10 Hardest Video Game Genres To Make (From A Game Developer)

[@aaronmccullers384]

This puts into context why Back 4 Blood was/is having so many issues, especially back when it first launched. Good thing the devs have been working hard to fix/balance/improve the game instead of ducking out as the game is leaps and bounds better than when it first launched. Also explains why they are not working on a lot of community requested features (like pvp campaign and modding support): they are already too busy with all the other gameplay aspects they are trying to fix/balance/improve!

[@dualbeardedtech]

This is a great insight into the world of development. I have a family member who was a dev for valve for years and we've had this conversation a few times. It seems, the most frustrating thing is pouring your heart and soul into a game and have the world berate the devs for not doing better.

[@eddmario]

As somebody with some programming experience myself, I'm not surprised that split-paths are on this list or that they're so early in the video. On one hand, the different paths would basically be if/else statements, so in theory the only hard part would having so many. On the other hand, they might also be if/and/else statements, which open up a whole other can of worms...

[@timothypitcher7996]

Trying to balance a racing game can also be hard when it comes to vehicle stats. This is especially notable in the Mario Kart series, where in Mario Kart 7, Metal Mario had an advantage over the other heavy racers for his smaller body frame; that would later be balanced out in Mario Kart 8, where Metal Mario sacrificed speed for better handling. And then there's Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, where having good acceleration is an advantage, because such combos also offer good mini-turbo stats (with the mini-turbo mechanics being changed drastically from the original Wii U game).

[@eddmario]

The problem, though, is that in MK8 and MK8D the character's base stats aren't shown on the character select screen and you have to get to the kart select screen to see how they make a difference.

[@1003JustinLaw]

I’m not a video game developer but I do create modules for D&D, and yeah, fractals is really quite annoying to deal with. You want to create something that would allow players to maintain their agency, so decisions has to matter and choices must have consequences. For a home game you can just make stuff up as you go but modules have to account for EVERY major story branch, and don’t get me started on side missions and their implications.

[@finnydot]

Jules is my favorite person ever to hear talk about anything. He's literally the best.

[@nintendians]

10. different character have different movesets. 9. different weapons have different stats. 7. different cars make by different company. 5. most of the it's just on-rails and you just standing there, no 360 degree to track your movements and turns. 4. i feel it's base on frame rate instead of graphics. 2. ai cpu have to be balance no matter what. 1. mmo require lots of maintenance, since lots of players are in one server room.

[@MKF30]

Almost any genre is hard to make but I'd say FGs are top 3 toughest. Notice game builder apps i always see platformers, overhead games, a pong like game or FPS type of game but I rarely see a fighting game because the balancing is very tough, special moves, hit boxes, frames of moves etc etc

[@notproductiveproductions3504]

With how much details have to go into every individual character’s balance as well as how much advanced mechanics are needed to keep an elite demographic it’s no wonder their tutorials are so out of touch with newbs

[@MKF30]

*@NOT PRODUCTIVE PRODUCTIONS* Yeah the tutorials in FG's now are not exactly easy, but they're very in depth which is good because they teach you the basic fundamentals of the game, not many genres do this. Now days you see it more often but FG's it should be the standard and come with every new one that comes out. There's just so many nooks and crannies to cover from safe moves, punishable, footsies, zoning, rushdown, frames of moves etc, etc for these reasons as well as balancing is why FG's are easily among the hardest to make. Then there's playability too, you don't want to make it too slow, nor too fast.

[@CleetusVanDamme530]

Makes you appreciate Marvel VS Capcom 2's 55 character roster especially since it came out when online updates weren't common.

[@eddmario]

Or the fact that Super Smash Bros Ultimate started with 74 **at launch** and than another 15 were added over time.

[@TheThird1977]

One aspect of AI characters I appreciate is that in shooters the enemy will usually miss their first volley of shots so that the player is aware that enemies are around without taking blind damage.

[@robertsears8323]

That is just lazy and boring and prof that NO video game AI is good or smart. Why can't they make one game with good AI that is a challenge without cheats like extra damage and more helth.

