What?s the point of making your own decisions in an RPG

[Archereus]

ok here I go.

I as an RPG die hard have played many over the years and I recall many parts in the game where you are given a few options now this could be to a changing of your fighting group or just a different path to take to an area. Now no matter what you do the story line wont change, you might just get a different dialog and that?s about it.

So what I am asking is what?s the point of giving free choice if the story line stays unchanged, I can be disrespectful to my whole group and they will all still fall in love with my main character in the end game, also some games have the tenacity to give you a choice you cannot achieve. For example, you want to go attack a place, one of your group members say its against order, your given the options of go any way and follow orders, if you chose go any way he will come up with a come back and not let you do it, and you can go on for hours choosing that option and not getting what you want.

So I ask myself and all of you guys and girls, what?s the point of doing this in an RPG or even in any other game where your choice doesn?t change the story plot at all.

 

[fluffylandmine]

In some games it does change the story, well the details that is, but in the ending you have several possible endings if you play it the right way.

I do hate it when they are arbitrary choices that have no effect what so ever.

 

[Archereus]

you share my frustration

 

[Clairaudient]

The facade of choices makes a game more immersive. More immersion means a stronger fanbase. Larger fanbase means more money.

Everything done in the world can be broken down to lead to attaining power or sex. (Money usually helps with both of these)

 

[Fronken]

I may not be the biggest RPG guy out there, but those i've played usually let me choose how to play the game and then altering the story a little bit after it, but yeah, i do agree with one of your statements, being given 2 options when only 1 makes anything happen is just dumb, its a cheap way to look like its a diverse and deep RPG game, when its probably just a single player game with some random rpg elements thrown into the mix.

 

[Nivag the Owl]

Yeah I dislike the idea of it, but to play it I absolutely love it. I just hate the way RP (roleplay) has free choice. Seems like a contradiction to me. But I get this a lot.

RTS: Real Time Strategy. How is building a building in 5 seconds "real time"? I know that it just means things happen as you do them but it should have a different name.

 

[Avida]

Am i the only one who does not care, in the slightest, about having an impact on the story? I wouldnt expect to read a book and for the plot to warp around me. Fuck choice, im no writer, leave it to the professionals.

Note: not a political statement

 

[OnlyWonderBoy]

Yeah I dislike the idea of it, but to play it I absolutely love it. I just hate the way RP (roleplay) has free choice. Seems like a contradiction to me. But I get this a lot.

RTS: Real Time Strategy. How is building a building in 5 seconds "real time"? I know that it just means things happen as you do them but it should have a different name.

Seems a bit nitpicky to me. What do you want it to be called, an Accelerated Time Strategy Game? Also as for the RPG part, you?re still taking on a ?role? even if you?re making choices for that person.

I thought Mass Effect did it well. There were a few choices that effected the game slightly but they were satisfying. Also if as promised the choices will actually effect the sequel greatly. Other games like Persona 4, the choices didn?t seem all too important.

 

[Silver]

Pick the right RPG's to play and it's problem solved.

For example, Arcanum. Your companion says "No! You can't attack these people! They're good!" and you keep bashing away, your companion will leave. If you keep bashing them your companion will attack you. And die. If you have a quest, the opposing party will usually try to buy you off, or convince you to join their side instead.

I seem to remember people saying the same about Neverwinter nights 2, that if you treat your companions badly, they're going to try and kill you.

There are games out there in which your choices matter, you just have to look for the good ones.

But yeah, flavour choices, that only affect how you yourself view your character, and you notice on the second playthrough that they didn't make a difference in the least, are pretty annoying. Sure, they add a bit of flavour to the first playthrough, but they ruin it completely when you realise it doesn't matter in the least. Like in the KotoR games, you can say whatever you want and it's not going to matter. I do like how in some cases your companions change how things happen. Some people will keep you from killing, others will just join in. But most of the time, no matter what response you choose, the exact same thing happens, annoyingly.

 

[Aiden Rebirth]

it gives me the illusion of choice. Like the matrix-erm I mean the real world...

 

[ElArabDeMagnifico]

Yeah, this is why I appreciated The Witcher - not all roads lead to Rome.

 

[Vladamir69]

there are some games like dead rising that have achievements on 360 for all 5+ story endings.

 

[Bulletinmybrain]

Am i the only one who does not care, in the slightest, about having an impact on the story? I wouldnt expect to read a book and for the plot to warp around me. Fuck choice, im no writer, leave it to the professionals.

Note: not a political statement

Most of us are better writers then whoever they hire to make up the story.

Pick the right RPG's to play and it's problem solved.

