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[Ivan]

62. DO NOT under ANY circumstances make mistakes. People really hate it when you do.

[Alec]

63. Make your game perfect. Also, its impossible for everyone to think your game is perfect.

Quit now.

[Guert]

G'ah Alec, you beat me to it 

Ok, ok... Then

64. Uses bouncing boob technology as much as possible.

[jeb]

65. Take five people, work three years, make an ambitious game. Sell 100 copies.

[Alec]

66. Four people is the exact number, thou shalt have four and no more.



(hey, why's Ebert hiding in there!)

[Ivan]

http://menwholooklikeoldlesbians.blogspot.com/

[Arne]

Actually, I think this thread has some valuable points, like, the the part where I talk about panties. Please consider the importance of panties.

...actually I think there are other points which are valuable to people. Kind of reminds me of how SMB relates to Giana... Giana had the basics down, but, imo, it was very negligent when it came to polish those little things which could really have made the game feel a lot better. I think Xexyz might be guilty of that too.

I think, maybe a more apt thread title can be:

Proposals (this word acts as a disclaimer: it's just ideas) of game design things you can do which are relatively easy to do and can really pay off.

or as a negative

Stuff which can (disclaimer word) make your game feel unpolished but you could fix rather easily

[deadeye]

47. Avoid Being Boxed in by Long Lists of Arbitrary Rules

It'll only hamper your creativity.

What works for other people may be completely un-applicable to your situation. Make sure you think carefully about other people's suggestions before you apply them.

True, but it's always helpful to be aware of the general rules.

As an allegory, when I was in design school one of the first things we learned were the Principles and Elements of design.  Things like balance, harmony, weight, use of line, etc.  Then halfway through the first semester our instructor said "now that you know these rules, you can break them as you see fit." 

It's ultimately just about good judgment, but it does help to know what bothers people about games.  When you "break the rules" intentionally there should be a good reason that serves the overall design.  It's the difference between making a mistake and making an informed decision.

[Alec]

When you "break the rules" intentionally there should be a good reason that serves the overall design.

Or not.

[deadeye]

When you "break the rules" intentionally there should be a good reason that serves the overall design.

Or not.

Heh, yeah so true.  "Make your game crappy and piss people off on purpose."  I forgot about that rule.

[Arne]

Yeah, I had trouble with this in my art tutorial. Some people went like, "stfu there are no rules in art bla bla bla." I think it's the word 'rules' as some sort of boolean absolute which irritates. To me rules are more like fuzzy logic, lots of interaction creating a very complex system.

In figurative art it really shows who knows the rules and 'breaks' (passing an intersection of curves in fuzzy logic?) them intentially, and who just doesn't know the rules ("wut? anatemoy? Uh, this is my style!"). This does not mean that amateurs can't get lucky sometimes!

[Al King]

(Brave Dwarves is an abominable example of a game that ignores this).

That makes it an excellent example of a game that recognises that. Right? 

[deadeye]

Yeah, I had trouble with this in my art tutorial. Some people went like, "stfu there are no rules in art bla bla bla." I think it's the word 'rules' as some sort of boolean absolute which irritates. To me rules are more like fuzzy logic, lots of interaction creating a very complex system.

In figurative art it really shows who knows the rules and 'breaks' (passing an intersection of curves in fuzzy logic?) them intentially, and who just doesn't know the rules ("wut? anatemoy? Uh, this is my style!"). This does not mean that amateurs can't get lucky sometimes!

Exactly.  It's that whole "you can't box me in I'M AN INDIVIDUAL" point of view that keeps people from recognizing what works and what doesn't.  If you don't want to be boxed in, that's like totally cool bro, but you should realize that the box is there to help.  Regardless of where you end up, the box should always be your starting point.  In other words, you should keep the rules in mind even if you choose not to follow them.

And yeah, amateurs can get lucky.  But if you don't know the rules then any success you might have is incidental.  You can't "break the rules" if you don't know what they are.  You've just happened to hit upon something that works, whereas if you know what to aim for you're more likely to make your target.  If breaking a rule gets you closer to your target, then by all means do it.  "Know when to break the rules" is the last and probably most important rule.

[Al King]

See, that would stand true if all of these were of the 'good idea most of the time' type of rules, rather than things which sound like good ideas to those who put them forward. Perhaps listing them at least brings them to your attention so you might consider aspects of your game more closely whether you follow them or not, but I'd definitely take them with large spoonfuls of salt. Also, I think starting out by overanalysing your methods is one fine way to kill creativity and motivation. Keep in mind I haven't made a game, so this fits into the 'large spoonfuls of salt' category 

[deadeye]

See, that would stand true if all of these were of the 'good idea most of the time' type of rules, rather than things which sound like good ideas to those who put them forward.

You do have a good point.  This thread kind of devolved into people just stating their personal tastes on what bugs them about games, which isn't really all that useful.  But I think the first two posts have a lot of good general advice, even if they don't really qualify as full-blown list of "rules."