[@Uliseh]

@@robertsears8323 , Because "Alien Isolation" happens. It's a good game but if every AI was like that many games wouldn't be very fun to play.

[@robertsears8323]

@@Uliseh Alien Isolation is total garbage and is one of the worst things ever made. Hell it is not even a video game unless you use cheat codes and mods so you can play the game and fight back. I don't know why lazy devs make worthless things like that as they are not even playable without mods and or cheats to fix the broken or missing stuff the devs forgot to add in the game. Thank God for PC and mods so we can fix the game makers mistakes.

[@z216ghost]

​@@robertsears8323 sounds like you should make your own games

[@robertsears8323]

@@z216ghost I am working on it.

[@ryanpetty8843]

Great video idea: “Top 10 games given a 7/10 by IGN”

[@Mark-mu4pj]

Thought the hardest game to make today would be a full game on disc lol

[@SilverSpectre266]

I learned in game development that nothing is ever as simple as it seems. Even movement, which you would think is basic and the fundamentals since you have to be able to move in every game, is not as simple as it seems because the code could easily be 150 lines, and it has to be just right for the game. You'll even see during alpha gameplay footage in the comments people criticizing the way the character moves.

[@zhulikkulik]

Yeah. Nothing is as easy as it seems. There's sure gotta be a magical button that just lets you mix a prerendered image of the room with 3d models in your game. You probably don't need to Google it for 3 days T_T

[@thekraken1173]

⁠@@zhulikkulikThere is a magical button. It is called money.

[@Pmer038]

Millimeter is not a measurement of volume but a measurement of distance, in regards to your statement about the devs knowing how much wiper fluid is in a vehicle. I would appreciate y’all fixing this embarrassing blunder, I can’t even take y’all seriously as game enthusiasts after this mistake.

[@rossiaconis242]

I always find these kinds of lists fascinating. I'd really like to see more of this. Well done!

[@zhulikkulik]

I remember bots in cs being really difficult to fight. IMHO, that was much more fun than what we got in cs go.

[@mkm7251]

Shout out to the devs of ECHO for making the A.I. in that game pretty interesting to play against.

[@OldmanRzR]

I think this is the first time I commented on KZbin. This was a great list, much appreciated. I will say I've had my Quest 2 for 6 months. It gets played daily, and I've dropped 30 lbs because of it. You are not wrong though. Releases are few and far between. I'm sure it's insanely difficult to get everything right when developing. A lot can go wrong with VR, especially with new players. I've seen people run into to walls, fall, and get a quick dragon punch to the dome. You guys rock. Thanks for keeping me entertained. Still waiting on a VR list though. Cheers.

[@Dtgray12]

I feel like maple story was a really good MMORPG for a while. I stopped playing when they first overhauled the game. Because the game was supposed to be simple and they kept making it more and more complex I lost interest. It went from five job classes and nearly 30 and I just didn't have time or energy to keep creating characters just to try out the new classes and story events with them.

[@HolyHadou]

I can't find any deets on the game designer in the description. Anyone else?

[@notproductiveproductions3504]

It’s as if they’re speaking on behalf of game devs without asking around

[@honz6509]

Every time I watch something about game development I always wonder how obsidian made new Vegas in 18 months. I know it was buggy as hell at launch but it's still one of GOAT games ever made.

[@robertsears8323]

The New Vegas devs were NOT lazy and actully did there job. If all game makers would spend more time working and less time playing around then games would get made better and faster.

[@eddmario]

They had the advantage of a good chunk of the work already being done since it's basically a modified version of Fallout 3 because of the way the game engine works.

[@IWillYeah]

Surprised no RTS mention, (at least in the AI segment) given the genre has some of the most complex AI.

[@razorback9999able]

Making an RTS game in a time where there are established RTS games like StarCraft, Age of Empires and Command and Conquer in a complex, niche genre is like trying to get blood from a stone.

[@DMofPuppets]

I love this video idea. Father Ovum is always bringing the new and interesting.

[@ShaundaLeer]

This was a really interesting list!

