STATUS

Crap. So I kind of realized again I'm one of those people who make those long intros...

Posts

Pages: 1
Stuff some of that background information into the world instead. Books about wars/tales/past events or it coming up in dialogue is much more interesting for the player
slash
APATHY IS FOR COWARDS
4158
Ah yea, a lot of people will get bored if they don't get to actually interact with the game for a long time! Hit 'em with something exciting that they get to enjoy too - like some battles or a chase scene - and once they're hooked, you can slow it down for a little story.

This is definitely one of my favorite articles on how to design an intro: http://rpgmaker.net/articles/9/
That makes so much sense I can't even begin to explain how much sense it makes.

Ughhh, now this is making me want to keep the war that I had presented in the beginning of my game saved for later on in the player's curiosity. Though, people who have played the game say that the intro has a gripping introduction and a good setup, but it's sort of boring for people who like gameplay over story to sit through a war-invested city for the setting of an introduction with a military leader giving a speech and... yeah other things like character development.
Honestly, it's not such a bad thing as long as you keep the player engaged. If it's just text on a screen, then... welp.

Think of FFVII's intro. It takes a small while before you get to control Cloud, but in that time you meet Aeris (though you don't really realise it until later), see parts of Midgar (thus setting is established) and then get in to a battle, meet Barret and the crew and give yourself a name. You don't really gain true control of Cloud until you're in the reactor.

So, make it interactive if you can - or barring that, try for movement, interesting story/dialogue (with poses!!!) and good music/atmosphere.
If it's just text on a screen, then... welp.


Uh-oh. Okay, so I MAY have done the worst type of intro without even realizing it... to explain my intro, it opens up with a story of two swans (explaining their story... which is basically just text on a screen), then shifting to a war-invested city after it finishes with a commander giving a motivational speech to "NOT GIVE UP GUYS" and stuff. (also another text on a screen which is basically supposed to give a feel of the setting) Then following that, another scene of a female soldier trying to find her inner co...

Shit. I really did fall into the games with long intro category. It's probably too late since about 200 have downloaded my demo... I can still go back and update it, of course, but I realize now that I definitely screwed up. (If you want you can play my demo to get a better feel. I'm not forcing you to play it I swear)

I probably should have opened it up with skipping the motivational speech and with all the soldiers battling against their enemy, having you jump into one battle after another, which would perfectly shorten the gameplay. freaking out here

it opens up with a story of two swans (explaining their story... which is basically just text on a screen), then shifting to a war-invested city after it finishes with a commander giving a motivational speech to "NOT GIVE UP GUYS" and stuff.


Though, these scenes are also significant to the prologue as a whole. Apologies, that came out alot longer than I intended it to.
Well, it's not recommended to do, sure, but it's far from the worst thing and as long as what is written is interesting it can be forgiven (and in some cases, be quite effective). Usually we're talking history dumps - "1000 years ago a great evil blah blah play the prequel instead blah blah and now people are going missing..."
Oh jeez, now that would be the worst introduction. I've been told that my story core is interesting and is a good setup. But THAT right there is horrible.

If I ever wrote like that I'd be extremely mad at myself...
author=Liberty
"1000 years ago a great evil blah blah play the prequel instead blah blah and now people are going missing..."

Sounds like every Final Fantasy intro ever...

And I guess they already pointed it out, but just to re-iterate: Make it as engaging as possible. It should also feel important to the player, something that will make them want to know more, and not flee in fright. Subtlety is a tactic that is hard to successfully utilise, but provides loads of awesomeness when it is.

I think the article linked by slashphoenix hits all the important aspects of this subject so...
Pages: 1