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Let's talk Player Choice in Video Games Part-1

Blogs > DragoonPK
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DragoonPK
Profile Blog Joined July 2007
3259 Posts
August 29 2012 18:53 GMT
#1
I've been recently thinking about player choice and decisions in Video Games quite a lot. So I decided to put up a two part video on Youtube talking about it and explaining some my own opinion on its use in games. The first part is up right now and I should be putting up the second part in a couple of days.



Player choice is something that is very crucial to the future of the Gaming industry as it allows for customizable experiences that include input from the player himself/herself. Its current state is indeed far from perfect, but a few notable games (most recently The Walking Dead game from Telltale) managed to do it so well that it makes the experience feel like something quite personal to the player.

What are your thoughts on the Player Choice? What games do you think implemented it well?

P.S. Liking and subscribing helps as well !

*
Spikeke
Profile Joined October 2010
Canada106 Posts
August 29 2012 20:14 GMT
#2
This is an important topic. Funny because I been thinking about it for a while now. I just wanted to throw in that Left/Right decisions (Choices that don't seem to matter) can be disguised as complex systems and still fail. Diablo 3 for instance, advertising hundreds of builds, but really there are only a few ideal builds. WoW's talent system was messed up when I seen it last, what's the point of variety of skills if everyone just picks the strongest cookie-cutter build anyway.

Games are interactive, choices make the experience. Or else it's not a video game, it's just a video.
Roe
Profile Blog Joined June 2010
Canada6002 Posts
August 29 2012 20:21 GMT
#3
On August 30 2012 05:14 Spikeke wrote:
This is an important topic. Funny because I been thinking about it for a while now. I just wanted to throw in that Left/Right decisions (Choices that don't seem to matter) can be disguised as complex systems and still fail. Diablo 3 for instance, advertising hundreds of builds, but really there are only a few ideal builds. WoW's talent system was messed up when I seen it last, what's the point of variety of skills if everyone just picks the strongest cookie-cutter build anyway.

Games are interactive, choices make the experience. Or else it's not a video game, it's just a video.

For MoP, WoW did a major overhaul in the talents. You now have 3 specs which give most of the important, cookie-cutter abilities from before, and then about 18 talents which are fairly equivalent but different enough in their own way.
Luepert
Profile Blog Joined June 2011
United States1933 Posts
August 29 2012 20:25 GMT
#4
This is pretty much the reason I only play multiplayer games like LoL and SC2. Every game is different, I can literally use any of thousands of builds, from 3 races or 100 characters and I have to react to other real people who act differently not just ai who are programmed to do the same thing no matter what.
esports
Roe
Profile Blog Joined June 2010
Canada6002 Posts
August 29 2012 20:51 GMT
#5
On August 30 2012 05:25 Luepert wrote:
This is pretty much the reason I only play multiplayer games like LoL and SC2. Every game is different, I can literally use any of thousands of builds, from 3 races or 100 characters and I have to react to other real people who act differently not just ai who are programmed to do the same thing no matter what.

That's not really true. In RTS your build is first going to be dependent on the other player. Then there are just certain builds that don't work (ex: mech against protoss sc2, or bio against protoss BW), and certain builds that have to be used in order to counter the other person's build (if a zerg goes 6 pool, you can't CC first, you can't fast expand. if they go early aggression that means you go early defense instead of anything you want). When you think about it more deeply, there are very few alterations in style of play and builds, and the choice you think you have is just an illusion.
Cyber_Cheese
Profile Blog Joined July 2010
Australia3615 Posts
August 30 2012 00:52 GMT
#6
umm, can we get a text version by any chance?
The moment you lose confidence in yourself, is the moment the world loses it's confidence in you.
DragoonPK
Profile Blog Joined July 2007
3259 Posts
August 30 2012 01:08 GMT
#7
On August 30 2012 09:52 Cyber_Cheese wrote:
umm, can we get a text version by any chance?

Oh, I made this specifically on Video form :/. But if a lot of people would rather have me post writing I could do that in future blogs!
EatThePath
Profile Blog Joined September 2009
United States3943 Posts
August 30 2012 01:14 GMT
#8
On August 30 2012 05:51 Roe wrote:
Show nested quote +
On August 30 2012 05:25 Luepert wrote:
This is pretty much the reason I only play multiplayer games like LoL and SC2. Every game is different, I can literally use any of thousands of builds, from 3 races or 100 characters and I have to react to other real people who act differently not just ai who are programmed to do the same thing no matter what.

That's not really true. In RTS your build is first going to be dependent on the other player. Then there are just certain builds that don't work (ex: mech against protoss sc2, or bio against protoss BW), and certain builds that have to be used in order to counter the other person's build (if a zerg goes 6 pool, you can't CC first, you can't fast expand. if they go early aggression that means you go early defense instead of anything you want). When you think about it more deeply, there are very few alterations in style of play and builds, and the choice you think you have is just an illusion.


But the threat of alternate lines of play keeps you from making truly optimal plays, and once the game state departs from well-explored territory, it's all about choice as well as execution.

The most engaging games (games in general, not sc2) ride on the line between "I know what to do" and "I have no idea what to do".
Comprehensive strategic intention: DNE
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