Degree of Choices

[gamerguy845]

One of the main "highlights" of this game, is your ability to choose how you want things to be done. But I have to ask, will we be able to make choices like those in the video below? ( like taking hostages, and hijacking helicpters?) And lastly, will these choices be spoon fed, or will you have to be creative?

 

 

 

http://e3.gamespot.com/video/6210565/

Edited June 18, 2009 by gamerguy845

[Morgoth]

I doubt Obsidian will bestow us with "spoon fed" choices. All the long and hard working on that game, I mean come on, they sure as hell will make sure to give us a hard time (in a positive way).

[Enoch]

[Dammit, I just wrote up a very insightful response to this thread, and lost it when I tried to open a new browser tab and hit ctrl-r instead of ctrl-t]

 

Here's my attempt at reconstructing it:

 

Creativity is hard to do. Strategy games are good at encouraging tactical creativity (picture battlefield maneuvers in a Total War game). Good RPGs and action games incorporate some of this, and from what I've read, this is a priority for the people working on AP. I want to set some mines to draw guards to a location where I can take them out with tear gas (or a sniper rifle. or more mines. or ignore them and just run by while they're distracted). To encourage this kind of improvisation, good developers give their players useful tools and put them in environments where those tools can be used in interesting ways.

 

But that doesn't get to what I think the original post was talking about. Creativity in resolving quests-- I'll call it "problem-solving creativity"-- is almost always illusory in games. Every option requires some developer work specifically to make it tenable. Either the dialogue lines exist, or they don't. Either that vent is big enough to hide in or it isn't. Either the game lets you buy mountain-climbing gear to escape tall buildings out windows or it doesn't. In that regard, at least, all of your options are "spoon fed."

 

But developers can muddy the waters so that their discrete list of options feels more open-ended than it actually is. As I see it, the important things in creating the illusion of player creativity are: 1) giving a sufficient variety of options; 2) presenting these options in a way that makes the player feel like they have ownership of them (i.e., not spelling every one of them out in a menu choice, and instead letting the player explore and figure out the less obvious ones for themselves); and 3) avoiding situations where an obvious logical solution isn't supported by the game for arbitrary reasons (e.g., the simple office door that you can't open until you get the key from character X, despite the fact that your character is an expert at lockpicking and is carrying 10 pounds of plastic explosives in his bag).

Edited June 18, 2009 by Enoch

[gamerguy845]

[Dammit, I just wrote up a very insightful response to this thread, and lost it when I tried to open a new browser tab and hit ctrl-r instead of ctrl-t]

 

Here's my attempt at reconstructing it:

 

Creativity is hard to do. Strategy games are good at encouraging tactical creativity (picture battlefield maneuvers in a Total War game). Good RPGs and action games incorporate some of this, and from what I've read, this is a priority for the people working on AP. I want to set some mines to draw guards to a location where I can take them out with tear gas (or a sniper rifle. or more mines. or ignore them and just run by while they're distracted). To encourage this kind of improvisation, good developers give their players useful tools and put them in environments where those tools can be used in interesting ways.

 

But that doesn't get to what I think the original post was talking about. Creativity in resolving quests-- I'll call it "problem-solving creativity"-- is almost always illusory in games. Every option requires some developer work specifically to make it tenable. Either the dialogue lines exist, or they don't. Either that vent is big enough to hide in or it isn't. Either the game lets you buy mountain-climbing gear to escape tall buildings out windows or it doesn't. In that regard, at least, all of your options are "spoon fed."

 

But developers can muddy the waters so that their discrete list of options feels more open-ended than it actually is. As I see it, the important things in creating the illusion of player creativity are: 1) giving a sufficient variety of options; 2) presenting these options in a way that makes the player feel like they have ownership of them (i.e., not spelling every one of them out in a menu choice, and instead letting the player explore and figure out the less obvious ones for themselves); and 3) avoiding situations where an obvious logical solution isn't supported by the game for arbitrary reasons (e.g., the simple office door that you can't open until you get the key from character X, despite the fact that your character is an expert at lockpicking and is carrying 10 pounds of plastic explosives in his bag).

 

still, a great response. Now I guess the only thing left is what kind of manuvers will we be able to pull off? ( the tear gas and mines were a good example.) I would love to be able to take hostages and take over vehicles, ( as in the video) but will that stuff actually come in gameplay?

[alanschu]

I hope listing lazily to the left is one of the maneuvers we can use.