Realistic games.

[Quindiana Jones]

What do you lot think of realistic games, and can a game be too realistic?

For example, when I play shooters, I get shot a fair bit. I don't really want to die from a couple of bullets, because that game would suck. Unless I purposely put it onto a harder mode for funsies. And with driving games: I like doing mega-drifts in games like NFS and that, but I recently bought GT4 and I like it even though it's a real pain in the arse sometimes because I have to slow down to, like, 20MPH on some bends. :(

[Roto13]

I don't like realistic racing games at all. Driving a car is not fun.

[Captain Maxx Power]

Realism works well in stuff like simulations/driving games etc, but in most other genres of game you need a large overlap of unrealistic world properties for it to be anywhere near fun. Even games like the Rainbow Six series take some serious liberties with realism.

[Shoeberto]

With really realistic FPS games, it really takes a much different approach than run in shoot shoot shoot. You have to really plan ahead and move carefully. Games like Rainbow Six can be fun just as a change to the formula.

I don't think hyper-realistic driving games would be that fun, though. I don't really find many driving games all that great anyway. Pretty much just Mario Kart.

[Dreddz]

I hate the fact that all games strive to be realistic. I dont see how its actually making a game more fun. And in a way, completely going against what makes gaming so fun. Games should be more about surrealism than realism. If im playing a game identical to real life I may as well go outside and do it myself, and thats no fun.

My one exception is the Gran Turismo series

[LunarWeaver]

I'm willing to sacrifice a lot of realism for convenience. Like you said, living through some bullets is nice. I like the regenerating health bit developers love these days. Obviously in life you cannot hide for a few seconds until you're spiffy again, but I like it better than health bars. Things like limited space are ugh worthy, too. Just give me a hammerspace, I don't care if it's impossible. Even in RPGs, which aren't realistic to begin with but create rules in their universe, I prefer to click on something on a map and be taken there rather than manually wade across an ocean to the same result. I typically don't play racing games, but I imagine I'd prefer mayhem to precisely driving in a circle.

I'm willing to suspend disbelief for a smoother and more fun ride. But I'm wonky.

[Mirage]

A game is too realistic when you only get one life per purchase :p.

[ljkkjlcm9]

My favorite Racing games are definitely not realistic... like F-zero or Mario Kart

There needs to be a balance. One of the things that makes Fire Emblem so interesting and unique is that when characters die, they're dead. They don't get revived ever. Annoying, but it actually adds some challenge and makes it more fun.

In FPS games, it all depends on what you're attempting. If it's a real strategy type FPS it can be more realistic. One bullet may not kill you, but a head-shot will.

THE JACKEL

[Mirage]

While in reality, getting hit almost anywhere will do one or more of the following: Slow you down, ruin your aim, make you unable to run, faint.

[ljkkjlcm9]

While in reality, getting hit almost anywhere will do one or more of the following: Slow you down, ruin your aim, make you unable to run, faint.

you'd be surprised... especially with the flak jackets and such soldiers have today. And actually, most FPS games will have bullets push you when they hit you

THE JACKEL

[Wolf Kanno]

It depends on whats being made realistic. One shot kills and such I can understand, the driving genre has enough variety to where I feel it suits anyones taste. Fighting games... have to take some liberties cause if it was realistic it wouldn't nearly be as fun or challenging, outside of a K.O. it would always revert into a grappling match. So I have no issues.

My issues where I prefer realisim is in character psychology, I hate when characters do something out of character for dramamtic effect or worse, when something major happens and the cast acts like it wasn't a big deal. I also hate neatly tied up endings... everything is solved and everyone lives happily ever after. That seems so unrealistic to me cause it rarely happens in real life. For once, I would like to see an RPG romance that fails. Not because one of the lovers dies and the other fawns over them while living or some boring unrequited love. I mean I seriously want to see it start up and both of them just fall out of love. I need my stories to make some logical sense and to stop having fairy tale endings...

[XxSephirothxX]

I hate the fact that all games strive to be realistic. I dont see how its actually making a game more fun. And in a way, completely going against what makes gaming so fun. Games should be more about surrealism than realism. If im playing a game identical to real life I may as well go outside and do it myself, and thats no fun.

My one exception is the Gran Turismo series
All games strive to be realistic? Strange world you live in.

I don't like realistic sim games, generally. Like driving games. Not fun. For other games, realistic physics, more photorealism in graphics, things of that nature can add to the experience. It's kind of a case-by-case thing.

[Vermachtnis]

I don't care for realism. I play games to because it isn't real. I don't even care for realistic graphics. The only realism I like are characters behaviors. Like Kanno said, it'd be a nice change of pace if lovey dovey characters get bored with each other like in real life.

[Quindiana Jones]

While in reality, getting hit almost anywhere will do one or more of the following: Slow you down, ruin your aim, make you unable to run, faint.

