Player Experience
Ongoing coverage on Player Experience.
Latest coverage
How Accessibility Features Are Changing Modern Gaming
Modern gaming is increasingly incorporating accessibility features like customizable controls, subtitles, and colorblind settings as standard elements, benefiting all players, not just those with disabilities. This shift is improving player experience across PC, console, and mobile platforms, making games more inclusive and engaging. Digital storefronts are also enhancing accessibility, making game discovery and purchase easier for a wider audience.
I’ve been burned by the new Arc Raiders map, but that’s what happens on a beach holiday
The new Riven Tides map for Arc Raiders, set in an abandoned coastal resort, offers a challenging player experience with open beach areas and dangerous inland zones. Developer Embark Studios has introduced new enemy types like the Arc Turbine and Vaporizer, alongside environmental hazards that test players' adaptability. The map's design contrasts open spaces with confined areas, creating a dynamic and often perilous environment for players.
How Accessibility Features Are Expanding in Modern Video Games
Modern video games are increasingly integrating accessibility as a core design standard, moving beyond optional settings to cater to a wider audience. This evolution includes features for motor, visual, auditory, cognitive, and situational needs, driven by improved development tools, industry best practices, and player feedback. The trend signifies a growing maturity in the gaming industry, aiming to make interactive experiences more inclusive and enjoyable for everyone.
Marathon is looking to save you from grenade spam and being one-shot by the Ares
Bungie is addressing two major player complaints in Marathon: excessive grenade spam and the Ares railgun with its Prestige mod causing one-shot kills. The developer plans to adjust grenade stock counts and stack sizes, and is working on a fix for the Ares' unintended one-tap capability. These changes aim to improve the overall player experience and game balance.
Bungie makes Marathon's Cryo Archive map less brutal, blocking spawn rush strats and giving out one free sponsored…
Bungie has implemented changes to the Cryo Archive map in Marathon to improve the player experience. These updates include providing a free sponsored kit each weekend and addressing spawn rush strategies by blocking common routes used by aggressive players. The WSTR shotgun has also been rebalanced to encourage more reliable body shots.
Game Manuals Were Gaming's Golden Age, and We Threw It All Away | HappyGamer
This article reflects on the lost art of physical game manuals, contrasting them with modern digital tutorials and pop-ups. It argues that these detailed booklets, filled with lore and artwork, created a deeper player connection and anticipation that is missing in today's convenient but less ceremonious gaming landscape.
The Daily Grind: What’s the most ‘no duh’ moment you can think of from an MMO developer?
The article discusses the "no duh" moments in MMORPG development, using Dune Awakening's announcement that players prefer PvE over PvP as an example. It questions how developers might overlook obvious player preferences and invites readers to share their own examples of surprising developer discoveries.
Marathon Update 1.0.6 Patch Notes Highlights – Season 1 Mid-Season Update — Too Much Gaming | Video Games Reviews, News, & Guides
Marathon's Update 1.0.6 introduces the mid-season C.A.R.R.I. event, offering rewards for cooperative exfiltration and new ways to increase faction experience. The update also enhances the new player experience by extending the beginner map duration and adding new contracts, alongside significant weapon balancing that nerfs snipers and certain SMGs while buffing railguns. Additionally, 11 new unique weapons have been added to the game.
Indie Dev Slays the Silent Save Killer That Haunted Players for Months
Indie developer zwetan has completely rewritten the save system for their game, addressing a critical bug that caused players to silently lose hours of progress. The overhaul, detailed in update v0.9.0.8, replaces the previous bloated system with a lightweight JSON-only format, significantly reducing save file sizes and ensuring reliable local saving even without a cloud connection. The update also includes user-friendly changes like an improved "Continue Game" button and a "Save & Quit" option for offline players, demonstrating a strong commitment to player experience and trust.
Marathon's Cryo Archive map needs matchmaking
The Cryo Archive map in Marathon is currently experiencing matchmaking issues, with experienced players who have cleared the final boss dominating lobbies. This situation is negatively impacting the player experience for others.
