7 things we NEED in Red Dead Redemption 2 and Beyond....
The Wild West: one of the many perfect locations for story-led, sandbox and multiplayer gaming. Saddle up! We ride again soon….
1. NO INTERFERING CUT-SCENES !
The single-player campaign needs to be slicker and more involving than before. What’s the whole point of single-player campaigns? To open up the map, develop characters, unlock new possibilities, inject a sense of wonder - surprise - about the game's potential. It should Introduce and reveal the scope of the game.... before letting us rip into the multiplayer, PvP and cooperative game modes.
In fact, why is this game not going to be an MMO right from the outset?? It would be a dangerous place… But the answer is we don’t want to miss out on the above strengths of a single-player campaign. But maybe it will end up that way, like Skyrim.
But….if there’s going to be a western-set story then we need less long-winded dialogue between characters. Some of them from the first game would ramble on for ages! Most of GTA V seemed pretty unnecessary and the characters were not the most loveable. There were moments of surprise and humour, but please remember Rockstar: we’re there really for the quality of the tasks and not for the next cut-scene and ‘story’. They could take a leaf out of Far Cry or Uncharted, where the missions and story lead into each other where possible. It was difficult to feel much for John Marston at the end, but it was ultimately well done. I do remember the ending of the barn sequence. And... there were some cool characters we cared about - like the old cowboy survivor. Let’s hope to see some moving deaths or characters like that again.
2. NO RESTRICTIONS TO PLAYER FREEDOM
Isn’t it always annoying when you find you can’t do something or go somewhere yet? The map is closed or something. Well, let’s hope there are as few of these as possible. Let’s hope that every choice is simply left open. Examples? The use of the world for planning and setting up defences or strategic use in mini-quests.
Below (actually an image feat. characters from Read Dead 1):
1. NO INTERFERING CUT-SCENES !
The single-player campaign needs to be slicker and more involving than before. What’s the whole point of single-player campaigns? To open up the map, develop characters, unlock new possibilities, inject a sense of wonder - surprise - about the game's potential. It should Introduce and reveal the scope of the game.... before letting us rip into the multiplayer, PvP and cooperative game modes.
In fact, why is this game not going to be an MMO right from the outset?? It would be a dangerous place… But the answer is we don’t want to miss out on the above strengths of a single-player campaign. But maybe it will end up that way, like Skyrim.
But….if there’s going to be a western-set story then we need less long-winded dialogue between characters. Some of them from the first game would ramble on for ages! Most of GTA V seemed pretty unnecessary and the characters were not the most loveable. There were moments of surprise and humour, but please remember Rockstar: we’re there really for the quality of the tasks and not for the next cut-scene and ‘story’. They could take a leaf out of Far Cry or Uncharted, where the missions and story lead into each other where possible. It was difficult to feel much for John Marston at the end, but it was ultimately well done. I do remember the ending of the barn sequence. And... there were some cool characters we cared about - like the old cowboy survivor. Let’s hope to see some moving deaths or characters like that again.
2. NO RESTRICTIONS TO PLAYER FREEDOM
Isn’t it always annoying when you find you can’t do something or go somewhere yet? The map is closed or something. Well, let’s hope there are as few of these as possible. Let’s hope that every choice is simply left open. Examples? The use of the world for planning and setting up defences or strategic use in mini-quests.
Below (actually an image feat. characters from Read Dead 1):
3. THE SHERIFF IS COMING !
A hallmark of Rockstar and GTA titles is being chased by the AI cops. Let’s hope the AI is even more capable, but what might be cool is if you get rewarded for helping others escape and get a request to join up with other outlaw players.
It was unrealistic - and unfair - when unrelenting scores of police or sheriff's men turn up and rain on the parade, if memory serves me. There should always be way to escape or give up. It should just feel more...realistic. The idea that the sheriff is on your trail is a great aspect in cowboy games. But when they all miraculously show up it basically sucks. Give us time to feel a bit worried or prepare for a big shoot-out.
4. FEATURES FOR CAPTURES AND STREAMING
Why are so few games exploiting the potential of video captures and 'spectator' modes?
On the town shoot-out, you could even have a western movie setting, which allows you to set up characters and things, and ‘film’ a capture of an entire shoot-out. It could be an extra DLC or extension for Youtube creators to have to get their teeth into.
4. GAME-CHANGING DLC
The Undead Redemption DLC - zombies - was a great success. It reinvented the entire game map we’d been playing and gave it a huge new level of involvement. Can you do something similar here? Turn the game into an Undead masterpiece… If you’re going to update everything, it’d be a big shame not to let some kind of apocalypse strike again.
5. SKILL-UP! A 'CHILLED-OUT' GAME MODE?
What other skills will a character emerge with from RDR2? Wouldn’t it be cool if - besides poker and mini-games - there were other skills or know-how you’d picked up? Fishing? A knowledge of steam train sabotage? As game-worlds get more and more detailed, why not give the players an experience of the world they can use and take away. Better horse training?
