Unskippable Credits

[darthzew]

Why the hell do developers do this?!?

I just finished Far Cry 2's campaign and I was hoping to try the multiplayer but get this: you can't skip the frickin' credits! I have to sit there and read through the names of people I honestly don't care about while listening to music I don't really like. There are solutions, like turn on your own music or maybe do something else while you wait... but I figure: since they make me watch it, it can't be that long.

Oh how I'm wrong. And oh how it makes me angry. I had positive thoughts for Far Cry 2 and now I'm left pretty angry about it. Shouldn't they want gamers to walk away thinking about how they liked the game rather than angry at credits?

I would seriously like to know what goes in developer's minds when they make their credits skip-proof. Are they just so arrogant that they MUST have people read their name and function?

Personally, I think this kind of thing is unacceptable... what do you think?

 

[scnj]

Sometimes I like credits. I think it was Spider-Man 2 on the PS1, the credits were displayed on a wall that Spidey was crawling up and he made funny comments about the names and people as he passed them. And Flower's credits were presented as an extra level, where each flower blomed had a name attached.

I do think that end credits should be made skippable (and if there's a post credits scene, don't have that skip along with the credits). If the developers want their names seen so badly, integrate it into the opening cutscene like in Grand Theft Auto IV or Escape From Butcher Bay.

 

[ZeroMachine]

I personally think that patience is a virtue.

These people worked INCREDIBLY hard on their game. If they feel that their names need to be put out there when the game is beaten, then it's well within their right to do so. Go get something to drink or a snack or something if you really don't want to sit through it. And if you can't stand waiting 5 or 6 minutes without playing a video game, then you have a problem.

Sorry if I'm seeming rude here, but seriously. It's not a long time to wait.

 

[Starnerf]

I understand their desire to let the player know who contributed to the game, but yes, I prefer to be able to skip the credits. If the player is interested in seeing who made the game, let them choose that from the options menu. Unless there's a secret after or during the credits. Or if the credits are interactive, like the first Smash Bros (I think, I haven't played it in a while).

 

[darthzew]

Sometimes I like credits. I think it was Spider-Man 2 on the PS1, the credits were displayed on a wall that Spidey was crawling up and he made funny comments about the names and people as he passed them. And Flower's credits were presented as an extra level, where each flower blomed had a name attached.

See, that's cool! I liked Gears of War's credits with the really stupid song by the Cole Train. You could read a little snippet from the developers and then you had the song in the background.

...but Far Cry 2? No. It was the blandest, most boring credit reel I've ever seen.

 

[Avatar Roku]

Wow, I thought this was going to be about the show Unskippable. Anyway, I see what you're saying. I don't find it that bad, if I already got the achievement, I just turn my 360 off. What pisses me off is something like Halo 3, where the credits are skippable, but there's something after them that you actually have to sit through the credits anyway to see.

 

[darthzew]

snip

Yes, but doesn't getting up and getting a snack defeat the purpose? They have the right to broadcast themselves like that and design the game however they want, but I'm just saying here that they're doing more harm than good to themselves.

EDIT: Well, that, and, yes, patience is a virtue... except that patience is enduring the pain and still moving on. Developers should be working to keep their games pain-free. Perhaps they could have made their credits more fun?

 

[scnj]

Sometimes I like credits. I think it was Spider-Man 2 on the PS1, the credits were displayed on a wall that Spidey was crawling up and he made funny comments about the names and people as he passed them. And Flower's credits were presented as an extra level, where each flower blomed had a name attached.

See, that's cool! I liked Gears of War's credits with the really stupid song by the Cole Train. You could read a little snippet from the developers and then you had the song in the background.

...but Far Cry 2? No. It was the blandest, most boring credit reel I've ever seen.

I liked reading the GoW developer messages as well. Some of them were hilarious. I don't think unskippable credits would be such a bad thing if some effort was put in to make them humourous or at least interesting. Maybe show early versions of the game being played in the background or something. Anything other than just names scrolling up a blank screen.

 

[Fightgarr]

If I'm going to work on a game, I want to make damn sure that my name is in there somewhere. Them being unskippable is pretty annoying. So are people who don't appreciate the work you've done regardless of how hard you've worked.

