cmdr_flashheart: However, there should be some indication, hint or something that you might miss out on something because otherwise the game is just playing by itself- the player can't divine gameplay rules or conditions just out of nothing.

Klumpen0815: Like illusion walls or destroyable walls in loads of FPS, Roguelikes, Castletroids, etc... since Doom1 ?
To find all secrets in a game, you often have to shoot/hammer every part of wall in the game.

Klumpen0815: ...
To find all secrets in a game, you often have to shoot/hammer every part of wall in the game but that's nothing "modern", annoying nonetheless, because I may never be able to find all planks in Hammerwatch because of this and never get the real ending and may never find all secret levels in some old FPSsses.

Klumpen0815: ...

Klumpen0815: Like illusion walls or destroyable walls in loads of FPS, Roguelikes, Castletroids, etc... since Doom1 ?
To find all secrets in a game, you often have to shoot/hammer every part of wall in the game but that's nothing "modern", annoying nonetheless, because I may never be able to find all planks in Hammerwatch because of this and never get the real ending and may never find all secret levels in some old FPSsses.

timppu: And I think Max Payne 2 had something similar, ie. you had to replay the whole game all over again in order to see some different ending (your gf not dying, or somesuch... I don't recall for sure, maybe that was an urban legend).

Protoss: 3. Fail-proof difficulty or too high difficulty

Protoss: 2. Pretending everyone is an idiot

If you want to make a tutorial, it is fine. But don't force us through the tutorial. If I have to play some new game and can't figure out the controls, let me see the controls at any time. If I don't understand the mechanics, let me do a tutorial or explain it with some ingame text. Do not force me through the tutorial, if I don't need it.

Seen in: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, probably many others

3. Fail-proof difficulty or too high difficulty

Let people suffer if they want to. Make a difficulty that is always fair but challenging. Don't make games too easy or too hard. It is annoying if you can essentially breeze through a game unless that game is of the kind to breeze through, but also annoying if the game leaves you no chance at all. Let us set the difficulty we want, please. If you want to finish your RPG in 20 hours, so be it, but let me fight against the ultra-hard enemies for 100 hours!

Seen in: Many titles, gladly avoided also by many. As an example, Last Dream lets you set the difficulty in several levels and the highest IS a challenge while all others are more suitable for gamers that want to progress without too much grind.

6. Missable collectibles or collectibles distracting from the gameplay

What is the reason why I need to find intel in FPS games? When the setting fits and nothing is missable, I am fine with collectibles - in Far Cry 3, GTA, etc. they enhance the fun - but there are genres where collectibles just don't fit. Also, it is NOT fun for me to have to use a guide all the time just to make sure I miss nothing, instead of being able to play.

Seen in: Spec Ops: The Line, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Bioshock Infinite, etc.

Kil3r: I can't agree with difficulty settings for all games. Dark souls\Demon souls are those games which should not have a difficulty setting. Imagine you could change the damage\health of all the enemies in the game to very low. The game would be BORING. If the game was designed to work with difficulty changes then add it in. However a game could still be designed to not have a difficulty setting.

P1na: 3- Difficulty settings should indeed indicate what they are. If I choose hard it should be a challenge, if I choose easy it shouldn't. That said, we each have a different comfort zone, so the more options here the better. And this isn't a problem of only new games, mind you.

Charon121: Haha, yes, the tutorials:

Game: "Move your mouse to look around."

*player moves the mouse for a while*

Game: "Veeery nice!"

Like a teaching program for children with developmental difficulties. :/

butcer: toturials been like that forever , myth 2 tutorial was like that for example and thats a game from 98

Kil3r: I can't agree with difficulty settings for all games. Dark souls\Demon souls are those games which should not have a difficulty setting. Imagine you could change the damage\health of all the enemies in the game to very low. The game would be BORING. If the game was designed to work with difficulty changes then add it in. However a game could still be designed to not have a difficulty setting.

jamyskis: That's always been a problem though, and it's not one that has an easy solution. Difficulty is a subjective thing. I've just breezed through Super Mario 3D Land without ever seeing a game over screen, other people struggle to get through it.

Protoss: This is a rather subjective piece and contains possibly offensive opinions. If you disagree, just reply with an analysis why I am wrong.

1. DLC spam

DLC per se is not a bad thing. If you do it right, people can like it. What I talk about is the DLC spam that we saw on several modern titles like Civilization 5, Borderlands 2, etc.

There is the main game, and then there is a plethora of DLC, some of which is story DLC, some of which is not. My only advise for such games is to wait until all DLC is finally released and then buy it all together. How do you know all DLC is released? Well, either there is a Gold version, the next game in the series is out, or the developer is bankrupt.

Seen in: Many games

2. Pretending everyone is an idiot

If you want to make a tutorial, it is fine. But don't force us through the tutorial. If I have to play some new game and can't figure out the controls, let me see the controls at any time. If I don't understand the mechanics, let me do a tutorial or explain it with some ingame text. Do not force me through the tutorial, if I don't need it.

Seen in: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, probably many others

3. Fail-proof difficulty or too high difficulty

Let people suffer if they want to. Make a difficulty that is always fair but challenging. Don't make games too easy or too hard. It is annoying if you can essentially breeze through a game unless that game is of the kind to breeze through, but also annoying if the game leaves you no chance at all. Let us set the difficulty we want, please. If you want to finish your RPG in 20 hours, so be it, but let me fight against the ultra-hard enemies for 100 hours!

Seen in: Many titles, gladly avoided also by many. As an example, Last Dream lets you set the difficulty in several levels and the highest IS a challenge while all others are more suitable for gamers that want to progress without too much grind.

4. Multiple playthroughs enforced to unlock game options

Do you like it if you play through a game and only after you finished it, the highest difficulty is unlocked? No? I also don't! Let me choose the difficulty I want, etc.
If you want multiple playthroughs for achievements, that is a different thing but also not nice.

Seen in: Duke Nukem Forever (that fangame from Gearbox Software, not the "more real" DNF that was released as a Duke Nukem 3D mod), DeathSpank 3

5. Multiple playthroughs needed for 100p

I finished the story. Why do I need to finish it again?

Seen in: Deus Ex 3, Dishonored, etc., but also many games still avoid it.

6. Missable collectibles or collectibles distracting from the gameplay

What is the reason why I need to find intel in FPS games? When the setting fits and nothing is missable, I am fine with collectibles - in Far Cry 3, GTA, etc. they enhance the fun - but there are genres where collectibles just don't fit. Also, it is NOT fun for me to have to use a guide all the time just to make sure I miss nothing, instead of being able to play.

Seen in: Spec Ops: The Line, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Bioshock Infinite, etc.

jamyskis: When you say "DLC spam", you also get me thinking about the shameless marketing of DLC in-game, which also irritates the fuck out of me.

"You can't play this obviously missing section of the game until you pay for our grossly overpriced DLC package!"

"Yeah, well, fuck you!"jamyskis: A symptom of the sorts of people that gaming has attracted unfortunately. A lot of gamers are idiots.jamyskis: That's always been a problem though, and it's not one that has an easy solution. Difficulty is a subjective thing. I've just breezed through Super Mario 3D Land without ever seeing a game over screen, other people struggle to get through it.jamyskis: Not sure I agree with Bioshock Infinite as many of the collectables do add to the story - they fill in pieces of the backstory (I assume you're talking about the voxophones and kinetoscopes).

You did miss one of the worst offenders ever in the 'missing collectibles' segment though - Assassin's Creed! Those fucking flags did my head in!