[General Discussion] Overused Gaming Conventions

What irritates you about games that you see all the time? Perhaps it's one too many barrels. Or maybe it's the overuse of bump mapping.

For me, it's fucking rag doll physics. It does not look realistic in the slightest and actually becomes comical in many ways. I know it's easier to do that than to animate every concievable death keel, it's still overused and I HATE IT!

How ya doing, buddy?

I think FPS's in general. I'm a hardcore Counter Strike: Source player and on occasion BF2 but I'm just tired of them. You don't get much of anything new. Although there is one I'm highly excited for and that's Huxley.

Oh, another big peeve is the overuse of "However" or "Ya know" in anime or games. God that annoys me!!

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I've gotten pretty tired of the way none of the female characters in RPGs wear proper armor. I mean sure, I like the female form and a bit of cleavage never hurt, but it's just so incredibly DEPRESSING that even after decades, designers still can't get over themselves and devise some proper protective gear for characters who are supposed to be engaged in combat for 90% of the game. Why make chestplates shaped like breasts? Battle armor can be attractive looking without a massive hole for cleavage or a two inch long skirt. WHY WOULD THEY EVEN WEAR A SKIRT IN FUCKING COMBAT? It's more offputting and insulting of gamer intelligence to see it constantly used in the wrong context.

But then this applies to every unconventional "combat gear" in any game, movie or anime.

I've also gotten tired of flimsy doors which prevent superpowered and heavily armed characters from advancing. It is a ridiculously crude device on its own, but if you really have to use it, at least bother making it a steel door, or one made of titanium with the most powerful lock the hero has ever seen or something similar.
Just once it would be nice to be able to kick in flimsier locked doors in games that aren't first-person shooters.. Or maybe a game where none of the doors are locked.

A third incredibly outdated, abused and embarrassing structure design is the arbitrary witholding of information or necessary inventory that is mostly present in RPGs, but has also leaked into most other genres as well.

A typical situation is that you arrive to a town and you are told to go talk to some person as you need some piece of information or perhaps some device to continue your journey. This person only agrees to give this necessary information or device once you have done something for them, which usually involves a long treck to another location where you will probably need to do more favors for more people before you are able to return.

If the character extorting you is a greedy, influential, sly crimeboss who has a habit of putting his own interests before others', the idea is somewhat more plausible than when a character who is supposed to help you save the world asks you travel to a distant cave to bring back a ring he left there and seems too lazy to go get it on his own.

The problem is not the witholding itself, it's the way most games present themselves. Designers need to consider whether the character, within the context of their personality and their standing in the game's narrative, would stand for such ordering (and how much this would piss the player off), and whether the character giving the orders actually have any kind of proper motivation to do so, other than just to slow proceeding down.
Military based games support the order following very well if the character is supposed to be a trained soldier, but in more relaxed environments it's just not that plausible.

If a person is said to be the only person in the world who can save the universe from destruction, you'd think people would try to help him as best as they can by providing equipment, useful advice etc, instead of asking favors and preventing him from reaching his goal.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Bullet Time.

I mean really, how many times do we need to see that now? I wouldn't mind it if more games actually used it in some kind of clever way (lol, Viewtiful Joe, Max Payne), but now it's an overused convention and needs to be put to rest for a while.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Swearing.

Swearing doesn't make a game look good, just look at San Andreas to see what I mean. Vice City was okay, but the amount of laughable black slang mixed with swearing in San Andreas was ridiculous.

I think they need to cut this out immediately. It's okay in some situations, but not ALL THE DAMN TIME.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I have... forgotten.. the name of the game! I lost it in the back of my head as I was typing. ;_; But yeah, I remember laughing at some futuristic sports game on Xbox, which featured a load of swearing. Just that it was like the voice actors had never said the words before, so they sounded so out of place in the middle of a sentence.

"I'm going to rip your fuuuuuUUUUUUUUUuuuuuckiiiIIING head off!"

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Estensive Voice Acting. Basically, it adds little if done correctly, and greatly detracts when done poorly.

Cutscenes, specifically of the Metal Gear variety. Toothy, toothy, toothy, and the plot still sucks. What a waste of time.

FELIPE NO

E3 Expo is overused.

I hate scrolling text RPGs that flash back to your last save point. Yes I remember a half hour ago. He died? I know. I was totally there.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Camera angles.

