vivec
Self-Ejected
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2014
- Messages
- 1,149
This is an issue and a question that, I have felt, lurks at the back of many arguments that get construed on this forum; What is an appropriate outcome for C&C?
It seems to me that there is an inherent presumption hereabouts that the necessary response to a choice must be a "path" in the game. Also, that this path must be sufficiently distinct from a "path" that you take when you take an alternate choice. Take for example The Witcher 2, which based on a crucial choice offers two distinct paths to choose from which can qualify as the appropriate level of C&C based on the above description. Or take AoD for that matter, where you can make several decisions that radically affect what path you can take through the story which includes things as elaborate as
or
.
You can imagine that introducing these distinct "paths" in the game can be quite work intensive and can lead to substantial content reduction; an outcome hardly any of us can get behind.
While the above indeed are examples of what might be considered fully satisfying and well implemented C&C, there is another facet to the idea, which I think is mostly ignored and which can save the content creation at least partly if enacted well. And that is rewarding a choice by a gameplaywise inconsequential effect but which is emotionally satisfying through storytelling.
Apropos examples of the latter can be Saving Paul in Deus Ex or Killing Anna at the airport. While the story of the game remains almost exactly the same whether or not these decisions are made, you see an immediate and well-executed acknowledgement of your actions in the game, where it "rewards" you by affecting the game world at only a cosmetic level. Some of the puritans amongst you might immediately jump to the conclusion that this is not true C&C. Quite so! But it *is* a variety of C&C nonetheless.
I am wondering how many here consider this kind of thing as "good" C&C. If you do so, what other examples come to your mind when you think of such a C&C?
It seems to me that there is an inherent presumption hereabouts that the necessary response to a choice must be a "path" in the game. Also, that this path must be sufficiently distinct from a "path" that you take when you take an alternate choice. Take for example The Witcher 2, which based on a crucial choice offers two distinct paths to choose from which can qualify as the appropriate level of C&C based on the above description. Or take AoD for that matter, where you can make several decisions that radically affect what path you can take through the story which includes things as elaborate as
blowing up Madoraan
fighting an epic battle to either prevent the Ordu or to assist them trying to reach Madoraan
You can imagine that introducing these distinct "paths" in the game can be quite work intensive and can lead to substantial content reduction; an outcome hardly any of us can get behind.
While the above indeed are examples of what might be considered fully satisfying and well implemented C&C, there is another facet to the idea, which I think is mostly ignored and which can save the content creation at least partly if enacted well. And that is rewarding a choice by a gameplaywise inconsequential effect but which is emotionally satisfying through storytelling.
Apropos examples of the latter can be Saving Paul in Deus Ex or Killing Anna at the airport. While the story of the game remains almost exactly the same whether or not these decisions are made, you see an immediate and well-executed acknowledgement of your actions in the game, where it "rewards" you by affecting the game world at only a cosmetic level. Some of the puritans amongst you might immediately jump to the conclusion that this is not true C&C. Quite so! But it *is* a variety of C&C nonetheless.
I am wondering how many here consider this kind of thing as "good" C&C. If you do so, what other examples come to your mind when you think of such a C&C?
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