bidaum said:
A couple of counterpoints:
You can't read subtitles on one screen and watch the cinematic on another.
I could argue that when you're sitting reading on-screen subtitles, you're not watching the cinematic either, but there is a difference between glancing at the bottom of the screen and glancing at your hands. I tend to turn subtitles on so if the game's dialogue isn't clear or I didn't hear something correctly, I can check it.
But yes, some people say that subtitles are intrusive. Putting them on a separate screen does make the main screen more cinematic, which is the title under which this particular bullet point fell.
Most FPSs you aren't going to want to look away from the main screen.
1. The point you are discussing is listed as specific to privacy during split-screen gameplay, a situation where you don't want other players to see specific details. If you've got a mini-map in the corner of your part of the screen, the other player can use that to find you.
2. I think the difference between an on-screen HUD and a personal screen is negligible. This sounds like the complaint people made about the DS when it was first shown too. You can look at two things fairly quickly anyways.
3. Do you look at your radar in the middle of a firefight anyways? Have you ever been taken by surprise while glancing at your on-screen radar? Most people would answer yes.
4. I have a deep dislike of Peter Molyeneux, but I have to agree with his personal philosophy on minimaps; "
Mini-maps are shit. They're shit because you make these multimillion-dollar games, and people play them staring at these little dots.". By putting the radar on a personal screen, you're taking away or diminishing the ability to 'play by the radar', navigating by the information on the tiny map instead of what's happening on the screen. I would argue this is a more immersive experience.
I guarantee you no one is going to look away from a fight to check their meter, even for an instant. For that matter, knowing the other guy's meter is often a big part of strategy.
You are aware that people have peripheral vision, yes? I don't need to glance
directly at something to garner info from it. A quick glance down at a gauge on my personal screen can tell me if my gauge is half full, almost full, etc.
Additionally, I think that knowing when the other guy has the capacity to unleash a devastating super move at any moment plays a huge part of strategy. You may be much more cautious to get near them if you know they can unleash some kind of crazy attack.
And again, this was under the "Split screen privacy" section, which was all about creating experiences that cannot be achieved with all information being on-screen.
What if there was a fighting game where you couldn't see how much life the other guy had? You'd have to judge based on their character's visible damage. Not sure what this has to do with the controller screen
Again; personal privacy section. If you select your characters in secret, it prevents your opponent from picking counter-characters. If you pick a fast character, your opponent won't know and simply pick a fast character to match you. It would lead to less formulaic matches, I feel.
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Dice rolls in an RPG. No reason this needs to be on a separate screen.
It does if you're rolling dice in secret, like the Liar's Dice game in Red Dead Redemption, or even in a sort of Dungeons and Dragons game where one player is in charge of the monsters and traps and the other players are playing heroes.
Try not to think of traditional console games, but what a console could do if there was a way to deliver information via a personal, private interface.
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Hide and go seek. Come on...
Seriously. I shouldn't even need to explain this one, but based on your next quote, I have a feeling I'm wasting my time explaining these things anyways.
In a game where one player hides from another (say,
every multiplayer stealth game ever made?), being able to see where the other player is hiding is the root of the entire game. If you're sharing a screen, there's nothing to stop the seeker from finding the hider, whether their glances are unintentional or not ("The bottom screen is red, therefore he is in a room with red lights"). The only way around that is to have individual screens.
bidaum said:
You wrote a bunch and I got tired
Words in my post: 903
Words in The Cat in the Hat: 1629
Maybe you should go have a nap if reading is such a chore.