Breath of Fire III and IV is a perfect example of this. Why, for the life of me couldn't they have a regular camera angle like other games?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

The Grand List Of Console Role Playing Game Clichés. This list summarizes a lot of the flaws with RPGs, and I figure I may as well share it in a thread about overused conventions! It's a very good read.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I would like to see more console American-style RPGs, rather than the overdone anime-style ones. I would like to be able to kick back and play a game like Baldur's Gate, Nox, Diablo II or Dungeon Siege on a console. Hoever consoles, being mainly out of Japan in the first place, are obsessed with making games that are cute and/or funny, in a Japanese frame of mind. You kind of get tired of hearing the Chocobo music and such in every Final Fantasy...

It looks like there's a nice start going on now with games like The Bard's Tale and Knights of the Old Republic, but I want more! More serious games are a must (I do love me my Devil May Cry's and my God of War), and I'd like to see more RPGs done in the same manner, without the cutesy crap.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I've always been annoyed at the aspect of turn-based battles. I don't see how that's every been acceptable as actual fighting. That in my opinion is the biggest turn-off for RPG's. Live Action, Full 3d battles please.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I think my ideal game would be to take Samurai Warriors for game play speed and style, crossbreed it with Soul Calibur 3 for boss battles, throw in a Wrestling game for character customization, and Diablo II for customizable character skills with leveling and the God of War for story style and emmersion. That would be a killer game.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Synthesis

I've always been annoyed at the aspect of turn-based battles. I don't see how that's every been acceptable as actual fighting. That in my opinion is the biggest turn-off for RPG's. Live Action, Full 3d battles please.

I would disagree with you... that is up until I played Tales of Symphonia and now have trouble going back to regular turn based RPGs.

Namco has spoiled me...

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Generic RPG storylines which are exactly like every other RPG storyline. I mean the whole fantasy/magical world thing was interesting at first, but now it seems like they aren't even trying. When I saw the intro to Tales of Phantasia and they went on to babbling about the "mother tree of mana and creation" or whatever the hell it was, it felt like they just made a frankenstein of a setting based off all the generic RPG storylines out there. I don't mind games that have a fantasy setting if they're done right, but at least put effort into making it unique or different in some way.

And DON'T introduce players to your horribly unoriginal universe with 5 minutes of scrolling text at the start of the game while panning over the world map, at least use some type of visual reference to give examples of what you're describing instead of expecting players to imagine this huge battle and the begining of the world in thier heads. Just think of Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring using text and a map of Middle Earth to describe when Sauron was defeated.

Originally Posted by Infernal Monkey

I have... forgotten.. the name of the game! I lost it in the back of my head as I was typing. ;_; But yeah, I remember laughing at some futuristic sports game on Xbox, which featured a load of swearing. Just that it was like the voice actors had never said the words before, so they sounded so out of place in the middle of a sentence.

Deathrow? I haven't played that game yet, supposedly it was pretty fun with 4 players.

FELIPE NO

Quote:

And DON'T introduce players to your horribly unoriginal universe with 5 minutes of scrolling text at the start of the game while panning over the world map, at least use some type of visual reference to give examples of what you're describing instead of expecting players to imagine this huge battle and the begining of the world in thier heads.

That hasn't even happened since mid-1995.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I'm sick of game worlds spanning several thousands square kilometers. I stopped playing San Andreas because I couldn't be arsed to drive so much around after so little.
Sure, it's impressive, but if the world isn't filled to the brim with stuff to see and do, what's the point. If I wanted to trek, I could as well turn of my PS2 and go around outside.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by a lurker

That hasn't even happened since mid-1995.

Actually, I still had Tales of Symphonia in mind when I said that. Sure, it wasn't 5 minutes long, but still a pretty boring way to start a game. Shadow of the Colossus *almost* fits that description, but at least it had a mask and moving clouds in front of the map while they described what your purpose was.

Edit: whoops, I meant Tales of Symphonia back in my original post, not Tales of Phantasia.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Arbok

I would disagree with you... that is up until I played Tales of Symphonia and now have trouble going back to regular turn based RPGs.

Same here. Once I picked up Star Ocean: The Second Story, there was virtually no going back to turn-based battles for me.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Qwarky

I've gotten pretty tired of the way none of the female characters in RPGs wear proper armor. I mean sure, I like the female form and a bit of cleavage never hurt, but it's just so incredibly DEPRESSING that even after decades, designers still can't get over themselves and devise some proper protective gear for characters who are supposed to be engaged in combat for 90% of the game. Why make chestplates shaped like breasts? Battle armor can be attractive looking without a massive hole for cleavage or a two inch long skirt. WHY WOULD THEY EVEN WEAR A SKIRT IN FUCKING COMBAT? It's more offputting and insulting of gamer intelligence to see it constantly used in the wrong context.

But then this applies to every unconventional "combat gear" in any game, movie or anime.

Ever heard of Samus Aran? Still I agree, but you know damn well that covered up girls don't sell games to teenage boys.

