*Future Games

I liked a lot of the aspects about Common Grounds, but I think that the activities (outside of the relationship visits) felt kind of shallow. I actually kind of felt one of the lines with Chet and Troy summed it up, where they said Roger was afraid Zell was “becoming a shut in”. It seemed kind of weird considering the point was supposed to be Zell getting out there and meeting people (to boink ;-> ), but I thought they were correct.

I realize that every intricacy is more and more programming, but if there were another game like Common Grounds made, I’d like to see more depth to the player’s improvement and choices. For instance, in the game, Ben repeatedly talked about going out for the swim team. It could be made a choice for Zell to do so as well, both to get closer to Ben and open the possibility for other activities and character interactions (AJ could also be impressed, as he’s a bit of a jock). Joining would have a minimum stat requirement, giving another way for people to see advancement and accomplishment, rather than feeling like they’re grinding to get the next cutscene. Upon joining, swimming laps at the pool could add variety to the jogging/weightlifting for the exercise routine, obligations could change because of swim meets, and new relationship opportunities could present themselves. As is, all the relationship options were more or less presented right at the start, but joining the Swim Team could have been how the character met Ben in the first place if the game had been made with that in mind.

Similar activities could be made available that take advantage of other attributes. Zell’s “Ability” score seems to be tied to graphic design, so he could land a position in the school paper or something, high Focus might land him a spot with a more academic group, so on and so forth, scattering the romance options and opportunities to be found through the game in multiple playthroughs. You wouldn’t have to have unique situations and activities for every single character or anything, but having a variety of activities available that could influence your game’s outcome and romantic options would both make the experience feel more organic and add replay value.

All in all, I thought that Common Grounds was thoroughly enjoyable, I just couldn’t help feeling like I sped through it. The meat of the game (the relationships and storyline) were very solid, and the background elements of graphics and music were both appropriate and fun. Something like this, but expanded just a little bit I think would make it cross the line from good to great.