28 replies to this topic

[WeThePuppets]

So the topic says it all. Which do you prefer to play, a linear story that is well written? Or would you rather have freeroam capabilities and shape the story to be your own? What might be some of the pros and cons in both the developer's and player's eyes?

Would you rather play as a character or be the character?

Sokota

Edited by Sokota, 30 July 2009 - 10:27 PM.

[Dragdropdestroy]

Well I prefer to be the character. It is just more fun, in my own opinion, to shape the way the game turns out yourself. Having multiple ways to play a game and ways to make a character how you want it to, not how someone else wants you to. I guess you could take the way you play WoW into this type of gameplay. I have played before and each character has many roles they can be forged into for play. And having the choice to make the character you own is just something that is rewarding, and gives you a sense of freedom in a game

[WeThePuppets]

Yeah I was gonna bring up the fact that all MMORPGs are structured this way. They have to be. But then again, why are the Final Fantasy games noted for their stories if you can't actually change the outcome. (Just decide how your character fights to get there)

Sokota

I'm just curious as to know.

[dyblee]

I think its rewarding to see your player grow to how you made him, And your character being uniqe from other Chars is cool. I think choicing your path makes the game ending way better, and when you get to see the outcomes of your choices It is just exellent in my opinion

[Dragdropdestroy]

Well FF games would be a mix of both. I mean, you have some control of the player, but the story will end the same either way. And to add on to what I said earlier, it is also fun to be able to choose how you want you character to be, and replaying as something completely new is just as fun...you can see that because you choose to be one way the first time things that were hard the first play through may be eaiser the second play through due to how you are making your character this time, and things easy the first time might now be hard.

[The untaken username]

I like games where I can shape the outcome. I think it would have a higher replay value to, just because most wuld be curious as to what other endings there are... or, I would be curious, anyway. :/

[graham]

I like games where I can shape the outcome. I think it would have a higher replay value to, just because most wuld be curious as to what other endings there are... or, I would be curious, anyway. :/

I agree. The hard part, however, is making the player emotionally attached to the plot or it's content. That, if done, can really grab and hold the player's interest.

[squeakyreaper]

I play games to escape reality, not make another. Other characters have pasts, secret things about them, and lots of intrigue, while I ALWAYS know what I've already known. Plus, it's always nice to see things through someone else's point of view; so I'd say I'd rather play as someone else.

[WeThePuppets]

Interesting. I was guessing there were people out there like you, which is what made me ask in the first place! But I see the majority of people like to play as 'themselves' in a sense, whereas being confined to a certain character isn't as fun. Though this is what Mario, Halo, Zelda, Final Fantasy and others due just to name a few. I think some "make your own story games" would be to the likes of Fable, Fallout and many a online RPG.

Sokota

So if you like choosing different story paths, how much of the actions do you want to affect the story? Do you want details to affect the story, or only major events in which you have to take a side?

[ramses12]

I think that the predefined-story mode is a better choice, or at least in a game it should exist.
---
Linear story
Pros: The gamer is virtually involved in an imaginary circumstance collection, making him actually believe in the game. If the story is interesting, this additionally makes the game good.
Cons: When playing the game second time, the user might get bored and use ways to get rid of usual in-game things, wanting to create his own story.

Free story:
Pros: This gives the ability to create own circumstances making the game a "second real world".
Cons: Gamers without imagination can get bored if the game isn't psychological studied to become really addictive. In this case, the game has to be never-ending, something like wow or games in which you have to continuously do something until a team (or player) wins.

Edit: For linear story, it can be a good idea to let the player choose some alternatives including the possibility of an alternative ending. About alternative endings, i think that making two would be quite enough: a normal one and a bonus one.

Edited by ramses12, 31 July 2009 - 11:01 AM.

[WeThePuppets]

Yeah I have a few friends who get bored in MMORPG's because they just don't know what to do. I try to tell them "Do whatever you want" but since there are only so many quests to give them goals, it can get boring for them. So how in a 'openstory' do you give the player drive?

Sokota

[peterrab]

I prefer non-linear games. I also like things that you might not expect to be in the game there to make it truely freeform (i.e friendships/romances with NPCs, buying houses/land).

