It is great.

I wonder if "child-like" is necessary, or if we don't have many examples of other things because we haven't figured them out yet.

Also Spyro is less interesting than Mario, and so is Bandicoot. I feel like Mario when I play as Mario. I don't feel like Spyro when I play him, only sort of.

For games maybe the child-like element is common because "adult mechanics" are harder to find. Playing GTA hero X, or Marcus Fenix... I could be playing as almost anyone and it would make just as much sense. But Mario is Mario.

Metroidvanias do the tease thing. They show you an area, and hint at how you might get there. Later on you get an item or insight, then wonder if it might help you go where you couldn't before.

Have a distinctive trait that makes sense for him/her.

Don't worry about re-specing so much. Just try out whatever sounds fun, then fix it later. There's so much room for flex on these things that you can make anything work.

Planning a character vs growing one are so different it's like comparing chocolate and oranges.

I'm going to say something basic.

First:
 1. Game has a hard challenge.
 2. I don't know how to beat it.
 3. I have some idea of what to try.

And:
 4. Game has content after that challenge.
 5. I don't know what it is.
 6. I have some idea of what it might be.

Then:
 7. I ponder various possibilities while living my life.

Your game could work out well either way. Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines forces lots of decisions up front - so does Deus Ex. In both of these games you have to make further decisions as the game progresses.

I like this model because "planning" a character is fun. In Skyrim I do not plan, and only level. Is this less fun? I don't know.

The biggest problem with up-front decisions is getting trapped into a bad build, or a boring build, that you must pay for heavily. Will the player be stuck as a "thief" for 5 hours when he wants to smash skulls? There are so many ways to screw up whatever you do, or get it right.

Torchlight 2 lets you "re-build" your char for a fee, I believe.

Work hard at it. Making a good game character can be as complex as making a good anything. Also, make the character behave in a way the reflects his personality. Mario looks the way he feels. The way he feels suits the context of his world (i.e. the levels).

Even 2 people at once, but more than 4 total would be cool. Imagine a family, with company over, say on Christmas. Talking and eating are the main attractions, but also a game happens to stimulate social momentum.

In this case there is actually an advantage to having most people hands-free. I think the main barrier here is design. The game must be fun at 2, up to 8 (whatever). No extra tech needed.

LANs are cool too. Need many PCs.

^ whoa, good list.

google "dev diary youtube." I've watched full-hour sets on Assassin's Creed, Dead Space etc.

If you can learn something by going that's the most important thing. Everything else is just effort.

Forgive me if this was asked before. Does TIGs prefer 1 over 2? Vice-versa, or is it close?

Nice to see you back JW.

to expand the discussion a bit: screen shake is to camera lag as things are to other things. iow represent motion with camera drift, hard stops, spins, and relatable (but not exact) copies of avatar motion.

1 more, then that's it.

(edit: towerfall joke if that's too obscure)

death in that game btw has great feel. the bodies deflate - very satisfying.

*sigh* I was explaining a point.

I'm just saying be careful. every option you give the player has a cost. sometimes the cost is worth the result, sometimes it isn't. that is all.

usually you are better off weakening the screen-shake all together than giving an option to remove it, or just designing better. sliders are too often used as cop-outs. I'm not saying they always are.

game creators unite I guess.

sometimes sliders are necessary. I'd say for "hardcore" games, like Starcraft, you can expect a general competency from your players, and an expectation to customize their experience. but in general, putting the burden of game design on your player is counter-productive. so sliders are good _sometimes_.

Is russia a hot game scene? (congrats)