Quantic Dream officially announces Heavy Rain

[Hassat Hunter]

And you could play each level in many non-linear ways.

 

This is also true with Fahrenheit...

 

And "complex gameplay"... DX is a RPG/FPS, FH is a Adventure... guess that makes the difference in gameplay...

[Darque]

I played it 3 separate times.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Same here

[jaguars4ever]

I play all my games on Medium.

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Same here (at least the first time through).

 

Afterall, that is the way the developer intended you to play it.

[Pidesco]

This is also true with Fahrenheit...

 

And "complex gameplay"... DX is a RPG/FPS, FH is a Adventure... guess that makes the difference in gameplay...

 

 

Actually, that's one of my points of contention, nowadays, with adventures in general (the gameplay is almost inexistent) but perhaps I shouldn't go there.

 

Anyway, I think the adventure genre could get a breath of fresh air if someone started implementing branching storylines into the games. For example, it would be cool if, in Fahrenheit, you could trick the police into following another suspect right at the beginning of the game, thus originating a wildly different story progression.

[Hassat Hunter]

Yeah, but there is some reason why they don't do that. Branching storylines make just that much additional work and cost too much $ and time.

 

They wanted to do with DX (

remember when Paul asked to join the NSF there is an option to stick with UNATCO

) but they dropped that one because of those reasons...

 

Give me a game who branches early on and not that much near the end (oh and for the end then also have multiple maps instead of just the same map on a different way)...

[Llyranor]

Here's the tech demo for those who didn't see it

 

http://www.gametrailers.com/player.php?type=mov&id=10757

 

I dunno, I was hearing lots of praise for the photorealism, but it actually just looks pretty creepy. That 'almost human' look.

[Pidesco]

Give me a game who branches early on and not that much near the end (oh and for the end then also have multiple maps instead of just the same map on a different way)...

 

As far as I know there is no such game.

 

Anyway, my suggestion is to make a game where the main storyline is more or less linear, but where you can affect other characters in the game in a meaningful way. for example, a story where a side character suffers some sort of personal tragedy and the way that character reacts to said tragedy is determined by your actions towards him/her. Perhaps such a game would be a bit less expensive to develop.

[Hassat Hunter]

Well, that is already the current way games use "non-linearity"...

 

You can find such in Fahrenheit and Deus Ex and many other games...

[Kaftan Barlast]

What always creeps me out is french voice actors trying to sound american. That voice and that stale, dead-eyes, model just gives me shivers...

[Darque]

Here's the tech demo for those who didn't see it

 

http://www.gametrailers.com/player.php?type=mov&id=10757

 

I dunno, I was hearing lots of praise for the photorealism, but it actually just looks pretty creepy. That 'almost human' look.

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Does this exist in a non mov format?

[Hassat Hunter]

Does this exist in a non mov format?

 

*cough*Third post of the thread*cough*

Edited May 14, 2006 by Hassat Hunter

[Darque]

oops

 

Saw it, creepy.

[Hassat Hunter]

The lip or the realism?

[Kitch]

The tech demo looks really great (and i like the monologue too) except for the mouth. They need to get that worked out.

[Darque]

The lip or the realism? 

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Her face seemed too... strange. Mostly the lips, but the eyes didn't seem quite right either for some reason.

 

I'm sure they'll keep working on it though.

[alanschu]

I thought the eyes seemed fine. It was mostly the upper lip for me.

 

I liked the idea for the teaser though, with the music background and everything else.

[Musopticon?]

Probably the only video that awed me in E3. Yes, the lip was horrible, yes the eyes were creepy, but overall it was possible one of the best iterations of emotion portrayed through game engine. When the actor pointed the gun to the screen, teh illusion came off and I realised I was watching mocap, but for a fleeting while there...it really amazed me.

[Diogo Ribeiro]

Yeah, but there is some reason why they don't do that. Branching storylines make just that much additional work and cost too much $ and time.

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Sure, if you want to add radically different path points. Except you don't have to create radically different path points - based on player choice - that are so different from each other as to require the often used apology of 'it would take too much of X resource - trust us, we know what we're talking about'.

[Hassat Hunter]

Sure, if you want to add radically different path points. Except you don't have to create radically different path points - based on player choice - that are so different from each other as to require the often used apology of 'it would take too much of X resource - trust us, we know what we're talking about'.

 

Well, that is already the current way games use "non-linearity"...

 

You can find such in Fahrenheit and Deus Ex and many other games...

 

But that was not the original wish, was it... and that original wish (branching lines) was was opted for adventure games as Fahrenheit; but just not use-able...

(as apparently the now used method of pseudo-freedom like you describe is not good enough for some people to replay...)

Edited May 15, 2006 by Hassat Hunter

[Diogo Ribeiro]

Reasons for replayability aren't constant; trying to narrow down several possible plot points into one single path isn't guaranteed to have the desired effect on it. Spector had full control over the game's development; his 'wish' could very well have found its way into the game's design if he wanted to. Hell, it's already plastered all over the game, only on various situations and in smaller scales. All it takes is to stop focusing on trivial things which don't have an effect on gameplay and move on up to what he really wanted to do.

[Calax]

only problem is that if you change somthing at the very beginning you essencially DOUBLE the size of the creative work. AND it's possible you DOUBLE the amount of information required for the maps because there have to be two versions. One you did X at the beginning so AB and C are set up and the other you did Y at the beginning and you DE and F are set up instead...

 

Also you might end up having to double the amount of maps simply because that'd be more acceptable than reusing the same map again. (you know... reviewers always saying "the environments are repetitive."?)

[alanschu]

While I feel it is impractical, it certainly does not require a doubling of any information whatsoever.

[Plano Skywalker]

linear game design is here to stay. what we can hope for is it being well-disguised and with options like party members and customizable backstory.

 

also, more games should have premium content upgrades.

[Llyranor]

Why wouldn't it be here to stay?

 

If whatever they're doing now sells, why bother investing more into design when the end result doesn't guarantee extra sales?

[Plano Skywalker]

Why wouldn't it be here to stay?

 

If whatever they're doing now sells, why bother investing more into design when the end result doesn't guarantee extra sales?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

oh, I agree. I was just saying to those who bemoan the lack of "true non-linearity", it ain't going to happen on major, commercial releases with voice acting and FMV sequences.

 

but a good game like Indigo Prophecy should have premium content available. that is one way to keep it interesting...new content in between titles.