tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1229618075021986600.post1757085721494341798..comments2024-02-07T22:21:28.079+11:00Comments on Creations of AmstradHero: What you don't know does matterAmstradHerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02313267316109911061noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1229618075021986600.post-29669561272120746202010-06-19T05:39:36.768+10:002010-06-19T05:39:36.768+10:00Personally I don't view as an incomplete produ...Personally I don't view as an incomplete product. It *can* be if it's simply clear that parts of it weren't thought through. <br /><br />But I feel one of the greatest compliments games can get is when people really can dig into the game afterwards, discussing events, the story, decisions, themes and so forth beyond the boring " fanboy thread!" posts.<br /><br />Simply omitting important stuff is of course a dangerous path to tread. But there's all kinds of subtle stuff that can be injected into a game to nudge the players' imagination, making him go "oh, maybe it's like this... or maybe it's like that?".<br /><br />I'll also confess that I generally really dislike endings (to quests, or to an entire game) that go out of their way to tie absolutely everything up. Again, simply omitting stuff is dangerous, but I like it much more when some stuff is left unclear, making me speculate on what will happen (or what would happen if I had chosen to do something differently in the game.)<br /><br />That said, I think Dragon Age probably had the best "wrap up everything" ending I've seen. I found it very satisfying (most likely due to how much I as the player could influence it).Starwarsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1229618075021986600.post-60453869708976118362010-06-17T12:36:15.581+10:002010-06-17T12:36:15.581+10:00Im not in the habbit of paying for incomplete prod...Im not in the habbit of paying for incomplete product. To me this is something where I would want the details given to me. If I wanted to play make believe (to ANY extent) I would make up my own characters.<br /><br />This is similar to the novel vs movie concept; I'm not keen on novels as no two people's "mental picture" is even close to the same. The writer's vision isn't universally and accurately portrayed like it is in a movie.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1229618075021986600.post-77317097387423501762010-06-17T07:59:59.296+10:002010-06-17T07:59:59.296+10:00I don't disagree that the designers should pla...I don't disagree that the designers should plan everything out. In fact, I'm advocating that, only just saying that they don't need to tell the players everything.<br /><br />I also agree on Alpha Protocol's dossiers. I think it is an excellent means to make your decisions matter and the method in which you acquire that information is directly visible and makes sense in terms of the plot and setting. It's also far better than you "magically" learning more information about someone because your reputation with them is high enough. The fact you get to use that information in your conversations with them is excellent. Come to think of it, that might be an idea worth using in The Shattered War...AmstradHerohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02313267316109911061noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1229618075021986600.post-82701877702070193792010-06-17T03:22:59.927+10:002010-06-17T03:22:59.927+10:00Thats one of the things i like about Alpha Protoco...Thats one of the things i like about Alpha Protocol as well as it encourages the player to find as much information about the world and characters as possable and yes AmstradHero i have found your posts interesting to read and i look forward to many more interesting posts from you in the future.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1229618075021986600.post-91287762987120625572010-06-17T00:31:20.163+10:002010-06-17T00:31:20.163+10:00I most definitely think some stuff can be "le...I most definitely think some stuff can be "left in the void" as it were, but I still think it's in the designers best interest to actually plan it all out behind the scenes to make sure that it *does* make sense.<br /><br />For backstory and such, Alpha Protocol introduced an extremely interesting mechanic on this. As you progress through the game, you get dossiers on various people and factions (viewable through a system reminiscant of the Codex in DA). <br /><br />These dossiers also fill up throughout the game depending on what you do, what you find during missions and if you decide to buy intel from the black market.<br /><br />That's all well and good, but what's really nice is that this information can be used in the game to influence some of the NPCs. The information becomes a tool for the player to use. And depending on what the player does or doesn't do, some rather big "reveals" may be completely hidden to the player in that playthrough.<br /><br />I am really a fan of that kind of design because it puts the player in an important position, his actions matter beyond the A) basic combat and B) beyond the basic choices.Starwarsnoreply@blogger.com