Allan Schumacher wrote...
When people talk about choices, are they referring to having the narrative bend in the way that they want it to?
What follows in partly in response to Allan Schumacher's question about choices and narrative bending, but also in response to the discussion as a whole.
In my original post I said, “I want multiple and good endings.” That's because I honestly don’t give a d**n about whether the ending is happy, bittersweet, or whatever. Good does not have to mean happy. A sad ending, a dark ending, a bittersweet ending, these all can be good, because good is a matter of quality and not an arbiter on the emotion it elicits. Ultimately, whether there are multiple endings or not, I would like the ending to be consistent with the events that transpired before it and be coherent.
Yes, I would prefer multiple endings that reflect different choices made by different characters, but even DAO always ended with Denerim besieged and the Archdemon killed. DA2 wanted to give the player different journeys to the same ending, a risky venture in itself and could’ve worked had the story been done better and the development cycle not rushed. At the same, and I don’t think this is contradictory, there doesn’t need to be a “worse” or “better” ending. Endings appropriate for the character played are better than making a "worse" or "best" ending.
It has been said before, including by some Bioware members who post to the forums, that what players say they want and what they actually want are two different things. I'd imagine that's partly why one would ask if the player wants the narrative to bend to reflect what they want; irrelevent to consistency with the game's world and story. To that I would say: while I generally agree with that sentiment, I can only speak for myself and not everyone. I’ve played evil characters who’ve done what might arguably be nasty or despicable things. But I’ve also played characters who’ve done arguably bad things with good intentions to achieve happier ends. I want the consequences for different actions to be, well, different. I’m not a squeeing fanboy who always needs a happy ending with unicorns farting rainbows to confirm that I’ve played a game "correctly" or gotten the "best" ending. The essence of a roleplaying game is that the consequences that follow the role you’ve played are coherent, yes?
An exception to the above question is this:
scyphozoa wrote...
Yeah, I don't think the consequences in Bioware games should always match the choices. If the player makes a diplomatic or paragon choice, that should not guarantee a positive resolution. This is how the ME trilogy felt. Paragon choices were pretty much always rewarded with best case scenario outcomes, while Renegade choices often felt like the player was being a jerk.
Paragon choices should backfire. Renegade choices should sometimes end in optimal resolutions. The consequences shouldn't always live up to the intent.
That is fantastic. I would love that. Bhelen’s actions are dishonorable compared to Harrowmont’s, but Bhelen ultimately will push for reforms that one could argue are good for Orzammar. If one can, in hindsight, understandbly see how a Paragon choice backfires, I think that could work really well. As in real life, there are times whne one's intent doesn't produce actions that follow the intent.
Modifié par Tancred Of The Chantry, 07 octobre 2012 - 02:43 .
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