Magnet
07-03-2007, 10:37 PM
I think it would be a good idea to have a thread in addition to that "Extra Features" one. Instead of extra features though, here is where you suggest ideas for basic options that should be a part of the game and various ways to improve the inherent game. That is, where the other thread seems to have grown to concentrate on create-a-character features and extra online capabilities, this one concentrates more on the bare-bones structure of how the game works. Give ideas to improve the look and layout of the HUD, improve the scoring system, discuss how the menus should be navigated, how the game should handle censoring vocals, etc.
Comment on these aspects of the game and/or any other gameplay/game options that you can think of.
Menu Traversing
I'm curious as to how the menus will be navigated for the vocalist single-player game. The guitar peripheral navigating in GH is intuitive, with the two buttons and the strum bar for going up and down. The vocals seem like they will prove trickier though.
I'm not sure at all how you could traverse the menus with the microphone. (I don't know how this is handled in Karaoke Revolution since I've never played it.) I'm guessing you would either need to use another peripheral or a controller. Voice recognition for the menus might not work so well. Maybe there could be buttons/arrow pad on the microphone to make moving through the menus possible though.
Star Power Usage and Freestyling
As for how the Rock Band equivalent of Star Power (I'm assuming that the name will have to be changed since "Star Power" is probably the IP of Guitar Hero now?) works, from the screenshots it seems like the track changes color instead of the notes changing color. I think this is a great change since it leaves the notes colored and doesn't make the game too much more difficult for newcomers to play during the usage of SP.
The freestyling in the video looked really cool. Did it overwrite part of the original song or was it in addition to it? If it overwrote it, I think having the option of either playing the original parts or just freestyling would be nice. The experts who can hit the original solos perfect would be happy and novices who just want to jam in their own improvised solos could do that too. Is there any way to combine the two rather than just choosing one or the other? I noticed the tracks become completely colored during a freestyle. Maybe the original notes could be shown too and you just choose whether to play those notes, make up your own notes, or do a fun combination of both. I think that would be the best way to handle it, but I don't know if it would be hard to pull that off from a coding standpoint.
Multiplayer options
As for multiplayer goes, I think it would be great for two "versus" types of games (in addition to normal co-op styles which would be nice): normal playthroughs that just have players competing for a high score, and a type of battle mode with various power-ups. I noticed GH3 is doing something like this (I don't know why, it doesn't seem all that great and worth it for a two-player game), but power-ups in Amplitude with four players were a lot of fun. Making them a different mode (not automatically required) would be nice for the people who are hesitant to the idea of the awesome power-ups that you've dreamed up before.
One idea for a power-up: a solo pick-up, that increases your track volume and decreases everyone else's. Muting the other tracks would be annoying, but altering the volumes just enough so that your track comes out noticeably on top during the power-up would be cool.
Here's hoping there's a return of power-ups in Rock Band. Suggest your own if you've got good ideas.
Sound options
On the idea of options, maybe more of them can clog a game up too much from a designers standpoint, but more of them for the players always makes the experience the best for the individual. Since this is a rhythm/music game, I think options relating to sound effects are pretty much necessary. I don't think there was a way to turn off that guy yelling "Slo-Mo" or "Multiplier" when you got a power-up in Amplitude. And there wasn't a way to turn off that annoying (to me at least) clapping during Star Power and crowd reactions scattered in the songs in Guitar Hero II. If you could separate what sound effects you want/don't want in sound options, that would be cool. The more control the players have over the sound in a music game, the happier everyone will be. The volume adjusting in the Guitar Hero games was a great little addition.
Rhythm Guitar
Can we expect any rhythm guitar where bass guitar is not applicable? Or is a requirement for the songs that there must be bass (and rhythm will no longer substitute like it did in GHII)? This is more of a question than a suggestion.
Censoring Lyrics
I think it's inevitable that lyrics will probably have to be censored in at least a few songs. The best way to handle this problem is to get as many songs with as little swearing as possible to cut down on chopping away at the music. Covers can handle changing lyrics easily, but original master recordings may prove a little trickier. I dislike censoring, but I also don't like to swear. Perhaps the best way to work around everyone's taste when it's required is to offer a friendly voice track vs. the original with some mild swearing in it. Maybe make the friendly track default and let those who want a little more authenticity choose the alternate, original version.
