How the fuck were you supposed to know to jump at the paintings?
Old meme is old.
>>3284873
Not old. Retro.
>>3284880
No, retro is before 1999. This is just old for 4chan standards, /v/ meme from 2007 or so. Get out.
>>3284870
I know this is bait thread, but it also reminds me of how some people complain about hand holding in games and others complain of lack of guidance in game.
Does the perfect balance exist..
>>3284931
Only if the game comes with a printed manual
>>3284870
Just do a belt scroller thread, man
>>3284870
Newfag here. I really want to know.
>>3284934
or an NPC that gave you really good advice.
>>3284870
Most likely from the manual, but I'm pretty sure one of the toads tells you about them, too.
Also, the paintings ripple like water when you wander near them, which encourages the player to examine the object. You only have a few options for interacting with objects in SM64, so it isn't difficult to stumble upon the correct action. The paintings are also positioned slightly off the floor, so the player is encouraged to jump in order to move closer and interact with it. At which point, they'll probably end up jumping into it anyway. Also, the paintings stick out like a sore thumb and there's really nothing else interesting for the player to look at. It's pretty obvious that they're important.
It's not massively intuitive, but unless you have a serious aversion to experimenting, it's not too obscure either.
So, to answer your question, you knew by just playing the fucking game and not expecting the game to tell you with a big flashing text prompt that says "PRESS A TO JUMP INTO LEVEL".
Retro is irrelevant. That term is outmoded. It's archaic. Retro by definition is 15 years or older.
Crude 2D Gaming
-Magnavox Odyssey, Pong
This era was dominated by Table Tennis type games. This is the era where gaming is in it's infancy.
Early 2D Gaming
-Atari 2600, Colecovision, Intellivision, etc.
This era was dominated by early 2D Gaming. This is the era where gaming begins to evolve.
Polished 2D Gaming
-NES, Sega Master System, Atari 7800, etc.
This is the era where 2D gaming is perfected. The best games of all time are released for these systems, ported to these systems, and true multi-generation franchises are born as well as modern gaming iconography and modern characters.
Upgraded 2D Gaming, Crude 3D Gaming
-Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, etc.
This is the era where 2D Gaming is continually evolving. Bigger stories, longer games, better graphics, more colors. Very crude, rudimentary 3D begins mostly on the Genesis, but then on the SNES with the FX chip and SVP chip on the Genesis. Modern game design begins, but is limited due to the controllers at the time - (one of the quoted reasons Mario 64 was moved to the Nintendo 64)
Dying 2D Gaming, Early 3D Gaming
-Nintendo 64, Sega Saturn, PlayStation
This is the era that 2D begins to die, and the era that arcade ports are starting to fade as arcades themselves die out.
We are introduced to modern gaming, 3D analog sticks, and fully exploitable multi-level, huge and massive worlds that could never have existed before. Games span multiple CDs and can take days to complete. Memory cards become standard as many games now take multiple days to complete.
Polished 3D Gaming
-Dreamcast, Xbox, GameCube, etc.
This is the era where modern gaming is expanded upon, with the advent of faster internet speeds and the Dreamcast popularizing internet out of the box. Everything is kept from the previous era, but polished and made to look better, flow better, and feel better, including physics and more powerful hardware.
>>3285591
>Crude
>Polished
>Dying
Yeah, that's not subjective at all. Definitely wont piss anyone off with that.
>>3285597
I think you would have to read that wanting to be pissed off by it to be pissed off by it
>>3285613
True, but when you want to overthrow a current term, choosing such abrasive terms is maybe not the best idea.
Saying that 2D games were dying in the playstation era implies that the PS's 2D games are poor. This is obviously insulting so some people, even if it wasn't your intent.
It doesn't personally offend me, but these words are great fodder for people who want to be offended.
>>3285679
Huh? What's wrong about that statement?
>>3285654
>implies that the PS's 2D games are poor.
Does it, though? Does it, really?
In general, 2D gaming had a falling out with the public at large around that time as everyone was getting swept away by emerging 3D tech. The 2D games could have been literally perfect but at the end of the day very little fucks were given by anyone because they weren't in 3D.
>>3284870
Getting close to the painting makes its surface wave, giving a hint that you may walk through it
>>3284870
the little shroom meme tells you.
>>3284870
We just...knew.
>>3285654
It's not about being offended, it's about being objective.
>>3284931
Game needs to goad you into doing the right thing, then make you think it was your own idea. Think SMB 1-1, or intro stage of Megaman X.
Example: make the first painting in the game, actually elevated on a platform you can jump onto. There are also coins, which form a path to the painting - optionally, if some playtesters STILL don't know what to do, last coin is actually buried halfway inside the painting, hinting at what you need to do.
That is pretty hamfisted by 'invisible tutorials', but it will work more than 90% of the time, even on most stubborn players.
Or, less convoluted - first painting is in a garden area, and you can see birds fly into the painting, with the ripple effect, and then fly out a second later, with same ripple effect. Player will assume it is a hidden door to some sort of secret.
THAT would be a good, but explicit, tutorial.
Also, jumping into the painting ensures that player is familiar with controlling Mario before going into the game itself - they know how to move, and at this point start searching for interesting things, and how they can interact with them. Running by list of things you can do and objects availible, jumping into the painting will come up sooner or later - and when it does, player will feel fucking amazing for figuring it out.
>>3285701
Honestly, I'm waiting until success of Shovel Knight etc. will actually push some developer to make a triple-A truly 2D game. Like, imagine if all that budget that goes to celebrity voice actors would go to fluid 2D animation.
well people may have thinked it was just a prop and be on there way saying "WHERE THE FUCK IS THE LEVEL SELLECT"
>>3286017
You're overthinking it.
If you see the flashing fluidity of the painting, and your instinct isn't to touch it and see what happens, what kind of gamer are you?
>>3286025
Or we could have a pixel game with celebrity voice actors!
