To the developers: This game is great, and I’m glad I can support it. Hopefully it will become a franchise. It’s the type of game I enjoy over most any other genre, and I would gladly support its sequel if one is ever made. I hope one is made.
It’s my understanding that suggestions for improvements are being considered for this version, and new ideas are being considered for the sequel (if there is a sequel). After spending a number of hours learning the game and forming opinions about it, I have a few things to add to the pot of suggestions (or reinforce in the case of those things that have already been mentioned in other threads–there are too many to search to check for repeats, so hopefully some things are unique here).
For the Current Version:
Sequels should be handled differently-
-They should be researchable during the NES era, not later. The NES was a franchise machine, so the option to make franchises should come early in the game. It’s a little strange that hit games for the G64 can’t get a proper sequel until late in the SNES era or beyond. The first SNES Super Mario Bros. was the fourth in the series; we shouldn’t have to wait so long to make our first recognized sequel.
-Developers shouldn’t be penalized for repetitive genre and game types if they’re making a sequel following an original. They should, however, be criticized if they make too many sequels of the same game without touching on other topics, or if the scores for consecutive sequels continue to drop. “Let the series die already!” –Game Magazine
-Titles should be given the option to have subtitles, especially in the case of sequels. It’s a little annoying that the sequel to Mega Man is limited to Mega Man 2 when I want to call it Mega Man 2: Megamaniacs. (I don’t, actually, but I’d still like the option.)
Other Balance Issues-
-Why do programmers improve their speed, creativity, and so on through paid training and research points only? What ever happened to on-the-job training? Small games should yield one- or two-point increases to each character attribute and medium games (and large?—I haven’t gotten to that point if such a category exists) should give slightly higher selective attribute increases to programmers who work on a specific part of the game. Getting faster through expensive training alone is almost impossible when so much money and research is needed for advanced engine parts. Actually making a game should increase the programmers’ attributes, too.
For the Sequel (Or Expansion Pack if one is ever made):
Subcategories-
-Games really need specific categories within topics. Even though this would’ve been a better feature for the current game, it’s clearly too big of an overhaul to implement now, so it would be great to see it in the sequel. For example, the topic of “Sports” is far too broad to know exactly what we’re producing, especially if the sport changes whether it makes for a better simulation game, strategy game, or action (or RPG—why discriminate from genres?). When I pick sports, I’d like to choose between a few basics like football, baseball, etc., with the research option to discover additional sports down the road like volleyball, Olympics, and so on. Or, if I’m choosing “Fantasy,” I’d like to specify whether I’m choosing folklore, myth, book adaptation, other world, or whatever makes the most sense for that category type. Likewise, certain topics we already have in the current game could be condensed down to subcategories: for example, “Hospital” and “City” could be subcategories of “Business” rather than categories of their own (though they don’t have to be exclusive to business).
-Genres should also have subcategories. “Adventure” could have options for “text adventure,” “point-and-click adventure,” or “platform adventure.” I think it’s a little unfair that my “hospital adventure” is rated poorly because it’s “too strange.” What if I’m making a point-and-click adventure that requires the solving of puzzles and the unfolding of a mystery? There are plenty of niche settings that make great point-and-click games. Really, all of the main categories should have specific types to define them. A business game might work well as a simulation, but all the ones I like are strategy games. And we all know that strategy games can be turn-based, real-time, tower defense, and so on.
-Mixed Topics. It’s nice that we can already mix genres (action adventure, sports strategy, etc.), but it would be nicer if we could mix topics (time travel western, cyberpunk dance). Ups the creativity a little. (If we can already do this, then I haven’t discovered it yet.)
-Game Elements: Certain topics like “hospital,” “city,” and so on could be relegated as subcategories for certain types of games, but they would work better as settings for other type of games. When a decision is made on the graphics type, the developer (player) should be given the option to specify certain details about the game like setting, number of levels, and so on. Certain limitations would apply depending on the technology, of course. But a sci-fi RPG might not make any sense if there’s only one level, and the whole thing takes place in the vastness of space (and the main character is just floating around without a ship). A spaceship simulator, on the other hand, would make perfect sense in such a situation.
Here are some elements that should be considered (through research, target audience, technology, and so on):
- Number of levels. More levels may engage the player longer, but it would also extend development time. It would also frustrate the player if there is no save feature. Player should be able to manually choose the number of levels up to the system’s current limitation.
- Average length of levels. Action games with short levels (taking five to ten minutes to complete) do better to keep a player’s attention span than one that takes 40 minutes to race through. RPGs with short levels might leave the player feeling cheated.
- Number of bosses. Too many bosses and the player might get frustrated. Too few and he won’t be challenged.
- Style. Is the game realistic, cartoonish, anthropomorphic? Does it feature humans, aliens, robots, personified creatures or objects?
- Settings. Using a desert in a space simulation would be odd. Using a desert in a western action game would be appropriate. Bonus: Laying out the order of settings would also be cool, but maybe too sophisticated for a game like this (unless it’s for the player’s design benefit and not the game’s scoring feature).
- Gender. Some players pick their games according to who’s starring in it.
- Number of players. 4-player fighting games are more fun than single-player fighting games. They also take longer to design. (This could also affect AI companions and RPG party sizes.)
- The ability to name heroes, villains, princesses, goals, and whatever else. This wouldn’t affect gameplay in the slightest, but it would still make the game more fun to design (and give the game statistics a better list).
-Niche audiences and brand characters help define real life companies—Nintendo has Mario, Zelda, Metroid and so on to keep it alive; EA has its billion sports franchises keeping it fat; Maxis is basically the go-to for “sim” games—and our fake companies should have the ability to create niche markets and brands, too. It’s one thing to get criticized for making shooter after shooter after shooter without tossing in a detective adventure in there somewhere, but it’s another when the fans expect another shooter and don’t get one. Likewise, if Nintendo went years without giving its fans another Mario game, it would probably get stormed at its gates. Companies with fans should have marquee characters, or the ability to create them (or maybe the fans should decide which characters they love and want to see more of if the ability to name characters is given).
-Atari and the Light Zapper. I’m not sure why they weren’t included in this game, but they should definitely make an appearance in the next one. (I’m also surprised that the TurboGrafx 16, Neo Geo, and Sega Saturn were overlooked, but maybe that’s for the best.)
-Arcade cabinets. Pretty much the same feeling as above. May not be necessary, but they could give certain titles longevity (I’m sure Pac-Man and Galaga are still eating quarters in Laundromats and pizzerias all over the world).
Some of these ideas may be too complicated to include, but I think they all would make the game and this series so much better, so I hope they’ll be considered for a future installment.
Great job nonetheless. Very much worth the price. I’m glad I found it.