J. Bongo

Here to discuss Video Game Design, Game Design Philosophy, and the cultural impact of video games.
Live weekdays 4:45–6am CT on X, YouTube, Twitch & Kick.

[J. Bongo @JBongoGamer]

"I would much rather live in an uncomfortable truth than live a patronizing lie." Would you want a game to secretly get easier? Play LUCID: https://t.co/PMfTRshQQk

[J. Bongo @JBongoGamer]

A game that runs at 30fps is not worth playing.

[J. Bongo @JBongoGamer]

Exactly, doesn't have to be a big change. Just something for the player to see they are growing.

I see you're a gameification guru. I studied that when I got my masters of educational technology and applied it to my classroom. It's what got me thinking about game design and what motivates people on a deeper level

[J. Bongo @JBongoGamer]

Your progression in games need to be communicated to the player in some way. Like almost every aspect of game design, this can go too far. Here in Belmont's Curse I think there's not enough.

[J. Bongo @JBongoGamer]

Since video games have been around, the agreement was: if we pay for something, we own it. Not like a rental car you know you give back. Then publishers turned around and said you didn't buy it, you rented it, and they can take it away. The agreement was broken.

[J. Bongo @JBongoGamer]

@ryantylervo 🤣🤣🤣

[J. Bongo @JBongoGamer]

@RinoTheBouncer high 90's despite the FPS debacle

[J. Bongo @JBongoGamer]

@backlogcarl do you have one of those in your collection?

[J. Bongo @JBongoGamer]

The Hero of Time by far

[Wesley ✨ @wesleytypes]

Who is the best Link?

[J. Bongo @JBongoGamer]

@backlogcarl haha, my bad. Actually now that I think about it this is the GOAT:

[J. Bongo @JBongoGamer]

Gotta land those counters, just like in Shinobi. Difference is, in Shinobi the counter costs you something. Here the offset is a very short window. If you don't time it perfectly, you don't get it. That's a good trade-off.

[J. Bongo @JBongoGamer]

I agree with both of those arguments, but the question I have is does it effect the gameplay enough to render the game unplayable. So many beloved games came out running at 30fps and while it might have been mentioned and complained about, it still wasn't enough to render the game unplayable.
It can be a big deal, and AAA studios should definitely produce games at 60fps, but FPS is almost never the reason why games fail. It's usually gameplay and story.

[J. Bongo @JBongoGamer]

@MetroidTheorist I haven't noticed any issues with it playing on my comp. But when I was playing the second wind mod for BotW i definitely noticed the difference between 30 and 60fps.

[J. Bongo @JBongoGamer]

A game that runs at 30fps is not worth playing.

[J. Bongo @JBongoGamer]

@RealMarcFoxx if it harms input responsiveness then it is definitely a deal breaker

[J. Bongo @JBongoGamer]

My take on FPS is that, yes, definitely hold studios to a higher standard. That being said, 30 FPS isn't going to make or break a gaming experience.

[J. Bongo @JBongoGamer]

@RetroSetJoe so I agree. I am also sympathetic to a sort of message to send to AAA studios by not buying a 30fps game. But this poll has more to do with the game itself and if it absolutely kills the gameplay experience.

[J. Bongo @JBongoGamer]

@MetroidTheorist I think there needs to be some sort of test. Now I'm curious of different people have different brain stuff going on that determines what fps they accept or not

[J. Bongo @JBongoGamer]

@latenite_zing85 @YorchTorchGames me too. I told my kids I spoke with Santa so we are assured to get a Switch 2 this christmas

[J. Bongo @JBongoGamer]

@Beau_BMG yes, dipping below 30fps should definitely not happen. Also the eye not syncing up would explain the disagreement about this issue. Sort of like the "What color is the dress" thing.

[J. Bongo @JBongoGamer]

Are people really willing to say that a game running at 30fps can ruin a gaming experience in the same way that poor gameplay and a bad story would?

I'm more than sympathetic to the reasoning that AAA studios should be held to a high standard, but call a game bad simply because of 30fps seems bit excessive

[J. Bongo @JBongoGamer]

@ManacasterBen Ya I guess that's a fair point. Gotta think on it some more

I've never designed a game before. Is FPS a difficult thing to get right when programming? or is it a pretty standard thing? It has to tax the system in some way the higher it is though right?