DS Games To Include Demo Play As Well

I'd guess action games are the most likely candidates. In an adventure / RPG the challenge often is to figure out what to do, not actually doing it. That's what I think most people enjoy about them.

The auto-pilot would help the most in situations where you know exactly what you have to do, but lack the skill to do it. That's what I think most people find frustrating.

I think demo play should be more predominant in RPGs, since I personally think the challenge is in your persistence in levelling up (with the exception of SMT games ;). In other words, I'm saying this could help people level grind.

Aren't WoW players banned for creating scripts that do this sort of thing? Irony!

Yeah, imagine including something that detrimental to playing a game to any game. Thanks Nintendo, you're so thoughtful and innovative I can't wait for whatever new breakthrough idea you'll have. Maybe an auto-shutdown function (patent pending) that turns the game off while you're in the middle of something. We all know how bad playing too long can be. It's okay because it's a good idea because it's a goodwill gesture toward health and it caters to the non-gamers.

I still have mostly negative thoughts about this sort of thing. First of all, I loved the NES days when it actually meant something to be good at a game. I can't shake the feeling that by making these games overly easy to play through they're devaluing the experience of overcoming a challenge.

From a design perspective it seems fundamentally flawed. Most games have a fairly linear learning curve, which is good; difficult sections are supposed to teach the player some kind of skill that will come in handy later on, which adds complication and depth to the game. If a player can't pass one section, odds are they won't be able to pass many later areas. So once you enable demo play, you really might as well just watch CPU play through the rest of the game. Am I right?

I think there are three things that need to be taken into account when discussing something like demo play:

1. It would help people that don't have either the time or the motivation to learn the necessary skills to get past the hard bits of some games. For example; what if you're just interested in something for the story and don't like being jolted out of your experience by spending hours on a hard puzzle?

2. It could make a "decent" game worth playing. There are plenty of these out there that have aspects of them that appeal to people, but in the end, they don't get played because there are parts which aren't very well-designed. Demo play could potentially help deal with this by letting you play through parts you don't enjoy.

3. It's completely optional, so if you don't need it, you don't have to use it.

I actually think it's a great idea from a design perspective and I hope more and more games start to use it. You can bet Sony and Microsoft will develop similar patents based around this concept going forward because it's a a great concept.

If you don't have the time or motivation to learn how to play a game, don't play it then. I understand extremely difficult portions that might require a guide, but having a built-in CPU to hold your hand when the going gets tough is ridiculous. How lazy can you be? If you need something like this video gaming probably isn't for you.

And, if a game is riddled with poorly designed stages why would I even bother playing? It's obviously not worth the money to just put the game on autopilot so I can say 'oh yeah, I beat this game'.

If I could just click 'show me what to do' then there is no point in making a game complex - The lazy people out there will just set the game on auto-pilot and get through a-ok. Might as well make a linear path.

I'm not going to use this, and don't really care if people do, but it's just a stupid idea. I doubt they will, but we'll see.

Good discussion! I know the points you made are the exact reasons that Nintendo is pushing and implementing it. But as someone who grew up playing these things, it goes against what I think defines a game and cheapens the overall experience, even if it is optional.

My argument is that player interaction and engagement is what defines a game (video or otherwise). It's not the greatest medium for storytelling (not to say a great story doesn't make a game better). I know some people who buy a strategy guide or turn to gamefaqs the moment they get stumped in a game, and I don't understand this mentality. I've noticed that modern adventure games played through browsers are not only far easier than the classics, but usually have a link to a faq just a click away. A complete inability to think for yourself seems unhealthy, and games are reinforcing this concept. I used to joke that referring to a guide defeats the purpose of playing the game because it "might as well be playing itself," but now this statement is literal.

So is demo play going to relieve inexperienced players of their frustrations? Sure, the same way that plugging in a Game Genie did in the 90s. Does this decision cheapen the experience? Anyone that owned a Game Genie and appreciates good game design should be able to attest that it does. This is a shallow method to get more non-gamers to buy your stuff and subtly gives the message "frustration is bad and you should never feel challenged by anything."

I still think an "easy mode" is a better solution. Don't some games (Silent Hill?) make the puzzles easier, too? At least this still requires some form of player interaction.

I agree, turning to a FAQ the moment a game stumps you only cheapens the experience but I'm sure there are plenty of people that only care about seeing what happens next. Haha, this is probably something we could debate forever!

Personally I don't mind as long as this means games can be harder. I mean it's optional and allows beginners to skip ahead and feel comfortable, but because of that Developers don't need to "Dumb" anything down because then there won't be a use for demo play.

Also perhaps a hint system too, does it have to be "auto-pilot"? I mean we can open up a feature where you can write down hints for a level/area and have everyone playing able to read it. Or "record" your play time and use that as the auto-pilot video. Like a sibling helping you with your game without being there for you or something.

Perhaps I'm just dreaming, but it could work out that way for a few games.

When Demo Play is activated, does it actually play the game for you or does it simply show you what to do?

In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, it plays for you. But in the patent for demo play, a video tutorial is also listed. There is also mention of a hint system among other things.

Ah, that makes sense. After all, if you were playing with friends and one got stuck on a tricker platforming sequence, it wouldn't desrupt the other players while the stuck player is still able to enjoy the game.

Single-Player experiences could use the videos and hints to 'teach' the player what to look out for in the future as well as helping them with whatever they are stuck on.

If this catches on, Nintendo have an excellent way of lowering the barrier of entry to their more "hardcore" series while still leaving them perfectly intact for those who enjoy the challenge.

Yeah I hope they put the "video tutorial" and hint system as oppose to literally watching everything unfold for you.

I think there was also info that the game won't save for you too, right? That would be a good way to handle it as well.