The Secret of Frogger | Game/Show | PBS Digital Studios
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- Опубликовано: 16 ноя 2015
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Why crossing a road is fun!
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In this week's episode, Jamin analyzes the genius of Frogger's gameplay, and how it has continued to influence popular games today. The 1981 classic became so well-known for it's static overhead camera that no game using the same viewpoint since can escape comparison. The restriction in view allowed for just enough challenge while still allowing the player ample control over the outcome of the game. What do you think was responsible for Frogger's enduring appeal? Voice your opinion in the comments!
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ASSET LINKS:
0:18 No coins required to play arcade classics at Replay Amusement Museum
www.tbo.com/events-tampa-bay/n...
1:16 MultiGame Arcade Machine in Play Pac-Man and Frogger
• MultiGame Arcade Machi...
1:46 Frogger Arcade Game Review - SEGA/GREMLIN developed by Konami
• Frogger Arcade Game Re...
3:45 How Crossy Road Updates the Timeless Appeal of Frogger
killscreendaily.com/articles/h...
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MUSIC:
""Oh Damn!"" by CJVSO
/ cj. .
""Digital Sonar"" by Brink
""Mindphuck"" by Known To Be Lethal
www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-cyr...
""After Hours""
""Lakes"" by Chooga
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""Beautiful Days"" by Extan
/ beaut. .
""Spectrum Subdiffusion Mix"" by Foniqz
/ f. .
""Good Way Song"" by Electronic Rescue
""Alice y Bob"" by Javier Rubio and Parsec
archive.org/details/escala19_...
""Sleet"" by Kubbi
/ kubbi-sleet
""Toaster"" by Kubbi
/ toaster
""Patriotic Songs of America"" by New York Military Band and the American Quartet
freemusicarchive.org/music/New...
""Lets Go Back To The Rock"" by Outsider
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""Run"" by Outsider
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""Fame"" by Statue of Diveo
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""Freedom Weekends"" by Statue of Diveo
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Hosted by Jamin Warren (@jaminwar)
See more on games and culture on his site: www.killscreendaily.com
Made by Kornhaber Brown (www.kornhaberbrown.com)"
One of the other things that Frogger did really well is it took advantage of the graphics of the era. It could only present very simple images but layered the variety to keep them interesting (and give the player a feeling of progress at every move, not just reaching the halfway and end) and took advantage of your eyes being able to read everything really quickly by giving the game a hefty pace.
Unlike say Space Invaders that used the same sprites over and over and over and over; and started so, so slow.
Hotline Miami also exploits the faster-reading-due-to-less-information aspect to give it it's breakneck pace and makes all the rooms look a little different so that the player gets a feeling of definite progress even if they're only getting past one more door.
Camera use wise: One of my current favourites is Jotun, where 90% of the time the camera stays following Thora from a set angle and distance - but every now and again will move out to remind you that even though her axe is huge, she is still a tiny figure in a world of gods and giants. It gives you classic arcade play restrictions during gameplay, and a smooth transition into story mode that let's you know you can relax and enjoy the scenery for a moment.
+Kim Wincen Interesting analysis -jj
I always thought that the appeal of Frogger was the fact that there was usually more information for planning out your move available to you than your brain could process, which allowed for skill growth.
I think both factors are really valuable
+Conrad Leviston I like that! Very Heideggerian. -jj
The master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, knew how POV and limiting the camera movement can create suspense. His last film Family Plot employed a similar top down (orthogonal) perspective in one scene which showed one character approaching another across a cemetery. The characters are restricted to a maze-like dirt path set up around the headstones so suspense is created simply through expectation and anticipation.
+RaySquirrel Good point! The man was so innovative. -jj
What makes Frogger so special has to do with its ease of play and at the same time the challenge it brings. That's why it's current adaptation Crossy Road is so popular. It is more accessible and not to much commitment is required.
I think a great example of this is The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. Most of the time, you play with a traditional overview camera. You can't see what's "under" things, or what's on the south wall of a room or north sides of things. But if you use the "merge" mechanic, Link becomes a moving painting on the wall, and while you can only really see what's immediately near him in on the wall, you see the scene from a completely different angle, from the side. Maybe there's a painting of a rupee on the wall, or a crack you can slip through that you simply couldn't see from above. It's pretty interesting. And also different from games like Fez or Super Paper Mario. where the entire world switches between 2D and 3D, not just the perspective.
+rowtow13 Good example!