[@CappyLarou]

hey Jules, what the heck is "raw ham"? do you mean pork because it's not Ham until it's either smoked or cured.

[@mehdisadiqi2894]

Jules talks about sim racing games then proceeds to show every simcade ever

[@Opus_Fluke]

Interesting list! But you missed the hardest part of building an MMORPG: some trumpet screaming that your magnum opus is a "DEAD GAME!!11!" even if you have hundreds of thousands of active players.

[@robertsears8323]

That part about game AI being smart and having to be nerfed is the biggest lie I have ever heard. No game has ever anything close to smart AI.

[@DeadPhish812]

4x games like the civilization series or grand strategy games like crusader kings have to be the hardest types of games to make. By far the most ammount of choices and crazy randomness of everything has to be a nightmare to code.

[@sfslax]

Happy to see the runescape clips in here haha, one of the most underrated games ever

[@LyricsVideo4U]

01:26 Good stuff!

[@henriklarsen8193]

Thank you, Tommy! (and Jules)

[@zayniacgames]

Thanks for the info!

[@Rattys]

Leeroy Jenkins AND Blood Corruption Plague? Any chance of working in the Serenity Now funeral on a future video?

[@inquisitorichijou883]

I already heard about the trials and tribulations with life service shooters. Since I follow tha weekly updates Bungie gives on Destiny. And I also witnessed the recent drama around PvP and weapon balance in the game. It was a mess.

[@ScreaminSeahawk]

I wish their were more immersive sim games, but they have to be hell to make.

[@Alexindiegamedev]

I myself am a indie dev and can say alot goes into making a game that most will never see

[@inquisitorichijou883]

Ok, so the reason why I rubber band around in Overwatch when my connection is bad is due to the game estimating my actions wrong and resetting me to the last known position before desync? The more you know.

[@sethwooten5678]

This video would be 2 minutes if the title was "easy games to make"

[@cppblank]

Who one earth measures washer fluid in mm?

[@wariodude128]

Ever notice 8 out of these 10 genres are multiplayer focused? Probably because developing a game with more than one player in mind causes numerous issues which need to be dealt with.

[@catbert2412]

Would point out the live game balancing people need to verify things aren’t balanced before nerfing/buffing stuff. Way too many games will be well balanced at launch but then they listen to whiners who don’t know how to play only to ultimately end up messing up the balance & never getting it back

[@DoctoroProfesoro]

FPS games in general are brain dead in overall design, but the network management makes it a monumental amount of work to keep the flow of data in sync.

[@bcleary2000]

The problem with fighting games being too balanced is that no character stands out, when a player uses a character that others deem weak and win games with that character it drives up interest in wanting to learn that character rather than stick with they're preferred go-to character. Just look at Xian with Gen in USF4, a character that didn't really appeal to many until players saw what could be accomplished with time and effort put in to learning a character's foibles.

[@eddmario]

The other thing is sometimes you get characters like Inferno in Soul Calibur VI, who is so OP that not only do you have to complete a series of matches on one of the harder difficulties to get him unlocked, but you can't even use him in ranked matches without hacking the game.

[@elliottryan13]

Video idea: Mosy pricey yet worthless DLC.

[@notproductiveproductions3504]

EA, Activision, and Ubisoft would be the only ones on that list

[@DynaSuarez9999Wrecks]

"They know to within a millimeter how much wiper fluid a Subaru Impreza Turbo holds." Well so do I. It's 0 because a millimeter is a unit of distance, not volume.

[@fallenpalladin]

I want to see a list of MMORPG games that need to come to console like SWToR

[@Sistik123]

I assume Until Dawn must have been a nightmare for the whole branching story development.

[@eyetoeyez411]

And here I am looking for better AI in games when in reality their purposfully being dumbed down! Devs should always release DLC with non dumbed down AI just for us masochists :).

