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Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Neverwinter Nights, Mass Effect Andromeda
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Post by NotN7 on Aug 21, 2020 21:49:40 GMT
Depends on the game and narrative tone of what they are accomplishing. The only title in the series with a "slow" prologue is Origins, which wanted to do the day in the life narrative structure a bit before your life changes. Great for roleplaying and diversity for sure. Dragon Age 2 and Inquisition were more direct, then slowed down after an action opening. A lot of BioWare games have the action-packed opening; all the Mass Effects, Star Wars, Neverwinter Nights, Baldurs Gate II...only the first Baldur's Gate and Jade Empire took it real slow at first based on my recollections outside of Origins. If I were to guess, the next Dragon Age game will be similar, since that has been the pattern of grabbing peoples attention as much as possible in the first hour or two for players. I agree in DAO I believe in the narrative opening since it was a new game was to ???? introduce everyone to a new (guessing here) series not just a stand a lone game setting up what was to follow in DA2,DAI Speaking I.e. lore the world etc. 
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Spirit talker
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Giant Ambush Beetle
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August 2016
giantambushbeetle
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Baldur's Gate, Mass Effect Andromeda
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Post by Giant Ambush Beetle on Aug 21, 2020 23:07:39 GMT
I like narrative starts that slowly introduce me into the new world of the game so I have a grasp of whats going on when things start getting serious (Story-wise, not so much gameplay-wise), I like that better than being thrown into the fray not knowing whats going on for the first 5-10 minutes. Its like foreplay, most of the time its a good thing.  |
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Post by colfoley on Aug 26, 2020 2:25:54 GMT
I was doing some more musing on this subject and I came up with a couple of points I think are worth bringing to the table.
One of the flaws of the way Inquisition did it, the instant action start thing is that they had to end up tutorializing the first few maps instead...usually this is done in the opening area of a narrative start like White Orchard or Kepholonia but since Inquisition started at such a break neck speed they then had to take you to the Hinterlands which became the 'tutorial zone'...and was rightfully panned.
On the other end of this subject though one of the things that did annoy me about Origins is kind of a twist on the same subject: By the nature of its start and the 'Origin Stories' we basically had two tutorial zones...the origin story itself...and then pretty much everything up to the Ostagar section...heck maybe everything until after you leave Loethering. DAO took a loooonnnnnnggg time to get going.
It is also worth mentioning that as I mentioned the real difference between narrative starts and instant action ones is whether or not the opening of the game is essentially a mini story that is more or less self contained from the events of the rest of the game...the cold open of James Bond movies would be the usual cinema equivalent. But it annoys me too when this stories are somtimes ENTIRELY seperate from the events of the game. Like White Orchard pretty much had no connection to the rest of Wild Hunt.
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qunaripenis
N2
Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquistion, Mass Effect Andromeda
Origin: QunariPeen
Posts: 248 Likes: 665
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qunaripenis
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquistion, Mass Effect Andromeda
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Post by qunaripenis on Aug 27, 2020 23:40:19 GMT
Narratives if they're told right. Otherwise I'm a little okay with instant action.
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Remmirath
N1
Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Mass Effect Andromeda
Origin: Remmirath
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remmirath
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Mass Effect Andromeda
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Post by Remmirath on Sept 12, 2020 22:47:55 GMT
Either one can be done well, but I have a distinct preference for more narrative starts in RPGs. I like to use that time to develop my character before I really get into making decisions rather than coming up with everything about my character right away, which I've always found more difficult to do on the spot.
DA:O with the origins was obviously the best for that, but DA2's opening also worked pretty well for character development purposes. It went right into the action, but it was also introducing you to your character's family and background and throwing choices that were more natural to make early on. DA:I's intro was too sudden for me; you get thrown right into not only the action but making a lot of decisions.
