Here we go again. Hatred for yellow paint he left again and this time he is at the center of the discussion Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, the demo of which is available on the PlayStation Store. However, the question is more or less identical to the one that arose with Resident Evil 4 Remake.
The complaint centers around the fact that the games they want to help us too much and that there should be an option to turn off these indications. The problem is that this solution is the right one and most players need it, even the ones who complain.
We're not stupid but…
Often who criticizes states that the need for these visual indicators is a consequence of the aid itself: if they weren't there, people would be more used to understanding with their own heads where to go. First of all, that's absolutely not true. Understanding where to go in video games that use these indicators is not like solving a puzzle, it is not a question of ability to understand the map and attention in exploration, as happens for example in a metroidvania.
Games that use these markers need to mark the path because otherwise this it would be indistinguishable from the rest of the map. It has been said over and over again by the developers who, to paraphrase, say: 'in our tests we have seen that players need these indicators otherwise they don't understand how to proceed and are frustrated'. It is perfectly natural that this is the case, because in games with realistic and detailed graphics there are a myriad of objects on the screen made with great precision and, unlike old games with fixed views, the player has control of the view and the developer has no the certainty that passing from a certain point you are wading in exactly the right direction.
Understanding what can be used and what is “just graphics” is like finding the leopard in the photo of the savannah. We would spend minutes looking around… and no, it's not fun because that's not the point of the game. There have therefore been ways to help the player for some time and putting a different color from the rest of the area over the element linked to interaction is a classic solution.
We need it but we don't want it: it is a paradoxical but true situation and this makes us understand that There is one side of the question that should not be underestimated. While it's clear that a visual aid is necessary, it's also true that all that matters is creating a positive experience for the player. After all, that's the original purpose of yellow paint.
It's clear that a certain portion of the public does not react positively to this type of visual aid. How large this portion is remains to be seen (probably much smaller than for those who don't have any problems), but let's pretend that practically everyone finds these aids annoying. It is clear in this case that on the developer side there is a need to find new design approaches or perhaps find inspiration from other sources.
If we think of a game that doesn't take us by the hand, we think for example of Elden Ring (we use it as a point of reference because it is famous and many will be able to visualize what we are about to describe). There is a problem, however. Elden Ring takes you by the hand enormouslythe difference is that it strikes the perfect balance between helping the player and not letting them know they're being helped.
For example, checkpoints – places of grace – are visible in the distance thanks to the golden halos that surround them. Furthermore, these indicate with a line – practically an arrow – the direction to take. They are even more explicit than many other AAAs do. And what are places of grace if not spots of yellow paint on the horizon? Except that the entire game is built around them and there is a part of the plot related to them being golden.
Let's stay in Elden Ring and give a “random” example among many but clear. When you go down to Nokron, there's a whole side area with the pair of Gargoyle bosses at the end (we're sure you remember them). To avoid the risk of players losing the area, FromSoftware placed a group of in front of the waypoint giant luminous jellyfish (and that's not the only place he does this). The player is immediately drawn towards them. Once again it is guided by a visual cue, based on colour, but this all seems more natural.
The player wants to be helped, but wants to convince himself that he has not been pushed in a certain direction, he wants to believe he made it on his own. Achieving this, however, is by no means easy and yellow paint, while not the best choice, is still an acceptable (and easier to apply) solution from a developer's point of view.
This is an editorial written by a member of the editorial team and is not necessarily representative of the editorial line of Multiplayer.it.
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