Blog: "Why Trial and Error will Doom Games"

[Skaruts]

The point of multi solutions offers much more immersion and have an impact in the gameplay and gameworld but remember you are in a situation that you don't control "your environment", actually you are controlled by your environment! Like most single player games... If you try to control your environment in such game then the immersion is pointless as well as the story line...

Having actions affecting the gameplay and gameworld doesn't necessarily give you control over the environment. Actualy, it can work pretty much the other way, where you totaly loose control of everything.

But also that's probably something the developers would take into account, if they'd take that approach.

[Setlec]

Maybe I didn't expressed myself correctly, what I'm trying to say is as you go blinded into a location that don't know nothing and you are quite lost, such as in Penumbra, you are the "puppet" of the environment (maybe I could say fate)! I'm not talking about multi path within story line as Adventurer4Life suggested. The multi solution are only related to the "trial and error" situations. For instance, to open a door you can use a key or use screwdriver to disassemble the lock or use the pickaxes to destroy the door. The multi path is decision that are normally offered when the player has the choice to choose between going through the door and not going through it and take a different way/path. In the case of Penumbra you don't have this kind of choices and you are "forced" to go forward.

[Skaruts]

Penumbra is story driven. And it was intended to be like that in the 1st place. I know if I was making such a game I would do the same for a start, lest I'd get too ambitious and end up on giving up.
Considering how small the team is, I'd say they did the best they could so far, and I'm still looking forward to see how they managed in Amnesia.

But, whatever they do, no solution is the best and no solution is the easiest. I've seen games with plenty of ways to go and in the end it was a horrible thing (Oblivion), and games with nowhere else to go and in the end it was probably the best thing (Arx Fatalis).
It all depends on how things are done in an overall point of view. Like in the two examples I just gave, Oblivion bored the hell out of me precisely for being so "free play", while Arx Fatalis kept me going for having such interesting gameplay details and environment distractions, easter eggs, that made me totaly forget it's lenearity.

Penumbra only failed, at least it seems, for neglecting on making sure the player would get the overall line of thought, and would think the right way when needed. Which I think it's not an easy task to accomplish, especialy without creating some obvious patterns in the games.

[Bloodbath]

Has anyone tried Korsakovia yet? It's a Half life 2 mod so it's pretty much free. (If you have Half life 2 and I know you do).

Thomas is right, it's a perfect example of trial and error totally killing the immersion factor. The game is brutal on your senses and emotions (you have to try it to see), then suddenly,in the second level, it's the first "trial and error" game killer. It wasn't too bad, but bad enough. The second one was KILLER. I got through it but it took me 20 min. and a bunch of tries and that just gets frustrating, but then it throws you straight back into panic mode, and another "trial and error" sequence, though not near as bad, but that takes 30 min. out of your game, if you even do decice to continue.

I'm not knocking the game! It will mess with ya. Every psycho thriller/horror fan should try it. My spine is tingling just thinking about it! THOSE DAMN COLLECTORS

[Skaruts]

Yes this mod is great, up to some point. I stoped playing at some point where I got tired of those ghosts...

I also loved an experimental ambience mod called The Nestlings. Tho it's very short and with little content, it's still very nice.

[Bloodbath]

Cool, I'll check it out!