Re: ::scr learning to play games

[Simon Wistow <simon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Thu, Mar 07, 2002 at 10:46:31AM +0000, Chris Heathcote said:
> I disagree. Games don't necessarily have an easy interface, but one with a
> nicely-shaped learning curve. To get better at the game, you will eventually
> have to learn more - whether it's from peers, the Internet, or even, god
> forbid, the manual.

True. Slip of the forked tongue - I meant initial interface. Or
something. 

This comes down to a definition of what the interface is - is it the
menu system, the icons or whatever in the game or how you play it.

Take Street Fighter II since you've already bought it up -

1. Menu system
Was pretty much definitive - you selected a play mode (or the option
screen). Then you selected a player from a grid of mug shots. Then you
selected an arena from a map of the world. Very easy, all clearly
highlighted and on screen hints to tell you what button to press.

2. In game actions
Only one, the start key paused and bought up a menu allowing you to
quite, tweak the options or restart. Theoretically you might have to
read the instruction manual to know this but since it was a standard
convention on 16bit consoles you probably didn't need to.

3. Game play 
6 keys (on the Snes anyway) which did high and low kick, high and low
punch and Axe kicks (iirc). This is easy to learn and has virtually know
initial barrier to the learning curve. The interesting thing is that the
special moves were not documented anywhere (for the intial version fo
the games) yet still lay on a smooth learning curve - it was easy to do
Chun Li's hurricane kick or thosuand foot kick but Ken's Dragon Punch
required a lot of practice. Yet they held a certain internal logic.
Witness : 


Chun Li's thousand foot kick :
hit kicks lots 

Chun Li's hurricane kick (where she jumped up, invreted her self and
spun across the screen, kicking everything in her path)

down (to a crouch)
up   (spring up from the crouch into a high jump, like tensing for a
      jump)
stong kick 

Ken's Dragon Punch (A very strong upper cut, almsot like a hay maker)
down+away
down
towards+away
towards
up+away
up
strong punch


Anyway, I'll shut up now since this is veering off point






-- 
: fast, cheap and out of control