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  • Joined: 17 Jan 2020
  • Posts: 118
  • Location: Brisbane, AU
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To Password or Not to Password
Post Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2023 1:05 am
I was updating a game of mine, and the topic of level selection came up.

I come from the SG-1000 days where we just selected the level we wanted to go to, or had to start from the beginning each time (sigh).

I tend prefer the level select, since I like to go straight into playing the game without having to fluff around.

I can understand password entry too, since for me gives me a feeling of achievement, since selecting the level feels too easy, a bit like cheating.

What do you prefer?
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  • Joined: 05 Dec 2019
  • Posts: 56
  • Location: USA
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Post Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2023 1:31 am
If the game is under about an hour for an any% no major glitches run: Go with level select, and progress to the next level and show the ending only if starting from the beginning. My rationale is that DVD movies have chapter select, and practice, and showing gameplay in a review, and what's said in the video "We Refuse to Play Any More Games Without These 5 Essential Quality of Life Features" by Outside Xtra at 10:25.

If the game is more than an hour: Do the same and provide a password system. If a later chapter is selected, give the player a loadout typical for that level and don't issue a password at the end.
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  • Joined: 02 Mar 2011
  • Posts: 165
  • Location: Valencia,Spain.
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Post Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2023 7:52 am
Hi, I prefer a password system because games with level selection remind me of games without endings, where the only goal was to obtain more and more points
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  • Joined: 06 Mar 2022
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  • Location: London, UK
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Post Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2023 5:58 pm
I was halfway through an answer in favour of level select but found myself not really believing my own words.

I think maybe it's horses for courses. Some SMS examples:

- Hang On allows you to select which level ("course") you start on. The console version of Hang On is fun, but very repetitive without a significant amount of increased challenge as it progresses, and I can see why you'd want to skip the earlier levels because it's just more of the same.

- Lemmings does passwords and I think it's the only thing that makes sense. Each puzzle is a standalone achievement and collecting a password proves you've solved the puzzle.

- Asterix doesn't have either. It's a fairly challenging game but one that is possible to do in a single run. There are numerous elements that make it more interesting, like the different level layout depending on whether you choose Asterix or Obelisk, and also the Dogmatix bonus levels which are pretty tough to get perfect scores on. I think it's the right call to require the player to start from the beginning on this game.
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