Fallout did this. It was long time ago. Perk system. By now every developer should realize that +5% percent to speed/damage/evade is pretty bad design. It does not give you new opportunities immediately. And FTL devs realize it too. Although they use 1.5x, 2x modifiers but not +5%. 2x is more noticable. Player should have feedback when he does something. Actions without feedback should not be in the game. FTL devs know this and that's why FTL is so good:). Although there are some strange things - like you need to invest two points to get one shield. They probably used "1 point = 1 shield" mechanic at first but then balanced it to make the game harder.
Another space game does not get it - SPAZ(space pirates and zombies). It gives you a lot of +X% choices that does not feel like choices. More like filler to make it RPG. From code standpoint I totally understand them though:). It is much easier to implement in code shields as a function of level: "shield_power = 100*getModifierForLevel(5);". But it's bad design. I cannot understand why you need this in single player game nowadays. It feels kind of appropriate for mmorpg because mmorpgs are designed to take your time away while giving you minimum content in terms of mechanics.
As a kid I loved to play rpgs with a lot of stats. So called old school rpgs like wizardry series, infinity engine games(not so oldschool but the concept applies). I always imagined that when I upgraded a stat something special happened because I did not know anything about game programming and design in general(in other words it worked because I was stupid). The only reason I can think of to implement this raw stat mechanic in a game is to make player go through the same repetition loop time and again. I need to think that player loves this shit and will stick around in this world for other things like story and beautiful esthetic. So it works for games like Darksiders 2 which looks gorgeous and has original story. But now I always ask myself: why you need me to play this, do you have some lesson about life in this?
Intimate relationship with characters helps too(e.g. Final Fantasy; The game gives you a chance to be a hero around girls which stimulates brain and at the same time gives you this tool to prove yourself capable - combat; You feel close to life's reproduction cycle and satisfy your brain's evolutional need to solve problems - occasional fights). Now I think that if you like a game system so much you can make another playthrough to experience it again. Make FF shorter and to the point, make not only alternative endings but alternative paths/love stories. Make combat sequences less frequent but a lot more strategic. 10 hour game instead of 30 hour game but with good replayability. Make games sort of like life simulations. They say that books can teach you different life situations? Games can too. But games can also make you think back and say: but what if I made another choice, how things would turn out?
I honestly cannot think of a good reason to play stat based games anymore. I think stat based mechanics should be replaced by "low, medium, high" or similar mechanic. When you know that to be able to wield this sword you need high strength. To get high strength you need to kill that monster. Killing it is hard and requires a lot of skill. Killing easier monsters many times does not get you high strength because it does not provide a challenge for character. Can you make long games with this kind of mechanic? You can but it's harder(it requires original content). But is your intention to make a long game or to make a good game?
Some games almost get it. For example Dark Souls. This game can be completed on level 1. Why do you need stat system in game that can be completed without stats? It feels like they have this awesome design team that realize it and at the same time do not want to experiment too much because stat system proved itself through the years. They could make something like this: to be able to wield greatswords you need to complete Blighttown without dying. Doing so can upgrade your strength from medium to high. Greatswords require a lot of skill to handle them properly so it seems appropriate. It sounds like achievement. Well it is achivement. Achievements in core mechanic of the game. They are not like achievements that we know now which are made to make a game more appealing on Steam after the development was completed.
to be continued...
Another space game does not get it - SPAZ(space pirates and zombies). It gives you a lot of +X% choices that does not feel like choices. More like filler to make it RPG. From code standpoint I totally understand them though:). It is much easier to implement in code shields as a function of level: "shield_power = 100*getModifierForLevel(5);". But it's bad design. I cannot understand why you need this in single player game nowadays. It feels kind of appropriate for mmorpg because mmorpgs are designed to take your time away while giving you minimum content in terms of mechanics.
As a kid I loved to play rpgs with a lot of stats. So called old school rpgs like wizardry series, infinity engine games(not so oldschool but the concept applies). I always imagined that when I upgraded a stat something special happened because I did not know anything about game programming and design in general(in other words it worked because I was stupid). The only reason I can think of to implement this raw stat mechanic in a game is to make player go through the same repetition loop time and again. I need to think that player loves this shit and will stick around in this world for other things like story and beautiful esthetic. So it works for games like Darksiders 2 which looks gorgeous and has original story. But now I always ask myself: why you need me to play this, do you have some lesson about life in this?
Intimate relationship with characters helps too(e.g. Final Fantasy; The game gives you a chance to be a hero around girls which stimulates brain and at the same time gives you this tool to prove yourself capable - combat; You feel close to life's reproduction cycle and satisfy your brain's evolutional need to solve problems - occasional fights). Now I think that if you like a game system so much you can make another playthrough to experience it again. Make FF shorter and to the point, make not only alternative endings but alternative paths/love stories. Make combat sequences less frequent but a lot more strategic. 10 hour game instead of 30 hour game but with good replayability. Make games sort of like life simulations. They say that books can teach you different life situations? Games can too. But games can also make you think back and say: but what if I made another choice, how things would turn out?
I honestly cannot think of a good reason to play stat based games anymore. I think stat based mechanics should be replaced by "low, medium, high" or similar mechanic. When you know that to be able to wield this sword you need high strength. To get high strength you need to kill that monster. Killing it is hard and requires a lot of skill. Killing easier monsters many times does not get you high strength because it does not provide a challenge for character. Can you make long games with this kind of mechanic? You can but it's harder(it requires original content). But is your intention to make a long game or to make a good game?
Some games almost get it. For example Dark Souls. This game can be completed on level 1. Why do you need stat system in game that can be completed without stats? It feels like they have this awesome design team that realize it and at the same time do not want to experiment too much because stat system proved itself through the years. They could make something like this: to be able to wield greatswords you need to complete Blighttown without dying. Doing so can upgrade your strength from medium to high. Greatswords require a lot of skill to handle them properly so it seems appropriate. It sounds like achievement. Well it is achivement. Achievements in core mechanic of the game. They are not like achievements that we know now which are made to make a game more appealing on Steam after the development was completed.
to be continued...
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