Hoping for a new design (some spoilers)
TWD was a gamble, and I understand the designers, and their investors needed to protect the money they invested into the game. Needed to make a return. That's fine. I'm hoping now that the game has been getting mentioned on game sites, great reviews, and a fan following they can make some overall changes to the game itself.
What changes would I like to see? I'd like to see a game that does what the first game promised. Decisions that really do alter the fate of the game. For me the first game started out amazing. It was around the point in the game where Kenny's son got bit the game took a turn for me. It was when Carly got shot that I began to realize my choices in the game didn't matter, they all led to the same ending.
I recently read a post by someone who uninstalled the game when Carly was killed off. Some people said that showed good writing, because it showed how emotionally involved he was. This is both true, and false. It's true that it creates real emotional involvement but it's false because it also is true that they led the purchaser of the game to the wrong conclusion - that decisions matter.
Part of the fun of a game is not knowing what's next. When you are given the decision to save someone in this game series it is in fact a spoiler that they will die. Not only is it a spoiler, but knowing they will die takes away the fun, and reinforces how pointless the decisions in the game are.
Telltale can still create emotional bonds in the game, and still kill people off to create that sense of loss but they really need to create a game system in which your choices CAN make a difference in the outcome of the game. That will truly create a game that people keep playing to see what happens. How they can really change the game. It can be done.
I know some people right now are talking about Kenny, and Jane. You changed the game. MAYBE. Maybe they have. I hope so but chances are the next game will pick up in such a way that your decisions didn't matter (If Clementine is the person you are playing). Kenny/Jane will have died or Kenny will just never be heard from again.
Comments
Now, I wouldn't mind more story branching, but why would you bring up Carley? That seems like a poor example. Carley/Doug survives for quite a while and has a lot of dialogue after the initial choice, it's one of the most impactful choices in the game.
What you have to understand is that it would be impossible to have every single choice matter and have a different story for everyone. There has to be a main story that everyone gets otherwise it would take months or years to release the game and it wouldn't even make sense at the end.
It was the first choice you made in which a person was saved by your decision. The real clue I guess should have been the scene where you had the choice of saving Duck, or the other guy with the tractor on his ankle. That was the first real choice. Carley, and Doug were the first two where you felt like you had saved them. When she (in my story line) got shot it became truly apparent it wasn't the case. I realized that my choice didn't really do anything except delay the inevitable.
As long as something like this doesn't happen ever again than I should be fine.
That doesn't make any sense to me. The entire series is all about delaying the inevitable.
That's why your choices should change game play within the game, and there should only be a few decisions (saving people) that can affect future games. It can be done. If they gave you say 3 big choices about which character moves on to the next game, that is doable. As for the time for the game release? That's not really true. There are much much bigger games like World of Warcraft that come out over 18 months or so. It's about money, and now that this company has a big following they should do it.
Then they should advertise it that way, and not lie.
This is a direct quote from the first game guide that came with the game: "The Walking Dead is a game where your choices matter. Things you say and do will have direct effect on the story that you experience, leading to numerous possible outcomes. Choose wisely, because your life and the life of those you care about will depend on your decisions."
That is NOT what the game is.
What "possible outcomes" are they talking about? Last I checked there is one outcome. Lee dying, and Clementine being alone at the end. There isn't any other outcome.
I'm not disagreeing with you. I'm just saying that Carley/Doug was a bad example.
Does Telltale even read our comments? Only reason I even post them is with the hope they read them.
I wouldn't mind determinants like Carley, Nick and Sarah die anyway if they just make a narrative difference. At the very least having Carley over Doug feels different in the small ways their roles differ.
Nick and Sarah felt offensive to me because their temporary survival didn't mean anything. Both of them only have a small bit of dialogue.
One I like to compare to them is Ben, I did not feel like his second death was pointless because he served as additional character development for Kenny in episode 5 (it's just a pity that this doesn't change Kenny at all, it would have been amazing if how Kenny acted towards Arvo would be different depending on if he had the fight with Ben in s1, missed opportunity)
Alvin works in a similar way, while he doesn't really impact anyone one character in any further way for staying a live a bit longer, he serves as a additional "goal" of the episode (save Alvin) even though it essentially doesn't matter; the way he dies the second time feels different simply because it's desperate and heroic.
It's TWD universe, people are going to die, it's already difficult for a character to survive more than 5 episodes, so a determinant character can't survive that long.
I don't know if you played Season 2 already, but it does have different endings. However, only the final choices matters to them, so I agree it would be cool if the decisions you make during the whole season gave different endings.
I agree. And that dude that quit over Carly? I understand how he feels
Like, I've played Mass Effect and Dragon Age, and I know that people are mad that our choices don't really affect the games, but I've always went with the idea that they affect the personality of your Character and was fine with it cuz I knew we were playing a set story. And I would have been fine with TellTale doing the same thing if not for the fact that the way this game was presented and advertised gives a very false idea. Like, I genuinely thought that Duck lived only because I choose to save him. When I was presented with the choice to go to the Dairy or not, I actually thought I would get a choice, cuz thats what the game promised me. I thought how cool that there were 2 different pathways to take and was really excited to replay it and see what happens if we don't go. Even when Carley died I assumed that her death was due to my choices, because I didn't handle or say the right things to Lilly. It wasn't until Duck died that I finally gave in and tried to Google what choices I had to pick to keep him alive. You can imagine how pissed and disappointed I was to learn that yeah, this game is pretty linear. I realize that there is only so much they can do, and I partially blame all the hype for giving me such high expectations, but still, I feel like they could have done more then they did.
Like I said before in my previous comment. What makes me the most irritated is they say in the game guide " because your life and the life of those you care about will depend on your decisions" - It's absolute nonsense. Their lives end regardless of your decisions.
I'm just hoping now that they have some money coming in they can keep the promise they made, and actually have our decisions to save some characters travel into next expansions. I personally think that there should be at least one person you can keep going with you. Just one. If you continue to choose them over other people to save.
Yeah I have played all the way through both games
. Different endings is exactly what I'm talking about. I was really hoping to play the game over, and over again to see the different outcomes. Those hopes were dashed when I realized there was only one outcome (in the first game).
I'll reserve this comment just because I'm really too tired to create a response, but your choices do matter. Not in the way you think. But it DOES have a direct effect, even if it's very minimal.
You're right. It is very minimal. It alters some dialogue around, a little. Here is how I look at it. Imagine being told that there is this really great feature for DVD players. It's awesome. When you play a movie there will be critical points where you get to make decisions that alter the movie. You have direct control over the characters, and their lives are in your hands.
You are super excited. An interactive movie where you have some measure of control, awesome. You play the movie once, and watch the ending. You weren't too happy so you play it again, making different choices. Same ending. You will most likely be pissed thinking you have been lied to. Your choices didn't mean shit. That's pretty much what TellTale did. Sold us a load of goods that was really loads of crap.