What features should most (or maybe even 'all') games have?

[Sowerbot]

Ghost of Tsushima had this thing where if you had to follow an NPC to a location, They would always move a little faster than you. That way if you wanted to run at max speed to the destination, the NPC would always be one step ahead of you and you could still follow them.
You would not BELIEVE how my mind was blown when I realized this was happening. So many AAA games, especially open-world ones, have missions where you have to follow someone to somewhere and they are always. so. sloooooooow.
I think any game dev making an open world game should have this feature implemented. It's small, but it makes the pace of the game so much better, since it allows the player to control the speed.

 

[ZedClampet]

@Pifanjr and @Brian Boru

Just because you guys mentioned cutscenes, I wanted to share this snippet of a Steam user review for Iron Harvest:

One of the overdeveloped features that comes to mind is that you can rewind and fast forward cutscenes that are barely worth watching because of cringeworthy dialogues and expressions with full of cartoony clichés. The cutscenes aren't that long either so why bother? I wish they instead improved an actual gameplay.

So I found at least one person who doesn't want any more developer time spent on cutscene conveniences

 

[mainer]

Oh, and as long as I'm on my pet peevs.... Microsoft, developers, could you all please just decide on ONE PLACE on my PC to put your saves and configuration files? I don't care if it's Documents, Documents\My Games, AppLocal, or whatever, but I'm tired of playing guess-the-save-location.

I missed this one first time around, but I heartily agree that save game files should be easy to find. I never overwrite saves, and I don't like deleting them, so I usually just cut older ones and paste them to a directory on one of my storage drives.

But sometimes those locations are in some bizzaro location (at least to me). Take the game I'm currently playing, Solasta Crown of the Magister. It has only 50 game save slots, and as I was nearing that I wanted to free up some slots, but I had to Google where they actually were, which was:
C:/Users/user name/AppData/LocalLow/Tactical Adventures/Solasta/Saves

That's not very intuitive to me, it would be nice to have a unified location for saves.

That's not an option anymore. (Too many people exploiting bugs?) You can have it update normally, have it update ASAP, or have it update only when launched. Sometimes developers will put the previous versions of the game in as "beta testing" options, but that's up to the publishers/devs.

[/QUOTE]
Actually, it is still an option (in Steam) if we're talking about modded games, you just don't start the game within Steam. Using Skyrim as an example, you mark the game, "Only update this game when I launch it":

And then you never, ever, start the game from within Steam. You start from a desktop short cut:

Or, you start the game from a mod manager, like Vortex:

So I'm still on Skyrim SE without the "Anniversary Update", because I have a game state that I don't want to loose access to.

 

[ZedClampet]

Or, you start the game from a mod manager, like Nexus:

Sadly, the Satisfactory Mod Loader triggers Steam somehow. I had a few minutes this morning before work when I was going to run in and set something up for later, and it triggered a 36 MB update that managed to take about half-an-hour to complete.

 

[Zloth]

Oh, I see! Yeah, that would work. I presume you lose Steam overlay features (like screenshots) and Steam doesn't count your hours. What about achievements, @mainer?

 

[Brian Boru]

You start from a desktop short cut

Just to clarify for file system newbies: I'm pretty sure what @mainer means is starting from the game's EXE file, made easier to find via a shortcut on desktop.

 

[mainer]

Sadly, the Satisfactory Mod Loader triggers Steam somehow. I had a few minutes this morning before work when I was going to run in and set something up for later, and it triggered a 36 MB update that managed to take about half-an-hour to complete.

I have no clue there. Maybe it has something to do with how that mod manager is designed? My mod manager experience is relegated to the old Nexus Mod Manager (NMM) which is no longer supported and was replaced by Vortex, and the ME3Tweaks Mod Manager which is specific to the Mass Effect games.

I know it's too late now, but try starting from a desktop shortcut next time, and have Steam open, but minimized to the Task Bar. I can't specifically say that having Steam minimized in the Task Bar, but I have a vague memory of reading an article about that. I'll have to see if I can dig that up.

Oh, I see! Yeah, that would work. I presume you lose Steam overlay features (like screenshots) and Steam doesn't count your hours. What about achievements, @mainer?

Weirdly enough, the F12 key will still take screenshots, and hours played are also recorded. The big thing is to never, ever hit that "Play" button in Steam. And as I mentioned to @ZedClampet Steam should be minimized, at least that's how I do it. I really have to find that article that mentioned that, as I can't verify that it's a hard requirement.

Achievements, however, are disabled in Steam when you play a modded version of the game, at least in my experience. But you can re-enable them with a mod, if available. Specifically, Skyrim, Fallout 4, and Fallout New Vegas have such mods available.

