The following blog is written to inspire Factor 5 in their design of Lair 2. Lair all-in-all is a showcase, buts its also a base for future games using the 'Lair' engine. The intent is to provide Factor 5 with some design, gameplay, and production suggestions for the inevitable sequel to Lair. Factor 5 is a group of talented individuals who I think would not take offense to suggestions from gamers. Let's get right into it. Here are 3 problems and 3 solutions to one aspect of Lair, the controls.
As much as Lair touted motion controls, it was overused in my humble opinion. There were certain motion commands that although intuitive in principle, lacked execution. I think one of them most intuitive things for Lair to is when you're trying to pry the head of a rhino off. You shake the controller up and down violently until the head is completely torn off. This is where motion controls work. it should be used as a complimentary method of input and not the core control element in a game. Although I do believe that dragons in flight should be controlled by motion sensors while gliding, when the heat turns up, this is where motion controls can fail.
Problem: 180 turn versus Speed Burst. The gesture upwards to do a 180 turn. It was far too similar to a thrust forward of the controller to do a speed burst.
Solution: Keep the upward motion to do a 180 turn and use a press combination of L2 + R2 to do speed burst. Likewise , if its more intuitive to keep the burst using a forward motion and a 180 turn a combination of L2 + R2 ... that can be done. Bottom line, until motion controls can effectively differentiate between an upward and downward motion without getting confused, remove one from the mix.
Problem: The targeting system is quite simple in Lair. Hold LA to target the enemy. That's it. The problem however is what happens after the enemy is targeted. This is where the controls get clunky and without a systematic approach.
Solution: Implement a Combo Target System -> Using L1 is fine to lock onto targets. Hitting the circle button (O) will get you closer to your locked target. Depending on the proximity of your dragon and your enemy the simple action button would trigger the necessary 'action' for each enemy type. Let's say you've locked on to enemy 1 and is going in for the kill. Hit the action button. This triggers your dragon to ram into the opposing dragon. Now enemy 2 is right next to enemy 1. The targeting system will retarget to your next kill. You'll need to motion the analogue stick (L3) in the direction of the next enemy after the retarget. Say enemy 2 is right below enemy 1. Hit down on L3 and then hit the action button again for a 2 hit combo. Now if enemy 3 is close to enemy 2 .. the same action would repeat. Depending on the number of enemies and if they require the same action to be killed, you can have N number of dragon kill combos. The camera system of course will need some rework to accommodate a combo target system so that you can see the next enemy onscreen.
Problem: Limited battle system during in flight battles between dragons. It becomes quite repetitive and easy to defeat the biggest of enemy dragons. The battle system feels very 2D. You face the dragon and fight.
Solution: Keep the battle in 3D space and not limit it to face to face dragon battles. The fight between 2 dragon's should be a spectacle. It should be intense. This is where Factor 5 should use button triggered action sequences ala God of War. With the addition of motion controls as a complimentary form of input, the action could be wonderfully scripted yet dynamic. Along with this type of action sequence, I propose a rage meter during in flight fights. There is nothing more ferocious than the roar of a dragon. Create space between you and the opposing dragon. Belt out a load roar through the vocal chords of the dragon and put the fear of the dragon into the opposing dragon rider. The higher the rage meter, the more damage inflicted on the opposing dragon. Higher rage would also mean more intricate button combinations to lay out some major damage. Bottom line, guarantee a dynamic fight every time you go into battle mode with a dragon.
Lately, a number of notorious difficult ARPGs have added difficulty options. Is that a good thing or does it ruin the experience?
As long as it is just an option, it is totally okay, but it's also OKAAAAY! To simply ignore that option.
Long as fromsoft never does it. This was only expected since the soulslike genre is so popular now.
Stuff like this really shows that people completely missed the point of that argument. The argument was never that souls likes shouldn't have a difficulty option. The argument was that if someone makes a game, particularly souls likes, that did not want to include difficulty options, that you should just respect that instead of demanding and berating the developers to add them.
I see the lack of difficulty settings as one of the key traits that defines a Soulslike. It’s not just about being challenging. It’s about how the game is built around that challenge, expecting you to learn through failure and grow by mastering its systems. Once you introduce difficulty options, you’re changing that foundation. You’re giving players a way around the intended experience, actually you are killing the whole idea of a "intended experience".
That doesn’t make the game worse, necessarily, but at that point, it’s just not a Soulslike anymore. It's a action RPG.
The Soulslike genre is a lot more than just 'hard' games. There is so much more to it than that.
In most cases, for a genre to be successful, there must be multiple entries in that genre from different franchises, some easier and some more difficult. The Soulslike genre has grown impressively well so far with most of the games being on the difficult end of the scale.
The other aspect to consider is WHAT makes Soulslike games hard. In the best examples, it isn't just because the bosses and enemies are engineered to be difficult, but because the entire gameplay (from the hard-to-master combat, to the labyrinthine levels, to the additional punishment for dying) is geared towards creating a world that seems to be trying to prevent you from making progress. Beating a boss isn't the only thing that makes you feel as though you've progressed in a Soulslike - finding a shortcut, a particular item, or learning how to defeat a particular enemy type are all forms of progression.
An 'easier' game can still exist with all those elements.
IGN: Microsoft has announced a collaboration with AMD for the next Xbox console - which sounds a lot like a gaming PC.
I think what most are struggling with is the concept of a console that is NOT a closed platform.
An open one. You're used to being locked in.
Exactly. If I can run Steam, Epic, and GOG, as well, it will be interesting to see and consider getting one. My first branded Xbox since 360.
Saying, “working closely with the Windows team to make Windows the number one gaming platform.” is not the same as saying the console is going to play PC games.
If they are telling you they are making a console and all this other stuff, why not just say the console is going to support PC? Why play coy about it?
To me it seems like more of a reply to the fact that they have a Rog Ally that they are trying to sell but has terrible performance because of Windows 11 and they are simply trying to convince people to buy it.
In an embarrassment for Microsoft, SteamOS seems to destroy Windows 11 on gaming performance and battery life, as well as usability
https://www.windowscentral....
Every generation people say Xbox is going to play PC games then it doe
This is what I thought as well. They haven't made it entirely clear if this is going to be PC like console.
If it is, how are they going to pull it off? Will they still charge for online? What about censorship? Last time I checked Microsoft doesn't even like having curvy women in thier games, so what are they going to do about the adult content on steam?
This thing isn't going to be a true Xbox, and its also rumored to cost more than $1000.
As opposed to "open platform", it´s gonna be *more open* instead. That´s the main difference that some people still don´t realized.
The Xbox Next will continue and be your conventional home console. However it that will bring a revolutionary innovation to console market by bridge the gap and blur the line between console and PC gaming.
Literally the best of both worlds!
Square Enix has been expanding its multiplatform releases, including Final Fantasy XVI. A port for the Nintendo Switch 2 may be on the menu.
I'm still wondering, if some of the slowdown present in the game causes the lack of movement for the controller, kinda like mouse lag when getting low fps.
They should have sorted out the fps first.
Nobody likes a game to chug, even if its now and then.