I'm getting a bit sick of 3D graphics. When 3D was first invented, back in the early cretaceous period, the first-person shooter, the flight sim and the RPG all got better.
But platform games got worse. I used to quite like Sonic the Hedgehog but all the 3D versions did was make me get lost and feel sick. And Tomb Raider? A gorgeous woman in tight clothing running round shooting endangered species with automatic pistols? What on Earth is there not to like? The camera control, that's what.
I sometimes think that my favourite things in World of Warcraft are the 2D graphics that make up the icons. (I'm a healer so that's often all I see.) 2D graphics are reassuring. They tessellate neatly, they don't get covered up by annoying foreground clutter, they don't need to worry about lighting or shadow and they don't break up into horrible low-resolution mosaics when you get too close to them.
Collectible trading card games are successful, partly because of the very real aesthetic appeal of an array of beautiful cards laid out before you. Beautiful two dimensional cards. World of Warcraft already exists as a TCG variant. I'd like to see a computer version of the TCG. Magic: The Gathering did this and it was mostly awesome.
But maybe we need to squeeze the constraints still tighter. Why not a one dimensional game? A single stream of coloured pixels scrolling past you, that must be manipulated according to certain rules. There are lots of puzzle games that would work well in this format and I'm not the only person to have thought of this.
One obvious advantage of this format is that it doesn't take up much space on your screen. If you can play defender in your web browser favicon, you could easily play a 1D game in the horizontal ruler underneath your toolbar. And lo! A whole new way to waste time at work would be born. And Lord knows, you can never have too many of those.
Pretty much the only problem with this vision of the future is that, if 1D games became popular, it wouldn't be long before we would see 3D versions of them. First using forced-perspective isometric displays and then eventually fully 3D coloured worms, spiralling off into the Z-plane with the second joypad or nunchuk controller required just to steer the camera.
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willstall
November 30th 2008
18. It's funny, as I read this article I can't help but think this one-dimensional game your talking about is Auditorium. In fact, this sounds like the EXACT game your talking about. Is this a direct response to this currently Digg'd game? In case it's not Auditorium can be played at http://www.playAuditorium.com
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atomic.bitch
November 29th 2008
17. Now now. 2D games provided us all the ability to break from the norm. Sure the pacMan the Space Invaders where darn cool. The duke Nukems where also grand fun. Donkey kong'rs all loved the analog action. It tricked your mind into solving puzzles. Best thing since TV. Don't you think. The console fun on your TV. Dang Pong killed how many screens. But yet you strive for it. Move on over ya ******!. 3D games provide the realism. The action as playing with your model airplanes you just built as a kid. But you can fly them around for real and make for the action fun you have in your head. Mary the two of those concepts and you have a better experience. Keep your 2D games, nothing wrong. To each his own. I like them both. All for the grand ability of our technology. So little minds are still on 2d. Where's the 3D/VR Sensory Dep goggles where one can again advance to the reality of the real fake. Kill get killed challenge and defeat in the toss of the reset button to laugh it off and have some fun inside your own brain. You can learn and challenge and yet nothing is damaged. The time wasting is time spent. The Sharing in online or multi-action is the same as battleships on grid paper calling out the hit or miss. So each his own ye-all. If your mind isn't as developed past 2D. Enjoy yourself I sure will and am I damn impatient for the next level of VR to rattle my speaker terminals. My heart is awaiting the simulated cockpit of a P51 mustang doggin it out with some enemy. The thought of a nice F1 Racer screaming down a track. So I flip - a tap of the reset car button puts me back to challenge it again and hopefully make the turn at 180simulated miles around. Bring on the technology. Damn its ready the CPU/GPU/Memory is all here. The Vid cards are ready. How many fps do we need to see it in HD as it is. The Cool-Pix of frog eye camera's to capture it and build that virtual world is here. Bring it on so we can play. The military booo hooo. Nice to have the technology Give it back and pick up books instead of guns. We need to understand we haven't changed since the beginning of time. Why should we physically kill each other when all we need is another beer and a tap of the reset button. After all We're only creating our own aliens amongst what someone said. And obviously they all said it WRONG. Love yourself love your brother/sister. 2eye/2legs/2arms all attached to a body. Color and race is only in your 2D mind. Sorry buddy 2d is all you can see - then go flatten out and jump in a vat of wax and maple leaf yourself. Time to move on. And be human like us all who like humans just the way we are. Game and love what ever tickles your fancy. Just leave it that way and treat your neighbour as a love of thyself. AMEN!
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mcsantorini
November 29th 2008
16. Let's be honest, without 3D games, gaming would have died out. Only so long you make 2D games interesting.
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http://www.williamjavonrice.com/high-performance-pc
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easywolf
November 28th 2008
15. And to the person who wrote this: go get laid dweeb. lol.
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easywolf
November 28th 2008
14. I think your all a bunch of idiots. Your telling me you had more fun playing games in the ****** 90's than in the 2000's, get real you nerdy dorks.
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supremanade
November 28th 2008
13. Well yeah there is good 3D platformers but 2D games should be kept alive as long as possible (forever). I totally love 2D games, its a shame they are pretty much dying. Well of course there is the 3D-2D games, you know moving in 2 dimensional world with 3D graphics...I strongly think new 2D games should still be made, i mean, there is many possibilities; Instead of using lots time to make the 3D graphics, the 2D could be made to look as awesome as possible, and put some more effort to the gameplay, storyline and the length and "depth" of the game. Even if its just 2-dimensional, it doesnt mean there couldnt be great story and stuff. Also some "new" things would be used like advanced physics or something. And with the power of the gaming PC's and consoles the 2D could be very good looking and the animation very
smooth and so on and so on....hail oldies!
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