# Simple Bits of GREAT Game Design.



## Judge Spear (Aug 9, 2013)

Have you ever been playing a game and got to something that was rather small, but made you stop and go "Man, that sure was boner inducing bit o' game design. I think I'm gonna go to my cot to reflect on how much of a loser I am because I don't have the brainpower to think of something so vastly superior to any idea I've thought of in my worthless fucking life and never will!"?

Give or take a few words? The stuff that just feels so small, yet natural 

I was playing a Link to the Past for the 900 fuckillionth time and it hit me. These little guys are the best enemies a game could ever have.







Good ol Red Goriya. Not only an adorable fat motherfucker, but probably the most genius yet simple enemy I have ever seen in a game. And I can safely say I have literally not seen their AI style in any other game in my entire life of rotting on the couch. 

If you don't know what a Goriya is, the _Link to the Past_ iteration is essentially a mirror of Link. When YOU move, it will move in the OPPOSITE direction for as long as you hold the D-Pad down in the opposing direction. They are armored and cannot be hurt through conventional sword strikes. You must shoot them. I specify the red ones over green ones however because they will shoot an extremely painful projectile at you if they make eye contact for each step you take in their line of sight. 
So not only do you have to get them into position, you need to make sure you can do it in such a way that your ass doesn't get burned (or you can be like me and just take the hit since I'm so OG swagblazin at the game, I won't get touched the rest of the dungeon lol). Killing them unscathed requires thought and strategy and sometimes even the room could pose a problem...or an advantage if you are cunning enough to see it. But it's never annoying or even really that hard. Just enough to tease your brain at first and instantly make you think differently about your combat plan.

It's an astonishingly brilliant concept in it's uniqueness and simplicity that I cannot adequately put it into words of praise. I sincerely hope to see these guys in a 3D Zelda game only to stump me like they did as a kid, but in a much more puzzling 3D environment. Imagine the possibilties.

Another game I recommend for things simple but smart like this is a Super Nintendo game called Out of This World. That is a fantastic game.

Got anything? :3


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## Alastair Snowpaw (Aug 9, 2013)

Skullgirls infinite preventative system. basically you get 2 free chains and then you can't start any chain in a combo with a move you already used. ofcourse through patches this combo system has been made stricter but it's still the easiest combo system to understand and that's really the only rule there is. So basically if you get a certain chain to work, it will always work if both characters are in the right positions and you don't have to worry about stun decay in combos making it not link later on.


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## SirRob (Aug 10, 2013)

The puzzle in Phantom Hourglass where you had to physically close the DS to stamp your map. It's only used once, but I guess that's what makes it so memorable.


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## DerekFoxtail (Aug 10, 2013)

The intro level to Kirby: Return to Dreamland caught my attention recently. It knew there was enough to teach that it didn't want to leave the player to experiment until it was all discovered, but also didn't want to give a wall of text (or like some Kirby games, an actual video tutorial). It picked probably the least in-your-face method that manages to be a very quick way to outright tell you how to do it as well; signs in the background with simple animations that make them even easier to pick up on (e.g., the 'double tap run' sign twitching to the right in a sequence that a person would double tap in).

Also, since it just came to mind, homesickness in earthbound was a damn near perfect way to tie some more human emotions to the battle system. Even if it didn't interrupt gameplay, I feel like it would have convinced me to call home just because I felt bad that Ness was sad in battle...but then again, affecting gameplay was probably a smarter choice.


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## Midnight Gear (Aug 10, 2013)

SirRob said:


> The puzzle in Phantom Hourglass where you had to physically close the DS to stamp your map. It's only used once, but I guess that's what makes it so memorable.


Oh god why, that part was actually the hardest part in the game for me.


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## Fernin (Aug 10, 2013)

Halo's Guns, Grenades, and Melee approach to combat. Say whatever you will about Halo as a series, but it's approach to how combat was handled changed the genre forever. Now longer were grenades and melee clumsy items best forgotten in favor of just shooting dudes in the face. Oh no. Now they've become part of a trifecta of options that makes combat in FPS leagues more flexible than it had ever been. Further more it works well in any kind of FPS; from the arcadey games like Halo where you might run into a room and drill one guy with your assault rifle then crack the guy next to him in the face with your fist before hucking a grenade at the guys piling in the door before they can over whelm you, to the more realistic themed fare like Battlefield Three where the instant death of fire arms is augmented by the ability to quickly deploy grenades to flush enemies out of cover or drop in a doorway to meet pursuing enemies and the ability to stick a knife into someone who catches you during a reload if your reflexes are good enough instead of hopping around hoping you reload in time ala the day of old Counter Strike.

Another favorite is the rewind ability that's become very popular in racing games these days. Again, say what you will about catering to casuals, but scrubbing an hour long race because the AI decided to be a cunt and pit you on the last lap is infuriating beyond words.


