â„–63023[Quote]
For me, it would be a video game without forced inclusion and where the story doesn't interfere with or affect the gameplay. Like old Flash games, which are fun and have innovative mechanics.
â„–63029[Quote]
>>63022 (OP)I don't stick to a single genre, here's my definition of a good game
>engaging mechanics varying through the game, not always same/boring raisin>visually decent, without overlapping sprites or low-poly colorful caca indieslop, pixel games CAN be decent doe>it must be with some kind of storyline and thematically consistent, not a bunch of random shit>no grinding, time delays or microtransactions>no DEI raisin shoved at your face â„–63040[Quote]
I played many RTS games and to this day I firmly believe that AoE2 formula is underrated and buried by shartcraft wanna be coal.
>Campaign
Scripted missions with different goals that introduce you to the game mechanics or test your skills
>Slight assymetry
Every Faction/race/civ has a specific quirk that can affect your playstyle eg. unique units, upgrades, buildings, stat bonuses. Only rarely, they are so substantial that they feel unfamiliar and you cant just stubbornly play them the exact same way.
>Unit pool/tech three
There is a huge pool of units that is shared by all the factions. However none of them has access to every single unit or every single tech. Aforementioned factions and their quirks usually lean into certain types of units.
>Multiple finite resources
When you run out of local resources you have to find new ones, if your enemy is controlling all of the resources you have to attack or lose the battle of attrition.
>Player interaction
You can text other players, you can send other players resources, you can share your units with other players, you can create alliances. It changes the game from a ffa skirmish to politics, deals and backstabbing included.
>Map editor/sandbox/custom settings
You can make a custom game with really weird and obscure settings if you really want, the options are there, you can make a funny map that looks like woahjack if you are in the mood.
All this was 20 years ago, this is nothing new, its basis. If you can think of some more unique mechanics and quality of life features that would set it apart, you will have a cult classic on your hands.