Cinematics?

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I wonder... how many cinematics there'll be in the game? Since it's OMG, I would say that every major event there should a cinematic, not just at the beginning and the end.

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Every major event? Why can't we play through all that? Cinematics are cool, but they should not take up any sizable or playable potion of the game. Opening cinematics should provide context from a unique standpoint, and ending cinematics should oversee the culmination of the heroes' journey up to that point. Take a look at Diablo II for the best examples, since I still believe they are the greatest and most beautiful cinematics ever made. When you are able to play, play. When you simply want to show something, then show it, but don't have it too often. Scripted events are nearly always better.

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It seems you didn't understood what I meant. For example you defeat a priestess of Lolth and then a cinematic opens where we see epic death, a giant spider appearing and eats her body and runs away. Later the priestess would be resurrected as drider.

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That's something that could be a scripted event. There's no need for it to be a cinematic.

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Well, it always can. Even the cinematics at the beginning can be scripted event. The point is cinematic looks much better, much more epic. See Warcraft 3 cinematic, like destruction of Dalaran, and in-game scripted events.

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Even if so, it removes a player from being able to play. Consider Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid, and other cinematic heavy games to see how polarized people can be on the overuse of cinematics. Your example was also pretty paltry. A spider? How is that deserving of a cinematic? Besides, as it comes to Blizzard's pacing with cinematics, they do things that are artistically beautiful and often things that can't be done given the game they're running on. The big SCII cinematics feature close range combat, which just doesn't happen within an RTS. There needs to be something warranting of a cinematic to trigger one, else it is a waste.

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Well, scripted events remove player from play as well. Only after a scripted event you can play, the same with cinematic. And a cinematic of a tower being destroyed or civilians slaughtered in the distance don't leave any place for player interaction anyway.

Seriously, GoodGuy - that was an example with the spider.

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I love cinematics in a game, I almost view it as the prize for accomplishing the quest, well that and all the loot

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Qumi wrote: »

Well, scripted events remove player from play as well. Only after a scripted event you can play, the same with cinematic.

Ever played Half-Life or the second one? There's an example of how to beautifully weave in scripted events whilst keeping the plot rolling. At the same time, there are usually scripted events in games that merely happen off to the side. I don't agree with the idea that every single event must be witnessed by the player. Some things are meant searching for.

And again, as for the spider, that's something we could easily view from normal perspective. Spider's eat people all the time, and as long as the writing has pulled you in you should care about what's happening all ready. That's why I think cinematics should be conservative. A lot of the time, they are used to enhance feeling in a story without one. By adding these extravagant scenes, they can make you forcibly care.

I was discussing this with a friend, and here's what we came up with. There is a city collapsing around you. First there is an establishing shot of the scenery falling apart, all in game, then you are gained control of your character to fight your way out of the city. When you actually experience through this place instead of simply blowing it up, the effect is greater later on. At the end when you are a safe distance away, then a cinematic is appropriate because there was actual meaning to it instead of a padded scene for emotional shock and awe. Play when possible, keep in game when possible.

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Let me just say that I don't need mini movies in my game. The more time wasted by the engine on movies and cut scenes is less time for me to play. Just because I got to the end of a scenario isn't a good reason to force me to sit through junk I don't care about. Isn't it enough to complete the mission?

There isn't anything special about finishing a module since you and I will reload the game until the last baddy is dead. After a long drawn out struggle in which I died five or six times it is enough for me to be done.

Just for ha ha's let us suppose that I write a dungeon where you have to retrieve something but it isn't being guarded by a "Boss". How should the cinematic play? After struggling through the adventure you open the chest with the stuff in it. The movie plays showing you lifting a book from the chest?

I think we can do without it.

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I think cinematics can be a nice tool, but probably not an option for user-generated modules. Still, I'm sure I'll use whatever tools they give us to add flavour and punctuation to the modules.

As long as they don't take over the game (which they won't, be serious guys), there's nothing wrong with some nice cinematics.

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tlantl wrote: »

Let me just say that I don't need mini movies in my game. The more time wasted by the engine on movies and cut scenes is less time for me to play. Just because I got to the end of a scenario isn't a good reason to force me to sit through junk I don't care about. Isn't it enough to complete the mission?

There isn't anything special about finishing a module since you and I will reload the game until the last baddy is dead. After a long drawn out struggle in which I died five or six times it is enough for me to be done.

Just for ha ha's let us suppose that I write a dungeon where you have to retrieve something but it isn't being guarded by a "Boss". How should the cinematic play? After struggling through the adventure you open the chest with the stuff in it. The movie plays showing you lifting a book from the chest?

I think we can do without it.

Would a 5 second over the shoulder shot of your character pulling the book out of the chest really be less satisfying than having "Quest Complete" pop up on your screen?

I would agree that we can do without it, certainly, but I also don't think it takes away from anything.

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It's like with sugar and tea. You can do without sugar in tea, in fact, adding sugar "postpones" the time that you spent on drinking the tea, but not decreases that time.

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I approve of cinematics/in-engine cutscenes to show rather than tell the story.

For example, I would rather come into an area and get into a cutscene where three hobgoblins whom are pursuing a nubile elf maiden screaming for help and then have all the 'actors' in the proper position to start the fight...

...rather than seeing a idle standing elf maiden talk and give me a quest to slay the three hobgoblins down the corridor that are aimlessly wandering in a room, waiting to be killed by me.

Part of D&D is about storytelling. The cutscenes serve to enhance that. It's less about scenario completion so that you can hop to your next XP fix, and more about giving stories a proper telling.

As long as that's used in moderation by the Devs. Thus far, STO hasn't disappointed me in this regard.

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How about cinematics are availables AND an option to skip it (either auto-skip in options, or a shortcut key to skip it)?