‘What were they thinking?’ – Video game howlers thread

[Freddie]

I've just been playing Assassins's Creed for the PC which is an enjoyable game but there is major design flaw that should have been obvious to even the least talentless developer (console owners of the game you this probably won't mean anything to you).



What a clanger and what makes it worse it hasn't been fixed with updates which is just mind boggling incompetence that would make George Bush cringe.

So anyone else have want to point out and share other calamitous design or programming errors that simple boggle the mind?

[Moosferatu]

No major ones, but I do constantly wonder why Treyarch don't seem to have attempted to fix problems in CoD World at War that were present in CoD 4. These problems seem to have worsened actually. Notable examples include the despicably unreliable knife and the spawning system which can be downright treacherous at times. There's nothing more frustrating to have a great kill streak broken by the game spawning an enemy behind you.

[Carach]

No major ones, but I do constantly wonder why Treyarch don't seem to have attempted to fix problems in CoD World at War that were present in CoD 4. These problems seem to have worsened actually. Notable examples include the despicably unreliable knife and the spawning system which can be downright treacherous at times. There's nothing more frustrating to have a great kill streak broken by the game spawning an enemy behind you.

dude they havent attempted to fix anything since cod 1 so dont expect anything from them.

Star Wars Galaxies, first the Combat Upgrade, then the NGE. Thread win.

cant really trump it but i can add another sony online disaster: Planetside.

no reasons are required really (*cough BFR's cough*). all i need to say is: they keep advertising free game time to old players every other month in an effort to entice people back..possibly some of the most wasted potential ever.

oh and ill throw in ETW as an entire game for a howler. what in the were they thinking.

[Ishoss]

dude they havent attempted to fix anything since cod 1 so dont expect anything from them.



cant really trump it but i can add another sony online disaster: Planetside.

no reasons are required really (*cough BFR's cough*). all i need to say is: they keep advertising free game time to old players every other month in an effort to entice people back..possibly some of the most wasted potential ever.

oh and ill throw in ETW as an entire game for a howler. what in the were they thinking.

They do the same too SWG. Free one monthers all the time, halleluja!

Planetside, that's a SOE game isn't it?

[Carach]

Planetside, that's a SOE game isn't it?

yup

the dude: similar stuff goes on in killzone 2 - my mate has a ps3 and was showing me the game, he played thru the same part like 50 times.. i would have chucked the game away at attempt no.10 tbh.. i got no patience for that kind of stuff

[Kamos]

Your wrong Moosferatu, getting spawned in front of someone who already has a streak going is worse.

[The Dude]

I've just been playing Assassins's Creed for the PC which is an enjoyable game but there is major design flaw that should have been obvious to even the least talentless developer (console owners of the game you this probably won't mean anything to you).



What a clanger and what makes it worse it hasn't been fixed with updates which is just mind boggling incompetence that would make George Bush cringe.

So anyone else have want to point out and share other calamitous design or programming errors that simple boggle the mind?

Hahaha oh man I lol'd. Indeed, I have the xbox version so I can just turn the game off whenever. But seriously, that's absurd. I never quite realised that this would be such a horror on the PC though indeed I should've seen it coming.

[Ishoss]

Star Wars Galaxies, first the Combat Upgrade, then the NGE. Thread win.

[Larry Blackmon's Codpiece]

Off the top of my head...in FF Crisis Core you can't skip any cutscenes. So if you died in a boss battle you'd have to listen to a lot of dialogue all over again. I really don't know why they left that simple feature out because I sometimes gave up on bosses not because they were too hard, but because dying meant more 5 minute cutscenes.

[Cyrus the Virus]

I've just been playing Assassins's Creed for the PC which is an enjoyable game but there is major design flaw that should have been obvious to even the least talentless developer (console owners of the game you this probably won't mean anything to you).



What a clanger and what makes it worse it hasn't been fixed with updates which is just mind boggling incompetence that would make George Bush cringe.

So anyone else have want to point out and share other calamitous design or programming errors that simple boggle the mind?

Funny, as I have been playing Assassin's Creed also and I have noticed the incredibly unintelligent way of attempting to exit the game.
Should it be so bloody hard to terminate it!?

Deserves some rep for bringing this up.

[God-Emperor of Mankind]

I've just been playing Assassins's Creed for the PC which is an enjoyable game but there is major design flaw that should have been obvious to even the least talentless developer (console owners of the game you this probably won't mean anything to you).



What a clanger and what makes it worse it hasn't been fixed with updates which is just mind boggling incompetence that would make George Bush cringe.

So anyone else have want to point out and share other calamitous design or programming errors that simple boggle the mind?

think those smilies says it all really.
Talk about pointless.

[Selifator]

The Tutorial in HoI. Since I don't learn anything about it, it's not making my understand the game in any way, they might as well have left it out and sell you a special edition with one of the game designers. That would have been easier.

[Mangerman]

Is it me or did the guy in the video take a few more steps than he should've taken? I remember exiting Assassin's Creed was bad but I can't remember it to be this bad.

[edders]

Forcing you to sit through cutscenes/dialogue before a tough battle is an obvious one. Icewind Dale's final boss, which involved unskippable cutscenes interspersed with meaningless dialogue choices so that you couldn't even go make a sandwich springs to mind for me. I'm sure there are worse examples. A lot of games are pretty bad offenders when comes to things like UI or control schemes. I've heard that Turning Point: Fall of Liberty has one of the worst checkpoint systems in recent memory.

[Thanatos]

I dislike the whole checkpoint idea personally, because whenever it saves, I *know* something's going to happen up ahead. I'd much rather to save on my own, or have save points.

[SonOfCrusader76]

Speaking of things that need fixing in a game? Well, going by the demo, they still haven't fixed the way cavalry chases after routers in Empire Total War! They still ride up behind them and then... stop! I would've thought that'd be fixed after MTW2.

[edders]

I dislike the whole checkpoint idea personally, because whenever it saves, I *know* something's going to happen up ahead. I'd much rather to save on my own, or have save points.

Yeah. I can see the theoretical benefits of a checkpoint system, but far too many developers seem unable to pull it off. Whilst there are a few games where I can't stop myself from stabbing F6 every time I turn a corner, it's preferable to the agonies a bad checkpoint system can inflict.

[snuggans]

hmm . . .

a most recent one..

Empire: Total War being released on March 3rd.

what were they thinking? : P


"i'll TELL you when it's done" - the typical publisher

[Lord Feloric's Ambassador]

"i'll TELL you when it's done" - the typical publisher

They do that so they don't get in trouble if the game needs to be delayed for some reason. Many publishers and game developers have been caught in that crossfire.

[edders]

They do that so they don't get in trouble if the game needs to be delayed for some reason. Many publishers and game developers have been caught in that crossfire.

That approach doesn't really bother me if they're open about it. It's when they provide firm release dates and base their marketing around them, then realize there's more to be done and suddenly switch to "It'll be done when it's done" whilst still trying to maintain interest.