New Mass Effect Footage

[J.E. Sawyer]

Little tags such as [Angry], [sympathetic] or [innocent] fit complex pieces of dialogue about as well as you would try fitting Radiohead into a music genre.

Hold on. Seriously, how often do dialogue options available in RPGs vary so subtly and lead to different conclusions that you absolutely need to read full text before selecting one?

 

1. Good sir, can you tell me whence came the young maiden from the field?

2. Could I trouble you for the distance to the village of Thimbleflam, farmer?

3. If you don't start answering my questions, I'm going to dash your head upon these rocks and hurl your bloody corpse into the river!

4. Would it be inappropriate if I were to ask you to MAKE OUT WITH ME?!

5. I was wondering if you could answer some other questions for me, old man.

 

translates to:

 

1. Where did the maiden come from?

2. How far to the village?

3. Cooperate, or else.

4. Kisseys?

5. Other questions.

 

Obviously, the phrases I chose aren't serious, but what are you missing here that's going to inform your choices? Unless people are playing games I haven't seen where you have several different choices for intimidating people or several different ways to ask where the maiden in the field came from -- that also lead to distinctly different conclusions, I have to add -- what is preventing you from making a choice?

 

If you want to intimidate the subject, you're going to pick the intimidation line. While the specific words you speak might not be what you had in mind, you almost always run into that same issue with full text responses. For example, if the option were expliclity, "If you don't start answering my questions, I'm going to dash your head upon these rocks and hurl your bloody corpse into the river!" that would probably still be your only intimidation choice.

 

I think the real issue is how much of Shepherd's personality is loaded into the lines -- not whether you see full text or condensed phrases.

[Jorian Drake]

Little tags such as [Angry], [sympathetic] or [innocent] fit complex pieces of dialogue about as well as you would try fitting Radiohead into a music genre.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hold on. Seriously, how often do dialogue options available in RPGs vary so subtly and lead to different conclusions that you absolutely need to read full text before selecting one?

 

1. Good sir, can you tell me whence came the young maiden from the field?

2. Could I trouble you for the distance to the village of Thimbleflam, farmer?

3. If you don't start answering my questions, I'm going to dash your head upon these rocks and hurl your bloody corpse into the river!

4. Would it be inappropriate if I were to ask you to MAKE OUT WITH ME?!

5. I was wondering if you could answer some other questions for me, old man.

 

translates to:

 

1. Where did the maiden come from?

2. How far to the village?

3. Cooperate, or else.

4. Kisseys?

5. Other questions.

 

Obviously, the phrases I chose aren't serious, but what are you missing here that's going to inform your choices? Unless people are playing games I haven't seen where you have several different choices for intimidating people or several different ways to ask where the maiden in the field came from -- that also lead to distinctly different conclusions, I have to add -- what is preventing you from making a choice?

 

If you want to intimidate the subject, you're going to pick the intimidation line. While the specific words you speak might not be what you had in mind, you almost always run into that same issue with full text responses. For example, if the option were expliclity, "If you don't start answering my questions, I'm going to dash your head upon these rocks and hurl your bloody corpse into the river!" that would probably still be your only intimidation choice.

 

I think the real issue is how much of Shepherd's personality is loaded into the lines -- not whether you see full text or condensed phrases.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It was hard to decide, but I didn't quote 95% of this, and put it into my sig...it would have been simply too big! (w00t)

 

LOL!

[Diamond]

I don't really see the issue.

 

Since it is an easy technical task to "hide" full replies from the player and replace them with shorter tags, how hard would it be to implement the option (or at least a hack) to turn viewing full replies back on?

[Tigranes]

If you want to intimidate the subject, you're going to pick the intimidation line. While the specific words you speak might not be what you had in mind, you almost always run into that same issue with full text responses. For example, if the option were expliclity, "If you don't start answering my questions, I'm going to dash your head upon these rocks and hurl your bloody corpse into the river!" that would probably still be your only intimidation choice.

 

I think the real issue is how much of Shepherd's personality is loaded into the lines -- not whether you see full text or condensed phrases.

 

You're saying you would choose the intimidation line even if you didn't like the particular brand of intimidation used? Maybe I was going to intimidate someone, but would have chosen not to, if I had known that [intimidate] was going to lead to Shepard saying "Your GP or your HP".

 

By the way, I'm not sure how much importance you believe I am giving the subject - I see it as neither trivial nor gamebreaking, so far. So it's not "OMG THIS IS WHY ME SUCKS". And I certainly agree that this is an issue that is closely related to just how pre-set Shepard's personality is going to be. I get the impression that it is going to be a little more restrictive (and hopefully, therefore stronger and better defined) than your traditional hero, but I'm pretty sure that Bioware will continue to opt to provide "good[er]" and "bad[er]" options.

[Slowtrain]

1. Where did the maiden come from?

2. How far to the village?

3. Cooperate, or else.

4. Kisseys?

5. Other questions.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

lol. That's better writing than any crpg I've ever played.

 

 

 

 

[i think the real issue is how much of Shepherd's personality is loaded into the lines -- not whether you see full text or condensed phrases.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Hell, I'm all for removing as much text as possible from video games. WIth the exception of street signs and EXIT and NO SMOKING and stuff like that. But dialogue, ideally, should be spoken and heard without ever becoming text. Its needless and distracting. Now that technology is advanced enough to give games options that make text conversations unneccessary, let's toss it.

