Quote:Original post by Kazgoroth

Quote:Original post by TheOddMan
Recently there's been a lot of stuff on sites like Gamasutra talking about how we need to put better stories into games. Forgive me, but that's the last thing I want from a game.

Not all games need stories and that isn't what they're trying to say; rather, if you are going to include a story it should be a good one. If your game doesn't need a story then don't try to shoe-horn one in.

I love a game if it has a story, but some games are forced to follow one that is completely detrimental to the overall experience. PUZZLE GAMES NEED NOT A STORY...but FPS games (especially single player) usually benefit

I've skimmed over the replies but I'm sure someone's said this before. I don't think the problem is that the story exists. I think it's a problem of bad design.

A good game design should let the player choose to get involved in the story should they want to. If they didn't there should be an option to skip any cut scene, dialog, etc.

For me, I love a good story in many games but then again I love to load up a multiplayer FPS and mindlessly blow away anyone I see. As people have said it usually comes down to the type of game and the personal taste of the player. The design should cater for this.

This topic makes me think of one of the classic games of old "Doom". This was a kind of middle ground I loved. The storyline was straight forward or even non-existent at a glance, but anyone who wanted a story could easily find one. This was shown in the numerous novels and comics based on the game also, and to the shockingly bad (IMO) movie. Then again you could argue that this was due to the imagination of the fan rather than the story telling of the developers.

The point I'm trying to make is that we shouldn't be thinking of games as a set in concrete object with stiff rules. Some games need a story, some don't, some people love a story some hate it. It basically comes down to, if you don't want a story, don't buy one.

Just to quickly throw in my preference, for me I like the story parts of complex games (not the simple casual ones, of course) so much, it's probably what keeps me going through the "gameplay" parts the most... The desire to see the next cutsee in order to find out what happens next. I rarely like the gameplay that much by itself, instead it's just something I have to suffer through in order to complete/progress in the game.

I doubt this is very common, but meh.

Quote:Original post by InnocuousFox
I was thinking the other day of that damn game Dragon's Lair back in 1983 arcades. You basically had only a choice or two on any given screen. You could go one of two directions or time swings and jumps, etc. Really, there wasn't a lot to your decision making process along the way.

Meh. The majority of linear RPGs fall into the same category. They just do a better job of hiding it.

I like story in my gaming. But if the game would turn to dust upon removing the story, I'll pass. A simple equation, even for designers.

Quote:Original post by InnocuousFox
I was thinking the other day of that damn game Dragon's Lair back in 1983 arcades. You basically had only a choice or two on any given screen. You could go one of two directions or time swings and jumps, etc. Really, there wasn't a lot to your decision making process along the way. It was the quintisential Interactive Movie that just happened to also be stored on a laserdisc - a movie-playing medium! (Isn't this a technology history lesson for the kiddies!?)

While is may have been ground breaking in it's day, it sucked as a game. It had zero flexibility, there was one and only one way to move, etc,
and I figure most suck. Back in the 90s, when I first attempted my first game, investors didn't want to hear about interactive movies. I suspect they still don't. Flexibility and freedom promotes longevity.

The quintinssential story driven games in my eyes were the BG series and PS:T. All others that I have played have been trying to measure up.

Some have provided good background, as opposed to active story telling, some a bit of both, but the BG series and PS:T hit the bull's eye square in the center, providing both in abundance.

It should be noted, that the TSR novels centered around the subject completey sucked. I don't think I've read worse fiction.

Quote:Original post by OrangyTang

Quote:Original post by Kest
If I undersand you correctly, it sounds like Trauma Center just needed an easier way to skip cut-scenes.

...which is exactly what the Wii version has. [grin]

Actually, the DS version has it too, but it's not mentioned in the manual. You can press SELECT to fast-forward the cutscenes.

Quote:Original post by OrangyTang

Quote:Original post by Kest
If I undersand you correctly, it sounds like Trauma Center just needed an easier way to skip cut-scenes.

...which is exactly what the Wii version has. [grin] They've slimmed it down and made it more streamlined, which is good. I don't think they could have removed it entirely though - it's supposed to make you care about the person you're about to be cutting up. It adds an additional layer of tension to the actual gameplay.

The problem I found is the story in Trauma Center went something like this:

Doc1: "Well done! That was a good operation!"
Doc2: "I'm leaving for another hospital. Good luck in the future!"
Doc1: "No! Please don't leave!"
Doc2: "I'm sorry I have to..."
Doc1: "Oh, quick do an operation!"

<Enter Game>

All I could think was 'wtf? how do I skip?' ;)

Edit: Just wanted to thank Barius! Skippage will ensue...