[@Sneaky_racoon_sly]

telltale games are easy to make because no decision matters

[@GardinerAlan]

Anyone else think Jules was about to say 'difficult, difficult, lemon difficult'? If you know, you know Also, the microwave/oven analogy gave me Boris' Brexit deal flashbacks

[@Cman04092]

I've been looking, but I still can't find anyone called "RetroJButTheOIsA0"... please send help!

[@Cman04092]

@Paulodigital777 yeah, I'd love one, but make it good please.

[@robertsears8323]

You are joking right?

[@Cman04092]

@@robertsears8323 most likely, who really knows anymore.

[@robertsears8323]

@@Cman04092 Either way you make no sense. Either you are joking or you are the most stupid person on earth.

[@Rubberduckerino]

Surprises me that open world games aren’t on the list

[@scwintz101]

now that people are using AI to write stories and draw pictures could someone make an ai capable of making a triple A game.

[@roboishere]

I like this new video idea

[@bazzakrak]

Games can be hard to make, but look at Manor Lords and see what 1 man can accomplish

[@HylianFox3]

This video serves as a nice reminder as to why I tend to avoid these genres like the plague, and MMOs especially.

[@notproductiveproductions3504]

So you want devs to only produce cash grab, assembly line genres?

[@kristianyoung990]

I can't help but think of Digital Extremes and their child Warframe when I here several of these entries.

[@gameman876]

It seems to me like this list is really any game that requires multiplayer is hard to build.

[@zakk219]

I agree that balanced fighting games aren't easy to make but I don't think that should be the goal. As a fighting game player and someone who has seen what a lot of people who play them think, balance isn't as important as making a fun game with characters that have unique designs. There's always going to be characters that break the game, even in the most balanced games, and no one is going to agree on what a "balanced" fighting game is. Some of the most beloved fighting games (Marvel vs Capcom 2, Street Fighter 3: Third Strike, SSB Melee) are horribly unbalanced, with a few characters dominating the majority of the cast. I'd honestly rather play an unbalanced game with characters that can do fun/interesting stuff than a more balanced game with a majority of the cast having less creativity and variety in their movesets.

[@zachtwilightwindwaker596]

I'm surprised open world games aren't on the list.

[@mare8992]

Jules: what happened to your "one per list?"

[@joshuawoodring1697]

At least for the asymmetrical games I'd say lean in for the single player being overpowered but then the question is how overpowered xD

[@yoshitheonly]

Bro I can't list 10 different genres period 💀😂

[@Kate_Hanami]

half of the list is something I wanted to do

[@Dtgray12]

I don't know if you mentioned MMORPGs like League of Legends but everyone makes that joke that League of Legends has over 200 years experience with their deaths and they still keep making obvious mistakes in the game. It's a kind of game where you really can't balance the game 100%, someone's always going to be stronger than another.

[@la_sombruh]

NOBODY can eat more raw ham than me. NOBODY 😤

[@gamin9wizard945]

I like how you were talking up AI Enemies (and rightfully so!) I know as a matter of fact that most people who play C.O.D. and Fortnite actually tend to use "bot / AI Player" as an insult against their opponents if they perform too slow for them. And I always get glared at if I try to argue that, if the devs were to remove the limitations and restrictions they impose on the AI to make it easier to beat, the AI-Players would show them what it would think about them saying these things. I also get yelled at by people when I smugly laugh at those Fortnite kiddos who use "bot" as insult for some reason [Note: When I refer to Fortnite kiddos, I refer to people whom act like intellectually challenged and incredibly toxic teens, regardless of age, so most of the people I'd classify to be "Fortnite kids" that I know of are about 23 years old, just like me] They essentially compliment their opponents by calling them out to be as smart as an AI, but believe it's actually an insult to call them so. It's stupidly hilarious. Edit: slightly improved grammar.

[@HylianFox3]

Dumb AI is what makes so many games endearing. If every game had incredible AI that would waste you every time you'd never play it again...

