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Is overkill fun?

Discussion in 'Game Design' started by Tomnnn, Mar 22, 2015.

  1. Tomnnn

    Tomnnn

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    What is your most recent experience with overkill in gaming? Was it on the giving or receiving end? Is it fun to exhaust the rest of your resources on a single opponent?

    Most importantly for the focus of the thread: can overkill be the focus of a game?

    I tried hearthstone yesterday since it's free. I also just tested the extent of a certain basic card to see what kind of unnecessary force can be achieved. The results are interesting.

    --edit

    Also notice the 2 purple spells in hand. For non-hearthstone players - those each do 5 damage each and you start with 30 health lol.
     

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  2. AndrewGrayGames

    AndrewGrayGames

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    I'm guessing you've never played Disgaea: Hour of Darkness. ;)
     
  3. Tomnnn

    Tomnnn

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    You are correct, I have not! Is there overpowered-ness? Is it fun? Does the fun stem in part from the amount of overkill possible?
     
  4. AndrewGrayGames

    AndrewGrayGames

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    Oh yeah. In fact, I'll save you some trouble; H.C. Bailly has you covered.
     
  5. Ryiah

    Ryiah

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    It strongly depends on the mood I am in. There are times when I love being challenged and other times when I feel like just stomping all over the opponent. Most of the time I prefer to be evenly matched though.
     
  6. Tomnnn

    Tomnnn

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    Well, consider the image I attached. What if it's an option that you can build up to? It can start fair with minimal RNG, but your effort and decisions building up to having way more force than you need to crush an already crippled opponent. Maybe starcraft would have been a better reference ;)

    I disapprove of the character outfits, but a friend of mine ran over when I pulled up the video. Seems even people I know have heard of that game.
     
  7. Kiwasi

    Kiwasi

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    Overkill is definitely a feature that's fun from time to time. In life we have real problems that are bigger then us. Its nice in our fantasy escapes to be able to just kill everything from time to time. Rancor Rampage is probably my favourite example of overkill. Its nice to be able to take out a walker with one hand.
     
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  8. Tomnnn

    Tomnnn

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    @BoredMormon Do you prefer physical or mental power in a fantasy setting? Would you prefer to be a giant (like rancor rampage) or a wizard who could flood the whole planet or cause fire to rain from the sky (like some bible passages lol)?
     
  9. DizzyTornado

    DizzyTornado

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    I think overkill is fun in silly games like Goat Simulator, or games that have user made levels like in Far Cry 4. It's just some kind of strange feeling of achievement when you feel stronger than everything around you. Here's what I mean:
     
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  10. Kiwasi

    Kiwasi

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    I tend to go for physical power when I'm after these power trips. Assassin's Creed and Halo are a couple of my other go to overkill games.

    If I was going to get all psychoanalysis I say it's because in real life I lack physical power, but have an abundance of mental power. I certainly enjoy games that make heavy use of my superior intellect, and spend most of my play time on heavier thinking games. But when it comes to pure escapism after a hard day I'll go for just killing things.

    Disclaimer: I'm not a psychologist and am making no claims my analysis bears any resemblance to my actual mental state.
     
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  11. Tomnnn

    Tomnnn

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    Makes sense. The explanation doesn't need to be perfect if you know it's what you enjoy :D I guess my last question would be... would your character of choice be a giant with large but relative strength or human sized with super strength?

    I'm sure that's a more desirable fantasy for some since it's a little more realistic. The scenario is a little unrealistic at times, but the power comes from weapons that do exist. It's almost like roleplaying rambo, haha.
     
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  12. DizzyTornado

    DizzyTornado

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    It depends really on the mood of your game, personally I'd prefer if it was human sized, since people can relate to your character more, and you have more choice for personality/humor. A great example of this is Saints Row: IV. I loved that game, it was just so fun to go around with a hovercraft and Dubstep gun and destroying anything that gets in my way!
     
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  13. Kiwasi

    Kiwasi

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    Hmmm. I haven't actually seen many well done giant games. I did mention Rancor Rampage, but that is still a motion capture game, and suffers from all of the associated technology issues.

    So yeah, I'm going to have to go with human sized but super powered.
     
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  14. Tomnnn

    Tomnnn

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    Maybe that would have been a good poll question haha. I'd also go with human sized in just about all cases as well. I think a proper avatar game would have lots of room for motion controls & fun overpowered gameplay. Motion controls recognize your combat stance, then you fling your arm across your body and a wave of earth rises in a long diagonal line several meters high! Or every punch is followed by a little burst of flames. Stuff like that :p

    I prefer stamina over other forms of limits, like mana / energy. Stamina sounds like something more universal that magic and strength based characters can share.