HUD Options
Would it possible to create a few styles of note gems to hit? I noticed that the gems from before have turned into these skinny looking lines as of the July screenshots. I'm really not too keen on the new futuristic look at the moment. I think the old circular representation was easier on the eyes. They're basically just lines now. Maybe it works better in actual gameplay though. It's tough to critique it with just screenshots. [It does look a lot nicer in the latest video, but I'm still thinking another gem style or two to choose from would be nice.]
I think the fret board patterns are looking slick though. They have an old-fashioned essence to them that I like. Maybe it's that classy look clashing with the futuristic notes that's giving off a weird vibe to me.
Old/Resolved Suggestions
Drum menu moving
"It would probably be easiest going back and forth with the two middle drum pads. Perhaps the pedal would be used for scrolling through the options/songs - holding it down makes it scroll fast. How would you go up though? Maybe it scrolls through the bottom and at the end comes back up to the top and goes in cycles. Or one press session is down, the next press scrolls up, then the next goes down again, etc. I think the multi-press format would work the best, but it could be a little annoying to get used to. If there were another pedal, it would probably be much easier - one going up and the other going down. But it sounds like a second pedal is out of the design."
The drum peripheral looks to have controller buttons on it.
Customizable track positions
"Also from screenshots and that premature video, it seems like a fair guess that customizable track positions will possibly be an option. I'm not sure about the technicalities of such an option, but allowing the players to move around the guitar, bass, and drum tracks in the order that suits the players before the song starts would be a terrific idea. "
The latest video confirms that the ordering of the bass and guitar tracks can be switched before playing.
Bass Playable in Single-Player
"I read that the bass tracks are too simple to have their own campaign. I just hope that there will be some kind of practice mode that allows you to play those bass lines by yourself anyway. Some of them in Guitar Hero II were too cool to pass up on."
The FAQ on Kotaku confirms that every instrument of each song can be practiced.
Links for screenshots/videos
Let me know if any go down or if new ones are found that I can add here.
Latest links
http://kotaku.com/gaming/kotaku.s-own/new-rock-band-vid-275067.php (Kotaku video)
http://media.ps3.ign.com/media/897/897524/imgs_1.html (Screenshots with updated HUD as of July)
Older links
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=167004 (Screenshots with early HUD)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9b-8LYLGq8 (Video of early build)
Comment on these aspects of the game and/or any other gameplay/game options that you can think of.
Menu Traversing
I'm curious as to how the menus will be navigated for the vocalist single-player game. The guitar peripheral navigating in GH is intuitive, with the two buttons and the strum bar for going up and down. The vocals seem like they will prove trickier though.
I'm not sure at all how you could traverse the menus with the microphone. (I don't know how this is handled in Karaoke Revolution since I've never played it.) I'm guessing you would either need to use another peripheral or a controller. Voice recognition for the menus might not work so well. Maybe there could be buttons/arrow pad on the microphone to make moving through the menus possible though.
Star Power Usage and Freestyling
As for how the Rock Band equivalent of Star Power (I'm assuming that the name will have to be changed since "Star Power" is probably the IP of Guitar Hero now?) works, from the screenshots it seems like the track changes color instead of the notes changing color. I think this is a great change since it leaves the notes colored and doesn't make the game too much more difficult for newcomers to play during the usage of SP.
The freestyling in the video looked really cool. Did it overwrite part of the original song or was it in addition to it? If it overwrote it, I think having the option of either playing the original parts or just freestyling would be nice. The experts who can hit the original solos perfect would be happy and novices who just want to jam in their own improvised solos could do that too. Is there any way to combine the two rather than just choosing one or the other? I noticed the tracks become completely colored during a freestyle. Maybe the original notes could be shown too and you just choose whether to play those notes, make up your own notes, or do a fun combination of both. I think that would be the best way to handle it, but I don't know if it would be hard to pull that off from a coding standpoint.
Multiplayer options
As for multiplayer goes, I think it would be great for two "versus" types of games (in addition to normal co-op styles which would be nice): normal playthroughs that just have players competing for a high score, and a type of battle mode with various power-ups. I noticed GH3 is doing something like this (I don't know why, it doesn't seem all that great and worth it for a two-player game), but power-ups in Amplitude with four players were a lot of fun. Making them a different mode (not automatically required) would be nice for the people who are hesitant to the idea of the awesome power-ups that you've dreamed up before.