[@gamin9wizard945]

@@HylianFox3 I totally agree. I mainly tried to express that I don't endorse the recent trend of using the term "AI" as an insult against weaker players. An unfortunate trend among many... I've been insulted as a "bot" myself a lot when I joined former classmates in Call of Duty an they essentially carried me. They kept yelling at me "learn how to play you f*ckin' bot" And as stated above, when I tried to explain them that AI-Players are only as 'bad' as they are because they are incredibly nerfed when compared to their true potential I've been laughed at. Needless to say I blocked those uncultured people immediately. Not that it helped much as they just befriended my younger brother to be able to train him into bullying me on their behalf - also giving them access to our family home but that's a different story. Just saying, I kinda take the trend of FPS players misusing the word "Bot / AI Player" as an insult rather personal. So I will use every opportunity to talk about how much using that word as an insult backfires at the person who does so.

[@robertsears8323]

There is no such thing as good or smart AI and ALL, AI in video games is a joke. The devs are making up BS lies so people don't know how lazy game devs are when it comes to AI. Sadly no game has ever had a good AI. They are all so cheap and basic. The only way AI is a challenge is because they are given cheats that give them more health and do more damage plus they are programed to attack the player so they know were you are at all the time. I can't wait for the first game with real AI that is fun to play against and not just a walk in the park.

[@robertsears8323]

@@HylianFox3 You are very wrong. People only play multiplayer games because AI is so bad and easy to beat that the only challenge can be had against other players. If a game were made that had a real and good AI that people could fight against then NO-ONE would ever touch a PVP game ever aging as there would be no fun in the game. Also if a game AI is wasting you all the time that is the devs giving the AI cheat codes. If the devs would give (even the smartest and best) AI the same rules and limitations as the player is given it would be a fair fight.

[@robertsears8323]

@@gamin9wizard945 You should be laughed at because you have no clue what you are talking about and are just sad that you are as bad as AI.

[@KimboKG14]

"you need to be careful with your polycounts and normal maps" 🤣 well technically yes, but that was just game-dev gibberish!

[@jacobwedlake2288]

22nd!!!! See how pointless this comment is??? Give some real feedback! Jules deserves it! Love ya ya magnificient egg you!

[@z216ghost]

yep and there's still yet to be a balanced fighting game

[@Castx73702]

1. MMORPGs 2. Games w/Demanding AI 3. Physics-Based Online Games 4. Hardware-Demanding Cross-Platform Games 5. VR 6. Asymetrical Multiplayer Games (Dead by Daylight, etc.) 7. Simulation Racers 8. Games w/Branching Logic or Narrative 9. "Live Service" Shooters 10. Fighting Games Saved you a click--it's 2022, use chapters.

[@tomdibernardo1699]

i get balancing is alot of work, but it's pointless to keep a game balanced if you don't listen to your player base. They are your full time beta testers.

[@circeciernova1712]

Hacking games, full stop. Not just something like Uplink, with a Cyberpunk or Hollywood-style interface, but games meant to work as a simulation of actual system penetration.

[@neil_mch]

Fluid is measured in milliliters or cubic centimeters, not millimeters.

[@carthonol1735]

Destiny did live shooters best. Playing as a casual with friends that lived and breathed Destiny and have no level penalty made the times I jumped into missions with them a great experience!

[@leemp8352]

and yet this will still not quieten down those whiny entitled players who just know better about everything

[@bardosfojie9680]

mmorpg hard? lol dont you see the huge amount of cheap copy cat of korean mmos, if its that hard to make then it wouldnt work. open world rpg and immersive sims are way harder.

[@triton5336]

So I am guessing Open World Games Like Horizon Forbidden West, Red Dead Redemption II, GTA V and Death Stranding are easy to make. Guess the Developers haven't used 80% of their power yet.

[@quelldieu7263]

salty voice? xD

[@stephenharris601]

First 🥇

[@marcjameswhelan]

Nope I was first tho you loser

[@HylianFox3]

In all fairness you really do have a sultry voice.

[@That1PissedOffBoomer]

I see Jules I give thumbs up and much love

[@scopethepope10]

First

[@marcjameswhelan]

Nope I was first tho you loser

[@davepulical8448]

First

[@marcjameswhelan]

Nope I was first tho you loser