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HOW LONG SHOULD AN ESCAPE SCENE BE?(NOT ESCAPING FROM BATTLE)
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CYBERLOUS
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CYBERLOUS
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CloseOkay so at the beginning of my game the protagonist decides to escape and I'm curious how long it should be until she escapes because the beginning.I'm thinking short, but I could be wrong.
Maybe I can use the escape scene as a tutorial, and then have the protagonist wake up outside?
Maybe I can use the escape scene as a tutorial, and then have the protagonist wake up outside?
It depends on what you have planned. At the beginning of your game, you'll want to hook the player and get them excited about the rest of your game. If you have a lot of exciting stuff and/or stuff that gives players a feel for your world, you can get away with a longer scene. Otherewise, I'd go for a shorter escape scene.
The tutorial idea may be a good one, too!
The tutorial idea may be a good one, too!
CYBERLOUS
115
author=unity
It depends on what you have planned. At the beginning of your game, you'll want to hook the player and get them excited about the rest of your game. If you have a lot of exciting stuff and/or stuff that gives players a feel for your world, you can get away with a longer scene. Otherewise, I'd go for a shorter escape scene.
The tutorial idea may be a good one, too!
Okay so, player gets so far, then the protagonist runs into an enemy and is seen escaping, then screen fades and she wakes up outside?
Brilliant!
LockeZ
I'd really like to get rid of LockeZ. His play style is way too unpredictable. He's always like this too. If he ran a country, he'd just kill and imprison people at random until crime stopped.
5958
I definitely agree that you need to hook the player quickly at the beginning of your game. However... an escape scene does just that. It's an action-oriented segment that involves navigating through an area and fighting enemies that are blocking your path... so why not make this the first dungeon? People want to get to the gameplay quickly, but that doesn't mean you need to end the scene ASAP; it means you need to put gameplay in it instead of just leaving it as a cut scene. "I need to get out of here, everyone's trying to kill me!" is more than good enough as an initial motivation for the player to engage in the game, and as the escape goes on you can give the player a vague idea of what got the hero into this mess, by having the enemies shout at the hero about why she needs to stop.
CYBERLOUS
115
author=LockeZ
I definitely agree that you need to hook the player quickly at the beginning of your game. However... an escape scene does just that. It's an action-oriented segment that involves navigating through an area and fighting enemies that are blocking your path... so why not make this the first dungeon? People want to get to the gameplay quickly, but that doesn't mean you need to end the scene ASAP; it means you need to put gameplay in it instead of just leaving it as a cut scene. "I need to get out of here, everyone's trying to kill me!" is more than good enough as an initial motivation for the player to engage in the game, and as the escape goes on you can give the player a vague idea of what got the hero into this mess, by having the enemies shout at the hero about why she needs to stop.
Well, that sounds fantastic, except the protagonist is actually really sheltered and seen as a "thing" by her captors(?), so they wouldn't be likely to yell at her. Though, introducing the problem at the end of the scene sounds good.(Also, how the protagonist got into the mess is a really important plot element)
Gredge109
4151
author=LockeZ
I definitely agree that you need to hook the player quickly at the beginning of your game. However... an escape scene does just that. It's an action-oriented segment that involves navigating through an area and fighting enemies that are blocking your path... so why not make this the first dungeon? People want to get to the gameplay quickly, but that doesn't mean you need to end the scene ASAP; it means you need to put gameplay in it instead of just leaving it as a cut scene. "I need to get out of here, everyone's trying to kill me!" is more than good enough as an initial motivation for the player to engage in the game, and as the escape goes on you can give the player a vague idea of what got the hero into this mess, by having the enemies shout at the hero about why she needs to stop.
I love this approach, and I very much use in-res-media for my openings.
Some additional ideas to play off of this: So say your character outruns the first chase through a couple scenes, then you can put them into a dungeon with simulated sneaking events throughout. Simulated, because you don't really need to make a sneak mechanic for your game, but you could have them sneak past a group of enemies in the dungeon looking for her. You could have her sneak up behind one of the enemies and attack, thus launching the first battle and tutorial. There's a variety of different things you can play off of with this theme in mind, and themes are always a good thing for dungeons.
Maybe little events throughout the dungeon that the player has to react to that continues that feeling of being chased.
Well, what's your story about? Ever seen the movie, "The Great Escape" starring Steve McQueen? The whole movie was about escaping...obviously. How important is that escape to your story? With what is described here, it sounds like "escape" is the motif that is going to define the entire story. Personally, I would drop the player cold-turkey into the escape. No intro, no text dump. Just Title screen, start game, automatically in dungeon with pursuers on your ass. Don't tell the players why they're there. Don't let them get their bearings. Give them tunnels and rooms of enemies and certain death with no clear direction or understanding of where they're going. Then, when they finally get out of the dungeon, face the boss, whatevs, you can introduce the player to what's going on. Let the PC ask her questions. Don't give answers; let the player fumble. She makes it to a town/village/shanty and their are guards asking about her. Let her ask why. What did she do to deserve this. Why won't they let her go.
With this, the escape never ends, and no matter where you go, there's always the threat of being discovered and recaptured. So, as you can see, the escape encompasses the entire game.
This is frankly the best way to start a game.
Yes, they would.
With this, the escape never ends, and no matter where you go, there's always the threat of being discovered and recaptured. So, as you can see, the escape encompasses the entire game.
LockeZ
I definitely agree that you need to hook the player quickly at the beginning of your game. However... an escape scene does just that. It's an action-oriented segment that involves navigating through an area and fighting enemies that are blocking your path... so why not make this the first dungeon? People want to get to the gameplay quickly, but that doesn't mean you need to end the scene ASAP; it means you need to put gameplay in it instead of just leaving it as a cut scene. "I need to get out of here, everyone's trying to kill me!" is more than good enough as an initial motivation for the player to engage in the game, and as the escape goes on you can give the player a vague idea of what got the hero into this mess, by having the enemies shout at the hero about why she needs to stop.
This is frankly the best way to start a game.
CYBERLOUS
Well, that sounds fantastic, except the protagonist is actually really sheltered and seen as a "thing" by her captors(?), so they wouldn't be likely to yell at her.
Yes, they would.
CYBERLOUS
115
author=pianotm
Well, what's your story about? Ever seen the movie, "The Great Escape" starring Steve McQueen? The whole movie was about escaping...obviously. How important is that escape to your story? With what is described here, it sounds like "escape" is the motif that is going to define the entire story. Personally, I would drop the player cold-turkey into the escape. No intro, no text dump. Just Title screen, start game, automatically in dungeon with pursuers on your ass. Don't tell the players why they're there. Don't let them get their bearings. Give them tunnels and rooms of enemies and certain death with no clear direction or understanding of where they're going. Then, when they finally get out of the dungeon, face the boss, whatevs, you can introduce the player to what's going on. Let the PC ask her questions. Don't give answers; let the player fumble. She makes it to a town/village/shanty and their are guards asking about her. Let her ask why. What did she do to deserve this. Why won't they let her go.
With this, the escape never ends, and no matter where you go, there's always the threat of being discovered and recaptured. So, as you can see, the escape encompasses the entire game.
Oh wait that's brilliant!
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