I obviously can't speak for every game that can be modded, I can only go by those games that I have. I'm also talking about outside mod sources like the Nexus, not mods from the Steam Workshop sources for games that have them. I haven't used Steam Workshop mods for years, so that situation may be different.

Just to clarify for file system newbies: I'm pretty sure what @mainer means is starting from the game's EXE file, made easier to find via a shortcut on desktop.

Yeah, sorry, I should have been a bit more specific on that. One exception to that would be using Script Extenders that some games have, most notably, Skyrim. If you look at my shortcuts in the 2nd image, you'll see that the Skyrim SE short cut is linked to SKSE64, and Fallout 4 is linked to F4SE. Both of those are the Script Extender executables for those specific games.

NOTE: I made a small text edit to my previous post, replacing "Nexus" with "Vortex" which is the name of the mod manager. NOTE to SELF: Please proofread your posts, idiot.

 

[Zloth]

Weirdly enough, the F12 key will still take screenshots, and hours played are also recorded. The big thing is to never, ever hit that "Play" button in Steam. And as I mentioned to ZedClampet Steam should be minimized, at least that's how I do it. I really have to find that article that mentioned that, as I can't verify that it's a hard requirement.

That is a surprise!

I obviously can't speak for every game that can be modded, I can only go by those games that I have. I'm also talking about outside mod sources like the Nexus, not mods from the Steam Workshop sources for games that have them. I haven't used Steam Workshop mods for years, so that situation may be different.

It depends on the game. I've got a bunch of Nexus mods for Mechwarrior 5, and achievements work fine. They worked for me in Skyrim, too, back when I played it.

NOTE to SELF: Please proofread your posts, idiot.

Hey! Don't be talking to my forum buddy like that! (menacing glare and smirk)

 

[Johnway]

There are several things i would like to see in games, some we've already covered:

1. Mod support for games. Let the community enrich/fix the game they love. The elder scrolls, xcom2 et all have benefitted from having mod support. just a shame not all publishers/developers do it, probably because its one less opportunity to spin money and lets face it afraid of the competition. GTA Definitive collection I'm looking at you.

2. JRPGS - let me level up or give exp for all my characters even those who are not deployed. It would cut down on grinding and ensure that everyone is useful till the end. Hacks me off sometimes when i have 20+ characters who are just sitting around useless because i couldn't/didn't use them. Its made worse if there isn't any opportunities to grind outside of the main game.

just a few more to add:

3. A comprehensive graphics/options menu. Seriously, this should be standard for pc games, yet ported pc games still fail in this bloody regard and it comes across as incredibly lazy and inept.

4. Skip intro screens. A minor annoyance, but come on, let me press escape or any key to skip the main intros. yes, i know you made the game/publishers and frankly i don't care. Let me just start the game already!

 

[WoodenSaucer]

There are several things i would like to see in games, some we've already covered:

1. Mod support for games. Let the community enrich/fix the game they love. The elder scrolls, xcom2 et all have benefitted from having mod support. just a shame not all publishers/developers do it, probably because its one less opportunity to spin money and lets face it afraid of the competition. GTA Definitive collection I'm looking at you.

I'm torn on mod support. I agree that it does add a lot, and it extends the longevity of a game a lot. It's probably well worth it because of that. But the problem with what I've seen out of Bethesda's mod support is that it gives them an excuse to put out unfinished, buggy games, and they just expect the community to fix it for them. In fact, the latest iteration of Skyrim (the 500th version of it) is made up of mostly community developed additions. Mod support can be a crutch.

Having said that, Skyrim is my favorite game of all time, and I love Bethesda games, even if they're buggy, and it takes them forever to come out with anything new.

 

[mainer]

It depends on the game. I've got a bunch of Nexus mods for Mechwarrior 5, and achievements work fine. They worked for me in Skyrim, too, back when I played it.

I did a bit go Googling on the Steam Achievement thing, and apparently that changed back in 2020 or so. Modded games will now get achievements. I know in the past I've used mods to enable achievements, but that's no longer needed. Here's one of the sources I found from a Steam Forum:

lazyeye Jan 29, 2020 @ 1:43pm

Mods will no longer block Steam Achievements!
Hey everyone!

We've been super excited to see all the amazing mods that have been put into our workshop and also have noticed that many of them add tons of quality of life changes, like cosmetics, effects, helpful tools, and more. Originally, we made our modding system disable Steam Achievements, as we thought this would be the fairest approach for all players. However, after hearing feedback from many of you and discussing things as a team, we have decided to change this so that you can use mods and still get Steam Achievements! We will keep the leaderboards off of this change so that they can remain a fair competition.

Thank you all for your feedback thus far! We hope you're enjoying the new update. A new patch that reflects this change will come out later today along with some bug fixes. We will continue to work hard so that this update is the best it can be!
Last edited by lazyeye; Jan 29, 2020 @ 1:46pm

Having said that, Skyrim is my favorite game of all time, and I love Bethesda games, even if they're buggy, and it takes them forever to come out with anything new.

