What was the timeframe when developers got better at not stranding players?

[StaceyPowers]

I remember in lots of old games, it was easy to ruin your entire playthrough because of things like one missed or lost item earlier in the game, and you couldn’t progress. This seems rare now. When did this stop?

[Lens]

That's so true . I think that the shift from the punishing game design actually started around the early 2000s. At that time, there are rise of more player-friendly games like the Elder Scrolls series and the Mass Effect series. Today, it's very rare to find games that punish players for small mistakes.  

[Kennysplash]

I don’t think I have ever played those kind of games. I would have found it frustrating though, to not be able to progress because I don’t have in my possession what I’m supposed to. 

[Lens]

20 hours ago, Kennysplash said:

I don’t think I have ever played those kind of games. I would have found it frustrating though, to not be able to progress because I don’t have in my possession what I’m supposed to. 

If you're so interested in exploring new genres or games, I can actually offer recommendations. Just let me know what you enjoy in a game.

[Button]

In the late 1990s, we see the games like Final Fantasy VII and Metal Gear Solid, which are remarkable games. They began with the incorporation of more flexible designs.

 

[Anders]

On 7/18/2024 at 4:00 PM, Lens said:

That's so true . I think that the shift from the punishing game design actually started around the early 2000s. At that time, there are rise of more player-friendly games like the Elder Scrolls series and the Mass Effect series. Today, it's very rare to find games that punish players for small mistakes.  

In Morrowind, it was totally possible to break the whole game for yourself by killing a character that is important to the story. If you kill one of these characters, a message will pop up basically telling you that you have doomed this world. You can then either reload an earlier save, or just keep playing the game, but if you do, there will be no way to complete the main story. They changed this in Oblivion so that if you tried to kill an important character, they would just be knocked out for a minute.

[Scorpion]

I think around the 2010s, developers began focusing more on player-friendly design, reducing those frustrating moments of getting stuck.I think developers improved around the mid-2000s. Auto-saves and more forgiving design made it harder to get permanently stuck.

[Button]

On 10/1/2024 at 12:00 PM, Scorpion said:

I think around the 2010s, developers began focusing more on player-friendly design, reducing those frustrating moments of getting stuck.I think developers improved around the mid-2000s. Auto-saves and more forgiving design made it harder to get permanently stuck.

You have a good point! The mid-2000s and 2010s were when we experienced good games from the developers. There are better level designs, more intuitive controls, and auto-saves which reduce frustration. 

 

[killamch89]

I'd say sometime in the late 90s to mid 2000s, developers stopped being so rigid with their game design so that it opened new possibilities for progressing in games so that it isn't so linear.

[GameOn]

14 hours ago, killamch89 said:

I'd say sometime in the late 90s to mid 2000s, developers stopped being so rigid with their game design so that it opened new possibilities for progressing in games so that it isn't so linear.

The accessibility features that was introduced in that era was something to take note of too. There is  inclusion of mechanics like checkpoints, tutorials, and difficulty settings which make games even more enjoyable.

 

 

[Lens]

I get more engaged with the player feedback and community engagement in the 2010s. We experienced a remarkable growth in online communities and social media as well.