Comments on: Good Web Site http://www.killtenrats.com/2009/11/21/good-web-site/ a group of adventurers on an epic quest Sun, 14 Mar 2010 04:47:17 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: Tim http://www.killtenrats.com/2009/11/21/good-web-site/comment-page-1/#comment-35355 Tim Sun, 22 Nov 2009 04:56:12 +0000 http://www.killtenrats.com/?p=5274#comment-35355 Bhagpuss, I couldn't disagree with you more. If you require games to have all necessary information in-game, then you're crippling the potential depth of complexity of the games in one blow. Sure, some relatively simple games can get away with it, but it's contingent on the game. If you want something more complex, then I don't think it's not at all unreasonable to have external aids. In fact, for some games, the external aids are almost *part* of the game. Think EVE ship planners, or City of Heroes character planners, or spreadsheets to keep tabs on trade routes in X3. I'd even go as far as to suggest developers should be releasing these aids themselves rather than relying on an altruistic community to do so. In-game or out, they'd add to the experience. And talking of 'old school', remember when games came with real manuals that actually told you how to play the game (my Falcon 4.0 manual is still on my shelf as a reminder of what we have lost)? I think your approach is very much 'new school'. Bhagpuss, I couldn’t disagree with you more.

If you require games to have all necessary information in-game, then you’re crippling the potential depth of complexity of the games in one blow.

Sure, some relatively simple games can get away with it, but it’s contingent on the game. If you want something more complex, then I don’t think it’s not at all unreasonable to have external aids.

In fact, for some games, the external aids are almost *part* of the game. Think EVE ship planners, or City of Heroes character planners, or spreadsheets to keep tabs on trade routes in X3.

I’d even go as far as to suggest developers should be releasing these aids themselves rather than relying on an altruistic community to do so. In-game or out, they’d add to the experience.

And talking of ‘old school’, remember when games came with real manuals that actually told you how to play the game (my Falcon 4.0 manual is still on my shelf as a reminder of what we have lost)? I think your approach is very much ‘new school’.

]]> By: Bhagpuss http://www.killtenrats.com/2009/11/21/good-web-site/comment-page-1/#comment-35353 Bhagpuss Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:18:56 +0000 http://www.killtenrats.com/?p=5274#comment-35353 I'm still of the old school opinion that you should never need to go outside the game world for information. The more detailed websites become, especially official ones, the less time one spends playing the game and the more researching it. I think this is a lost cause now, though. Even niche sandbox games are integrating wiki-type websites into the game. I try not to use them unless I am actually stuck. The less I know about what I'm doing, the more I tend to enjoy it. I’m still of the old school opinion that you should never need to go outside the game world for information. The more detailed websites become, especially official ones, the less time one spends playing the game and the more researching it. I think this is a lost cause now, though. Even niche sandbox games are integrating wiki-type websites into the game.

I try not to use them unless I am actually stuck. The less I know about what I’m doing, the more I tend to enjoy it.

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