[Discussion] What about fangames annoys you most? [Aspiring developers look here!]

Actually, since userbars were mentioned..

I absolutely hate it when a game with little visible progress starts making userbars that say "I support Pokemon: _____" It's understandable if people show their support when there's something concrete to support, but when you only see a couple generic screenshots with little or no content, it is not the time to express your undying support for the project.

The thing I often dislike about fangames (although this will also apply to hacks too) is when the gym leaders all have random names like Derek or Rachel, with no reference to type/personality etc.

Fangames that are never finished are what annoys me the most.

Though I probably shouldn't really be talking... I would have to say someone suddenly bailing out on one of their projects.

I love playing other people's games, and when there's one that exciting, I get pumped. However if they stop, I get depressed... :(

Im trying to build off of these and I am an aspiring Game Developer.I know from my time here that i hate GAMES NOT FINISHED, Giving up on projects, no demos are released and if they are,they, suck D....never mind...but i think you all get the jist ofwhat I'm saying.One of the games im planning consists of Fakemon so i don't mind them.

Fake pokemon. if theyre made in a way that resembles the normal pokemon sprites then its cool, but if the fake pokemon look any bit worse than the normal sprites that i dislike.

sadly most fake pokemon look horrid. no shading, crappy outlines, lack of detail.

Thats exactly what I think im sorry to the game creator and it's team but take Pokemon Uranium the Fakemon look tacky and they aren't well shaded a little more detail and they'd be fine. Take Amethyst for a good example, orignal designs great details, thier just better then Fakemon drawn in paint in 5 minutes it take hours sometimes days to perfect a sprite.

I put misspelling as the worst. I don't know why...but I simply hate when the dialogue looks like a 5 year old wrote it. (I mean this as both misspelling and being a little less creative than you can be)

Improper grammar kills a game. You can have the best storyline and mapping in the world, but if your grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc. sucks, your game sucks. Sorry lol

Fakemon are also horrid, along with promises of a finished game but it never actually happens.

Definatly the storylines and writing. Rip-offs from other games, anime, books, ect, are irritating if the creator is trying to pass it off as their own story, but the worst is those games which are pretty much full of "h3y l0sr ur pkmn suks bals1 mine is no 1! KEKEKEKEKE", or lame "jokes about farting, sex and swearing. Not worth the time it took to open the .exe.

Unfinished...not adding at least some new ideas... and games with custom Pokemon that are just terrible...I mean I know its a lot of effort but if you're not going to make it look professional you should just not bother to be honest. Maybe thats a bit harsh but I like things to look like a real game, rather than a couple of idiots playing around with paint and claiming it looks amazing... hmm.. I sound really quite trollish here >.<

I hate that no one finishes what they started. The only game that I played that was finished was Raptor.

I think the most annoying thing about a fangame is that they don't have a download available, or because the demo isn't very impressive

Because OVER 50% of people say the worst thing is that they do not get finished, i am working to get a thread up and running for people to give someone else the game to finish. It saves a great pokemon game idea while the developers don't need to do as much work.

Please show your support by saying it in a post (though do not spam), Tell the Game Development Moderators or put it in your signature.
I hope this will help satisfy your needs for game completion.

I put a lot of options in, but hear me out, they all have reasons and most are for similar - or exactly alike - ones.

Slow or to few regular updates + They never get finished + they get discontinued = If I were to make a game, I'd be at a point where, by the time I post it, I'm either in need of sereous help, or because I am almost finished. And I'd be fully dedicated at that point. If you start something, carry through with it (Unless you have a REALLY GOOD REASON TO STOP.)

To few screenshots + to few videos + Using maps instead of Screenshots = You have a game, SHOW PEOPLE WHAT IT'S LIKE. Don't cop out, or take the cheap way out. LET PEOPLE KNOW. There's a good reason why there is a forced number of pictures.

Promises that are never kept = If it's said, it should be done. Don't say, unless you can do. Look before you leap or somesuch.