It's a unique experience and it adapt to the player skill level, like Tetris. We may have a few similar games today, but for a long time Frogger was quite unique.
The fun in hotline Miami comes from the pain of restarting over and over again. And the music... Actually... Only the music.
shooting dudes!! :)
+Kasper Ilsøe knew that was coming -jj
I personally preferred the top down camera in Metal Gear Solid 1 and 2 over what we have now. There was a pervading sense of tension throughout, a feeling that there was something that you were not in control of, something bigger than you that indirectly resisted you - the perfect tone of a stealth game like that. The emphasis on player control over imposed limitations eventually translated into the level design itself. It ultimately led us to the easy levels of MGS5, where really you have to impose your own limitations if you want to make it fun at all.
A fixed orthogonal view was the norm back in the day. I thought it was more a technical limitation than an important design concern. Having a scrolling playfield blew our tiny minds by the technical wizardry.
Boy I feel old :(
I don't have much to add, besides a shout out to Resident Evil's fixed camera view(s). It gets cited so often, but it's a similar deal.
Another element of fun is the illusion of danger: you feel a sense of defeat when the frog gets running over, but you yourself are not actually dead. I think if an actual frog was on the line, or yourself, it would be much less fun.
0:17 Well, now we know the answer to the age old question "why did the frog cross the road?"
I love that Konami Code eye exam poster
Relatedly, there's a First Person PacMan mod for Doom that turns the game into straight up horror.
I always tought the perspective only gave more information to things if were going from frogger to, hotline miami. Loads of games do this, Diablo 2 not directly on top but shows enemies from the front sides and behind because your camera is all around. Same goes for twin stick shooters, and many more. Gta cant ever be done in first person properly due to its surrounding scale. So with the limits of the hardware it made sense for it to be top down in gta 1 and 2, but going onwards it was third person, and it still is. While 5 has an option for first person which isnt the best but ok enough.
Same thing with MGS 1 to... MGS 5. As soon as the game became complicated with 5, it needed more help than the other games did. First person sighting, seeing enemies through walls, etc. You did not need this previously, now you do.
...Well...
I just really like 3D, I kinda hate not being able to see what the character you'd control would see.
I don't think it was the fixed camera that really made Frogger fun. It had more to do with recognizing patterns and perfecting your timing.
Yes, It's that lack of viewing perspective made both Frogger and Hotline Miami enjoyable and challenging (albeit irritating at time).
Great episode!
But how can you not mention the Resident Evil games when talking about restrictive camera angles?
You might want to look up orthogonal before saying that crossy road is not orthogonal, it is in fact using an orthogonal view it is not top down though.
i am playing shooting game it is called teeworlds and there you can spec , play normal zoom or playing see all map but its to bad cause you cant see your self and others ( like in ddrace mod ) .
So when is the episode about Starcraft and Warcraft's ability to make such great stories despite being an top-down RTS?
*Shooting dudes!* Nah, just kidding
...
Shhooooot duuuuudeeesss
Pac man and the original Mario bros also follow this rule.
+Star Stacker The Pac-Man stage in Crossy Road is one of the coolest things ever.
What is the game at 3:14?
+ttyler1999 It's Sign Motion
shooting.
PLEEEAAASSSSEEEEE do an episode on fallout 4!!!!
shooting.... dudes
Frogger is nothing like hotline Miami? What are you on about I thought Hotline Miami was the prequel. After killing so many you must run from the cops to your boat to make your escape... or maybe that was because I liked the frog mask the best.
I'm starting to notice a trend of underwhelming subjects lately
duding shoots
Shooting dudettes...???
Limitation are never the soul of the game, just it's frame. Limitations can compliment gameplay when they are designed to do so, when they are an extension of the experience, but on it's own they have no worth and don´t make games enjoyable.
THis is a strange episode idea...
Y do u say dat
Anthony McDonald Just didn't expect to see frogger here. Seeing how it's about top down camera, that's quite interesting.
And I wanted to have the first comment.
HotHubHD You're telling that to the wrong person. I haven't bought a big game at full price in 4 years. I'm always looking for interesting gameplay concepts now, and I'm mostly finding those with the indies.
"1080 fps" Now that'd be nice. Most "AAA" games are so bothered with turning up the graphical detail in realistic style game (guys, it's not going to look real) that just doesn't make games look better, but does make them run worse.
Dooting shoes.
Wow. That was a whole lot of saying nothing. EVERY SINGLE GAME follows these "methods" as well. You basically went on and on how amazing it was that a game was 2D and had a camera.... and that was it.