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## Judge Spear (Aug 10, 2013)

Fernin said:


> Halo's Guns, Grenades, and Melee approach to combat. Say whatever you will about Halo as a series, but it's approach to how combat was handled changed the genre forever. Now longer were grenades and melee clumsy items best forgotten in favor of just shooting dudes in the face. Oh no. Now they've become part of a trifecta of options that makes combat in FPS leagues more flexible than it had ever been. Further more it works well in any kind of FPS; from the arcadey games like Halo where you might run into a room and drill one guy with your assault rifle then crack the guy next to him in the face with your fist before hucking a grenade at the guys piling in the door before they can over whelm you, to the more realistic themed fare like Battlefield Three where the instant death of fire arms is augmented by the ability to quickly deploy grenades to flush enemies out of cover or drop in a doorway to meet pursuing enemies and the ability to stick a knife into someone who catches you during a reload if your reflexes are good enough instead of hopping around hoping you reload in time ala the day of old Counter Strike.
> 
> Another favorite is the rewind ability that's become very popular in racing games these days. Again, say what you will about catering to casuals, but scrubbing an hour long race because the AI decided to be a cunt and pit you on the last lap is infuriating beyond words.



I never thought about Halo's combat approach. I wasn't really too frequent on FPS's before that game. I only ever played the Master Three on the N64 (Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, and Turok DH). Wasn't till I got older I could afford other stuff and made other friends who had the game. I first played Halo 1 in 4th grade and liked it, but could tell what made it special. I just knew that it was.

Reflecting though, you're absolutely right. The combat is extremely fluid and dynamic _*simply*_ when you really give it thought. I've been playing these games for years. Glad someone pointed it out. 



Alastair Snowpaw said:


> Skullgirls infinite preventative system. basically you get 2 free chains and then you can't start any chain in a combo with a move you already used. ofcourse through patches this combo system has been made stricter but it's still the easiest combo system to understand and that's really the only rule there is. So basically if you get a certain chain to work, it will always work if both characters are in the right positions and you don't have to worry about stun decay in combos making it not link later on.



Speaking of fighters, I have to bring up Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom probably the only Capcom fighter I'd thoroughly enjoy outside of Darkstalkers 3. 
Baroque. Genius. 
Rather than just having a fucking fire and forget instant character break like X Factor, Baroque took skill to use and master. It could only be activated during a combo and ended when the combo was dropped. Now sure you can cancel and do it again if you know how to take advantage of it but at the expense of red health every activation so there was a sacrifice for dealing extra damage which couldn't be any more fair. It made you think about when to use it
and how to use it for your character, but it didn't bullshit the opponent like many other "hyper modes" in fighters. And even if it did, Mega Crash would end it, also sacrificing health for the opponent to use.


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## Alastair Snowpaw (Aug 10, 2013)

another skullgirls example.
In most fighting games some characters have certain moves that are grab specials, however these don't use the same buttons that are needed for a normal throw.
grab specials are done with the buttons that are the same as throwing.


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## LachneAdalbert (Aug 11, 2013)

A lot of people don't understand what I mean, but the combat system in Bayonetta flowed together to perfectly, I foamed at the mouth at how beautiful it was. The combos are so fluid and perfect.


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## Schwimmwagen (Aug 11, 2013)

Red Orchestra's weapon handling.

My yes.


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## benignBiotic (Aug 11, 2013)

There's Dark Souls the whole game.

I love when a game surprises me. You think you're safe, everything is just like normal, but suddenly something breaks the status quo. I'm playing Cave Story right now and I was in a house which seemed like a safe place where I wouldn't have to worry about enemies. Then as I'm about to leave a huge monster breaks in the door and I'm like "Woah shit, didn't expect that." Now whenever I'm in a house I'm on alert. Same with mimics in Dark Souls which come the fuck out of nowhere and you *do not forget* those creepy fuckers.


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## Judge Spear (Aug 11, 2013)

LachneAdalbert said:


> A lot of people don't understand what I mean, but the combat system in Bayonetta flowed together to perfectly, I foamed at the mouth at how beautiful it was. The combos are so fluid and perfect.



I found the weapon mixing to be brilliant as a whole. :3


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## SirRob (Aug 11, 2013)

benignBiotic said:


> I love when a game surprises me. You think you're safe, everything is just like normal, but suddenly something breaks the status quo.


You should try Cat Mario.


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## Judge Spear (Aug 11, 2013)

SirRob said:


> You should try Cat Mario.



Good ol' Syoban Action!

Game was so funny. It's easy though when you think about it. It's largely a memorization test before reflexes though some shit is smart as FUCK in that game.


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## Alastair Snowpaw (Aug 11, 2013)

another skullgirls example. lobby all play.
in an online lobby when someone selects ready a countdown starts. once the countdown is over everyone who hit ready will be randomly paired up with someone else who is ready. so no only one match going on at once and having to wait 5-6 matches if you lose one to play again.


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## Judge Spear (Aug 11, 2013)

Alastair Snowpaw said:


> another skullgirls example. lobby all play.
> in an online lobby when someone selects ready a countdown starts. once the countdown is over everyone who hit ready will be randomly paired up with someone else who is ready. so no only one match going on at once and having to wait 5-6 matches if you lose one to play again.





Alastair Snowpaw said:


> another skullgirls example.
> In most fighting games some characters have certain moves that are grab specials, however these don't use the same buttons that are needed for a normal throw.
> grab specials are done with the buttons that are the same as throwing.