On this I have to agree, Skyrim is at the very least in the top 5 of my favorite games. Bugs and glitches in a new Bethesda RPG can sometimes reach legendary status.

 

[Johnway]

I'm torn on mod support. I agree that it does add a lot, and it extends the longevity of a game a lot. It's probably well worth it because of that. But the problem with what I've seen out of Bethesda's mod support is that it gives them an excuse to put out unfinished, buggy games, and they just expect the community to fix it for them. In fact, the latest iteration of Skyrim (the 500th version of it) is made up of mostly community developed additions. Mod support can be a crutch.

Having said that, Skyrim is my favorite game of all time, and I love Bethesda games, even if they're buggy, and it takes them forever to come out with anything new.

All valid points. i would love Bethesda to make their games more pc compliant but on the other hand its probably inevitable that a game that size would have bugs somewhere. I suppose its a clever strategy on their part if they released it in its current state hoping the modding community fixes it for practically nothing. I think its a lesser of 2 evils and a win win for everyone tbh. We get a slightly buggy game (when i played skyrim i didn't encounter any problems) and in return we get creative freedom to not only fix it but develop it further.

What i don't want to see is devs scorning their fanbase and not do anything to fix it or do a piss poor job. its like insulting/belittling your most passionate fanbase for liking your product too much whilst not giving them what they want. Again, rockstar has a lot to answer for their remastered efforts. They had the tools and resources but instead they outsource it and they in turn do a piss poor job. For a multi billion dollar company its frankly disgraceful when they consider their product "definitive".

 

[WoodenSaucer]

All valid points. i would love Bethesda to make their games more pc compliant but on the other hand its probably inevitable that a game that size would have bugs somewhere. I suppose its a clever strategy on their part if they released it in its current state hoping the modding community fixes it for practically nothing. I think its a lesser of 2 evils and a win win for everyone tbh. We get a slightly buggy game (when i played skyrim i didn't encounter any problems) and in return we get creative freedom to not only fix it but develop it further.

What i don't want to see is devs scorning their fanbase and not do anything to fix it or do a piss poor job. its like insulting/belittling your most passionate fanbase for liking your product too much whilst not giving them what they want. Again, rockstar has a lot to answer for their remastered efforts. They had the tools and resources but instead they outsource it and they in turn do a piss poor job. For a multi billion dollar company its frankly disgraceful when they consider their product "definitive".

You didn't see any bugs? When I played Skyrim SE (which should have been in great condition by that time), I once saw wooly mammoths walking around in the sky. Lol. And the facial animations were just garbage, even with the SE version. Their games are pretty buggy, especially in the beginning. But like I said, I still love them, and Skyrim is my favorite game. Bethesda does enough that is really great that it makes up for the bugs here and there.

 

[Johnway]

You didn't see any bugs? When I played Skyrim SE (which should have been in great condition by that time), I once saw wooly mammoths walking around in the sky. Lol. And the facial animations were just garbage, even with the SE version. Their games are pretty buggy, especially in the beginning. But like I said, I still love them, and Skyrim is my favorite game. Bethesda does enough that is really great that it makes up for the bugs here and there.

i got the original edition and i don't recall seeing any of that. its possible that i was running at a lower specs so i probably didn't see any of it or just took it for face value. There was of course that thing where giants would send you sky rocketing when they smashed their clubs at you and that exploit where you could put a bucket on someones head, commit a crime and no one noticed and strangely animals reported your crime, but i played mostly a law abiding character for the most part and a really stealthy criminal for dirtier deeds.

UI could have been better, but meh, i lived with it.

 

[Brian Boru]

put a bucket on someones head, commit a crime and no one noticed

Ok, now there's a feature every game should have!

Can we also have that if you walk backwards, no one sees you coming?

 

[WoodenSaucer]

UI could have been better, but meh, i lived with it.

The UI was something I really liked about Skyrim. I thought Skyrim's UI was much, much better than Oblivion's, or any other previous TES game's UI. Other than the random weird bugs here and there, my only real complaint with Skyrim was that the facial models and animations sucked. I'm really hoping TES VI is going to be a lot more modern, as far as stuff like that is concerned (if it ever actually comes out).

 

[Pifanjr]

The UI was something I really liked about Skyrim. I thought Skyrim's UI was much, much better than Oblivion's, or any other previous TES game's UI. Other than the random weird bugs here and there, my only real complaint with Skyrim was that the facial models and animations sucked. I'm really hoping TES VI is going to be a lot more modern, as far as stuff like that is concerned (if it ever actually comes out).

I also rarely had problems with the Skyrim UI. I favourited any item I would commonly use, so I only had to use the item menu occasionally.