# The basic building blocks of the awesomest game ever **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [November 27, 2010, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-building-blocks-of-the-awesomest-game-ever/562102 "2010-11-27T21:33:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-building-blocks-of-the-awesomest-game-ever/562102/1 "2010-11-27T21:33:06Z")
So, I’ve noticed some elements of games that I find myself looking forward to. When I play a game lacking these, I sometimes find myself thinking that if the game had these items, the fun quotient would go up significantly. These are: A pump action shotgun, jetpack, flamethrower, zombies (arguable), powerfist, chainsaw, chaingun, powerarmor, mech suit (think Warhammer’s dreadnought or Aliens’ humanoid powerlift), ninjas, the ability to disguise yourself as an enemy. That’s all I can come up with at the moment. How about you? ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-building-blocks-of-the-awesomest-game-ever/562102/2 "2010-11-27T22:46:08Z")
I question the premise of the OP. Let’s see Barbie’s Dreamhouse + pump action shotgun Cooking momma + flamethrower Strawberry Shortcake + powerfist No, never mind. The OP is sound… The hookshot from the Legend of Zelda series would always be cool to have. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-building-blocks-of-the-awesomest-game-ever/562102/3 "2010-11-27T23:28:27Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > The hookshot from the Legend of Zelda series would always be cool to have. Yup - grappling arms are cool in every game. Bionic Commando, Metroid Prime series, Mario Galaxy 2 (Yoshi as well as the blue stars), Jet Moto - I can’t wait for LittleBIGPlanet2, it’s going to have a grappling arm. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-building-blocks-of-the-awesomest-game-ever/562102/4 "2010-11-27T23:28:57Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > So, I’ve noticed some elements of games that I find myself looking forward to. When I play a game lacking these, I sometimes find myself thinking that if the game had these items, the fun quotient would go up significantly. > > These are: > A pump action shotgun, jetpack, flamethrower, zombies (arguable), powerfist, chainsaw, chaingun, powerarmor, mech suit (think Warhammer’s dreadnought or Aliens’ humanoid powerlift), ninjas, the ability to disguise yourself as an enemy. > > That’s all I can come up with at the moment. How about you? Been playing fallout have ya? ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-building-blocks-of-the-awesomest-game-ever/562102/5 "2010-11-27T23:52:50Z")
Turn based strategy hotseat hex map PBEM Easy to learn/hard to master Plethora of scenario modders There are different types of gamers out there. Just so you know. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2010, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-building-blocks-of-the-awesomest-game-ever/562102/6 "2010-11-28T00:02:23Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > Turn based strategy > hotseat > hex map > PBEM > Easy to learn/hard to master > Plethora of scenario modders > > There are different types of gamers out there. Just so you know. Yeah, but if I play your type of game, how am I gonna get 9 year olds to call me a gay haxxor? Incidentally, most of the things you like most are in Civ5. What’s the ultimate unit in Civ5? That’s right, the mech. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2010, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-building-blocks-of-the-awesomest-game-ever/562102/7 "2010-11-28T00:05:07Z")
You know, Michael, your Thanksgiving family softball game may be getting a little too competitive. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2010, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-building-blocks-of-the-awesomest-game-ever/562102/8 "2010-11-28T00:14:35Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > Incidentally, most of the things you like most are in Civ5. What’s the ultimate unit in Civ5? That’s right, the mech. You’re right and yet the game fails on so many levels. Perhaps theres a lesson here, a great game can and should be more than the sum of its parts. I don’t like flying games but Xbox’s Crimson Skies is great. I’m not really into pirate games but Sid Meier’s Pirates is a great game. I don’t like RPG’s but Diablo and Baldur’s Gate II are fantastic. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2010, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-building-blocks-of-the-awesomest-game-ever/562102/9 "2010-11-28T01:18:24Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > You’re right and yet the game fails on so many levels. Perhaps theres a lesson here, a great game can and should be more than the sum of its parts. > > I don’t like flying games but Xbox’s Crimson Skies is great. > I’m not really into pirate games but Sid Meier’s Pirates is a great game. > I don’t like RPG’s but Diablo and Baldur’s Gate II are fantastic. Can you think of elements these games have in common? When I say “elements”, I don’t only mean items like shotguns or rocket launchers but anything, up to the highest levels of abstraction. ---
**Author:** ![fuzzypickles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9d8465/32.png) [@fuzzypickles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fuzzypickles)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2010, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-building-blocks-of-the-awesomest-game-ever/562102/10 "2010-11-28T01:45:36Z")
Well, [Minecraft Alpha](http://www.minecraft.net/) has: **[del]A pump action shotgun, powerfist, chainsaw, chaingun[/del]** = none of these exist, but it’s not really that kind of game. (Bow & arrow works fine.) **jetpack** = minecart boosters **flamethrower** = buckets of lava **zombies (arguable)** = check **powerarmor** = diamond armor (not really useful IMHO) **ninjas** = creepers **mech suit (think Warhammer’s dreadnought or Aliens’ humanoid powerlift)** = doesn’t exist, but since you can carry 1,024 blocks of granite w/o breaking a sweat, it’s not that necessary. **the ability to disguise yourself as an enemy** = you can wear a pumpkin on your head. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2010, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-building-blocks-of-the-awesomest-game-ever/562102/11 "2010-11-28T01:53:04Z")
