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Writting in RPGs

Jarmaro

Jarmaro

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As we all are living Andromeda's disaster these days, I am coming up with a question: What's good writting in RPGs?
I'd like you to say what you consider "good" and "bad", and why, possibly with examples of both.
And if you think that it may be rated objectivly or not.
 
Dorateen

Dorateen

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Dark Sun: Shattered Lands has very good to excellent writing. Primarily because it is used as an instrument to reinforce the setting, and introducing believable NPCs to the game world. The delivery of the text is descriptive like a competent dungeon master without any hint of overbearing pretention, hence appropriate for the medium. There is also some excellent reactivity to player actions, though this veers into gameplay territory, it does affect the writing of subsequent dialogues.

Most importantly, the writing of a computer role-playing game like Dark Sun does not infringe upon the agency of the player's characters at all, which is one of its most laudable qualities.

The writing is subservient to the gameplay, not the other way around.
 
NeoKino

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If Mass Effect: Andromeda is an RPG (it is not) then Ghost Recon Wildlands and the rest of ubishit copypaste open-meme drivel must be rpgs as well, heck Far Cry 3 have more C&C then Andromeda (you get to choose between saving the unf indigenous chick and "uplift" her or save your superior genetic stock friends who get little to no Character Development).

on topic though I ignore most plot in RPG's because of banality, If you want to immerse me in your world then you better built the world in a way that some random NPC doesn't info dump my ass with shitloads of text or even worse bad voice acting. Just because you put some fancy salad dressing on your Tolkien wannabe ripoff doesn't mean I want to eat that shit up!

Let me give you an example, I play Alpha Protocol or heck better yet almost any obsidian game here they get praised for the story and setting all the time but when it comes down to it those games play like crap, especially at a time when there is better games available to play.

tl;dr: Underrail > Wasteland 2, D:OS > PoE, storyfags get btfoed.
 
canakin

canakin

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Good:
Player character enters the shop, says "show me your goods" to the shopkeeper, the shopkeeper says "k" and shopping window opens
Bad:
Player character enters the shop, initiates dialogue, asks what is this place, shopkeeper tells him that this is his shop and how he sells imported magical stuff from all over the glorious fantasy locations from the setting which you will never get to visit in game. Then tells you about the hardships of being a shopkeeper and how he inherited the shop from his blacksmith father but he always wanted to be a drag queen or something. After 5 pages of this shit shopping window opens.

Less is more for fucks sake.
 
vonAchdorf

vonAchdorf

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Game writers are mostly bad writers so the solution is to limit writing to a minimum and develop strong mechanics. Too bad that most developers are weak in mechanics as well.
 
Jarmaro

Jarmaro

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NeoKino said:
If Mass Effect: Andromeda is an RPG (it is not) then Ghost Recon Wildlands and the rest of ubishit copypaste open-meme drivel must be rpgs as well, heck Far Cry 3 have more C&C then Andromeda (you get to choose between saving the unf indigenous chick and "uplift" her or save your superior genetic stock friends who get little to no Character Development).
Click to expand...

Sorry, but that was straight stupid. How can you compare Mass Effect and Wildlands? Wildlands doesn't even have real plot. Andromeda on the other hand was built on plot, even if stupid. If game has major choice it isn't make her RPG, that's for sure.
You should look at what is main point of playing in game, Wwildlands is all about shoting and doing trash mssions, Andromeda is about exploring but strongly sticks to its plot.

NeoKino said:
on topic though I ignore most plot in RPG's because of banality, If you want to immerse me in your world then you better built the world in a way that some random NPC doesn't info dump my ass with shitloads of text or even worse bad voice acting. Just because you put some fancy salad dressing on your Tolkien wannabe ripoff doesn't mean I want to eat that shit up!
Click to expand...
How do you rate Horizon then?
 
Jarmaro

Jarmaro

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Darth Roxor said:
good:

alpha protocol

bad:

everything else
Click to expand...
NeoKino said:
Let me give you an example, I play Alpha Protocol or heck better yet almost any obsidian game here they get praised for the story and setting all the time but when it comes down to it those games play like crap, especially at a time when there is better games available to play.
Click to expand...
Are we having major dissagrement here?
 
sqeecoo

sqeecoo

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Vague question is vague. Do you mean line-to-line writing, or overall narrative structure and themes? A game like Dark Souls or Ico has an interesting story with very little actual text.
For RPGs I'd say the key is to be functional - i.e. mesh well with the game, world, and thematic goals. If you want to approach your themes through actual text like in PS:T, fine. On the other hand, Underrail for me has good writing although it's extremely minimal and lacks any sort of flair or overt deeper themes. But it works perfectly in creating a compelling world. Pathologic (in the old English translation) has terrible, truly amazingly terrible writing on the line-to-line level, but this still somehow works and creates a compelling experience where the overall story is very good.

path5.jpg
 
Falksi

Falksi

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Good writing emotionally moves players and stimulates them, whilst keeping them immersed in the experience as much as possible. Bad writing doesn't.
For what it's worth I reckon that standards are very high now, and that you can actually enjoy games with flawed writing if the overall package is good enough.
 
NeoKino

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jarmaro said:
Sorry, but that was straight stupid. How can you compare Mass Effect and Wildlands? Wildlands doesn't even have real plot. Andromeda on the other hand was built on plot, even if stupid. If game has major choice it isn't make her RPG, that's for sure.
You should look at what is main point of playing in game, Wwildlands is all about shoting and doing trash mssions, Andromeda is about exploring but strongly sticks to its plot.
Click to expand...
It was an over exaggeration since the plot is so bad and the scenes are very difficult to skip it actually brings detriment playing this game I am in 8 hours in and I already decided to drop this shit, Having a plot doesn't make Andromeda an rpg. If Wildlands was built around its fail escobar-like drug antics and included a "complex" plot like Mass Effect it still wouldn't be an rpg.

How do you rate Horizon then?
Click to expand...
Not an RPG either, and didn't play it don't own a gaystation.
 
Last edited:
Raghar

Raghar

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jarmaro said:
As we all are living Andromeda's disaster these days, I am coming up with a question: What's good writting in RPGs?
Click to expand...
In games?

Risen has fine writing. Sengoku Rance, and Daitenkoku have fine writing as well.
 

Mustawd

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