Switching game mechanics

[Ysavvryl]

Another one of those random things I think about...

If you could take a game mechanic or feature out of one game and stick it in another, what would you swap? Particular games, genres, or just any game?

The thing that made me think about this is the ability to write on maps in LoZ Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks. It is just incredibly handy. See something that you can't quite reach yet? Make a mark on the map so that you remember to check it out later. Find a hint to a puzzle elsewhere in the dungeon? Note it on the map and don't waste scrap paper if you need to stop playing for a while.

I would like to put this in other games that have large and complex maps to explore, although the fact that it relies on the DS touchscreen probably limits it. So many times I pick up a new ability and I think 'hey, I could get that thing... where was it again?'. Notes on maps are great.

In particular, I'm playing through Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, moving on to Curse of Darkness next. Those games have map markers, but I'd still prefer map notes for marking suspicious areas (or rare enemies...). I lost a marked location in LoI because I accidentally used the same color in another area of the castle. Thankfully it didn't take long to figure out where it was, but still...  

[Blademaster Banryu]

The ability to record and rewatch games that Halo Reach/4 had. Every single game with multiplayer functionality, not to mention some that aren't multiplayer (Skyrim comes to mind), NEEDS to be able to do this starting like right now. Halo showed it's possible, so there's no reason that everyone else shouldn't be letting us capture this hilarity.

...Is it sad that I think Theater mode is the biggest contribution to the growth of the industry that the Halo games have offered in recent years? I mean, I guess there's the Forge too, but... no one else does the Theater business that I know of.  

[Ysavvryl]

Blademaster Banryu

I haven't played Halo, but that sounds like a really cool feature. Being able to record awesome moments so you can prove it happened later would be great! I think it'd be cool for fighting games and some of the harder platformers.  

[Blademaster Banryu]

Ysavvryl

Blademaster Banryu

I haven't played Halo, but that sounds like a really cool feature. Being able to record awesome moments so you can prove it happened later would be great! I think it'd be cool for fighting games and some of the harder platformers.

Yeah, I definitely agree. I know Brawl did that, but its match-recording capabilities were limited to three minutes or less-- and I don't know about the rest of y'all, but all my hilarious and/or triumphant moments pretty much came at almost guaranteedly more than three minutes into a game.

But yeah, Halo has pretty much the most in-depth version of this that I've seen. You can slow a game down, pause it at any time, fly around completely throughout the map to see what's happening anywhere at any given time, AND record clips and screenshots. Everyone needs to have some form of that in their games.

The only other game I can think of that's done that, strangely, is Happy Wheels. @~@  

[Ysavvryl]

Blademaster Banryu

Ysavvryl

Blademaster Banryu

I haven't played Halo, but that sounds like a really cool feature. Being able to record awesome moments so you can prove it happened later would be great! I think it'd be cool for fighting games and some of the harder platformers.

Yeah, I definitely agree. I know Brawl did that, but its match-recording capabilities were limited to three minutes or less-- and I don't know about the rest of y'all, but all my hilarious and/or triumphant moments pretty much came at almost guaranteedly more than three minutes into a game.

But yeah, Halo has pretty much the most in-depth version of this that I've seen. You can slow a game down, pause it at any time, fly around completely throughout the map to see what's happening anywhere at any given time, AND record clips and screenshots. Everyone needs to have some form of that in their games.

The only other game I can think of that's done that, strangely, is Happy Wheels. @~@

Three minutes definitely wouldn't be long enough; the one thing I'd want to try recording in gaming would probably take half an hour or more. Halo's system sounds like it'd be loads of fun.  

[Blademaster Banryu]

Yeah, and it'd be a great help to machinima filmmakers and such too.
I remember writing on maps in Phantom Hourglass too, it'd be nice if you could do that or at least use markers or something on in-game maps. Skryim kiiiiinda has that, but I'd like to be able to do more with it.

...trying to think of other concepts that should be used in more games...