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Polka Dot
N3
Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Mass Effect Andromeda
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Feb 14, 2019 20:07:41 GMT
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polkadot
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Mass Effect Andromeda
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Post by Polka Dot on Sept 13, 2020 1:28:29 GMT
I also am kind of confused by the assumption that BioWare expects people to be emotionally attached to the events or characters at the beginning of DA2 and DAI. Was that ever a stated goal of the writers? For players to be emotionally attached to the characters of the game within the first five minutes? I would presume that your character would be expected to have some sort of attachment(s) to the world they inhabit and at least some of the people in it. I need to have some sense of my character's place in the world and what she thinks and feels before I can effectively start making decisions for her. I was doing some more musing on this subject and I came up with a couple of points I think are worth bringing to the table. One of the flaws of the way Inquisition did it, the instant action start thing is that they had to end up tutorializing the first few maps instead...usually this is done in the opening area of a narrative start like White Orchard or Kepholonia but since Inquisition started at such a break neck speed they then had to take you to the Hinterlands which became the 'tutorial zone'...and was rightfully panned. Agreed. Disagree. One of the things I love about Origins is that it opens with the Duncan-narrated cinematic explaining the origin of the darkspawn, the blights, the gray wardens, and warning of the new blight at hand. That opening cinematic told you what the game was about and what your character's primary goal would be. Your origin story contained any other tutorials needed. It is true that you were escorted from area to area: Origin -> Ostagar -> Flemeth's Hut -> (Maybe) Dog recruitment -> Lothering -> Party Camp, and it wasn't until you left your first camp after Lothering that you were on your own to select your next destination. A Bond style cold open would be totally inappropriate for an RPG, imho - unless you were playing Bond. While I appreciate the natural tendency to compare vidya games with other forms of fiction (literature, movies), let's not forget the key difference: authors, screenwriters, filmmakers have defined the characters and events of their creations. In an RPG, I'm supposed to be co-creating the character and the narrative. As an aside (to noone in particular) - DA2 is a mindfuck from yet another angle: the entire thing is framed as a story Varric is telling. Am I actually (trying to) roleplay Hawke or Varric? BTW - The openings of both DAO and DA2 feature dwarves being dragged. OT: Some opening narrative is my preference.
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Post by colfoley on Sept 13, 2020 1:34:12 GMT
I also am kind of confused by the assumption that BioWare expects people to be emotionally attached to the events or characters at the beginning of DA2 and DAI. Was that ever a stated goal of the writers? For players to be emotionally attached to the characters of the game within the first five minutes? I would presume that your character would be expected to have some sort of attachment(s) to the world they inhabit and at least some of the people in it. I need to have some sense of my character's place in the world and what she thinks and feels before I can effectively start making decisions for her. I was doing some more musing on this subject and I came up with a couple of points I think are worth bringing to the table. One of the flaws of the way Inquisition did it, the instant action start thing is that they had to end up tutorializing the first few maps instead...usually this is done in the opening area of a narrative start like White Orchard or Kepholonia but since Inquisition started at such a break neck speed they then had to take you to the Hinterlands which became the 'tutorial zone'...and was rightfully panned. Agreed. Disagree. One of the things I love about Origins is that it opens with the Duncan-narrated cinematic explaining the origin of the darkspawn, the blights, the gray wardens, and warning of the new blight at hand. That opening cinematic told you what the game was about and what your character's primary goal would be. Your origin story contained any other tutorials needed. It is true that you were escorted from area to area: Origin -> Ostagar -> Flemeth's Hut -> (Maybe) Dog recruitment -> Lothering -> Party Camp, and it wasn't until you left your first camp after Lothering that you were on your own to select your next destination. A Bond style cold open would be totally inappropriate for an RPG, imho - unless you were playing Bond. While I appreciate the natural tendency to compare vidya games with other forms of fiction (literature, movies), let's not forget the key difference: authors, screenwriters, filmmakers have defined the characters and events of their creations. In an RPG, I'm supposed to be co-creating the character and the narrative. As an aside (to noone in particular) - DA2 is a mindfuck from yet another angle: the entire thing is framed as a story Varric is telling. Am I actually (trying to) roleplay Hawke or Varric? BTW - The openings of both DAO and DA2 feature dwarves being dragged. OT: Some opening narrative is my preference. I was just using that for the sake of comparison not what anyone should do since...as I mentioned above...I consider the White Orchard bit from Witcher to pretty much be a 'cold open' with no real relevance to the plot. Kind of why I dislike White Orchard so much I think.  |
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arvaarad
Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Jade Empire
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Post by arvaarad on Sept 13, 2020 1:59:19 GMT
When I’m playing Dragon Age, I’m not playing as a specific person, I’m playing as the world of Thedas. The way I play an individual PC doesn’t just shape them, it also shapes Thedas — both into the future and into the past, because everything they say defines something about the world that produced them.
It’s similar to the concept of One Unique Thing in 13th Age. Individual characters act in ways that create the fabric of the whole world, not just themselves. Neither they nor the world are cleanly separable from each other.
So I don’t mind narrative starts, but I don’t necessarily view them as required after DA:O. I’ve already met the main character.
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