I hate minigames!

[PunyHuman]

I hate all the minigames of real life:
The Brushing My Teeth Minigame
The Commuting To Work Minigame
The Various Minigames that comprise my work Minigame
The Responding to Forum Trolls Minigame


Maybe all of life's activities could be sub-divided and called minigames, and upon realizing that we can stop over-analyzing how either game is played...

 

[emacinnes]

A proper mini-game is when the game takes a time out from it's usual mechanics and does something totally different, removing the player from the existing narrative. It is narrative removal that defines the mini-game borders. A game-within-a-game, but they aren't connected except for accessing one from the other:

Geometry Wars was originally a mini-game inside Project Gotham Racing. Playing Doom1 inside of Doom3 (Doom 3 being a re-telling narratively). Playing snooker or darts in Duke Nukem. They have no bearing on the main game at all, and exist only to pad time, or for marketing purposes.

There are no mini-games in ED, because we are never once (except for the odd crash) ever removed from the narrative of the game. If the day comes when we can visit the station and play Space Pinball, or play Elite 1984 on a station arcade machine, then we'll have a mini-game.

 

[MikeSnos]

Bringing this up just serves to encourage me!

You missed out the Mining mini-game that's just been introduced as well as the cargo-scooping mini-game... Loved that in B1

I see Iain's mentioned the wonderful cargo-scooping mini-game later on

 

[Snyperal]

A proper mini-game is when the game takes a time out from it's usual mechanics and does something totally different, removing the player from the existing narrative. It is narrative removal that defines the mini-game borders. A game-within-a-game, but they aren't connected except for accessing one from the other:

Geometry Wars was originally a mini-game inside Project Gotham Racing. Playing Doom1 inside of Doom3 (Doom 3 being a re-telling narratively). Playing snooker or darts in Duke Nukem. They have no bearing on the main game at all, and exist only to pad time, or for marketing purposes.

There are no mini-games in ED, because we are never once (except for the odd crash) ever removed from the narrative of the game. If the day comes when we can visit the station and play Space Pinball, or play Elite 1984 on a station arcade machine, then we'll have a mini-game.

That's pretty much what I tried to convey only more articulate and thought out. Well done squire have some reps.

 

[Colonel Kenney]

The supercruise minigame is fun!

 

[Hootmon]

The only thing I've not heard referenced as a minigame is combat. I've never heard anyone mention "The Combat Minigame".

What that says...?

I'm not sure.

The 'minigame' epithet is used in a fashion similar to 'carebear'. Likely by some of the same people for some of the same reasons.

 

[Advent]

I hate minigames. A minigame is something like a puzzle or whatnot added to the main game, things like lock puzzles in RPGs are a classic. This is not the same thing as a function. A function is an integral part of the experience.

Interdiction is a function. Not a minigame.

Docking is a function. Not a minigame.

Scooping is a function. Not a minigame.

These and others are all integral parts and functions of Elite Dangerous. We don't need to keep breaking each function off from the whole and calling it a minigame.

That is all.

I agree! But then again devs gonna dev, so far the game looks good from what I've seen. Can't wait for the future.

 

[emacinnes]

I'm not as think as you drunk I am.

This made perfect sense to me the first time I read it, until some time later The Brain said "hang on, something's wrong with it"......

 

[Riedquat]

The one 'minigame' I really liked was in Paradroid for the C64, the game with the wires, that was good fun.

But yes, I agree with the premise of the thread.

 

[Milky82]

I just get a little miffed with all the RPG language like farming, leveling and endgame. This isnt world of warcraft folks.

 

[stephen_usher]

I especially hate the "getting up in the morning" minigame, followed by the "washing" minigame and the "breakfast" minigame followed by the "travelling to work" minigame... etc.

People who break down each facet of the total game into distinct segments and call them minigames are merely ruining it for themselves. They aren't minigames, they're an integrated whole, which is generally greater than its individual parts.

Sometimes I pity them.

 

[Milky82]

I especially hate the "getting up in the morning" minigame, followed by the "washing" minigame and the "breakfast" minigame followed by the "travelling to work" minigame... etc.

People who break down each facet of the total game into distinct segments and call them minigames are merely ruining it for themselves. They aren't minigames, they're an integrated whole, which is generally greater than its individual parts.

Sometimes I pity them.

Maybe this will help them http://www.miniusa.com/content/miniusa/en/crm/jump-game.html

 

[Arconedas]

The one 'minigame' I really liked was in Paradroid for the C64, the game with the wires, that was good fun.

But yes, I agree with the premise of the thread.

OFFTOPIC, sorry

That was one of my favorite c64 games too! 999 wasnt so easy to capture...

 

[gamecat]

The interdiction process is a very clever way of including game mechanics (ship manouverability and interdiction quality and other factors) to create a final takedown after a chase, without it interdictions would be a cold calculation push one button affair. As it stands they are an excellent modified skill based challenge particularly pvp.

 

[JeffRyan]

A proper mini-game is when the game takes a time out from it's usual mechanics and does something totally different, removing the player from the existing narrative. It is narrative removal that defines the mini-game borders. A game-within-a-game, but they aren't connected except for accessing one from the other:

Geometry Wars was originally a mini-game inside Project Gotham Racing. Playing Doom1 inside of Doom3 (Doom 3 being a re-telling narratively). Playing snooker or darts in Duke Nukem. They have no bearing on the main game at all, and exist only to pad time, or for marketing purposes.

There are no mini-games in ED, because we are never once (except for the odd crash) ever removed from the narrative of the game. If the day comes when we can visit the station and play Space Pinball, or play Elite 1984 on a station arcade machine, then we'll have a mini-game.

I'm stealing that for the OP, really nicely put. And have some rep.

 

[Commander Mad Mags]

I hate minigames. A minigame is something like a puzzle or whatnot added to the main game, things like lock puzzles in RPGs are a classic. This is not the same thing as a function. A function is an integral part of the experience.

Interdiction is a function. Not a minigame.

Docking is a function. Not a minigame.

Scooping is a function. Not a minigame.

These and others are all integral parts and functions of Elite Dangerous. We don't need to keep breaking each function off from the whole and calling it a minigame.

I believe the more acceptable term in this day and age is "Game of diminished proportions".

 

[HoshiQaVam]

The terminology "minigame" has no definitive meaning. It's as tangible a word in game design as "game mechanic" and often both used to describe the same thing.

It's just a differing of terminology.

However, I think you'll find the general consensus amongst actual game developers is that a minigame is an activity, not a mechanic, that takes the player beyond (or outside of) the general play activity.

In other words, if you find an arcade machine and upon clicking it a window pops up and lets you play a round of Pipe Mania, then that's a mini game.

However, if you repair your ship, and a window pops up and you have to connect a pipe in order to re-establish the power connection, then that's a game mechanic. Even though it's still just Pipe Mania.