feels like wanting your cake and eat it too.

Nobody says you HAVE to max out your stats. You can beat the game with only minimal advancements. In lots of console RPG's, you need to play like 30 hours or more extra in order to get your character(s) fully maxed out. Compared to most RPG-games I've played, maxing things out in QFG is quick and easy. If you want to beat the game without tedium, play through it and only practice skills when it's required to proceed. If you want to milk the stat system for everything it's got, tedium is a reasonable price to pay.

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gamecreator
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#3 Post by gamecreator » Thu May 31, 2007 7:44 pm

tedium is a reasonable price to pay
Exactly the part I disagree with.  It's hard for me to understand a game designed, even in small part, for tedium (you know, the very opposite of fun).  Doesn't that defeat the very purpose of a game?

To me the ideal (but unrealistic) solution would be to have a Quest for Glory that takes 200 hours to complete and all of your skills are practiced on the way, as part of the puzzle solving/adventure.  With that in mind, it would take you little time to help out your skills so that you're maxed out at the end.  In short, it's the gameplay that mostly maxes out your skills, not the monotony.  But again, since that's not realistic, any other suggestions?

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#4 Post by Erpy » Thu May 31, 2007 8:28 pm

Again, raising your stats isn't necessarily tedious...raising them way past the point required to finish the game can be. If a throwing skill of 190 was required to beat the game, I'd say that was a major design flaw, seeing as it takes a long time to get to that point. I don't advocate stat growth to go as slowly as throwing takes in QFG2...I'd support slightly faster stat growth as a solution. But I don't think normal game play or a a wee game hour of practice should get you anywhere near maxed stats either.

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