 

Change is always hard for people though. SO resistance is to be expected.

 

I think.

Edited December 14, 2006 by CrashGirl

[Diamond]

I disagree, but you already probably know.

[Slowtrain]

I disagree, but you already probably know.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

 

 

 

Just kidding!

 

 

Well, I don't think it will be possible to totally eliminate text in games until we have some kind of neural interface that allows to think ourselves directly into the game. Since games rely so heavily on the primary sense of sight, some text will continue to be neccessary in order for gamers to interact with the game.

 

But I would like to see a greater focus on the secondary sense of hearing, which should be able to bypass the need for much of the text we've been used to for all theser years.

 

 

Those text-heavy games were required because the technology had no way of reproducing much of that information, but now it powerful enough that games can now be that much more immersive.

 

What's the old adage in writing: show, don't tell. Games should focus on showing more and telling less.

 

 

Somday perhaps smell, touch, and taste will also be able to be used in games, but for now sight and hearing is our limits.

[Diamond]

I think, the reason for some people not liking the transition to voiceover (me) is because it forces you to hear the character the certain way. With text, I can hear it in my brain. Even though the actual reply is spelled out, I have a way of imagining how it is pronounced, and I can hear what I want to hear, i.e. the "perfect" voiceover. I cringe every time when I hear overly dramatic ("non-real") voice acting, and/or sometimes outright terrible VO (Aribeth!).

 

Someday perhaps smell, touch, and taste will also be able to be used in games, but for now sight and hearing is our limits.

Even better would be to have a "thought amplifier", so you'd actually hear the and sense these little details the way you really imagine it should be.

[jaguars4ever]

Somday perhaps smell, touch, and taste will also be able to be used in games, but for now sight and hearing is our limits.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Some would say it's already within our limits as there are sucky games which stink and tacky ones in poor taste. "

[Slowtrain]

Well, it would ceertainly give playing around with the toilets in Duke 3d a whole new level of realism.

[Volourn]

" (which also fits your general's pre-made personality). "

 

Shepard doesn't have a premade perosnality. Sorry, it's true. Only the character's race (human), position (commander), and last name (Shepard) are pre determined. Everything else is up to the player.

 

 

"I think, the reason for some people not liking the transition to voiceover (me) is because it forces you to hear the character the certain way. With text, I can hear it in my brain. Even though the actual reply is spelled out, I have a way of imagining how it is pronounced, and I can hear what I want to hear, i.e. the "perfect" voiceover"

 

Meh. That's the point of games. To be able to see the characters and hear them too. Otherwise, you might as well stick with pnp or text rpgs.

 

 

"and/or sometimes outright terrible VO (Aribeth!)."

 

Aribeth's VO is one of the best ever.

Edited December 14, 2006 by Volourn

[Xard]

"and/or sometimes outright terrible VO (Aribeth!)."

 

Aribeth's VO is one of the best ever.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

[Pidesco]

Aribeth's VO is one of the best ever.

 

 

 

This is too crazy, even for you.

[Pop]

As for eliminating text from games, I think it'd just be a better idea to have toggled subtitles, if not just to accomodate the deaf. That seems like a good enough reason to include subtitles with anything.

[Dark_Raven]

"and/or sometimes outright terrible VO (Aribeth!)."

 

Aribeth's VO is one of the best ever.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

:crazy:

 

Quit it Volo I don't want to laugh today.

 

[Slowtrain]

As for eliminating text from games, I think it'd just be a better idea to have toggled subtitles, if not just to accomodate the deaf. That seems like a good enough reason to include subtitles with anything.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

That's a really good point, and I agree. Not that I am opposed to subtitles since I always turn them on cause half the time I can never understand what the npcs are saying anyway. Especially when they're speakign either made or esoteric words or some bizarre name like Viodrgerir or something.

 

I've now totally changed my mind. Text should always be an option, but I do think that the bulk of gameplay shoudl be spent trying to create a game experience that doesn't need text to work. If you want to add in subtitles for a variety of reasons no problem.

 

Much like a film really, which is made to be heard, but often has subtitles avaliable for those who want it.

[Pop]

Hey you goddamn geeks, Bioware is now letting all its upcoming titles ride the episodic content wave. That includes Mass Effect, Dragon Age and JE:SE. The question now is, will it be mainly paltry, neglectable new content, like Oblivion's downloadable stuff up to KotN, or something more robust like Premium Modules?

[Tale]

I'm fairly certain that chick is Elizabeth Daily. Pvt. Flores in Roughnecks. The voice people are annoyed by.

Edited January 20, 2007 by Tale

[karka]

new screens...

http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/articles/756/756883p1.html

[Sand]

One would diage. Lovely. Hey, can we please keep that only in the TES series please.

[karka]

This game absolutely looks gorgeous.

 

http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/718/718...mg_4270000.html

http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/718/718...mg_4269997.html

http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/718/718...mg_4269992.html

[Sand]

So?

[Surreptishus]

So?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Stop being an ass. Since the graphics are the only thing we can definitively comment on, Karka's contribution and opinion is valid and constructive.

[karka]

So, it looks gorgeous.

[Dark_Raven]

Hmm eye candy.