Alastair Snowpaw said:


> Skullgirls infinite preventative system. basically you get 2 free chains and then you can't start any chain in a combo with a move you already used. ofcourse through patches this combo system has been made stricter but it's still the easiest combo system to understand and that's really the only rule there is. So basically if you get a certain chain to work, it will always work if both characters are in the right positions and you don't have to worry about stun decay in combos making it not link later on.



Let's just say Skullgirls is pretty damn smart. lol
And I'd agree wholeheartedly.


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## Alastair Snowpaw (Aug 11, 2013)

another example from skullgirls. the tutorial is the best tutorial in any fighting game.


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## Judge Spear (Aug 11, 2013)

I was fucking waiting for that. 

Yes. The shit. It IS.


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## TopazThunder (Aug 13, 2013)

I thought the dynamic AI of the Wind Waker enemies were awesome and gave the game that extra bit of immersion. The fact that they could lose their weapons, and not only attempt to attack you without it, but they'd also make efforts to get _another_ weapon after that, and not necessarily their _own_, even. Imagine my surprise as a teenager playing that game for the first time and I see the Darknut in front of me pick up a Moblin glaive and proceed to knock me off a platform with it. It's the little things, you know...


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## Judge Spear (Aug 13, 2013)

Wind Waker was such a deviation of the classic Zelda formula.


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## Alastair Snowpaw (Aug 13, 2013)

another skullgirls ones, though i think now at elast one other fighting game may have it. in training mode you can turn on a little hitstun bar that show how long a character is in hitstun below the character. it's a small little thing that is super amazing when figuring out what combos and how long you have to combo.


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## Judge Spear (Aug 13, 2013)

I like how they show the frames of the characters in training.


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## DarrylWolf (Aug 14, 2013)

The Hoenn region. Actually, all of the regions in any Pokemon game are worth revisiting whether you've been there before or not, but this was the first of the modern Pokemon regions. It has a maritime soundtrack with trumpets, and some of the strangest places and people you will ever see in any Pokemon game (Trick House, anyone?). And we have a waterlogged village built on logs and pontoons, a treehouse village, and an otherwise-inaccessible village built on the crater of an island volcano- no one can accuse these villages of being generic.


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## SirRob (Aug 14, 2013)

DarrylWolf said:


> Hoenn





DarrylWolf said:


> trumpets



I think this was posted in the wrong thread...


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## Judge Spear (Aug 14, 2013)

I make the same mistake sometimes. lol


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## Falaffel (Aug 14, 2013)

SirRob said:


> You should try Cat Mario.


I wanna be the guy>Cat Mario

OT: Bastion's narrator/stranger will not only tell the story but also comment on things you are doing. For example, if you go around smashing all of the scenery the narrator will say "The kid just rages for a while".

It's just a nice touch.


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## Imperial Impact (Aug 14, 2013)

DarrylWolf said:


> The Hoenn region.


What about that shitty region where a good 60% of it is water?


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## benignBiotic (Aug 15, 2013)

How about really precise and tight jump mechanics in platformers? I love digging into a new platformer and mastering the jump controls so you can fly through the stages like a bawss (boss).


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## Falaffel (Aug 15, 2013)

benignBiotic said:


> How about really precise and tight jump mechanics in platformers? I love digging into a new platformer and mastering the jump controls so you can fly through the stages like a bawss (boss).


A very recent realease, Cloudberry Kingdom, is an awesome platformer. Check it out if you'd like.


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## Alastair Snowpaw (Aug 15, 2013)

for some reason most card games have trouble or just don't allow you to mix clans, colors, factions. Swordgirls you can and there is nothing stopping you from mixing factions. also the fact literally every card has flavour text is just really good for giving the game personality.


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## septango (Aug 15, 2013)

say what you will about the dlc but I really digged the gold bars at the end of the dead money dlc for new vegas, they really make you live the feeling of the theme of that story in letting go of your greed by making them too heavy to exape the vaut within time


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## benignBiotic (Aug 17, 2013)

Sound effects when you pick up coins, rings, etc. I'm looking at you Ratchet and Clank with your orgasmic waves of gold nuts and bolts.


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## Symlus (Aug 17, 2013)

septango said:


> say what you will about the dlc but I really digged the gold bars at the end of the dead money dlc for new vegas, they really make you live the feeling of the theme of that story in letting go of your greed by making them too heavy to exape the vaut within time


I... cheated. That's all I'm gonna say about that.

On topic: Customization in car games. If you have never played Need For Speed and experienced the joy of making your car look amazing, you should go and do that.


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## Judge Spear (Aug 17, 2013)

Lev1athan said:


> I... cheated. That's all I'm gonna say about that.
> 
> On topic: Customization in car games. If you have never played Need For Speed and experienced the joy of making your car look amazing, you should go and do that.



Oh my fuck, Need for Speed World. ;w;


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## septango (Aug 17, 2013)

oh, and all the little "hidden" gags in simpsons hit and run, I love running acrost all the little jokes and animations in the world


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