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Traversal in video games thread:
Moving around in video games has always been a very interesting topic It's a major part in a lot of open world and battle royale games and it's where players spend a vast part of their time. And yet, it ranges from being fun to really boring
Moving around in video games has always been a very interesting topic It's a major part in a lot of open world and battle royale games and it's where players spend a vast part of their time. And yet, it ranges from being fun to really boring
Let's start with something a bit more traditional. A game like Witcher 3 or Ocarina of Time. Most of your playtime is spent walking around for quests, or on your horse. For me, the nature of going back and forth to start and finish a quest gets stale over time.
The fun you derive from galloping for hours can be found in the environment and the surprises aa long the way. Whether it's a side quest that completely catches you off guard or someone that absolutely needs you to catch all their chicken in exactly 30 seconds or else...
Some of the criticisms I've heard of Red Dead 2 for example include the long travel times from point A to Point B. While this may not be a problem for some, I understand why it might get boring over time.
For me personally, going back and forth on a single method of transportation with nothing really happening for long stretches is very unappealing. I would always rather have the option to skip if I wanted to but that encourages you not to, rewards if you don't, and surprises you
Again, for me personally, after completing The Witcher 3, I found myself enjoying the story and dreading anytime I needed to get to a waypoint to fast travel or going by boat or on a horse to get a quest then all the way back to report back.
I do want to give some props to the games that took traversal to the next level. Breath of The Wild evolved the Legend of Zelda series in ways that make it hard to go back. Gliding, shield skiing, horse back riding, climbing any surface. Turning the world into your playground
The game invites you to explore, to try new things that otherwise would not be allowed in previous iterations. It's this freedom of traversal (in any direction) with a blend of surprises a long the way that gives Breath of The Wild it's unique identity. Bravo
Spiderman from @insomniacgames is another great example of joyful traversal. That first scene when you gain control of Spiderman is utter bliss and moving around the city the highlight of the game for me. For me, this traversal makes up for the repetitive combat sequences.
Another great and underrated entry from @insomniacgames is Sunset Overdrive. I don't feel like a lot of people got to try this game out (understandably so). The main selling point apart from the flashiest of colors is just how wacky the traversal is. You are rewarded for the cool
@RocksteadyGames evolved the Batman Arkham series in many ways including combat and the world's size. A challenge in having a bigger map is risking the player getting bored moving around.
Arkham Asylum was relatively short and small compared to what we are use to today.
Arkham Asylum was relatively short and small compared to what we are use to today.
Arkham City opened up the series to a bigger map, new characters (Catwoman), and more traversal options(dive + glide)
Arkham Knight took all the learnings of the past and needed to evolve so it got you going faster and generally tried to make you feel like a bad ass by doing this
Arkham Knight took all the learnings of the past and needed to evolve so it got you going faster and generally tried to make you feel like a bad ass by doing this
Other games say screw it. Go and have some fun. GTA wants you to drive as many vehicles and park a helicopter in the middle of the street. Or why bother parking? Just jump off whenever.
@justcause takes all of that to the next level and purposely keeps living in the absurd
@justcause takes all of that to the next level and purposely keeps living in the absurd
One of the biggest draws for me was @PlayApex's movement. I'm not particularly a huge battle royale person compared to many out there. I played a lot of @PUBG and some @FortniteGame and found moving around the large map to be slow and boring.
As a fan of Titanfall, I found myself enjoying sliding across the map and using these moves during combat. No fall damage brought an interesting mix to the genre as well. It's a personal preference of mine to have moving around to be fun especially if I'm doing so much of it
A game that challenged itself and made its sequel a GOTY contender is Doom Eternal. I was someone that hated Doom 2016. I found it very repetitive as a corridor clearing simulation so I was hesitant in playing its sequel. I am SO glad I did.
Doom Eternal feels like a dance routine. You fail (die), then try again till you have orchestrated a beautiful ballet of a bloodbath as jump, dash, and platform your way around the environment. This was a fantastic way to evolve the series while staying true to its core.
To end this thread, I want to emphasize the importance of traversal with no other than a master, Mario (especially 3D Mario games.
Starting with Mario 64, 3D Mario games have always been about getting to the end point in clever and creative ways.
Starting with Mario 64, 3D Mario games have always been about getting to the end point in clever and creative ways.
Mario 64 introduced us to the playground, got us sliding, crouch jumping, ground pounding
Mario Galaxy turned us into bees, a spring, a spin drill, Elsa and turned gravity into a toy.
Mario Odyssey's Cappy gave us so many moves and control over Mario and every character we know!
Mario Galaxy turned us into bees, a spring, a spin drill, Elsa and turned gravity into a toy.
Mario Odyssey's Cappy gave us so many moves and control over Mario and every character we know!
My hope is to see more games turn the act of moving around to be more fun. If I am expected to spend the majority of my time exploring your environment, we should then think about how we can make going around more fun.
There are so many other games that took risks in how you move around the environment. Here are some that pop to mind:
Dishonored
Dying Light
Infamous
Mirror's Edge
Whether these games are fun for you or not is another topic. They took risks and offered something different.
Dishonored
Dying Light
Infamous
Mirror's Edge
Whether these games are fun for you or not is another topic. They took risks and offered something different.
Again it's a personal preference that you may or may not agree with but either way, would love to hear your thoughts. Disregarding stories and graphics, which games had the most fun traversal for you?
Have you gotten bored moving around in games?
Have you gotten bored moving around in games?
An afterthought tweet but I wanted to share an experience with @assassinscreed. The jump from AC1 to AC2 was huge. It offered a level of freedom in parkour that has left a mark on gaming to this very day. Almost everyone I know has memories of seeing that game evolve.
The other time AC was applauded was for AC Black Flag and the introduction of ships which expanded how you travel (and combat!)
I dropped off from the series but I always felt like AC never evolved it's traversal. Am I wrong? Have the new AC games evolved the traversal?
I dropped off from the series but I always felt like AC never evolved it's traversal. Am I wrong? Have the new AC games evolved the traversal?