I also am a fan of including different ways to complete tasks (i.e stealing a key, charming the person to give the key to you, intimidating him to give the key to you, killing him and taking the key, bribing him for the key) depending on the NPC (i.e stealing and killing for all NPCs, but bribing, charming and intimidating only works for certain people, and also depends on your character since a male NPC isn't likely to be able to be charmed by a male player).

Edited by peterrab, 31 July 2009 - 01:46 PM.

[Hootmat]

I think your question really lies down to opinion. Personally I enjoy games which mix choice into a set story. Providing that there are many variables which could determine a course of events you could effectively provide for both sides of your idea.

[Frostblade]

In some ways, choice is very overrated. Personally, I'd avoid applying it to the story- the player's interference makes it much more difficult to make a story work.

As a classical example, let's consider Romeo and Juliet. You probably know this already, but at the end, Romeo finds Juliet lying in a drugged sleep, apparently dead. He poisons himself out of grief. Juliet wakes shortly after, and she finds her lover dead- she takes his dagger, and kills herself in turn.

This is a powerful ending specifically because of the choices the characters make. Each title character kills themself because they cannot bear to live without the other- the characters' emotions and history lead to a clear and tragic climax.
Now, consider if Romeo's choice was put into the player's hands. Unless they're very dedicated, they're not going to make the choice based on what Romeo would do (because if this was the case, there wouldn't be a choice at all). They'll make it based on reason, logic, or- in the worst cases- based on which is most likely to lead to a "good" ending. In this case, a happy ending is not the best choice for the player to make (as it would likely be hollow and unsatisfying), but it's nevertheless the one which most players would gravitate to.

[WeThePuppets]

Interesting analogy, and I have yet see suicide as an option in games, mahaha. However, this poses a question: Why are the "Choose Your Own Adventure" so popular (Or were, until games 'outdated' them)?

Sokota

[Frostblade]

Why are the "Choose Your Own Adventure" so popular?

Bear in mind that these books were written for children, and dealt with such weighty subjects as astronauts, dinosaurs and haunted houses. Even the books marketed towards teenagers and young adults (Lone Wolf, Fighting Fantasy) were mostly superficial. If I recall correctly, the first Fighting Fantasy book was nothing more than a dungeon crawl with a boss at the end.

[Me the III]

There are many set story games with compelling stories.

In a make-your-own, the game becomes more about the player and his morals, rather than the story, and I hate it in games like Fable where you have to go against your morals (i.e. killing a lonely old man to get some uber weapon) just to make the game more interesting. It really isn't that much fun to kill good, nice, honest, kind, things so that you can experience the games' best moments. It ends up with the player trying to justify his actions in a GAME to himself.

I don't care who you are, it feels wrong to kill somebody who has always been kind to you.

Unless you have really NO conscience at all.

[WeThePuppets]

...was nothing more than a dungeon crawl with a boss at the end.

Sounds like alot of RPGs today . And in an openworld environment, morals come into play? So then, you would like to see choices/alternatives made without killing someone (Even in a game). And I'm not saying games with set-stories are bad. At all. Most games are like that, anyways. I've named some. So then a new question would be, how do you improve both types of games for the player, and is there a game that has a very equal balance of the two storytypes?

Sokota

[Seth52]

I personally like story that is dynamic, but isn't too much that it causes the player to become lost.

Multiple endings are good, so as to make the player think "I wonder what would've happened if I'd had done this..." and go back and play it again, suddenly filled with interest.

A game that comes to mind is Splinter Cell DA for the original Xbox. It gives you many options in the way of combat, so you can take that however you like, and presents you with quite a few story-based choices that either lower or raise your trust meter. Choosing to, say, kill an innocent in a particular cinematic event will make your trust meter slide towards the bad guys. The game will then play a cutscene specific to your choice, and cause your agency buddies to be a little mad, thus revoking a good chunk of your equipment for the next mission. In DA game there are three possible endings, and finishing the game with the trust meter leaning towards the left, middle, or right will present you with a different outcome.

Edited by Seth52, 01 August 2009 - 02:05 AM.

[Staticgames]

Me, personaly, i like a little bit of both. Wich is were i like quest or missions in free roam games.
Like, i would prefur to make my own path then to follow when thats written (No matter how well written), but i would prefur overall to do a free roam game, were there are quest's, and such, so there are some minor stories, but not a plot.
PS. Thanks for commenting on my topic : )