Originally Posted by Qwarky

A third incredibly outdated, abused and embarrassing structure design is the arbitrary witholding of information or necessary inventory that is mostly present in RPGs, but has also leaked into most other genres as well.

A typical situation is that you arrive to a town and you are told to go talk to some person as you need some piece of information or perhaps some device to continue your journey. This person only agrees to give this necessary information or device once you have done something for them, which usually involves a long treck to another location where you will probably need to do more favors for more people before you are able to return.

If the character extorting you is a greedy, influential, sly crimeboss who has a habit of putting his own interests before others', the idea is somewhat more plausible than when a character who is supposed to help you save the world asks you travel to a distant cave to bring back a ring he left there and seems too lazy to go get it on his own.

The problem is not the witholding itself, it's the way most games present themselves. Designers need to consider whether the character, within the context of their personality and their standing in the game's narrative, would stand for such ordering (and how much this would piss the player off), and whether the character giving the orders actually have any kind of proper motivation to do so, other than just to slow proceeding down.
Military based games support the order following very well if the character is supposed to be a trained soldier, but in more relaxed environments it's just not that plausible.

If a person is said to be the only person in the world who can save the universe from destruction, you'd think people would try to help him as best as they can by providing equipment, useful advice etc, instead of asking favors and preventing him from reaching his goal.

This is hilarious. I've noticed this in several games as well. Jak II had quite a bit of this running around. A lot of other games use it to introduce chances for mini-games. It's a pain when you practically forget the story of the game because you're busy running your tail off for some nut job for no specific reason.

Another MAJOR issue I have with most games is characters having to relearn ALL of their abilities. I guess it does reflect the gamers who play the games though. I was never able to retain information . . . good.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Slime monsters in RPGs. They are not cool at all. C'Mon Dragon Quest people, when are you gonne get it, putting an ugly blob on your game posters / ads / covers makes me want to puke. And not buy the game (although, if it's DQ, I end up buying it anyway).

Also, the sleep / rest music in VGs. I want to hear one that's original, quirky, memorable. Personally, I fall asleep to Canadian Indie rock, so some of that in VGs would be appreciated by me. Or something else other than sappy strings, twinkling piano, and gently harp.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by shadowlink56

Ever heard of Samus Aran? Still I agree, but you know damn well that covered up girls don't sell games to teenage boys.

Alas, for every Samus Aran, Jade and Claire, there's a dozen Time Bitches, Red Lotuses and dodgy Lara Croft copies.

They could make a compromise. Put the women in bikini on the cover, but keep them.. you know, not embarrasingly undressed in fights. But no, I'd probably not like that either. Marketing and target audience and such -_-

Quote:

This is hilarious. I've noticed this in several games as well. Jak II had quite a bit of this running around. A lot of other games use it to introduce chances for mini-games. It's a pain when you practically forget the story of the game because you're busy running your tail off for some nut job for no specific reason.

Yeah, especially the races are practically absurd.

"You came in second, you need to try again before I tell you where you need to go!"
"Why the hell are you so adamant that I win some stupid race? =/"

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

This one is kind of obscure, but I am damn sick of nuclear weaponry as a plot device. Yes, it's a serious threat, and usually something that makes for a real nice conclusion. That doesn't mean you have to use it every single time! If you play a game that's set with the protagonist fighting either terrorists or a war, it's just about guaranteed that the terrorists will probably get their hands on a nuke, or the dictator (it often tends to be a dictator, too..) of whatever nation you're at war with will have a nuke as a hold-out weapon.

FELIPE NO

Well it took awhile, but I thought of one. I hate the sudden mortality in video games during the cut scenes. For example, raiding an enemy base, taking gun shot wounds, only having your health bar be slightly effected from a nearby explosion, etc. Then suddenly you turn a corner, cut scene flashes up, and someone sneaks behind you and gives your character a good hit to the neck causing instant lights out.

I mean, I realize that for any normal person that would work, but after dealing with the previous conventions of video games, like walking off a fatal gun shot, it seems ludicrous.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Healthbars/HP. The only combat-oriented games I've played with no health bar were Bushido Blade 1 and 2. It worked very well without number-based damage.

And I'm sick of RPGs where you are out to save the world. It is so, so tiresome. Why aren't any of the heroes ever motivated by something more selfish? It seems more realistic to me.
On a related note, I am tired of villains who try to destroy/control the world.

And please, no more RPGs based on crystals. Just stop it. It worked the first few times, but God, just stop it.

Also, big-ass swords. No one can swing such a thing, and it looks ridiculous.

Props to Qwarky for the female armor crap. It is so stupid.

Jam it back in, in the dark.