I voted "None" just to be a wiseacre, and because there was no "Let's let the writers decide" option.

 

Ah, sorry. I should have added a "I don't mind or care" option. Sadly can't edit the poll anymore.

It should be gauged by the rest of the setting, characters and storytelling. If we just go "let's make humor" we just have another Joss Whedon imitator on our hands. And some day nobody will be able to talk normally. (Yes, I know "that doesn't sound too bad", but yes, it is, for game design and writing.)

Edited October 14, 201213 yr by MattH

I would be quite happy with a combination of BG style and Fallout style humour, so companions such as Minsc, add in some self referential jokes and the odd bizarre yet funny side quest sounds good to me

 

I remember the self referential joke from Fallout 2 when chatting with the nurse in Vault City about the lack of children in the game, there is a line of dialogue you can choose where you state that you thought you were playing the Euro version of F2, some one liners like that would be great

Edited October 14, 201213 yr by Liquid_Silver11

Subtle, dark, satirical, and maybe one or two quirky individuals who are lighter and brighter in mood. I'm not in favor of limiting it to every X number of quests, but it needs to be appropriate for the situation and characters in question. And I'm not in favor of breaking the 4th wall in actual gameplay. Humor directed at me (the player, not my avatar) during a loading screen is fine, but I don't want it during the actual in-world adventure.

Edited October 14, 201213 yr by Tsuga C

I actually voted for all options in where to put the humor, and that's because I liked the way it was done in BG1/2. That is, much of the humor was involved with the PC's dialogue options. If you chose, you could play the snarky zinger-throwing character who tosses out one-liners and wisecracks even during the most serious of situations. I want that option because it was one of the most fun things in those games. Other games, like Fallout, had them, too and they were hilarious. Actually sometimes they were even more funny when they were said during serious times just because of the reactions NPCs would give.

 

As for how often, I think it should be quite regular (dialogue options, for sure), but no to an overbearing level. With player choices, you can, after all choose NOT to use them, but if every NPC out there is a standup comedian it would definitely be too much.

I'd like a bit of humor here and there but nothing over-the-top.

I think humor should mostly come from dialogue and persons, I would love to see an intelligent companion with very dark humor that always makes fun of other people without them really noticing (mostly). I also like weird/wacky stuff like in fallout 2, but I think that if there is too much of that (like silly weapons or very silly quests) this could impact the "feeling" of the game. So I think humor should mostly be realistic here.

Edited October 14, 201213 yr by Rink

I love humor in games, but of course what one person finds funny, another may not. I found Xan's chr. shouts to be hilarious, but others may have found them whiny and boring. I tend to prefer more subtle humor in RPG's, things that can be more open to interpretation, than outright slapstick.

 

And too much humor in any one area/place/situation can be overkill. Like, one or two tombstones in a graveyard with something funny on them, that you had to 'read' all of them to find, great. Every single tombstone having an attempt at humor ... not so great. imo.

Even ridiculous amounts of humour can be done well in a game, but it does change the tone(anyone ever played Quest for Glory games, terrible terrible puns?). I want the tone to remain serious enough that the setting remains believable. So that means I prefer humour that isn't meta, but in-game, arising from in-game situations, comments and characters.

I'd vote for humorous homage easter eggs. Subtle, hard to find--requiring exploration and sharp eyes into every nook and cranny of the PE world, items, NPCs. But that's it--nothing too much, too over the top; wit is far better than comic relief, especially in a game that wants to be more mature.

My opinion,dark humor should involved into combat log.

"He didn't bleed overly"