This is quite true. An average human can take a fair amount of punishment before actually dying. It depends where you're shot, like you mentioned.

I like it in games where (I SPOKED GUD ENGLAND) you shoot someone in the knee and they drop of that leg looking all "OUCH!". That's realism I like, I don't mind the fact that they get up a few seconds later either. They're usually dead by then.

[darkchrono]

For once, I would like to see an RPG romance that fails. Not because one of the lovers dies and the other fawns over them while living or some boring unrequited love. I mean I seriously want to see it start up and both of them just fall out of love. I need my stories to make some logical sense and to stop having fairy tale endings...

The only thing with that though is that it would require time. Most rpg's are only around 40 to 50 hours long so that is not really long enough to do all the character introduction and development that is needed and also play through the ups and downs of the relationships that they may have with eachother as well.

If they do want to explore something like that they could possibly do it one of two ways. Wait to see if the game is popular enough to make a sequel and then play through the pit-falls of a failing relationship in the sequel. Or begin the first game while the relationship is already failing and just don't show how they got together and such.

There are a couple games that I can think of that did a fairly good job of showing realistic boy/girl interaction. The Xeno series (especially xenogears) and Chrono Cross (I think Kid and Serge's interaction with eachother was well mapped out).

[Wolf Kanno]

I think its possible to do a full relationship. It depends on the type of story and how important it is to the main plot. 40 or 50 hours could be enough I feel to do a whole relationship from start to finish. It would be a nice writing challenge. Otherwise I do agree the other methods would work as well. Still I want to see a broken romance.

[darkchrono]

The Xenosaga games had some interesting character interactions.

The whole Shion and Allen deal was interesting (though it wasn't about a failing relationship it was about unrequited love (which is something that isn't delved into too much in the rpg world at least as far as I have seen)).

I take that back. It was interesting until the latter half of the third game when the whole story arc just turned into cheese city.

[Markus. D]

I like how they treated Rayne's Longevity in B2.

though Rayne could fill her health up by feeding... she also died rather quick... you know, got knocked down by weapons, fell instantly to local hazards... etc.

So I guess in the right kinda game :]...

[Wolf Kanno]

The Xenosaga games had some interesting character interactions.

The whole Shion and Allen deal was interesting (though it wasn't about a failing relationship it was about unrequited love (which is something that isn't delved into too much in the rpg world at least as far as I have seen)).

I take that back. It was interesting until the latter half of the third game when the whole story arc just turned into cheese city.

Yeah, it was a damn good game until it turned into the space opera version of the "Da Vinci Code" :rolleyes2

[darkchrono]

Yeah the whole Mary Magdaline thing was a little odd.

It made me kind of think that it was a little bit of a bash at Catholicism. Taking an individual that current religion views as a bit of a sinful character and all of a sudden turning her into the most important character in future organized religion.

And the whole Shion/Allen/Kevin conversation at the end of the game made me want to just cover my ears. But until the end I thought the game was pretty good.


By the way is the game old enough now to where I can start talking about it without putting spoiler tags on?

[Wolf Kanno]

Probably not, but then again, I don't think anyone cares either. ;)

The whole story is based on Gnosticism which has its roots in early Christian history. The Christians had a debate about ealy beliefs and dogmas and when the religion split, one became the Gnostics and the other became the Catholic Church. Thats why they tie together cause they have an early history together and lot of bad blood. At least, this is my understanding of the subject. Granted, both have changed dramatically over the past 2000 years but they still have some ties.

[darkchrono]

Wow, you're right I didn't realize how much xenosaga was based off this one particular thing.

Gnosticism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnosticism#History)

And

Gnostic Gospels - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnostic_gospels)

Sounds like Gnosticism is kind of like Protestants. Where they broke off from the Catholic faith when their beliefs didn't gell.

From what I have heard is that real early on their was no 'Bible' per se set in stone. There were just many various different texts about the life of Jesus. And then they decided that they did need to set something in stone and that is when the Bible was created and the texts that were left out became known as the Gnostic Gospels.

[Heath]

I think a degree of unrealism is what makes some games fun. While some games have got pretty impressive physics engines, storylines and general gameplay, sometimes it's nice to have that bit of fantasy or madness to keep things interesting. If a game is trying to be realistic (for instance with an FPS, racing or simulation game) then naturally it's a good thing, but when playing something like Mario Kart, I'm not terribly concerned about it being realistic. I think most games are unrealistic at the end of the day, but that's because they are artificial and not real life to begin with.

[darkchrono]

For instance do you know what would happen if a football video game were totally realistic. You would have to practice for hours and hours to get to the point to where you weren't throwing ten interceptions per game.

All those die-hard online Maddeners wouldn't mind it (infact that is what they want) but for the vast majority of the people who just want to play casually that would really turn them off.