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Enker
1572
Enker
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CloseI've found that the most important thing any RPG can do is capture the attention of the player with a plot point within the first 10 minutes of gameplay in order to build up an interest and get the player to invest another 40+ hours in the game. In most games of the genre these moments are quite apparant, FF7's bombing mission throws you straight into the action, and Kingdom Hearts teases you with a tutorial with a surprisingly sinister theme and huge scale boss before even letting you begin. be it action or humor, something has to make a player decide to keep playing, but some games just miss the mark, bogging you down in petty conversation or dull tutorial segmets that take an age to plough through before you get even a whisp of plot or characterisation. Some games epically fail in their most basic function - to interest the player.
So which games have and haven't managed it, and when was the last time that you were so turned off by a game that you've not touched it since?
So which games have and haven't managed it, and when was the last time that you were so turned off by a game that you've not touched it since?
Exit Fate's story doesn't have The Twist ten minutes in (you have to finish a small dungeon and take part in a minor war segment first), but then it goes WHA-BAM. It does introduce the threads and characters well at the beginning--it interests you enough to keep playing to The Twist.
Etrian Odyssey takes twenty hours to get to The Twist.
Etrian Odyssey takes twenty hours to get to The Twist.
VerifyedRasta
581
FF7 is a really great example.
The introduction video wasn't that long and it looked awesome. Then immediately after that, your team jumps out the train and just leaves you. So at this point your thinking, "What am I supposed to do?"
You walk a few steps up and get into your first battle without any information on how to fight.
It was really exciting, for me at least.
The introduction video wasn't that long and it looked awesome. Then immediately after that, your team jumps out the train and just leaves you. So at this point your thinking, "What am I supposed to do?"
You walk a few steps up and get into your first battle without any information on how to fight.
It was really exciting, for me at least.
FF always likes to start off with a battle. Legend of Zelda: Majoras Mask, also has pretty exciting intro. A lot of people today start off their game explaining their whole backstory which is quite boring. I wonder where they got the idea to do that in the first place. I think a general rule for a good intro is to let the action do the talking.
Enker
1572
I think it's a case of not overloading the player with text - get their attention with something happening, let them have some control asap, and make them want more.
A Blurred Line is very good at this.
I think one of the worst ways to start an RM game with is exposition, especially if it's about four heroes sealing away an ancient evil a thousand years ago.
I think one of the worst ways to start an RM game with is exposition, especially if it's about four heroes sealing away an ancient evil a thousand years ago.
Enker
1572
lol Because EVER ancient evil will ultimatly return and a decendent of one of the original heroes will be asked to take up the quest to reseal it.
I'm fond of teasing with an initial plot hook, before switching the characters to an unrelated party and slowly drawing them into events. That way the player always knows that something big is happening, but is unaware of the impact it will eventually have.
I'm fond of teasing with an initial plot hook, before switching the characters to an unrelated party and slowly drawing them into events. That way the player always knows that something big is happening, but is unaware of the impact it will eventually have.
I personally think that whoever isn't willing to spend at least half hour gameplay in any game just isn't up to playing anything to begin with. You can't judge a game when you play so little, 10 minutes could go in 1 scene, depending the situation... that's why I take some time, and if it's really that bad, I stop, but I at least check the basics of the game, and play for 1 hour, after all as much as time is important, it just goes away...
I agree that you must have people interested from the beginning, but in reality you need to interest the player until the end of the game, as a former reviewer in RRR I used to play a lot of games, and while some were nice in the beginning, after 2 hours it was a complete pain to continue.
I personally do the straight to the action and the little talk at the beginning depending on what game I'm making, and the plot/theme, etc... it's all relative.
I agree that you must have people interested from the beginning, but in reality you need to interest the player until the end of the game, as a former reviewer in RRR I used to play a lot of games, and while some were nice in the beginning, after 2 hours it was a complete pain to continue.
I personally do the straight to the action and the little talk at the beginning depending on what game I'm making, and the plot/theme, etc... it's all relative.
author=Craze link=topic=3157.msg62080#msg62080 date=1234791574
If a person can't stand to play thirty minutes of a game then said game probably sucks.
This.
Especially if it is an rm* game.
The introduction to a game, whether it's commercial or not, isn't a make or break for me. I just downloaded/ brought this game so I'm obviously interested in it and prepared to give it more than 15 minutes of my time. I'm not a very good judge of whether or not I'm going to like the game based on the first 15 minutes anyway. It seems to me that people often see the intros being representative of the whole game, but they're not.
Of course an interesting introduction is always welcome, and come to think of it I liked Kingdom Hearts intro A LOT.
Of course an interesting introduction is always welcome, and come to think of it I liked Kingdom Hearts intro A LOT.
It's not a matter of the intro being representative, it's whether or not the player is enjoying himself. :< Even if people tell me it gets really good five hours in, I don't want to SUFFER for those first few hours!
Aten
1570
author=Craze link=topic=3157.msg62080#msg62080 date=1234791574
If a person can't stand to play thirty minutes of a game then said game probably sucks.
This.
author=Karsuman link=topic=3157.msg62088#msg62088 date=1234797958
Especially if it is an rm* game.
This.
author=Craze link=topic=3157.msg62171#msg62171 date=1234828374
Even if people tell me it gets really good five hours in, I don't want to SUFFER for those first few hours!
And this.
I was playing a game called "Exit Fate" today and my god, i couldn't stand it at all and after about half an hour I deleted it.
Usually it's the first battle that gets me to quit. If it leaves me flacid as wet spaghetti, game over.
That first battle is the last chance to leave a first impression!
That first battle is the last chance to leave a first impression!
author=Aten link=topic=3157.msg62178#msg62178 date=1234830787Really? EF grabbed me almost instantly. But maybe I'm partial to it because I went in with the belief it would cure cancer and bring my dead dog back to life (thanks to Craze).
I was playing a game called "Exit Fate" today and my god, i couldn't stand it at all and after about half an hour I deleted it.
I feel as though I should be playing the actual game within 10 mins. If I'm still watching or reading an intro, or "playing" through some meaningless intro sequence, you've lost me.
Well, truth be told, you can lose me by the time I finish skimming your game page.
Well, truth be told, you can lose me by the time I finish skimming your game page.
AznChipmunk
4613
Hm, well, Muse is mostly about the storytelling, and I don't have the strongest hook right now. Mindflare I did the best hook I could think of that would work (**special effects**). I could probably think of something more interesting for Muse but I don't want to force it in and detract from the story. (There aren't any batttles in Muse, or at least I haven't planned any yet, so I won't do that. I find those somewhat annoying anyways.)
author=harmonic link=topic=3157.msg62186#msg62186 date=1234832697And what about when the game has a learning curve and the first battles are easier on purpose?
Usually it's the first battle that gets me to quit. If it leaves me flacid as wet spaghetti, game over.
That first battle is the last chance to leave a first impression!
What comes to the plot twists, it's kind of difficult to have them early in game, because the player simply doesn't care.
It doesn't require a twist to draw player in, but just keep it generally interesting enough. Also, keep it fun and interactive.
Once the player is concerned, twist will keep him interested even further in the game and possibly make him play it through, but in the beginning it's definitely not a twist (which presents a change) that hooks the player, because you need to introduce state of the subject before that change when a twist in question. It needs to be built up.
I'm still not entirely clear of what's the best way to hook the player in the beginning, I'm still on the trial and error phase and hoping I got it right. Tho everyone seems to know the examples of the worst case scenarios.
With Asc I begin with weird scenarios and questionable situations, action and mostly things that provoke the player to think which led into this, and what will follow.
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