Linear games.
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Can I just point out that the question asked is subjective. I may be a boob guy and you like asses. I might like blondes and you prefer brunettes. There is no reasoning behind it. Neither one of us is right or wrong.omega 616 said:
Although I have yet to find a game that wasn't repetative.
Um, I don't think so. The goal is to give players as much free-will as we have in real life. Our lives are as non-linear as can be but we can still tell the story of our lives.willard3 said:
A degree of linearity fits story-heavy games because it's the easiest format to deliver a specific series of events without taking them out of context. Sandboxy games (although these still can have linear stories, eg Prototype) are more suited to letting players piece the story together themselves, although complex stories may require this anyway - just look at how many people didn't understand MW2's plot.
Open world and linear are not mutually exclusive concepts, but some styles of games really aren't suited to open-worldness, and some games just aren't suited to linearity. Traditional FPS games are suited to linear progression because they're fast paced and each mission has a clear objective and breaking from that would tear you out of the experience - imagine if Soap broke away in the middle of a gunfight to go exploring the big map; the flow would be broken completely. However, Western RPGs are very suited to open-world formats, because they're more about transporting the player into a fantasy world and letting them live out their own individual story - plus, the assortment of random quests makes more sense when there's no time-pressure on you, and when you can choose to do them in any order.
Sandbox games with less focus on linearity don't necessarily have inferior storytelling, but the emphasis is more on having a collection of smaller stories being told in the same world than on one overarching plot. For example, in Oblivion, The Dark Brotherhood quest was a great story, in my opinion, and there were a number of interesting stories hidden throughout Fallout 3, but they were more about building the world than building to the main plot, if you see what I mean.
Open world and linear are not mutually exclusive concepts, but some styles of games really aren't suited to open-worldness, and some games just aren't suited to linearity. Traditional FPS games are suited to linear progression because they're fast paced and each mission has a clear objective and breaking from that would tear you out of the experience - imagine if Soap broke away in the middle of a gunfight to go exploring the big map; the flow would be broken completely. However, Western RPGs are very suited to open-world formats, because they're more about transporting the player into a fantasy world and letting them live out their own individual story - plus, the assortment of random quests makes more sense when there's no time-pressure on you, and when you can choose to do them in any order.
Sandbox games with less focus on linearity don't necessarily have inferior storytelling, but the emphasis is more on having a collection of smaller stories being told in the same world than on one overarching plot. For example, in Oblivion, The Dark Brotherhood quest was a great story, in my opinion, and there were a number of interesting stories hidden throughout Fallout 3, but they were more about building the world than building to the main plot, if you see what I mean.
Wow, alot of linear lovers on the escapist
So, the reason people like rock band and guitar hero is cos it's fun when your pissed? (I personally wouldn't know, I hate 1 and never been the other)
The reason you love linear is cos you can't get enough of a good story? (I personally want as much freedom as I can possibly get, even at the compromise of the story)
So given the latest realization on this thread, are we ever able to call another game linear? Since it's a given, that would be like describing a murder as being able to kill.
I guess thats down to if you believe in fate or not.WayOutThere said:
So, the reason people like rock band and guitar hero is cos it's fun when your pissed? (I personally wouldn't know, I hate 1 and never been the other)
The reason you love linear is cos you can't get enough of a good story? (I personally want as much freedom as I can possibly get, even at the compromise of the story)
So given the latest realization on this thread, are we ever able to call another game linear? Since it's a given, that would be like describing a murder as being able to kill.
Cos = because, not cause.imahobbit4062 said:
"Because it's fun" Isn't really an answer, is it? Why is it fun for you? Another reason I'd like to know is because usually people hate being told what to do, so paying to be told what to do is a little weird.
No, I made it to "enlighten" myself on why being told to press a button at a certain time is fun for some people.imahobbit4062 said:
Your turn ....
If there were a reason why people would dislike linear games, it is for the most obvious reason: they are linear. I, as a player, am not controlling the destiny of an avatar, but rather guiding him (or her as the case may be) through a series of pre-determined obstacles with little room for improvisation. The advantage of a linear game is that it allows the designer to tell a distinct, coherent story. The disadvantage is that designers rarely tell as story we haven't heard, and are even less adept at rehasing the tale in a way that one could consider compelling.
Since the argument rapidly became a question of definition, I'll throw in my hat on the subject.TPiddy said:
A linear game is one in which the major plot points or set pieces are visited in a sequence determined by the game's designers. A non-linear game is any game where the sequence is determined by the player. This still leaves room for interpretation but it's as general a defenition as I can come up with.
A linear game may have multiple outcomes (or paths), but if the sequence is inherently determined before hand, the game is, by basic definition, linear. Sandbox games, often unversally called non-linear, are perfectly capable of being called a linear game. In the case of Fallout 3 for example, the overarching epic quest is entirely linear, and a first time player will be forced to complete each segment in turn before moving on to the next. The side quests and the extraneous stuff that goes along with a sandbox game lead to an overall experience that is a combination of linear and non-linear gameplay. A game like Mass Effect on the other hand is, generally speaking less linear in that many of the key set pieces can be visited (or ignored) in any sequence the player wishes. Once the end game sequence is reached however, the game does become linear.
By the most general definition, you'll note that most games are linear once you examine them at a close enough level of detail. Since it is effectively impossible to create an infinte number of pre-determined paths, a developer who wants to tell a story must decide to apply at least a few rails in the process. Games that are truly non-linear cannot have a pre-determined story arc (or arcs), because the potential number of arcs increases with the number of plot points and set pieces where a player can make a decision (and further multiplied by the number of possiblities the player is given at each decision point).
i dig non-linear games, i like exploring and getting lost in the game. that's fun. a game i can con tinuously play for hours on end and feel engrossed in is what i like, some games are just too damn short and i don't find a 20-hr game fun, i need something that's expansive and longer, i want my 60 dollars worth.
Probably because no matter how hard the developer tries, they can't make story elements that take into account every possible decision the player can make along the way. If you draw it out as a tree diagram, you're talking thousands of permutations, every single one of which would need to be scripted, developed, and treated with the same care that a linear developer only has to treat the one main storyline with (or in the case of quest trees in otherwise open-ended games that are themselves linear---Oblivion's Main Quest and four faction trees, for example---as many linear storylines as the developer cares to pack into the game.)
That said, my favorite sandbox RPG is Mount&Blade, and that game has absolutely no story whatsoever, which is the thing I like most about it---it's a TRUE sandbox where the player is solely responsible for assigning whatever emotive value he cares to for every single game element without relying on an external writer to do it for him.
Sorry to pull your quote into this Imahobbit I couldn't find it before you quoted (because I am to lazy to look). Think about this for a second Omega. When you were playing Prototype and your health bar was low that what did you do to avoid death? You ran to the closest guy and pressed B and then Y (I think I got the Y button right. It was to consume yes?) When the red bar got small that was the game telling you to press B and Y. When an enemy raises his sword to attack you that is the game telling you to press the block button. When the cursor turns red in an FPS that is the game telling you to shoot. Time it right you succeed. Time it wrong and you fail and are punished. Sounds alot like RB and GH doesn't it? The only difference is the prompts are different in GH or RB than they are in Prototype.imahobbit4062 said: