I really don't expect this list to be totally new to anyone. In fact the following is just a compilation of things that I believe that could be done better. And to be perfectly honest, these methods for building a games really aren't going anywhere. This is mainly because they have been perfected over the last ten years and little tweaks and modifications can alter the objective while still presenting a challenge that gamers are familiar with. Without further ado I present my highly touted and completely unofficial 10 sins of game development.
#10 Collectibles
The problem: I'm not totally sick of collecting items that unlock other features within the game. I am just sick of hunting all over for them; only to find that the few that I am missing are in parts of the world that either would seem to be completely out of the spectrum of the game. Often these coins, stars, or orbs are within areas of the gameworld that wouldn't be reached or discovered unless you'd spent the better part of a week trying to find them.
Major culprits: Crackdown, Assassins Creed and Superman.
Avoidance: Less collectibles that take more effort to acquire. Easier said than done than I'm afraid. Case in point Crackdown is great, because when you're near an orb you at least can hear the orb making noise and you know that you are close to one. However, 300 of these in any sandbox game is overkill. If you are one of the few that have gotten all 300, more power to you. But overall the goal encourages frustration, which in turn breeds dissatisfaction; the last thing you want as a dev. Less collectibles, equal less confusion. Making these objects harder to achieve gives the player higher level of satisfaction when they are acquired.
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