Dialogue Options and Character Customization

[Shitizen Gayne]

So call me crazy. But how would people feel about reducing the customization options for your main character in the game?

 

Hear me out. The reason I say this is because I love Planescape Torment. I love it. No game has surpassed it in my mind as far as cultivating a fantastic story goes. It's why I buy every game that has Chris Avellone's name on it and it's why I will continue to buy every game with Chris Avellone's name on it. But It got me thinking, why do I love it so much? Well there's fecking TONS of reasons. But a big one for me is the nameless one. I love him. He is the best. The coolest. The best. But he is what he is. You can't change him. Apart from some stats at the start, the only way to change what he is, is by playing through the story. And its awesome.

 

And then I was thinking about Baulder's gate 2. I love that game. Love it. I loved my thief. And I loved my druid. And I loved my wildmage. But I will be damned if I can remember their names. Sure they were well written and sure they had a cool (amazing) Bhaal infused story (god damn I love that game so much) but there was always some disembodied element about them. Like they were a blank slate filling in the gaps. Like they were just another Biff the understudy. I got the sense that they never knew their lines and that I was the prompter.

 

I never got that with the nameless one. Even though I was picking them, he knew his lines. The nameless one had a sense of completion of character about him that made him rock solid. The world revolved around him so well and everything he did made perfect sense. I will never remember my characters names in BG but I will never forget the nameless one's... name... You get what I mean.

 

And I think that may have something to do with a writers focus? I don't know I'm not a writer. but it seems to me that a writer can focus and do a lot more with a character when the character isn't in a state of flux. He doesn't have to hold back and take differences in appearance, race and size into consideration. NPC's in Torment always commented on the scars and they became a defining characteristic. You can't do that in Baulders gate. Your Character was always a mysterious stranger. People never called you ugly, or huge, or sad. People couldn't physically react to your wealth of tatoos or your freakish eyes. It was just a "hello there traveller.. you are the bhaalspawn.. time to die"

 

I think I'm having trouble making my point here, but its something to take into consideration maybe? Let me know what you think guys. Whatever happens I am looking forward to this game.

 

Oh and one last note if anyone who is making the game is listening. Do away with those simplified dialogue options and the limited number of them. That was half the fun. Reading a small books worth of possible replies and picking the one that you liked the wording of the most. Having "Agree" "get angry" and "witty retort" as dialouge options is not cool. I fecking hate that. It sucks. It sucks so freaking bad.

 

Whatever. that's my rant. I'm out.

[jivex5k]

It makes sense to me, but a compromise would be making the world very reactive to custom made appearances.

It seems like a hell of a lot more work though, but limiting VOs down to almost nothing could make it a real possibility.

 

I definitely appreciate the forced PC though as far as improving your connection to the world, but I'd really like to create my own character name and appearance in this game.

[Aldereth]

In a way, I get what you are saying TC. A lot depends on what type of game this is. BG2 and PST while both use IE engine, they are two very different game in terms of plot. PST's story, world, and pretty much the whole thing is basically written with a very specific protagonist in mind while BG2 is almost the exact opposite. So it really depend on how the PE team want for their story.

 

While I personally prefer the PST approach, but I think they are probably going to go for the BG2, non-specific protagonist simply becuase there are more BG2 fans out there as either backers or potential customers. Not to mention, a very story centric game with a very well defined protagonist is a very risky proposition. A few wrinkles in the plot that kind of make the players lose immersion and the whole game will sink with it. Look at Dragon Age 2.

[Metabot]

I'd prefer the story to be more about the world and what is going on in it rather than about the main protagonist so you can keep all of the customization you want.

[Sacred_Path]

So call me crazy.

 

As you wish.

 

 

On a different note, I guess PE will have way more replay value than PS:T (no offense fanboys), so I hope that you can customize and tweak your character as much was possible. I don't want to play the same bloke six times.

[anubite]

We have enough well choreographed linear game stories and characters. I'd much rather have a story which is sufficiently adaptable to a wide array of player customization and choice.

 

The fact you can remember BG2 after all these years should be enough to you that the game's story is impactful and effective and that your character was meaningful enough.

 

I don't know about you but I've played many games. Most just become a blur after a short while. And it's really not that much fun to play/spectate the same story over and over again.

Edited November 5, 2012 by anubite

[Sylvius the Mad]

And then I was thinking about Baulder's gate 2. I love that game. Love it. I loved my thief. And I loved my druid. And I loved my wildmage. But I will be damned if I can remember their names. Sure they were well written and sure they had a cool (amazing) Bhaal infused story (god damn I love that game so much) but there was always some disembodied element about them. Like they were a blank slate filling in the gaps. Like they were just another Biff the understudy. I got the sense that they never knew their lines and that I was the prompter.

This sort of comment gets made fairly often. Players think that a fixed protagonist offers a better story because he has more clearly defined characteristics.

 

That's your fault. With a blank slate PC, it is your job to create that personality. It is that personality that informs all of the protagonist's actions. If you find that a blank slate protagonist continues to feel like a blank slate when you play him, it is because you haven't written anything on that slate to stop it being blank.

 

The two approaches to game design reward very different playstyles. WIth a more clearly defined PC, the player can find his way through the story without doing much background work. The story always works largely as the writers intended it. A clearly defined PC has obvious advantages.

 

But so does the blank slate. The blank slate PC creates a new story each time you play. A blank slate PC encourages the player to formulate a coherent personality for his character, thereby allowing that invented personality to drive PC behaviour.

 

But each also stymies the other playstyle. A player who plays a blank slate as if it were not will find the PC flat and lifeless. A player who attempts to invent an original personality for a fixed character will often be butting heads with the writers throughout the game.

 

Now, Torment is the rare game that appears to work with both playstyles. I suspect that is part of why gamers like it so much.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

So call me crazy. But how would people feel about reducing the customization options for your main character in the game?

 

 

I wouldn't like it at all. The player should have complete control of the PC's background and personality.

[Gibbscape_Torment]

Wrong post

Edited November 6, 2012 by Gibbscape_Torment

[Gibbscape_Torment]

 

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