Collecting Items and Breaking Boxes
So I recently came upon a block in Psychonauts. As I entered Frank’s favorite level, I found out I needed to buy something. Unfortunately, I was still lacking the correct amount of money, it cost 800, I was closer to 250. This presented a huge hurdle, as now I must stop “playing the game” and start “doing some grinding” in searching for loose change wherever it may be. I found this to be quite disappointing, as I was really enjoying the game.
But this presented a bigger problem I find in games, collecting useless items to progress through the game. I am not talking about collecting integral items, that are usually the reason for an entire level, like in Zelda, but rather having to slog through some crazy long side-quest just to get the jewel to bring to the queen, to get the letter, to get the blacksmith, to tell you to get the metal, to make the sword that is needed to beat the game. Or more importantly in this game, requiring me to find a crazy amount of money, which is annoying to find in the first place, just to continue the game. If I will need something to beat the game, it should be given to me at the appropriate time, like getting the ability to form a shield, just as I need it to beat the boss. If I need an object to progress through the game, GIVE IT TO ME, or at least make it attainable in a friendly fashion. Don’t make me spend hours searching for inconsequential money so I can FINALLY buy it, I might end up putting the game down, FOREVER!!!
This reminds me of the “Crate” syndrome in games. How do you know how bad a game is? When the first crate appears, because by then they were to lazy to figure out anything helpful to put there! I don’t think that is an actual good measure of how good a game is, as sometimes, they are there because when you go to a factory, you will see lots of crates. But requiring me to spend hours searching for coins buried in different parts of every level, just to beat a particular level? That is bad game design. I am not saying Psychonauts is bad, I have enjoyed the game thoroughly until this point, but this means the game will have to wait until I find the time to just look for coins, which doesn’t look good right now.
So what does this teach us as game designers? If you want your player to get something, lead him to it, but don’t tell him to stop playing until he collects enough random points to get it, and only then can he continue. Because he might just decide to stop playing completely.
I don’t entirely agree with the idea that items essential to progressing through a game should merely be given to the player according to when they’re needed– progress always needs to be earned, in some way, or else it’s meaningless. You’ve mentioned Zelda, which actually represents both sides of this argument in a rather interesting way. The design of a Zelda game always includes dungeons that includes areas that remain impassable until the player finds certain key items– the map, the compass, the special Hookshot/Boomerang/Bow-and-Arrows item and, of course, the keys themselves. By setting up the player to confront locked areas, the game forces you to think more creatively in navigating and exploring those areas so you can eventually find what you’re looking for and complete the level.
The reason this works it because we know what to expect. It’s like the Master Sword– yeah, you’re not actually going to be able to use the sword until you’ve beaten practically half the game or more, but at least you know it’s there all that time, just waiting for you. Items like these essentially are peak moments in the gameplay that the player knows about in advance and aims for throughout the game, allowing anticipation to build in the meantime and make the eventual experience that much richer.
Then, of course, there’s the side of item collection that doesn’t work quite as well, as you’ve pointed out, and one aspect of that is the chain-quest, which Zelda is pretty infamous for at times. The reason chain-quests can be so frustrating to outsiders of that series is principally because they don’t do what the Master Sword situation does– they don’t let you in on what you’re aiming for. Either you have to put 2 and 2 together in your head to figure out that by completing this long connect-the-dots scavenger hunt puzzle you’ll recieve some helpful item yourself, or simply complete the tasks, not ask questions and trust the serendipity of the game design that everything you’re doing, no matter how silly and time consuming, is being done for a reason. What makes the chain-quest scenario tolerable in most Zelda games is that often their ends are about acquiring some non-essential, but incredibly helpful item, like a bottle, a heart-piece or something like that. What makes them annoying is when they’re made obligatory, like the get-the-fishing-pole-to-get-the-fish-for-the-cat-to-get-the-slingshot-for-the-bees-hive-etc. chain-quest at the start of Twilight Princess.
What I find interesting about the Master Sword and Chain-Quest scenarios is that, in the end, the gameplay they feature wind up being very complimentary of two different themes– logic and faith. Acquiring the Master Sword is all about knowing in advance what you’re doing and how to do it, almost on a scientific level. The player understands full well the level of cause-and-effect that’s going into collecting smaller items to eventually claim the bigger prize. Chain-Quests, however, demand that the player have patience and do what they’re told, no matter how unimportant it might seem. The only way to continue is to maintain the belief that at the end of these seemingly random acts of kindness the benefit to the player will be worth it. In that sense, I like knowing what these gameplay experiences mean and how you can use them in an expressive manner.
Finally, however, there’s one more scenario that really seems to get people’s goats, and it’s the one that rightfully annoyed you, Oren– the Toll-Booth situation. A few days ago you mentioned that the money in GTA is like the coins in Mario, in that they’re both completely useless, but I disagree. Coins in Mario certainly aren’t essential parts of the game, but they do perform the peripheral function of providing 1-Ups throughout, making the game that much easier, especially back in the days without continues or saving. Money in GTA is different because there doesn’t seem to be much of a reason to spend it in order to buy incredibly disposable items that the player is simply encouraged to steal in the first place, anyway.
But back to the subject– Toll-Booth situations, which restrict a player’s progress in the game until satisfying some economic requirement, usually seem to express themselves in the pattern of Leveling-Up in RPG’s. Without a certain amount of strength points, hit points or mana, you won’t be able to beat certain bosses, so it behooves you to seek out lots of weaker enemies in order to gain the experience points you’ll need to take on the big baddies. The reason this scenario works pretty decently (for fans of RPG’s, anyway) is because even after all the “grinding,” progress isn’t guaranteed until you “play the game” again correctly– it doesn’t matter how many exp. points you gain, you’ve still got to beat the boss. It’s only when after the “grinding” you don’t get to “play the game” in order to advance that the experience can feel stilted and unsatisfactory. Gamers expect genuine resistance from their games, not just the bureaucratic hassles of collecting enough money to pass through.
I wasnt saying they should be given to you, rather that the search for them should be made part of the game. I think you gave the best name for my problem: The Toll Booth! I am fine with chain quests, as long as they are part of the game, and not just go here, go here, go back here, and then back here, and then repeat and rinse, but it is also needed to finish the gmae. And I love the Master Sword quests stuff, because very often the temple is built so you will not be able to continue unless you open the right door, and get find the right chest, with the tool to continue the dungeon. I am hating this Toll Booth, which is saying, you must go and get X amount of money, then buy a tool to continue playing the game. In GTA, you can play the entire game without ever puschasing a thing, also Zelda. But in Psychonauts, I am required to buy the MOST EXPENSIVE item to finish a level, and its not even the last level! I know to finish the game 100% I would need this item, but I dont want to finish the game 100%, just beating the final boss is enough. And in RPGs, you are very often able to beat the boss without your skill set maxed out, as a good gamer would probably be able to do so with a low level character. Bad gamers will probably have to go out and kill low level characters so they can beat the boss. I dont want to hunt down little coins to beat the game, I want to hunt down little coins to make the game easier. The Toll Booth is meant to limit people from going through, games should not limit, but rather lead, with some resistance. I think Toll Booths would work for Chain and Side Quests, but not the main aspect of the game.