Spam in the main thread = While it makes me want to pull out a sledgehammer and beat people's faces in, to be honest this isn't the fault of the creator. I voted THIS for the others who read this, so that maybe, MAYBE we can cut some spam away a little.

Things that I didn't vote for that were popular, and why:

Boring, overused storylines + No origanal content = I'm playing POKEMON. It has the weakest story since Mario, and all the games like it. I don't care if I'm doing the cliche thing, because I'm using teams of pokemon that were never intended to be used! (Sometimes to disastrous results... but that only happened once, and it was in a hack)

Poorly planned projects + no new features = See above. Although, if they had shown off something... go look at Promises that are never kept.

Fake pokemon = Because unless the sprites are REALLY horrid, I find it part of the adventure to figure out the best atributes of whatever. Bad spriting though? Unforgivable, there are people who are EXPERTS who you could have asked. And if they said no, then maybe the flaw is with your hack or your ideas.

Many updates but not much progress = Is the game being worked on? Yes. That's enough to quell n00bs and make me know that it will be done.

Bad spelling or Grammer = Hey, everyone makes mistakes. Consistant mistakes are annoying, but do little but grate nerves. And while it is annoying to see "me battle pokemon?" or something, it is one of the easiest things to fix. Just have people bug check the games, they should pick up on it.

to be honest here, each fan-game, is made by a different type of person, not everyone wants to reveal the game after badge 3, so demo's are not always available... some people, no offence to anyone, but some people are too dumb to work out how to print screen and have screenshots... some people have a lack of imagination and come up with boring, standard stories that everyone has used and/or is using... some people like me, are still learning the coding and has a very limited script to make a game stand out too much, so story and graphics is what we'd rely on... so not everything about fan-games can be judged on what is seen in a thread (although, saying that, this doesn't mean i like seeing threads open with little or nothing posted about the game... quite frankley, if your game doesn't consist of about 5-8 badges, custom scripts or at least 2-4 regions, 75-100% complete, it shouldn't be posted, but what do i know ay!).

but i would like to comment on-topic, about fakemon, these are the most pointless creations i have ever seen in any fan-made game, i personally don't mind fakemon, IF , there is only about 5, give or take, anymore than that and it neither should be classed as Pokémon or Pocket Monsters, but, Fakemon and Fake Monsters, i've seen a few clever fakemon, but i don't like excessive amounts...

just thought of something else... i hate a big hype for a game that is destined to fail, like someone will start making a game and give this amazing story/plot, then forget to mention that they are going away to university in a few weeks...

did they think they could make a game in a couple of months?

i find i'm taking more time planning ahead as opposed to making the game itself, but what planning i made gets me flying through the parts i just planned... (that sounds confusing, but its really not)

sorry for so much but once i get typing, haha! This is abit of critisism and some backing to other fan-games here!

I only have a few problems with fan games, the most important one is: The new people starting their own games right away.

These people come to the forum, play a game and say: "Hey, I want to do that too!". Most of these people are about 12 - 14 years old and have no experience. They start a game using a starter kit, and have done no research at all on things that might be possible. They come up with things that they either don't have the skill to do or aren't even possible. Look, I appreciate the initiative from them on wanting to create something of their own, and I understand that. But before you even start, look at some tutorials, look at some other good games in the progress for ideas, and then maybe join a team as one part, don't right away start your own. Gain experience in that team, and then once you're ready, go for it! You've now had a lot of practice and are ready to create your own team to make your game.

The problem is... most people don't do that... that's why we get a lot of pointless threads with amateur games that will never... ever... be finished.

That's my insight on fan games :)

Grammar and incompleteness has to be the top one for me.
I actually love a game with well made fake pokemon as long as they're GOOD.
I don't like seeing poorly designed spongebobs and potatoes with faces in my games :<

Bad storyline is a killer for me. Or even worse, SPEED plots. A speed plot is where you move on with the story WAY to fast. It makes it feel rushed. I don't even want to come across a game with both of those elements.