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[azeo]

   What are the benefits, if any, of opening straight to the game when you first play? You start the program or put the disc in or whatever, and you get a little credits role, and than the game just starts. I can see this as being a problem for arcade style games, but for story based games, or real simply ones that don't need tutorials, or have tutorials in the game itself, I see it adding to the immersion. Of course, this would be a one time thing.
   So, what does everyone else think?

[andy wolff]

Take out the credits roll and you're solid.

Opening directly to the game is a good way to streamline immersion. It'll make your game more concise, which is something I think a lot of games need.
If there are logistical problems with doing this, working around them might be more trouble than its worth, but that's very case-specific.

[eva]

the point of menus is if ya need to set settings or you got multiple components of the game (single player, multiplayer, editor, etc)
if you dont have those then open straight to the game. tho my experience with gta4 that skips the menu contains an in-game menu and it is pretty ... shit

[jwk5]

X-Men 2: Clone Wars for the Sega Genesis doesn't have a start menu or anything. When you turn on the game it immediately cuts to the player as Beast in an arctic level. once you get past that initial starting area you are taken to a character select screen and can access the menus etc.

Initially it is really jarring, especially your first time playing the game because you might not know what the hell you are doing control-wise, but after a few times playing the game it is kind of nice to cut right to the action. When I first played the game I actually thought it was having some kind of error at first when it cut right to the game lol...

I think it can be pretty effective to cut to the action so long as the critical game play information is presented in an interactive tutorial style and you have the ability to access your options from a pause menu (or pop-up menu if there is no pause).

Alternatively you could present the menus the first time the player plays and then cut right to the action for any plays thereafter (you can even leave it as an option to the player, like "Auto-Load Last Checkpoint at Startup" or whatever).

[SirNiko]

I think this is something that should be exercised more. One thing that really turns me off is a long introduction into a game! The quicker you get the player to the action, the better. It doesn't even require you to ditch the background story or credit sequence, just slip those into the game while the player is active. Be creative!

Metal Gear Solid for the PSX had the credits rolling while you wandered around the first warehouse, and it was fantastic. I felt like I was playing the opening scenes of a blockbuster spy film. I'm really let down the recent titles didn't repeat that trick.

[fraxcell]

I really like games that transition right from the menu into gameplay when you start a new game. Like maybe the main menu is the HUD of a spaceship, and when the game starts you are flying the spaceship.

[Retrogames]

X-Men 2: Clone Wars for the Sega Genesis doesn't have a start menu or anything. When you turn on the game it immediately cuts to the player as Beast in an arctic level. once you get past that initial starting area you are taken to a character select screen and can access the menus etc.

Came here to post this exact same comment (except if you reset the game, you can pick which X-man you want to play as). You literally power on the Genesis and you're dropped into the middle of Siberia, in a blizzard, with a tank shooting at you. 

[tesselode]

Honestly, I don't think it's a good idea to open straight to the game, as most games start with menus of some sort, and not having that would make the game feel awkward, almost like it's not a game.

[baconman]

There's some middle ground that's worth exploring. MGS again, being a good example - the "opening theme" basically IS you playing the first level. You can use an opening level to set a backstory or mood to the game right from the start, as opposed to "viewing" one. You can even make a title screen like that. Another modern trick is to make the menu system part of the gameplay, too. MegaMan Anniversary Collection (somewhat) and Spelunky both to something along the lines of that.

Yes, we all like our customization options too, but who's to say you can't just pause screen/F-key that kind of thing, either? Most games allow you to change your configs on the fly anyways, so why have that seperately if you're going with that approach? Unless maybe you're in a fighting game.

One thing about fighters I never really understood: Why is it you can't ever pause the game on any NON-fighting parts, like win quotes or versus screens? You'd think after 20 years, SOMEBODY would catch on to that!

[Dustin Smith]

Honestly, I don't think it's a good idea to open straight to the game, as most games start with menus of some sort, and not having that would make the game feel awkward, almost like it's not a game.

it's more concise though, as andy mentioned it adds a great deal to the immersion.

[Dustin Smith]

Honestly, I don't think it's a good idea to open straight to the game, as most games start with menus of some sort, and not having that would make the game feel awkward, almost like it's not a game.

it's more concise though, as andy mentioned it adds a great deal to the immersion.

[ink.inc]

It depends on the game, but ideally:

First time opening the game - credits, intro, all that jazz.

Every time after that - open right into game; maybe one screen for the name of the developer, but that's it.

[andy wolff]

menus are a plague

[jwk5]

menus are a plague

Menus are a tool and like any tool if they can do the job well there is nothing wrong with using them, but if you find a better tool for a given situation then by all means use it.

[Konidias]

menus are a plague

I don't get why people only see extremes like this.

What if the game has save slots? Should it just jump into the gameplay without letting the player choose what save slot to load? How is it supposed to know otherwise? There are some things that just require a menu.

I see nothing wrong with using them when they actually serve a purpose. Avoiding them like "the plague" just seems like the designer is making up rules they have to follow as more of a challenge of limitation rather than because it makes sense.

You might as well say "graphics are a plague" or "controls are a plague". Yeah the only good games are the ones with no controls. All these controllable games aren't unique enough, and are just copying games of the past.

[iffi]

I prefer having a menu, given that it's not a major eyesore and it's possible to navigate through it quickly (it really bugs me when I have to wait for menu animations to finish before selecting the next button. This is why I like the menus in Imperishable Night more than those in most other Touhou games, because even though there are animations for the buttons, if you remember the button presses you don't have to wait for them to finish before selecting the next button).

I do agree with people, though, that once I do start a new game I'd like to get into the game itself as quickly as possible, especially if I've already seen the cutscenes or credits or whatever at the beginning. In a way it reminds me of how in Halo: Combat Evolved, the tutorial sequence at the beginning and one other section that functions as a tutorial is skipped if you choose a difficulty other than Easy.

[andy wolff]

I don't mean to say all menus are always bad. Of course you're right in saying that menus are just another tool a designer needs to consider, but the common overuse of menus sure does make many a game more tedious.

People often default to menus where a little thought and creativity might bring them to a much more interesting mechanic. Seeing this bothers me.

Also I just hate programming menus. They're so boring

[Konidias]

Okay then, yeah I agree on all your points. As long as a menu is needed, put it in there. Be creative with it if you want to, but I mean only if you really have that kind of time and only if you think it's going to really help make the game better overall.

But I agree that having menus just to have them is lame. Just as lame as avoiding menus at all cost just to not have them. I don't need menus inside of menus so that I can get to more menus. I think if you need to have them, just keep them to a minimum and you'll be fine.

[Auratus]

While I am in favor of eliminating menus as much as possible, you can't force them out if it doesn't make sense. As always, one size does not fit all. If the game starts with a cinematic, the player could miss it if he doesn't pay attention. Also, choosing difficulty level is something that should probably be done beforehand (Sure, you could do that in game, but that might not always be a feasible). I like to know that I can play the game on my own terms

If I remember correctly, GTA 4 only puts you in a menu the first time the game starts up. The rest of the time the game quietly loads the last used save (which, in 99% of the cases, is exactly what you want) . This works really well, imo.

[paste]

Doesn't Braid open right to the game?  That worked pretty well, although it was on a console so the button-mapping and whatever else didn't require establishing.