"Sequels" should unlock earlier, "Casual" later

[FifthStreet]

First let me say I love the game, having a blast playing it.

My only major gripe is that the ability to make sequels is unlocked too late, like not until 4rd or 5th generation consoles. I immediately wanted to make a sequel for my first big hit game, and I've watched some Let's Plays of GDT and everybody seems to want to do the same thing. We like to imagine ourselves creating our Final Fantasy or Ultima series, and those series started out on 1st generation consoles or earlier.

So now people just fake it by naming the game as a sequel, but then later you realize your sequels weren't really sequels because you hadn't unlocked that ability yet.

Meanwhile, "Casual" is one of the first research unlocks, but the idea of a casual game didn't really exist so early on. Some games may have been naturally more casual than others, like adventure games being more casual than flight sims or RPGs, but I don't think developers set out to purposely make a "casual" game for 1st generation consoles or earlier hardware. "Casual" gaming maybe wasn't really a thing until 7th generation consoles when the distinction between "casual" and "hardcore" gaming was more clearly defined. I think of PopCap as one of the first casual game companies, and they didn't start making games until 2000.


TL;DR: "Sequels" should be unlocked much earlier, so we can simulate our own Ultima or Final Fantasy series. "Casual" should unlock much later.

[Dorok]

The name casual appeared quite later but many games of 80's was in fact casual and could have a big success, for example some brick break game or tetris. For sequels for sure it could appear asap, perhaps in the game design the new features had to be spread more than how it worked for reality. For example MMO is one of the first genre and it was text MMO ie MUD but they keep MMO for later. In general many features appear quite later than reality like AAA games and many more.

[billy]

Definetly agree about Sequels.

Agree with Dorok that they are spread out for pacing of the gameplay , MMO's should be a lot earlier.

There have always been casual games of course but i do think a game being made focusing completely is more of a modern thing and should come later.

[nerdistmonk]

sequels shouldnt be an unlock at all, why do i need to research the concept of adding a '2' to the end of a games title? sequels would be uber important in the garage stage you only have a few ideas to use,

so if anything sequel research should be available immediate after your 1st or 2nd game.

[Mokol]

I agree, what should take the place of sequel research is DLC, expasions are for MMO only i guess even though expasions game WAY before DLC ever exsisted

Originally posted by nerdistmonk:

sequels shouldnt be an unlock at all, why do i need to research the concept of adding a '2' to the end of a games title? sequels would be uber important in the garage stage you only have a few ideas to use,

so if anything sequel research should be available immediate after your 1st or 2nd game.

[Dorok]

Sequels is a major element of video games, many indies succeed survive thanks to sequels. The game reflects this mechanism a little by creating a hype just for sequels, this to mimic that sequels makes more players curious.

I wonder what later element they could bring to the game to avoid delay other like AAA, MMO or sequels. For the last years all I could list would be a little weird:
- DLC: For me one of the worst evolution that killed a very good element, the expansions.
- F2P: Dishonest crap, it must be to make money.
- Episodes: Sort of games released as a series of DLC only, doesn't work for me.
- G2G or Early Access of Steam (same thing ie Game Together): I suppose i'm not the right generation, for me the avalanche of those false release on Steam is tedious and I don't want be at all a tester.
- Extreme sales (I remember sales since the 90's): Hard to say it's bad stuff but sometimes I wonder if it won't kill classic video games as it happened on ios. The context is different and the road to reach that state is certainly not short, but I wonder.
- Kickstarters: Ha ha I wonder how it could be implemented in the game. ok that's interesting, but I suspect many players have some illusions about this.

[x89Rockstars]

Hey just found a mod by kristof1104, https://github.com/kristof1104/CheatMod, Download it; It will let you unlock sequels earlier

[Doug_Dimmadome]

I remember my firstplay through, I had already had a long series of Fantasy/RPG games that I considered sequels... the feeling of utter disappointment when I learned sequels were unlocked.

[bermuda]

Originally posted by nerdistmonk:

sequels shouldnt be an unlock at all, why do i need to research the concept of adding a '2' to the end of a games title? sequels would be uber important in the garage stage you only have a few ideas to use,

so if anything sequel research should be available immediate after your 1st or 2nd game.

Sequels would need to be unlocked for the game to understand that you aren't going to make two different series' with the same name

[bermuda]

Originally posted by Dorok:

Sequels is a major element of video games, many indies succeed survive thanks to sequels. The game reflects this mechanism a little by creating a hype just for sequels, this to mimic that sequels makes more players curious.

I wonder what later element they could bring to the game to avoid delay other like AAA, MMO or sequels. For the last years all I could list would be a little weird:
- DLC: For me one of the worst evolution that killed a very good element, the expansions.
- F2P: Dishonest crap, it must be to make money.
- Episodes: Sort of games released as a series of DLC only, doesn't work for me.
- G2G or Early Access of Steam (same thing ie Game Together): I suppose i'm not the right generation, for me the avalanche of those false release on Steam is tedious and I don't want be at all a tester.
- Extreme sales (I remember sales since the 90's): Hard to say it's bad stuff but sometimes I wonder if it won't kill classic video games as it happened on ios. The context is different and the road to reach that state is certainly not short, but I wonder.
- Kickstarters: Ha ha I wonder how it could be implemented in the game. ok that's interesting, but I suspect many players have some illusions about this.

Some F2P games are actually really great. Consider PlanetSide 2, Soldier Front 2, and Dwarfs F2P. Those are some great things to implement so that players could have a fun time playing it. I mean, why make a game 20$ if most players have no money?

[achus93]

Originally posted by Dorok:

- DLC: For me one of the worst evolution that killed a very good element, the expansions.

expansions are still around, Blizzard and EA loves doing this, Relic of (the now defunct) THQ did it too, and Firaxis just did it a month ago
how it can be implemented: just like how the game portrays Expansion as some sort of MMO exclusivity, DLC can be the Expansion of regular games (probably just AAA games)

Originally posted by Dorok:

- F2P: Dishonest crap, it must be to make money.

i wouldn't call it that, a lot of F2P games are really good, hell Dota 2 is a freakin' steal compared to other MOBAs
how it can be implemented: dunno. maybe it adds features to diffrentiate the free game and the knick-knacks

Originally posted by Dorok:

- Episodes: Sort of games released as a series of DLC only, doesn't work for me.

now Episodic gaming is mostly dead because of DLC
how it can be implemented: gameplay wise, it won't be any different than sequels

Originally posted by Dorok:

- G2G or Early Access of Steam (same thing ie Game Together): I suppose i'm not the right generation, for me the avalanche of those false release on Steam is tedious and I don't want be at all a tester.

most of the time it's just beta testing with the public
how it can be implemented: the game's released as soon as we finish the first development stage, then we get input from the fans, then we can continue developing the game

Originally posted by Dorok:

- Kickstarters: Ha ha I wonder how it could be implemented in the game. ok that's interesting, but I suspect many players have some illusions about this.

always been 50/50 regarding kickstartes
how it can be implemented: we present the topic/genre to the public with our estimated development in each part (like so and so in engine, and this much in story/quest), and we list how much money we want

Originally posted by Dorok:

- Extreme sales (I remember sales since the 90's): Hard to say it's bad stuff but sometimes I wonder if it won't kill classic video games as it happened on ios. The context is different and the road to reach that state is certainly not short, but I wonder.

dunno what the hell this is...