tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504282265910698708.post9172618226848128737..comments2021-04-29T09:08:22.996-07:00Comments on Robert Walker - Software Developer: Simple Complexity (Or, Do I Really Have to Learn This?)DM21http://www.blogger.com/profile/09754761529510489725noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504282265910698708.post-59470404254221254122012-04-22T23:25:17.404-07:002012-04-22T23:25:17.404-07:00Pressing two buttons simultaneously to jump is far...Pressing two buttons simultaneously to jump is far less intuitive than pressing one button for an action you'll be using frequently. Take Resident Evil 5 for instance: when a button prompt pops up, you'll want to do a melee attack, but instead, the action ends up being your avatar picking up a nearby item off the ground in the heat of the moment. Both actions are of course mapped to the same button, and picking up an item takes precedence.P. Libnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504282265910698708.post-29066742899424134182012-04-02T19:26:34.216-07:002012-04-02T19:26:34.216-07:00Perhaps the point was missed here. I am in no way ...Perhaps the point was missed here. I am in no way stating that games of greater complexity should not exist. I am stating that it is possible and in many cases even better to not map each individual action the player can do to a different button, requiring them to explore an ever increasing area of possible button combinations before actually learning how to progress in the game.DM21https://www.blogger.com/profile/09754761529510489725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504282265910698708.post-26244249152228110822012-04-01T07:02:51.062-07:002012-04-01T07:02:51.062-07:00This is all well and good, but all your examples a...This is all well and good, but all your examples after first paragraph is of primitive console games. Sure, you have two buttons on NES controller, making it easy to learn, but are you suggesting that all games should be as easy, and tout Super Mario Bros. circa 198x as a goal ? Surely you werent coming into Fallout3 expecting it to be a simple platformer ?<br /><br />Another thing, you were only going for console games. Are you saying that complexity, like the kind you may find in Civ4, should not exist ?<br /><br />"I will quote Ernest Adams: “Bad Game Designer, No Twinkie!”"<br /><br />I'll listen to that guy when he will follow his own advices, and design a single game that's actually any good. He has a very extensive record sheet, but all of those are stinkers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504282265910698708.post-34860599952979093042012-03-29T07:38:17.335-07:002012-03-29T07:38:17.335-07:00"We have greatly increased the barrier to ent..."We have greatly increased the barrier to entry without changing the game’s mechanics"<br /><br />That's where it hits home for me. A large action vocabulary doesn't have to map 1-to-1 onto the buttons available, and there's a steep price on the learning curve for doing so.<br /><br />Well said, Rob.Sethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07287578763385804388noreply@blogger.com