This thread made me think of the guys from Unskippable going through the Far Cry 2 credits and making fun names.

 

[darthzew]

Well they put a combined amount of thousands of man hours into a game the least you could do is respect the work they did.

And I did... with $60.

 

[Inverse Skies]

Most credit sequences are incredibly boring. It couldn't hurt to have a little movie or something running in the background to liven things up (like how Pixar sometimes would put bloopers they'd purposely made into the credits, that was good). But yeah, Farcry 2 had shocking ones. And I had to sit through then twice to... well I had to see if it was a different ending depending on what you did (sadly no.)

 

[darthzew]

If I'm going to work on a game, I want to make damn sure that my name is in there somewhere. Them being unskippable is pretty annoying. So are people who don't appreciate the work you've done regardless of how hard you've worked.

Of course I appreciate how hard they worked. I appreciated it by PAYING them. I did not pay them, however, to watch credits. I paid them to entertain me.

There are ways around this, such as maybe making the credits a bit more lively than black and white fades. Or maybe they could reward us with an extra at the end... Either way, bland boring unskippable credits is not a good thing.

 

[mattttherman3]

Well some credits are not bad, but I like the games that put the option in the main menue and don't show me them unless I select to watch them.

 

[Flap Jack452]

Usually I see how many of a certain name I can find. I look out for John or Jon, they are pretty common. Also I keep an eye out for my own name. Adds a sort of "'Where's Waldo?" feel to watching credits.

 

[Puppeteer Putin]

Sorry mate, it's been done: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.82620#comment_form

Why does it annoy you? If you don't want to watch fine. If they chose to make them unskippable that's their choice. Movie credits are "unskippable" but most leave the theatre why should a game be any different? Many games put effort into it making them interactive which is great! But if they want to go down the traditional route that's fine.

Well they put a combined amount of thousands of man hours into a game the least you could do is respect the work they did.

And I did... with $60.

I bet you wouldn't have that same approach to your doctor? Or The postman, delivery guy, or check-out chick? Just because you've paid for the service doesn't mean you have the right not to dismiss them and treat them like a product.

 

[ultimatechance]

I personally think that patience is a virtue.

These people worked INCREDIBLY hard on their game. If they feel that their names need to be put out there when the game is beaten, then it's well within their right to do so. Go get something to drink or a snack or something if you really don't want to sit through it. And if you can't stand waiting 5 or 6 minutes without playing a video game, then you have a problem.

Sorry if I'm seeming rude here, but seriously. It's not a long time to wait.

yea, but also keep in mind that no ones going to remember anyones name in there and go, "hey, fagballs mctits did a great job at voice acting civilian #33". And even if someone would care that much they could go on mobygames, where they can see the credits without having to endure it in the form of a long and boring scene that you are forced to watch.

 

[OneManBand]

I personally think that patience is a virtue.

These people worked INCREDIBLY hard on their game. If they feel that their names need to be put out there when the game is beaten, then it's well within their right to do so. Go get something to drink or a snack or something if you really don't want to sit through it. And if you can't stand waiting 5 or 6 minutes without playing a video game, then you have a problem.

Sorry if I'm seeming rude here, but seriously. It's not a long time to wait.

It's not that we can't stand to not being able to play the game, but the credits should be optional. Forcing a person to sit through them is a rather rude presumption that everyone who liked your game enough to beat it wants to read the credits.

Now if they were a mini game [like the ones in Smash Brothers Brawl], had some kind of unusual thing in them [like the Spiderman example], or perhaps had fun little animations, or concept art [like a lot of movies do] people would be more willing to sit through them. Or don't even tack them on at the end of the game, make them includable from the options menu at the title screen and give us a thanks for playing message at the end. That way if we want to see them, we can see them whenever we want, and if we don't, well, then we don't have too.

 

[RedDiablo]

As much as I loved MGS2 and MGS3, I really wanted to skip the credits. The most you could do was make it faster by like one cm a second.

 

[the captain]

People like to get alittle credit for their hard work. Try not to be a dick about the credits and go get a drink or take a piss if you don't want to watch them.