A hallmark of Rockstar and GTA titles is being chased by the AI cops. Let’s hope the AI is even more capable, but what might be cool is if you get rewarded for helping others escape and get a request to join up with other outlaw players.
It was unrealistic - and unfair - when unrelenting scores of police or sheriff's men turn up and rain on the parade, if memory serves me. There should always be way to escape or give up. It should just feel more...realistic. The idea that the sheriff is on your trail is a great aspect in cowboy games. But when they all miraculously show up it basically sucks. Give us time to feel a bit worried or prepare for a big shoot-out.
4. FEATURES FOR CAPTURES AND STREAMING
Why are so few games exploiting the potential of video captures and 'spectator' modes?
On the town shoot-out, you could even have a western movie setting, which allows you to set up characters and things, and ‘film’ a capture of an entire shoot-out. It could be an extra DLC or extension for Youtube creators to have to get their teeth into.
4. GAME-CHANGING DLC
The Undead Redemption DLC - zombies - was a great success. It reinvented the entire game map we’d been playing and gave it a huge new level of involvement. Can you do something similar here? Turn the game into an Undead masterpiece… If you’re going to update everything, it’d be a big shame not to let some kind of apocalypse strike again.
5. SKILL-UP! A 'CHILLED-OUT' GAME MODE?
What other skills will a character emerge with from RDR2? Wouldn’t it be cool if - besides poker and mini-games - there were other skills or know-how you’d picked up? Fishing? A knowledge of steam train sabotage? As game-worlds get more and more detailed, why not give the players an experience of the world they can use and take away. Better horse training?
6. MINI-GAMES AND MULTIPLAYER MODES
Co-operative play. I remember well the zombie mode where all players had to fight together until the bitter end. These game modes had been prepared with love and attention to maximise co-operation and fun. Some brilliantly-crafted scenarios with this kind of engagement would be essential, and make for some top Twitch entertainment.
Basically, if Red Dead Redemption 2 want to be a classic, massively successful game, it needs to present a full sandbox world - that is the game itself. The single-player should simply make the most of that sandbox. But in the end, the sandbox needs to pull gamers back with the prospect of fine, guided - and shared - experiences.
7. SOMETHING NEW...
Most of these suggestions are based on the foundation of what Red Dead and GTA already brought to gaming as a whole. Let’s hope there’s something more to push things forward, no-one has thought about…
You have to come back to the root of why people put a game disc into their console for in the first place, or why they click on the game to load up…. It’s about seeing how your character and gameplay unfolds. It’s about playing alongside other people and sharing the madness and mini-scenarios. My suggestion: let’s try and cut-down on the endless mass shoot-outs that is multiplayer. Sometimes I enter multiplayer and I just die continually. What about something new in multiplayer mode?
The Virtual Wild West...
So Rockstar. A lot to live up to. Don’t rush it. I’m not sure whether to pity or envy the game-developers or - especially - the testers.
So there we have it. Just a few ideas. Check out / sub to YT channel/playlist:
GAME MEMORIES feat. Top Gaming Music tracks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tJAgrZlTD4&list=PLIzT77Ax-2qppAWh_ft31uesqSLbteCtE
What are your ideas and thoughts on Red Dead Redemption 2 here on Bananatic?
Co-operative play. I remember well the zombie mode where all players had to fight together until the bitter end. These game modes had been prepared with love and attention to maximise co-operation and fun. Some brilliantly-crafted scenarios with this kind of engagement would be essential, and make for some top Twitch entertainment.
Basically, if Red Dead Redemption 2 want to be a classic, massively successful game, it needs to present a full sandbox world - that is the game itself. The single-player should simply make the most of that sandbox. But in the end, the sandbox needs to pull gamers back with the prospect of fine, guided - and shared - experiences.
7. SOMETHING NEW...
Most of these suggestions are based on the foundation of what Red Dead and GTA already brought to gaming as a whole. Let’s hope there’s something more to push things forward, no-one has thought about…
You have to come back to the root of why people put a game disc into their console for in the first place, or why they click on the game to load up…. It’s about seeing how your character and gameplay unfolds. It’s about playing alongside other people and sharing the madness and mini-scenarios. My suggestion: let’s try and cut-down on the endless mass shoot-outs that is multiplayer. Sometimes I enter multiplayer and I just die continually. What about something new in multiplayer mode?
The Virtual Wild West...
So Rockstar. A lot to live up to. Don’t rush it. I’m not sure whether to pity or envy the game-developers or - especially - the testers.
So there we have it. Just a few ideas. Check out / sub to YT channel/playlist:
GAME MEMORIES feat. Top Gaming Music tracks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tJAgrZlTD4&list=PLIzT77Ax-2qppAWh_ft31uesqSLbteCtE
What are your ideas and thoughts on Red Dead Redemption 2 here on Bananatic?
