usernames or passcodes
my friend and i want to know what would be best for our game. if you havnt seen it yet, its located at http://topgun.freespaces.com
eventually we're gonna hav missions and levels for each mission. we're also gonna hav upgrades. would it be better to hav passcodes to get into each levl, with two characters corresponding to the level, two to the mission, and two to each possible upgrade, or would it be better to have usernames and passwords. if we did the usernames and passwords, we'd also hav a default game for each comp which u do not hav to log in for. basically if u don't log in, you play that game.
thx in advance
# 1
If you use the 2 character combination, you are limited to 1296 unique combinations assuming (0-9 and a-z) with A-Z being interpreted the same as a-z. The question comes down to how many prople do you want to have playing at once and how many levels and upgrades are you going to have and do they all have to have unique character combinations.
As I've played, i find having to remember codes to enter different areas to be a very big inconvenience, usually so much so that I will just not play the game after a very short time.
You may want to take another path where the levels and upgrades are "unlocked" by play and then just kept track of behind the scenes. If the player needs to make a choice of path or level or upgrade, then give them the options and let them choose through a visual interface. To me that type of presentation makes gaming much less frustrating, and as such, I'm much more likely to continue playing and subsequently paying for the game.
# 2
>how many levels and upgrades are you going to have and do they all >have to have unique character combinations.
not sure how many levels
upgrades - we know of 6 for certain and we have question marks by five that we might implement later, as they are a little more complicated
>You may want to take another path where the levels and upgrades are "unlocked" by play and then just kept track of behind the scenes. If the player >needs to make a choice of path or level or upgrade, then give them the options and let them choose through a visual interface.
we are planning on having a store screen after each level or mission, probably mission, wer u click on upgrades to buy them with money or points that u hav earned. do u think it would be better to do that or unlock them by playing
thx for ur input.
# 3
I cannot quite get my head around what you are talking about with "buying" or "upgrading", but when i finish a level, then next time I play I want that level not to show up again, unless I go back and choose it to do so.
# 4
>how many levels and upgrades are you going to have
we now have an outline mapped out, and there are probably going to be 6 missions and 16 levels total.
> I cannot quite get my head around what you are
> talking about with "buying" or "upgrading", but when
> i finish a level, then next time I play I want that
> level not to show up again, unless I go back and
> choose it to do so.
I'm not sure what you mean here but my idea was that the user would keep the upgrades as he/she goes through the levels, even after they leave the browser. my friend wanted to make the user lose the upgrades, but that would ruin the point of the levels becoming progressively harder. With the level not showing up again, do you mean like on the main menu, it only shows the levels that you havent completed? or what?
thx for any input in advance
# 5
After completing a level, I prefer to enter the next one fully equipped with what I have gained in my previous levels. The next time I play I prefer to be put into exactly the same situation that I left, or at least, the beginning of the level I was in when I quit last time.
I also find it annoying to have to save all the time and then I am put back in the beginning of a partially completed level. Once saved, I think you should be put back into a partially saved level with the same "upgrades" and situation as the point of your last save, or in the case of not saving be put into the start of the next level after the last level that I completed.
I also very much enjoy the ability to go back and replay previous levels, but I also do not like to have to choose my current play from lists of available levels. I like to have all defaults point to getting me back to where I was the last time in the game and have the ability to choose a submenu of previous play. Or better yet, where there is a default option very early in the menu system that bypasses all the rest and puts me right into where I was before--the very first screen of choice is a great place to make a default choice to skip any other configuration or option choices and just get me back to playing where I left off.
# 6
> The next time I play I prefer to be
> put into exactly the same situation that I left, or
> at least, the beginning of the level I was in when I
> quit last time.
k. i like that idea and it shouldn't be too hard to do. i hope
> Once saved, I think you
> should be put back into a partially saved level with
> the same "upgrades" and situation as the point of
> your last save, or in the case of not saving be put
> into the start of the next level after the last level
> that I completed.
should we put in an autosave option?
> I also very much enjoy the ability to go back and
> replay previous levels, but I also do not like to
> have to choose my current play from lists of
> available levels. I like to have all defaults point
> to getting me back to where I was the last time in
> the game and have the ability to choose a submenu of
> previous play. Or better yet, where there is a
> default option very early in the menu system that
> bypasses all the rest and puts me right into where I
> was before--the very first screen of choice is a
> great place to make a default choice to skip any
> other configuration or option choices and just get me
> back to playing where I left off.
wait so i didn't quite understand that. how do you suggest to put the menu again?
# 7
> should we put in an autosave option?
Always prompt at quit if they want to save, but always make it optonal. An autosave feature should be available, but also be configurable--have the ability to turn it off and on--maybe defualt to "ON".
> wait so i didn't quite understand that. how do you
> suggest to put the menu again?
The very first menu decission that you prompt for, should have an opton to dump right into the game and bypass everything else (granted loading may not be complete yet and require waiting), but you should also be able to choose from that menu system all configurations and history options.
# 8
> > should we put in an autosave option?
>
> Always prompt at quit if they want to save, but
> always make it optonal. An autosave feature should
> be available, but also be configurable--have the
> ability to turn it off and on--maybe defualt to
> "ON".
>
depends on the game. In an RPG (especially a multiplayer one) it's quite normal to never be able to roll back time.
Your decisions in virtual life will have to be lived with until you delete your character.
Of course some games do offer an option to realign attributes at a price after reaching certain goals.
