Poll about locked levels.

Hello World,

So this time I'd like to pick your brains from a gamers perspective, not from a developers perspective.

When you guys play games that have the "You have to finish this level before you can move to the next one" restriction, how do you feel about that?

a) It gives me a challenge, makes me feel like I have a goal to look forward to. So I try harder and end up playing more.

b) It annoys me, if I get stuck on a level I won't try very hard to pass it. So I give up fast and end up playing less.

Thank you all.

P.S. It seems like I don't have permission to create an actual poll, for whatever reason(sorry about that) so please leave replies with your thoughts, thanks.

For the most part I would say A. It really depends on the type of game though. Some games you should never be able to go on to the next level without beating the first, especially games where you need to complete quests and stuff of that nature to progress. If it's the right type of game (angry birds, puzzles etc) then I like the idea of unlocking entire blocks of levels like 1-1 through 1-20 or whatever before being able to unlock 2-1 through 2-20 etc. Also these days most of those type of games are offering rating systems for each level (like you can pass the level with one star but if you do the level perfectly then you get 3 stars). That adds more challenge for people who want to strive for perfection while still letting kids and more casual players pass levels more easily.

depends on the type of game, some could think of super mario bros. 3, where you are moving on a map and so, you can sometimes use alternative paths to progress in the story. my opinion is that you should never block the player completely, either let him skip some levels, or let him go back to earn something that will help him on his goal.

however this is not applicable to all type of games.

For me: locked all the way - most of the time a game seems interesting as long as there's something new to discover. If you can just run to the end, see what's available then the interest fades. A decent system is usually one that's based on your general improvement as a player, so not just open the next level but, for example, get stars or such and at first getting some stars for a level are enough to unlock three or so of the following levels, but slowly it progresses so that you must beat most of he starting levels perfectly to get to the end ones.

I don't think this is a matter for a poll. It does not depend on what people think of this, but, instead of what kind of experience you're trying to create for the player, what would work for YOUR GAME...

Candy Crush, for instance, makes you beat a level before getting to the next. It even includes the gates every 10 levels, which are even more blocking. It's a success and both mechanics are partly responsible for that success. Mario 3, as Aphrodite mentioned, has a less linear approach, allowing alternative paths and it works great for it! There are successful games that even give you access to all levels, without linearity, and others that give access to groups of levels and demand that you beat all levels in a group (in no specific order) before granting access to the next.

The approach you will use should be determined by what kind of experience you want to provide, not the opinion of the general public, since there's no RIGHT WAY, but ways that will work or not for YOUR GAME.

Well thats exactly why I asked brunopalermo . Because the fact is that eighter option can work just as well with the type of game I am making. So at that point the only thing that matters, in my opinion, is what most people would enjoy more.

I know it's impossible to please everyone, so I made it a point not to obsess over that when I decided to start doing this. That being said if a person is gonna try a level a bunch of times, fail repeatedly, then has to quit the entire game because the levels are locked; if that person represents lets say 1 out of every 100 people out there, then cool, I'll lock the levels and not worry about it; however if that person represents 1 out of every 3 people out there then I'd rather leave the levels open.

That's why I am trying to get a sample of the public here.

So come on everyone, don't be shy, would like a bunch more opinions please.

P.S. A star system is an interesting idea, I'll look into that. Thanks Burvey , Aphrodite , Somebody

Just to put it clear, I was not criticizing your approach. Just trying to show you that the type of experience you want to create is more important than individual taste. Also, you won't have a significant share of the gaming community here in order to the poll to be representative of this community, so...

brunopalermo Yeah, I know you weren't criticizing me, and I didn't mean to make it sound like I was attacking you, sorry if it came out like that.

Well you might be right, but I had to try. If I don't get enough responses/opinions then I don't know, heck maybe I'll just flip a coin...

It's fine. I didn't feel you were attacking me, but I thought it was worth putting it clear... It's the internet, people sometimes get offended and I may have been too blunt with my opinion...