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| ..in which I blather on and on. With a diagram! :P | |
| Posted By: thebruce0 <thebruce@rogers.com> | Date: 9/28/10 7:14 p.m. |
In Response To: Re: Who is Reach's main character, anyway? (uberfoop) : I think we've got a conflict of definition here. : Rather than try and tackle it myself, I'll let that Escapist Extra Credits : guy do the talking! : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlOXAtPvMDk&feature=related Sure, to a degree I agree, but...
Which is more valuable to the player - having their choices lead ultimately to different unique outcomes, or having the freedom to choose different ways to solve problems? I think most people want to at least feel that they have the freedom to choose their own methods for solving a problem, even if the 'success' outcome will always be the same. eg, I don't see choosing gear to win a battle as a problem - it IS a choice - because they can both win a battle. The problem is finding the process that leads to that solution, which is comprised of any number of choices you make, and providing a different experience each time. To the WOW example:
So what choice do I make?
In Halo (or any linear fps) the problem is how to win the game. Or in smaller bits, how to pass a level, defeat an encounter, or just reach the next checkpoint. Those are single-outcome problems because the game is linear - there's only one "success" outcome (though many "fail" and "stalemate" outcomes: keep dying, or keep playing but never moving forward, which would be boring anyway). The choice is what forges the the path you take to solve the problem. * A novel doesn't give you a choice in the story. It's linear. The problem is written, and the choices are made for you.
I'm being very redundant here. :P saying the same things different ways. Here's my visual summary below - some people value the left diagram more, and some people value the right. An addition to the diagram -- an RPG would be somewhere in between the two. Open world RPGs generally have one single linear quest, usually relatively short, but also have many problems, side quests, like the linear level bubbles. There's no grand solution to the game except to complete the overall problem - the primary quest. But all those other 'problem bubbles' would be interconnected, where your choices can determine the path you take; that could even ultimately be endless, circling around and around within the game world, exploring, never really completing that primary quest.
In short: (Good) Linear games do provide choices, multiple paths and routes that personalize the experience of solving the problem at hand. *takes a breath*
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