> [@fuzzypickles](#): > > Well, [Minecraft Alpha](http://www.minecraft.net/) has: > > **[del]A pump action shotgun, powerfist, chainsaw, chaingun[/del]** = none of these exist, but it’s not really that kind of game. (Bow & arrow works fine.) > **jetpack** = minecart boosters > **flamethrower** = buckets of lava > **zombies (arguable)** = check > **powerarmor** = diamond armor (not really useful IMHO) > **ninjas** = creepers > **mech suit (think Warhammer’s dreadnought or Aliens’ humanoid powerlift)** = doesn’t exist, but since you can carry 1,024 blocks of granite w/o breaking a sweat, it’s not that necessary. > **the ability to disguise yourself as an enemy** = you can wear a pumpkin on your head. Yeah, but the problem with Minecraft is that the graphics are nearly as bad as WoW. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2010, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-building-blocks-of-the-awesomest-game-ever/562102/12 "2010-11-28T01:54:58Z")
Camera guided missiles; I’ve loved those ever since I first encountered them in PO’d. Freedom; run-on-rails gameplay is both irritating the first time though and greatly lowers replay value. Customizability. Modding as previously mentioned is part of that, but I also like games where you can change your looks, how your powers work, what weapons/tools you have, etc. Good music for atmosphere. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2010, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-building-blocks-of-the-awesomest-game-ever/562102/13 "2010-11-28T01:56:21Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > Yeah, but the problem with Minecraft is that the graphics are nearly as bad as WoW. I’d call them “retro” (or at worst “simple”) not “bad”. “Bad” implies a failure in execution not a deliberate style choice. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2010, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-building-blocks-of-the-awesomest-game-ever/562102/14 "2010-11-28T02:12:07Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Camera guided missiles; I’ve loved those ever since I first encountered them in PO’d. > > . Ooh, how could I forget those. What is “PO’d” though? ---
**Author:** ![dogbutler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogbutler/32/428_2.png) [@dogbutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogbutler)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2010, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-building-blocks-of-the-awesomest-game-ever/562102/15 "2010-11-28T02:18:26Z")
God mode. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2010, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-building-blocks-of-the-awesomest-game-ever/562102/16 "2010-11-28T02:31:25Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > Ooh, how could I forget those. What is “PO’d” though? A 1994 game for the 3DO, later released on the PlayStation. I found a page with a few screenshots [here](http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/dcr/art/pod/pod.htm). A first person shooter where you are a psychopathic cook on a spaceship; everyone else is killed and you have to slaughter your way through hordes of aliens. You start with a fry pan, then get a cleaver, and as you play get a variety of interesting weapons. A drill (that [bloodies the screen](http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/dcr/art/pod/power_plant.jpg) as you drill enemies, and your hand wipes it off when you stop); a gun that rapidfires purple balls called “meat seekers” that bounce randomly along. Plus you get a jetpack; several levels include extensive flying. Oh; and you find Elvis on a hook in a meat locker. It was a fun game. It had a variety of features I didn’t see in other games until much later. ---
**Author:** ![fuzzypickles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9d8465/32.png) [@fuzzypickles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fuzzypickles)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2010, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-building-blocks-of-the-awesomest-game-ever/562102/17 "2010-11-28T03:16:31Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > I’d call them “retro” (or at worst “simple”) not “bad”. “Bad” implies a failure in execution not a deliberate style choice. +1 Regarding other games…it’s my belief that any RPG worth its salt _must_ contain the following: (1) The ability to defeat the game’s biggest, baddest monster with your bare fists. (2) If you strip naked and walk past an NPC, the NPC _must_ comment on that fact. (3) Lots and lots of mini-quests that have nothing whatsoever to do with the main plot, including many circumstances which _appear_ to be potential quests at first, but instead lead to thematic dead ends. (4) At least one character who breaks the fourth wall (e.g. [M’Aiq the Liar](http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:M%27aiq_the_Liar)) (5) At least one secret society which exists outside the main plot (e.g. The Dark Brotherhood from Oblivion, or Reilly’s Rangers from Fallout 3.) ---
**Author:** ![Brainiac4](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brainiac4/32/3534_2.png) [@Brainiac4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brainiac4)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2010, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-building-blocks-of-the-awesomest-game-ever/562102/18 "2010-11-28T03:53:21Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > Yeah, but the problem with Minecraft is that the graphics are nearly as bad as WoW. You win the thread. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2010, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-building-blocks-of-the-awesomest-game-ever/562102/19 "2010-11-28T03:58:42Z")
by “chaingun” do you mean a multi-barrel Gatling minigun? Because they are two separate things. A katana The ability to turn a car into a car bomb Sledgehammer as a melee weapon Tactical nuclear weapon ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2010, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-building-blocks-of-the-awesomest-game-ever/562102/20 "2010-11-28T04:38:30Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > by “chaingun” do you mean a multi-barrel Gatling minigun? Because they are two separate things. > > A katana > The ability to turn a car into a car bomb > Sledgehammer as a melee weapon > Tactical nuclear weapon I meant in the sense of minigun which is what I should have said. I thought about including the katana. If it slices heads clean off, I’m in. Cars good. Bombs good. Car bombs better. Bonus points for being able to jump out at the last moment. A sledgehammer has the level of subtlety I’m most comfortable with. I wish games played a Peter Gabriel sample when you fought with one. So I’m not the only one who’s been playing Fallout. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-basic-building-blocks-of-the-awesomest-game-ever/562102.md?page=2)