We regularly play LAN games at my house. What are you supposed to do if the phone rings or there`s someone at the door ?

In a long game, it`s SO much more relaxing to have a time-out every hour or so for drinks, bathroom etc. Almost indispensable.

That said, a couple of additions for the list, which are console bitches:

* If you save to a memory card, check all the possible memory card slots before whining to put the card in slot 1.

* Sound, Music and SFX should be on separate volume controls. After 2 hours of hearing the same 3 minute tune while running through a dungeon, I reach for the claw hammer, gentle minster of tender mercies. Then, after I do that, the MOST IMPORTANT PLOT POINT IN THE WORLD is spoken on the soundtrack, forever lost to me.

The thing that gets me really, is that these are BONE-SIMPLE things. Basic interaction design and QA problems.

I’m one of those ‘developer types’ you mentioned, although in a management capacity, and have been probably been involved in the release of more than my fair share of PC games which were ‘less than perfect’.

Interestingly…..in the last couple of companies I worked for we had sets of company guidelines for PC titles which were in every way as sensible and strict as the ones imposed by Console Manufacturers and which covered the areas in your lost and more. In one of the companies I introduced the guidelines, in the other I added to them significantly. In both cases I oushed for the lists partly from my own frustration as a PC games and partly because I’d worked at console manufacturers and could see the value of protecting a brand image and not annoying the cutomers.

Unfortunately…….for PC games there is no Console Manufacturer unreasonably applying a set of rules on the publishers and forcing them to maintain a minimum set of standards. Most publishers see the console manufacturers as a barrier to getting to market and would much prefer it if their console titles were as bug-ridden as their PC ones.

I can’t remember a single PC game that actually passed every element of out internal guidelines….even though all developer had them from the start of the project. Apparently they limit their creativity or something. Though it’s news to me that limiting the player’s ability to save only at the end of a level is being creative.

We have a phrase in the industry….’programmer controls’…that refers to a temporary interface used during development, normallt requiring three arms and a foot to operate. Really we’re just acknowledging that too many games are written by people in the industry FOR people in the industry or hard-core games or journalists. The average user can get forgotten.

Developers who develop online distribution and registration schemes that require that I *mail my CD key back to them* if I want to be able to sell my copy of the game to a third party should be sent to a circle of hell where they become the gears in a gigantic Apple Floppy Disk II stepper motor as it dances back and forth eternally trying to read sector protected games from 1981.

And yes, I mean you, you stupid morons at Valve.

no taxation without representation.

My newest pet peeve of games though is the monitor refresh rate though (which is different from the fps). It’s not too much of an issue for lower end monitors due to the way they are designed. However, for higher end monitors a refresh rate of 60 is not fast enough and can cause eye fatigue. Fortunately it’s possible bypass this for most games through a directx utility but it’s still an annoyance.

Also, my schedule doesn’t bend around the game’s — maybe I need to stop so I can answer the door, deal with the stove, pee, whatever. I’d much prefer pausable and skippable cinematics with a game menu that lets me replay them.

Not providing that is certainly less work, and not every game can have every feature, but I just can’t see any advantage to the player in not doing it.

All games will allow customization of their control scheme, console and PC alike. Violating this rule will result in the developer’s car brake pedal moved to the right side, and their steering wheel put int he back seat.