For example, Arcanum. Your companion says "No! You can't attack these people! They're good!" and you keep bashing away, your companion will leave. If you keep bashing them your companion will attack you. And die. If you have a quest, the opposing party will usually try to buy you off, or convince you to join their side instead.

I seem to remember people saying the same about Neverwinter nights 2, that if you treat your companions badly, they're going to try and kill you.

There are games out there in which your choices matter, you just have to look for the good ones.

But yeah, flavour choices, that only affect how you yourself view your character, and you notice on the second playthrough that they didn't make a difference in the least, are pretty annoying. Sure, they add a bit of flavour to the first playthrough, but they ruin it completely when you realise it doesn't matter in the least. Like in the KotoR games, you can say whatever you want and it's not going to matter. I do like how in some cases your companions change how things happen. Some people will keep you from killing, others will just join in. But most of the time, no matter what response you choose, the exact same thing happens, annoyingly.

You die, there is no critizing of KOTOR to be had on this forum. This is a law, set in stone and bred somewhere..

 

[Silver]

You die, there is no critizing of KOTOR to be had on this forum. This is a law, set in stone and bred somewhere..

Sure there is. I loved the games, both of them, don't get me wrong, but Bioware has never been big on execution. The scripts, the repetition and the god-awful engine they keep using for every bloody thing they do make all of their games pretty awful, especially on a second playthrough.

They really should try to fix that engine, especially the movement, because if a game is ever going to drive me to violence, it's one of their buggy crapfests where I get because I figured I could walk over that two-centimeter ledge, or that newspaper that was lying on the ground. Almost any other engine lets you at least keep moving, and any good engine would let you move in a good manner, but here you just stop.


The dialogue and interacitivy in their games are almost even worse, and in KotoR in particular it really shows. They should either decide on making linear games, which I think they'd do pretty well, or actually go the extra mile and make choices. That most npcs are completely indifferent as to what you say, and it doesn't matter in the least what you try to do is just awful design.

 

[Bulletinmybrain]

Which RPGs exactly? I pretty much just play Fallout 3, and your choices certainly affect that game.

Failed on all counts. You kill megaton and you know what happens? Nothing really, sure you get some bad karma but its not like it follows you around really. The only thing your karma did is well, decide if a few people could join your party or if regulators or talon company mercs will get you.

You die, there is no critizing of KOTOR to be had on this forum. This is a law, set in stone and bred somewhere..

Sure there is. I loved the games, both of them, don't get me wrong, but Bioware has never been big on execution. The scripts, the repetition and the god-awful engine they keep using for every bloody thing they do make all of their games pretty awful, especially on a second playthrough.

They really should try to fix that engine, especially the movement, because if a game is ever going to drive me to violence, it's one of their buggy crapfests where I get because I figured I could walk over that two-centimeter ledge, or that newspaper that was lying on the ground. Almost any other engine lets you at least keep moving, and any good engine would let you move in a good manner, but here you just stop.


The dialogue and interacitivy in their games are almost even worse, and in KotoR in particular it really shows. They should either decide on making linear games, which I think they'd do pretty well, or actually go the extra mile and make choices. That most npcs are completely indifferent as to what you say, and it doesn't matter in the least what you try to do is just awful design.

La, la, la, la, la, la, la, LA!(Go away.)

I agree on all counts, but seeing as they are going to make a MMO(Which means it will be terrible, and extremely buggy at start. But if they fix it, then it will flourish probably. ALL MMO's go through this process. >.>)

 

[Silver]

I experienced this yet again just now. With KotoR, no less. The seems-to-be-an-interesting-choice-that-will-take-the-story-in-an-interesting-direction that was the SOLE reason I decided to try a second playthrough turned out to be just a fake. I'm really annoyed now.

And yes, turning it into an MMO is going to kill all playability it had, and probably make it a fair bit of money.

 

[Nivag the Owl]

Yeah I dislike the idea of it, but to play it I absolutely love it. I just hate the way RP (roleplay) has free choice. Seems like a contradiction to me. But I get this a lot.

RTS: Real Time Strategy. How is building a building in 5 seconds "real time"? I know that it just means things happen as you do them but it should have a different name.

Seems a bit nitpicky to me. What do you want it to be called, an Accelerated Time Strategy Game? Also as for the RPG part, you?re still taking on a ?role? even if you?re making choices for that person.

I thought Mass Effect did it well. There were a few choices that effected the game slightly but they were satisfying. Also if as promised the choices will actually effect the sequel greatly. Other games like Persona 4, the choices didn?t seem all too important.

Nah, nah, you've got it all wrong. I accept, follow, and use these terms with no real disatisfaction, but I just think they've been a bit illogically named. Also, It should TOTALLY be called Accelerated Time Strategy.