Cyberpunk 2077 Players Still Finding Deep Story Moments Years Later
Years after its troubled launch, Cyberpunk 2077 continues to resonate with players through its deep storytelling and character moments, as highlighted by a viral Reddit post. The article discusses how CD Projekt Red succeeded in creating meaningful relationships and pacing that encourages players to engage with the narrative at their own speed, proving that strong emotional cores can overcome technical issues.
Overwatch Community Declares Game ‘Truly Back’ After Classic POTG Moment
The Overwatch community is experiencing a resurgence of enthusiasm, with players declaring the game is 'truly back' following classic Play of the Game moments. This renewed optimism is attributed to recent balance changes by Blizzard Entertainment that have made more heroes viable and fostered exciting team-based gameplay. These moments are creating a positive feedback loop, encouraging players to return and share their positive experiences.
Arc Raiders' Flashpoint update addresses a major player complaint, throwing geared players into less games in-progress
Embark Studios' latest update for Arc Raiders, titled Flashpoint, introduces changes to how geared players are matched into games. Players who equip valuable loadouts are now more likely to join fresh servers, addressing complaints about joining in-progress matches where loot has already been scavenged. This update also includes new enemies, weapons, and in-game events, alongside increased loot value in locked rooms.
THE FINALS Season 10 Goes Full Medieval with Aerialist Class & Crossbows
THE FINALS has launched its Season 10 Fantasy League update, introducing a medieval theme with new gameplay elements like the Aerialist playstyle and a Chimera-XB crossbow. The update also features a new arena, Starlight Hollow, and improvements to the ranked system, though some players express concern about the shift away from the game's original modern destruction identity.
Warframe of Mind: The Shadowgrapher’s Follie flub
The recent Warframe update introducing the Follie's Hunt game mode has been met with significant player dissatisfaction, with many finding it to be a "disaster." The mode fundamentally changes the player's role from predator to prey, but critics argue it fails to work effectively due to poor mission design, counterproductive mechanics, and a lack of enemy presence, making survival difficult and agency limited.
Crimson Desert's quarry is giving players "PTSD," probably because they keep missing the key secret: "You don't need to kill hundreds of enemies"
Players of Crimson Desert are experiencing significant difficulty and frustration with the early-game Karin Quarry mission, with many describing it as having a "PTSD"-inducing effect due to overwhelming enemy numbers. The article suggests the mission may be poorly explained, as there is a secret shortcut to completing it that players are missing, leading them to bang their heads against a challenge they are not yet equipped for.
Why Small Design Choices Change Player Behaviour - Walkthrough, Tips, Review
This article explores how small design choices in video games significantly influence player behavior by affecting comfort, clarity, and confidence. It highlights that intuitive interfaces, sensible pacing, and clear reward systems are crucial for engagement, especially in casual and indie titles. Ultimately, good design reduces player hesitation and fosters a sense of control, leading to longer play sessions and a more positive impression.
Massively Overthinking: What’s the most important takeaway from the last MMORPG you quit?
The Massively OP staff discusses their experiences quitting MMORPGs, exploring reasons ranging from developer decisions and corporate agendas to limited time and a loss of personal connection. Key takeaways often involve understanding what makes a game truly engaging beyond its mechanics, with many highlighting the importance of community and shared experiences over gameplay alone.
Indie Dev Pushes Quick Achievement Fix — This Is How Post-Launch Support Should Work
An indie developer, aiocane.dev, has released a patch to fix broken achievements in their Steam game, demonstrating responsive post-launch support. This quick resolution of a player-impacting bug highlights the importance of timely fixes for indie developers to build trust, encourage player retention, and maintain positive reviews.
Baby Steps' designers trolled players by placing stacks of cans at the top of 'plausible' climbing challenges they didn't even bother testing, and players managed to climb them all—except one
Baby Steps' co-creator Gabe Cuzzillo discusses the game's design philosophy, which embraces 'indifference to the player' by including seemingly pointless collectibles and intentionally difficult, untested climbing challenges. While most challenges were eventually overcome by players, one stack of cans proved impossible, leading to creative player attempts and a unique design outcome.
