No.8909[Reply]
I am currently working on a concept for an exploration game, which has some ties to YN, it's not exactly a fan-game, but I want it to be a surreal walking simulator.
Since YN, honestly, has its issues I am trying to figure out how to evade these issues. I am not here to roast YN or something, I am looking for design changes, that make the game easier to play, especially for people who dont know anything about the it (pic related).
Here's the most common issues i hear about and there is only one rule to go by: If there is no good design-excuse for it, cut it.
- Too much empty space. I would probably design more smaller worlds and reduce unneccecary walking. tedious looping is not fun. The map sizes need to be drastically reduced.
- Pointless effects. I would either implement some use for the effects given or get rid of the ones that only have a cosmetic purpose. There are 4 really useful effects. others are either completely pointless or they are useful like 1 time an then never again (Yukki Onna, Witch and Umbrella for example)
-Knife is good, would keep. Eye Palm is useful. I would remove the bike and just add a run-button. Stop-Light needs balancing, i would make it so that the npcs unfreeze automatically after a few secs to make it harder to escape the toriningen. The cat is kind of useful. Every other effect is of practically no use and can be removed.
-As a new player, you cannot get anywhere without the assistance of walkthroughs, wikis or youtube. That's just terrible game design and the tiniest amount of guidance would be much appreciated. However i have not yet found a way to get around this. There are no compasses or maps in dreams, really. So idk, let me know if you got any ideas.
Anything else you would change to improve the game? My goal is to make it more accessible to new players and to make exploration more rewarding.
7 posts omitted. Click reply to view. No.9017
>>8930I would randomise parts of the map when the save file is created or when the .exe is first ran to make it harder to use online walkthroughs. Might also open up some cool opportunities like a room that has a 1/600 chance of permanently existing in some remote location.
I like this idea, I think that one of the strongest points of yume nikki is its map design. Effects are really a side note, except when they have an effect on the world around them. I think what could be changed about yume nikki and other walking simulators is the replayablitiy of it, everyone has their own special experiences with the game, but for the most part those experiences are felt in the first playthough of the game. I like the idea of parts of the map randomly changing in subtle ways, ways that would be most noteable after becoming familiar with the maps in the first few playthroughs.
I also think that there could be some events that change the layout of the world. I like how the nexus equivalent in.flow changed sometimes, it made it feel like whenever I passed through it the areas might have changed in some way. This would also help replayablitity. Once you know where exactly each effect is in yume nikki it's easy to just make your way to them without paying as much attention to the maps as in the first playthough. Perhaps the order of effects acquired could change the maps or location of subsequent effects?
No.9167
>Too much empty space
Totally disagree, I found empty space was essential to the game. Cutting the time between discoveries down would ruin the rush of finding something unique.
>Pointless/OP effects
I would have liked effects to do more than they currently do in specific areas just so players can experiment and find more new things. Having gamey progression where you need specific effects to progress wouldn't be terrible, but kind of counter-intuitive to how open YN is. Maybe there was a player who found the blonde hair a super interesting effect. The useless effects are cute, nice for adding personality.
>You cannot get anywhere without help.
The two pieces of advice I needed before starting was that there is an actual goal to the game (collecting effects). Most of the game's effects can easily be found if you actually explore the oddities. Having a walkthrough that
My biggest change would be making diagonal floors automatically move you diagonally so you don't have to wiggle your arrows to get through that checkerboard spot. Other than that the more streamlining you add the farther you stray from the point. The original animal crossing felt rewarding BECAUSE of the terribly slow functionality.
No.9168
I would make the worlds non-looping (?) because it is a waste of time and at some point it makes me lose interest in playing.
No.9169
>>9168Samefag, there would be a map where you can only see the areas you have explored before. The map would be in the diary.
No.9210
What do you plan on naming the game? I wanna see it when you show it off and I don't want it to be forever… 'lost'… in a way when this thread is archived or something