The 'Am I missing something?' Syndrome.

[Flushfacker]

Erm the several story and moral choices are there for you to play the game again but take another path. Have you never realised that?

I realise that, and thats fine for a lot of people who don't mind retreading the same world countless times for hours on end, but that doesn't work for me. Having said that

Bottom-line: You wouldn't be so concerned with what you were potentially overlooking if the game threw interesting, fresh, challenges at you each time you played it. I have no great problem with games having (emergent) stories. I do have a problem with stories having games. The best way to avoid the latter is to have non-linearity in open-worlds, but this approach will fail on its own (by succumbing to the 'dilemma of choice'), unless developers cultivate the former: complex, artificially intelligent autonomous systems of NPCs that interact with each other (not just you) and which generate character-developing 'quests' which the system contrives to reinforce the all-encompassing "theme".

I really like the ideas here with NPCs interacting with eachother creating a completely organic world. Maybe the problem with the 'free choice' at the moment in gaming is that it is little more than an illusion allowing little more than different unlockables on each path.

 

[Hamster at Dawn]

Fable 2 is good because you can be good or evil but it doesn't actually affect the game majorly. If you're bad a few more people will run away from you when they see you, big loss.

 

[xenxander]

Chrono Trigger was not sand-boxy, and it was rather linear, but the endings were the main focus - the "new game +" feature gave it replayability, and there were different cut-scenes taylored for your choices.

Games like that need to make a come back, because in itself, chorono trigger was an 8 - 10hr game, but it had around 40hrs of playability. Almost like FF6 (Our FF 3 version) - you just played it again, not because of choices or different endings, like in Chrono Trigger, but just because you could make the "ass-hole" choices to get slightly different an amusing comments.

 

[Uncompetative]

Erm the several story and moral choices are there for you to play the game again but take another path. Have you never realised that?

I realise that, and thats fine for a lot of people who don't mind retreading the same world countless times for hours on end, but that doesn't work for me. Having said that

Bottom-line: You wouldn't be so concerned with what you were potentially overlooking if the game threw interesting, fresh, challenges at you each time you played it. I have no great problem with games having (emergent) stories. I do have a problem with stories having games. The best way to avoid the latter is to have non-linearity in open-worlds, but this approach will fail on its own (by succumbing to the 'dilemma of choice'), unless developers cultivate the former: complex, artificially intelligent autonomous systems of NPCs that interact with each other (not just you) and which generate character-developing 'quests' which the system contrives to reinforce the all-encompassing "theme".

I really like the ideas here with NPCs interacting with eachother creating a completely organic world. Maybe the problem with the 'free choice' at the moment in gaming is that it is little more than an illusion allowing little more than different unlockables on each path.

Eventually, all the publishers will pay for Unreal or CryEngine middleware and the whole Graphics/Physics stuff will be just a matter of cost not in-house developer labor. Essentially, you will have an Art Department, Sound Design and Orchestral music and dialogue recording with developers distinguishing their competing products on the basis of their AI.

Getting a piece of 'experiential software' to "invent participatory narratives that conform to a theme" is pure theory at the moment and would probably be too experimental and of dubious marketing benefit for publishers to fund. It is five to ten years away, at best. Actually, this kind of innovation is more likely to come from the Open Source community as modders tire of making maps for stagnant systems and take it upon themselves to create games another way.

Although, a commercial company, Introversion are small enough (I think 4 people), to be doing interesting 'procedurally generated' stuff. The use of this technique would free a small group of open source modders to 'think big' and create their own GTA IV, without the budget of Rockstar:

http://forums.introversion.co.uk/introversion/viewtopic.php?t=733

 

[savandicus]

Choice is fun, where you pretty much get to tell your own story and see what happens. Generally you'll run around butchering anything with feet or maybe thats just me.

Also i do like linear games aslong as the story is good. If a game doesnt give me any freedom then it better be telling me a fantastic tale of brilliance.

Both are as good as eachother if done well.

 

[George Palmer]

Have you guys tried the DDKRMMORPG? Talk about immersive! You will never get bored! The choices are endless! 'Course you need the really epic gear for the end game stuff.

 

[The Hitman]

That's exactly what I like about these expansive RPGs, your character can go one route and experience certain things. Then, you can either play through again (normally by taking an EVIL/Good path to oppose what you have done previously) and find completely different aspects to the game, or you can talk with friends and then hunt down what you have "missed". Unfortunately i do suffer occasionally from must-have-everything-itis, however this usually depends on the game (Fable TLC forced me to beat it 100%).