What you like/dislike in (survival) games

[Kennedy]

I think it could be interesting to see what each of us liked and disliked in the survival games (or games with survival side) we played.

For exemple in the game the last of us.

I liked :

- The design, everything looked great, abandoned, dirty (maybe not enough, but I won't be picky)

- The handmade weapons. Piece of sharp metal, tissue and hop a knife.

- The weakness of the characters, they never were too powerful, every fight was a fight for survival.

I disliked :

- The over-use of firearms, seriously, it's been twenty years since the last gun and the last bullet was out of production. How is it possible to have 15 minutes of gun fight. Bullet should be extremely rare. It's my opinion, maybe I'm wrong.

- The "berserker" enemies. Like in most of games, human enemies take 3 bullets in the body and still try to kill you like if they got spider bite. And even when you have killed 8 guys, the last two still stay there, not scared at all and run to you like mad men.

- The end of the story, but that's doesn't have any relation with the survival.

That's it for today, I will think about other game with survival side for another day.

[indianajonas]

Hmm... let’s see what we can find.

I like:

• a good crafting system (not too complex but complex enough to support players individual stil)
  
• ... and the possibility to upgrade something (to improve character’s / my situation - immersion++)
  
• collecting (useful) things (supplies, crafting material, etc.) to build (at least a temporarily) safety...
  
• ... and a ballanced amount of supplies
  
• the right soundtrack (huge plus)
  
• the possibility to choose between different options in conversations

I dislike:

• No-go TOP #1: a horde of enemies (Sometimes I have the feeling that the difficulty is made by the number of enemies.) Nothing annoys me more than too many enemies (result: massive loss of immersion)
  
• "Berserker" enemies (I agree with Kennedy)

@Kennedy: Good question btw.

[robdoar]

What I hate in current survival games:

• Zombies - Enough zombie games already
  
• Constant Combat - Getting into gunfights is a quick way to end your survival
  
• Surreal - Look, a can of food in the middle of a field
  
• Surreal 2 - I found a can of food, what do I open it with?
  
• Simple tasks - click 2 buttons, and you have a roaring fire
  
• Unlocking skills - I hate that you have to unlock a skill to try it.
  
• HUD/Levels - They can be on backend, but no one should know they've "maxed out" a skill, or attained "Level 37" just from surviving.

What I'd like to see in TLD

• Cause and Effect - Try to start a fire or build something with low skill and poor materials, you'll fail.
  
• Interactive tasks - You can't just click and be done, you have to react to something happening (e.g wind blowing when you're starting a fire, or wood warping when crafting)
  
• Reloading - Collect spent brass and reload them(new primers, bullet and powder)
  
• Learning skills - You should be able to try anything, but your rate of success/quality of outcome depends on how much you've studied and practiced.

I have tons more floating around in my head, but those are the ones I can sufficiently elaborate one right now.

[logang]

I just love in survival games that I can get stabbed and shot and fully heal after taking a few deep breaths, just like in real life.

/sarcasm

[accurize2]

What I hate in current survival games:

• Zombies - Enough zombie games already
  
• Constant Combat - Getting into gunfights is a quick way to end your survival
  
• Surreal - Look, a can of food in the middle of a field
  
• Surreal 2 - I found a can of food, what do I open it with?
  
• Simple tasks - click 2 buttons, and you have a roaring fire
  
• Unlocking skills - I hate that you have to unlock a skill to try it.
  
• HUD/Levels - They can be on backend, but no one should know they've "maxed out" a skill, or attained "Level 37" just from surviving.

What I'd like to see in TLD

• Cause and Effect - Try to start a fire or build something with low skill and poor materials, you'll fail.
  
• Interactive tasks - You can't just click and be done, you have to react to something happening (e.g wind blowing when you're starting a fire, or wood warping when crafting)
  
• Reloading - Collect spent brass and reload them(new primers, bullet and powder)
  
• Learning skills - You should be able to try anything, but your rate of success/quality of outcome depends on how much you've studied and practiced.

I have tons more floating around in my head, but those are the ones I can sufficiently elaborate one right now.

Wow. I pretty much totally agree with all of these points!

I would like to really stress a couple parts I don't like in current "survival" games:

The over-simplicity in survival tasks and lack of failure. Making a shelter, fire, hunting, ect... should all require a significant amount of time and effort. Devs, please don't opt for the PRESTO fire in this game.

Also, the survival aspect seems to be after-thought in current games. The primary focus is on combat. Devs, please do they exact opposite. Combat should be a rare and very dangerous activity. It should only be a real option when there are no other options...last resort combat system.

What I would like in addition to the great ideas already in this thread:

I would like to see different shelter types with different pro's and con's (lean-to, bush shelter, snow shelter, ect...).

[Kennedy]

[*] Surreal - Look, a can of food in the middle of a field

[*] Surreal 2 - I found a can of food, what do I open it with?

That makes me remember about dead island. A portion of the story makes you walk through the sewers. In it, you can finds cans of soda and chocolate bars, that's already a good "WTF", but that's nothing compared to the fact that your character eats and drinks them. Who would be stupid enough to eat a chocolate bar found in a sewer full of zombies ? >_<"