One idea for a power-up: a solo pick-up, that increases your track volume and decreases everyone else's. Muting the other tracks would be annoying, but altering the volumes just enough so that your track comes out noticeably on top during the power-up would be cool.
Here's hoping there's a return of power-ups in Rock Band. Suggest your own if you've got good ideas.
Sound options
On the idea of options, maybe more of them can clog a game up too much from a designers standpoint, but more of them for the players always makes the experience the best for the individual. Since this is a rhythm/music game, I think options relating to sound effects are pretty much necessary. I don't think there was a way to turn off that guy yelling "Slo-Mo" or "Multiplier" when you got a power-up in Amplitude. And there wasn't a way to turn off that annoying (to me at least) clapping during Star Power and crowd reactions scattered in the songs in Guitar Hero II. If you could separate what sound effects you want/don't want in sound options, that would be cool. The more control the players have over the sound in a music game, the happier everyone will be. The volume adjusting in the Guitar Hero games was a great little addition.
Rhythm Guitar
Can we expect any rhythm guitar where bass guitar is not applicable? Or is a requirement for the songs that there must be bass (and rhythm will no longer substitute like it did in GHII)? This is more of a question than a suggestion.
Censoring Lyrics
I think it's inevitable that lyrics will probably have to be censored in at least a few songs. The best way to handle this problem is to get as many songs with as little swearing as possible to cut down on chopping away at the music. Covers can handle changing lyrics easily, but original master recordings may prove a little trickier. I dislike censoring, but I also don't like to swear. Perhaps the best way to work around everyone's taste when it's required is to offer a friendly voice track vs. the original with some mild swearing in it. Maybe make the friendly track default and let those who want a little more authenticity choose the alternate, original version.
HUD Options
Would it possible to create a few styles of note gems to hit? I noticed that the gems from before have turned into these skinny looking lines as of the July screenshots. I'm really not too keen on the new futuristic look at the moment. I think the old circular representation was easier on the eyes. They're basically just lines now. Maybe it works better in actual gameplay though. It's tough to critique it with just screenshots. [It does look a lot nicer in the latest video, but I'm still thinking another gem style or two to choose from would be nice.]
I think the fret board patterns are looking slick though. They have an old-fashioned essence to them that I like. Maybe it's that classy look clashing with the futuristic notes that's giving off a weird vibe to me.
Old/Resolved Suggestions
Drum menu moving
"It would probably be easiest going back and forth with the two middle drum pads. Perhaps the pedal would be used for scrolling through the options/songs - holding it down makes it scroll fast. How would you go up though? Maybe it scrolls through the bottom and at the end comes back up to the top and goes in cycles. Or one press session is down, the next press scrolls up, then the next goes down again, etc. I think the multi-press format would work the best, but it could be a little annoying to get used to. If there were another pedal, it would probably be much easier - one going up and the other going down. But it sounds like a second pedal is out of the design."
The drum peripheral looks to have controller buttons on it.
Customizable track positions
"Also from screenshots and that premature video, it seems like a fair guess that customizable track positions will possibly be an option. I'm not sure about the technicalities of such an option, but allowing the players to move around the guitar, bass, and drum tracks in the order that suits the players before the song starts would be a terrific idea. "
The latest video confirms that the ordering of the bass and guitar tracks can be switched before playing.
Bass Playable in Single-Player
"I read that the bass tracks are too simple to have their own campaign. I just hope that there will be some kind of practice mode that allows you to play those bass lines by yourself anyway. Some of them in Guitar Hero II were too cool to pass up on."
The FAQ on Kotaku confirms that every instrument of each song can be practiced.
Links for screenshots/videos
Let me know if any go down or if new ones are found that I can add here.
Latest links
http://kotaku.com/gaming/kotaku.s-own/new-rock-band-vid-275067.php (Kotaku video)
http://media.ps3.ign.com/media/897/897524/imgs_1.html (Screenshots with updated HUD as of July)
Older links
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=167004 (Screenshots with early HUD)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9b-8LYLGq8 (Video of early build)
