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[Mephisto]

I've only ran into this once so far in a video game, but I'm sure it happens in others as well. It's more of a UX issue than any problem with the game itself.

GamesPrograms that give no indication for state changes

Start up Confrontation, which came with the latest Humble Weekly. Badly optimized (though not as bad as Saints Row 2), ugly, and not particularly fun yet, but that's beside the point.

Like in basically every other game ever, I see a graphic top and center. At the bottom are gameplay tips. In the lower right-hand corner is a loading indicator. I sat here for fifteen minutes waiting for something to happen.

Thinking the game might have hung, I jiggle the mouse (because the best way to recover from hangs is to jiggle the mouse angrily) when I am surprised to see the pointer move and the loading indicator flash. Once the game loaded, the indicator had turned into a "click me to go to the main menu" button with absolutely no indication that it was now anything but a loading indicator.

It's outside the scope of this thread, but before now I had only thought of this issue in terms of productivity apps, not games.

[BFEL]

My pet peeve?

This new thing where instead of releasing their DLC as actual fucking DLC they release it as a whole new standalone game with the rest of the game tacked on, at full price.

I'm looking at the new XCOM, but also at Dragons Dogma.

So far these are the only ones I know about, but they are doing the exact same thing.
Making the people who actually SUPPORTED THEIR GAME IN THE FIRST PLACE buy the whole thing AGAIN.
Its ridiculous and makes me wanna smack them.
Admittedly XCOM is only doing this to the console people BUT I'M ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE!
Seriously, this is just completely wrong and greedy.

Its...its....

EA EVIL

[hector13]

Could also say the same about annual releases of franchises, usually of the sports persuasion, with usually very minor changes which then get sold at the same price.

It's an unfortunate thing that some people still have the "keeping up with the Joneses" mentality and buy these things just to say they bought it at release. Evidently enough poor sods do this that the publishers don't change.

I mean EA have done it 25 years with Madden, and almost the same amount of time with the FIFA and NHL franchises. No wonder they suck ass at making other games, they can churn out their big hitters literally every year and make a bloody fortune! Why spend millions when you can half-ass something and people spend $50, complain about it and do the same thing next year?

[Graknorke]

The worst thing is that the people who buy the annual sequels usually know that it's awful, but they keep on doing it.

[darkrider2]

To quote jim sterling

As long as there's a market for it developers won't change shit

[LeoLeonardoIII]

People literally buy shit, you know. There is a market for it because there are shit producers and shit distributors and shit consumers. There is this whole shit network and people involves are happy about it because you gotta do something with that shit somehow.

I wonder if we should be at all surprised that a low quality video game gets produced, distributed, and purchased.

[Fniff]

A minor complaint.

Green lights symbolizing things that would be incredibly bad.
When you hack a turret to fire at all enemies, it goes from red to a nice friendly green. But why? Green is typically a good color, but usually being either A. surrounded by enemies or B. registering that you have been hacked is not a good situation. At least Far Cry 3's radio towers having green lights after you got rid of the jammer sort of makes sense since the red light might indicate the fact that they aren't broadcasting.

[LeoLeonardoIII]

What about a red "studio is in session" light? That means the facility is functioning.

I think the game wanted to use red/green for the player's UI rather than the UI of the object in-game for its intended users. Although if the whole game used "green is functioning and dangerous for you, red means it's not working as intended and that's good for you" most players would be able to pick up on that.

[Graknorke]

What about a red "studio is in session" light? That means the facility is functioning.

I think the game wanted to use red/green for the player's UI rather than the UI of the object in-game for its intended users. Although if the whole game used "green is functioning and dangerous for you, red means it's not working as intended and that's good for you" most players would be able to pick up on that.

Reminds me of some comment on Deus Ex:HR, essentially to the effect that the world's major security system software provider decided to put an option in the UI to let security installations fire on the building's guards.

[Neonivek]

What about a red "studio is in session" light? That means the facility is functioning.

I think the game wanted to use red/green for the player's UI rather than the UI of the object in-game for its intended users. Although if the whole game used "green is functioning and dangerous for you, red means it's not working as intended and that's good for you" most players would be able to pick up on that.

Reminds me of some comment on Deus Ex:HR, essentially to the effect that the world's major security system software provider decided to put an option in the UI to let security installations fire on the building's guards.

Yes but in that situation it makes perfect sense. Given that everyone is corrupt in Deus Ex.

[LeoLeonardoIII]

Was the UI the item's interface or was it the hacker's interface? Because I can imagine the hacking tool having the usual options plus some.

Or maybe it was a change in the Identification of Friend or Foe system, making anyone with a corporate IFF tag read as an enemy and everyone else as a neutral.

Those are usually the things I assume. Not trying to play devil's advocate or anything. Sometimes a dumb thing really is just dumb.

[Fniff]

What about a red "studio is in session" light? That means the facility is functioning.

I think the game wanted to use red/green for the player's UI rather than the UI of the object in-game for its intended users. Although if the whole game used "green is functioning and dangerous for you, red means it's not working as intended and that's good for you" most players would be able to pick up on that.

Reminds me of some comment on Deus Ex:HR, essentially to the effect that the world's major security system software provider decided to put an option in the UI to let security installations fire on the building's guards.

Yes but in that situation it makes perfect sense. Given that everyone is corrupt in Deus Ex.

Really, having your turrets have such an easily accessed and highly fatal backdoor is less corrupt and more stupid, really.

[Graknorke]

It's the same interface you get when logging in, but being able to use the turrets and robots requires a hacking augment so... yeah I have no idea really. I don't think you're supposed to consider it too hard.

[Neonivek]

It's the same interface you get when logging in, but being able to use the turrets and robots requires a hacking augment so... yeah I have no idea really. I don't think you're supposed to consider it too hard.

Well that and like most games... you are considered much better at hacking then the minigame would indicate.

Such is the same with... Lockpicking in Oblivion or Hacking in Fallout 3. It is pathetically easy to do, but storywise you are supposed to be "uber pro dude"

[kaenneth]

What about a red "studio is in session" light? That means the facility is functioning.

I think the game wanted to use red/green for the player's UI rather than the UI of the object in-game for its intended users. Although if the whole game used "green is functioning and dangerous for you, red means it's not working as intended and that's good for you" most players would be able to pick up on that.

And good luck if you are colorblind.