Enemy ai that’s not stupid
I like most game mechanics to some extent. Creativity in combining game mechanics is key to making an outstanding game imo.
However, I don’t like things that force a time limit. I play games as an escape. I don’t like feeling stressed by a clock while I’m off the clock. These can be literal timed missions or things like a food/water meter. Escort missions also suck for similar reasons.
I think difficulty in a game should come from overcoming a foe, traversing harsh terrain, or solving a puzzle. If the game is hard because I have to stop what I’m doing to feed myself, or I have to rush to complete an objective on a timer, it just becomes work.
Peaceful exploration
I like systems that allow for outrageous combos, whether unintentionally or by design. Roguelikes and roguelites usually have them, but it’s almost entirely luck based. Dynasty Warriors 8 allows for plenty of OP combos if you manage the right weapon attributes. Skyrim and its
broken as fuckperfectly balanced enchanting + alchemy (or Morrowind’s even more perfectly balanced permanent fortify attribute magic)Save anywhere
Survival mechanics like S.T.A.L.K.E.R and New Vegas, dont give a damn for building mechanics though unless its simplified down to a simple upgrade system like Skyrim Hearthsfire DLC.
Games with high mobility mechanics like titanfall, echo point nova, doom eternal, destiny 2 strand hunters.
I do enjoy game mechanics that interact in emergent ways that weren’t fully planned out by the developer in games like Dwarf Fortress.
I love fluid movement. Doing things in a state machine is usually the way to go in 2d platformers, which is what I mainly make. I like when your character can move around without issue, so double jump, sliding, rolling, attacking etc.
In a broader sense, the best games are fun to simply exist in. Getting from point A to point B should be interesting from a movement perspective.
Mario Odyssey is a great example. Just parkour’ing around is a blast.
BotW has shield surfing and such.
Lots of shooters have a bunny hop mechanic.
Wave-dashing in Celeste.
Etc etc.
I’ve only realized it recently that I’m obsessed with simulator games. Eurot Truck Simulator 2, Software Inc, Minecraft? Rollercoaster Tycoon, etc.
The controls for the Skate games, especially 3, are great.
It’s easier to say what I don’t like. Open worlds and crafting mechanics, they are just so boring
I love open worlds. I hate crafting. Just let me buy what I need; it feels more immersive to me. Same with games like the Assassin’s Creed series - there’s no way some fake Irish pirate is making leather holsters in his ships bedroom out of rabbit hide and bearskins.
You know what I miss? The Ultimate Alliance games from the PS2 era. Isometric view. Build a four-person team of Marvel characters. Some team combinations grant group buffs, like having all four members of the Fantastic Four will increase your XP gain. Equip your characters. Pick from an array of comic canon costumes, each with their own abilities. Some combinations of equipment or costumes will also grant bonuses like having everyone wear their Age of Apocalypse costume.
The whole thing is an action RPG where you play through some big comic book crisis. Lots of opportunity for villain and hero interaction. Cool cinematics.
It’s a rock-solid platform, but I don’t feel like I see it used nearly enough. I remember playing an Ultimate Alliance on 360 and it just wasn’t as good; smaller roster, fewer costumes, less interesting in general, despite the better graphics.
I vaguely recall hearing something about one on the Switch and that Midnight Sons was a bit similar… but then again I don’t recall hearing much else about those games except for their existence, so they can’t have done very well.
Haven’t gotten back around to the Ultimate Alliance games yet, but I recently picked up the XMen Legends games that preceed them on the OG Xbox.
Still quite a bit of fun.
I actually found and picked up Midnight Sons when I was looking on the PS store to see if those games had been ported.
I love Midnight Sons. It’s very similar in a lot of ways but the gameplay is quite different. I’m told it’s like XCom games by the same company, but I’ve never played that.
Interacting with your team back at base is definitely bigger than in XMen legends, and for some gamers it was too much… a bit of ‘friendship simulator’ to it to increase team chemistry etc.
The gameplay is card based. I recommend looking up a video if curious. It’s not for everyone, but those who love it really love it. Count me as one of them.
Not a game mechanics maybe but more of an engine thing i guess. I just love simulations. Good VR combat physics, elemental stuff like water, fire, smoke, crumbling stuff. I love a world that feels dynamic but not necessarily realistic that makes sense of itself.
Detailed completionist checklists.
If I have cleared an area, I want to have it reflected in an overview screen.
If I’m missing an item, I want to know which enemy drops it, where I can find it, or how I can craft it.
If I need to pull out my phone to check a wiki, then the game has failed me.
There’s something to be said for exploration games, and in those cases, the details should be obscured until the player has cleared 90% of the area, or gotten past the boss (or something like this).
Among plenty of the other things mentioned, I enjoy “diagetic interfaces”. Ways of interacting with a game’s systems that stay grounded in the reality of the setting of the world. Dead Space is a prime example, but I’ve been enjoying a lot of the crafting in Vintage Story for this reason. The smithing in particular has had me hooked for a while. Hammering out my armor and weapons voxel by voxel made finally suiting up and feeling ready to take on a boss that much more satisfying.
