tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542773327630613295.post5283420912351378068..comments2020-05-11T19:30:14.785-07:00Comments on Above 49: Watch Me PlayNels Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06484436433023780229noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542773327630613295.post-43705947999555203702010-08-02T15:25:26.300-07:002010-08-02T15:25:26.300-07:00@Alli893 Yeah, Heavy Rain is definitely something ...@Alli893 Yeah, <i>Heavy Rain</i> is definitely something that would satisfy to play with other folks watching. It kind of comes from the lineage of adventure games in that respect. Not to auto-pimp, but I wrote something for our website about how we tried to setup the co-op in <i>DeathSpank</i> to provide a <a href="http://www.deathspank.com/archives/1054" rel="nofollow">similar experience</a>.Nels Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06484436433023780229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542773327630613295.post-8703392271333763552010-08-01T20:22:05.576-07:002010-08-01T20:22:05.576-07:00A recent game that had a bunch of my friends entra...A recent game that had a bunch of my friends entranced was Heavy Rain. You could say it was like watching a movie, but even better! <br /><br />For example, typical thing you hear people shouting at horror movies: "Don't open the door!" Saying this changes nothing. With Heavy Rain, however, my friends could grant these outbursts of advice that may persuade me to choose a different course of action. Also the story was enticing enough to keep my friends wanting more.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02875585004489805891noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542773327630613295.post-49111801501053812532010-07-11T11:57:34.747-07:002010-07-11T11:57:34.747-07:00@Codicier Ah ha, very interesting. I had a similar...@Codicier Ah ha, very interesting. I had a similar experience in undergrad with some friends playing <i>Burnout 3</i>. Just taking turns in the crash mode, shouting whenever someone pulled off the seemingly impossible, was a blast. The rounds being relatively quick and easy to switch (<i>GTA</i>'s sandbox works similarly, I think) probably factored into this quite a bit.Nels Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06484436433023780229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542773327630613295.post-43613875135156569302010-07-10T15:00:51.249-07:002010-07-10T15:00:51.249-07:00I think my most vivid memory of this sort of exper...I think my most vivid memory of this sort of experience was of playing GTAc3 tag team style back in uni.<br /><br />It would often be 2-3 of us sitting around shouting instructions at each other (being back seat virtual drivers), cheering whenever someone pulled off a stunt, and groaning/laughing whenever they crashed.<br /><br />GTA 3 seems to fit allot of what you were saying, it was easy to follow what was going on, and there was clear on screen feedback on what was going on.<br /><br />But i think perhaps the most important thing about GTA 3 was its sandbox nature allowed the spectators to participate in a way by egging on the player.<br />'bet you can't jump that'<br />'come on you've got the rocket launcher its time to blow s*** up!'<br />I can't think of any games of the top of my head which allow players to set on the fly objectives for others in co-op but id be interested to know how successful it would be.<br /><br />Anyways thanks for the nice thought provoking post.Codicierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07322218283832454858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542773327630613295.post-73474189856652898712010-07-06T15:07:23.372-07:002010-07-06T15:07:23.372-07:00@Gerard Ah yes, definitely. As Graham notes, an in...@Gerard Ah yes, definitely. As Graham notes, an interesting look (in the literal sense) is definitely important. <i>Rez</i> has that for sure, and the upcoming <a href="http://www.shadegrowngames.com/2010/05/planck_v1_playtest_one_trailer.html" rel="nofollow"><i>Planck</i></a> has the potential for the same.<br /><br />@Graham As noted above, visuals are huge. Thanks for noting that glaringly obvious omission ;)<br /><br />The strategy games "single controller co-op" is a valid point for sure. I guess the difference between that and puzzles games is just a matter of degree. Watching someone play <i>Braid</i> for 30 seconds yields more than enough knowledge to be able to contribute in single controller co-op. It would take a lot more observation time to be able to do the same with <i>Alpha Centauri</i>. That's the only difference though. It's definitely possible for the same to emerge in more complex games, it just takes longer unless both players start together.Nels Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06484436433023780229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542773327630613295.post-55381843852253400702010-07-06T11:57:38.159-07:002010-07-06T11:57:38.159-07:00You missed one very large point here, Nels: Is the...You missed one very large point here, Nels: Is the game beautiful/nice to look at! It's not specifically gameplay, but it is an aspect of the nature of the game...<br /><br />I'm also going to take issue with your first point under 3) regarding strategy games, for the exact same reasons you laud puzzle games.<br /><br />A <i>silent</i> observer to either of these genres will be frustrated watching the player do 'something stupid'. But both puzzle games and strategy games give the opportunity for "single controller co-op". RPGs, with their heavy emphasis on story and decision making, also share this trait.Grahamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12771517859179737385noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542773327630613295.post-2388152010197603552010-07-06T07:58:02.404-07:002010-07-06T07:58:02.404-07:00A recent game that I have non-players observing ha...A recent game that I have non-players observing has been Rez HD. I have found that the observability of the game lies largely in the fact it looks unlike most games and it provides enjoyment from the synchronization of the visual effects and player actions with the accompanying music tracks. <br /><br />Whilst my experience did not involve this feature Rez HD also has the option of enabling rumble on non-player controllers. This is an interesting way of using haptic feedback to further involve a non-player in the on screen actionGerard Delaneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13891069630730330212noreply@blogger.com