Jarinor
Liturgist
After completing the "boffo" ending for Wizardry 8 tonight, I realised what my biggest gripe with games is. It's not linear gameplay, terrible plots, bad graphics or pathetic sound and voice acting. It's not mixing genres or the fact that games exist outside of the RP genre. No, my biggest gripe with games is others in the game reaping the rewards of what you sow. Allow me to explain. Spoilers ahead for Wizardry 8, and possible other games.
You see, the "boffo" ending in Wizardry 8 is funny for about five seconds, and then incredibly frustrating ever after. It results in the destruction of the planet and the ascension of the Dark Savant. Now, I haven't had a chance to try out the other endings just yet, but this ending is a perfect example of what I'm talking about.
After collecting all three objects needed to rise to the Cosmic Circle, answering all the questions correctly, I then have to spend another half an hour to an hour slogging up a mountainside, killing every animal on the planet along the way, only to find the Dark Savant there and waiting for me. He then proceeds to destroy the planet and laugh about it. However, all he's done in the game is show up at the right time. My group of brave adventurers, however, has slogged through roughly a thousand monsters, travelled all over the planet, collected all the objects and done the ground work, and all to die at the end, simply for the sake of an alternative ending. The prophecy in the game (gotta love how those prophecies are always inaccurate don't you?) clearly says that only someone who collects all three objects will then be able to ascend. It doesn't mention anything about the gateway opening for one and all. Nothing I can do can actually stop the Dark Savant (because of my failure to complete a certain objective or two in the past).
Now, you might take this as a gripe with just Wizardry 8 in particular, but it's not. It's merely a very good example of a game ripping you off with a weak and overly used device to either make you play it again - thus providing the illusion of replay value - and so someone can claim that the game has alternative endings. Well, dammit, I think it just might be nice for once if a villian could do their own dirty work, you could challenge them, or be able to do something to short circuit their plans for once, all on your own initiative. Better yet, being able to reap their rewards would be a nice accomplishment.
However, this is all wishful thinking. To design a game to allow for this level of interactivity isn't going to happen for a helluva long time, if it even does at all. Thank you for reading my rambling rant on game design.
You see, the "boffo" ending in Wizardry 8 is funny for about five seconds, and then incredibly frustrating ever after. It results in the destruction of the planet and the ascension of the Dark Savant. Now, I haven't had a chance to try out the other endings just yet, but this ending is a perfect example of what I'm talking about.
After collecting all three objects needed to rise to the Cosmic Circle, answering all the questions correctly, I then have to spend another half an hour to an hour slogging up a mountainside, killing every animal on the planet along the way, only to find the Dark Savant there and waiting for me. He then proceeds to destroy the planet and laugh about it. However, all he's done in the game is show up at the right time. My group of brave adventurers, however, has slogged through roughly a thousand monsters, travelled all over the planet, collected all the objects and done the ground work, and all to die at the end, simply for the sake of an alternative ending. The prophecy in the game (gotta love how those prophecies are always inaccurate don't you?) clearly says that only someone who collects all three objects will then be able to ascend. It doesn't mention anything about the gateway opening for one and all. Nothing I can do can actually stop the Dark Savant (because of my failure to complete a certain objective or two in the past).
Now, you might take this as a gripe with just Wizardry 8 in particular, but it's not. It's merely a very good example of a game ripping you off with a weak and overly used device to either make you play it again - thus providing the illusion of replay value - and so someone can claim that the game has alternative endings. Well, dammit, I think it just might be nice for once if a villian could do their own dirty work, you could challenge them, or be able to do something to short circuit their plans for once, all on your own initiative. Better yet, being able to reap their rewards would be a nice accomplishment.
However, this is all wishful thinking. To design a game to allow for this level of interactivity isn't going to happen for a helluva long time, if it even does at all. Thank you for reading my rambling rant on game design.
