Disappointing That Most QTE's Do Not Matter
After missing a few QTE's in this first episode, I noticed that Batman would still dodge and strike. The outcome didn't seem to be affected too much by what I did so I ran a few tests and here are some of the things that I noticed.
1) When first infiltrating the building at the very beginning, the events where people are pulled up into the ceiling or dragged into the elevator shaft will happen on their own even though you are given a prompt. Then, ~80% of the fighting (dodging/striking) will happen even if the prompts are not followed. Only the last one or two QTE's need to be followed to beat the criminal.
2) Hitting the thug through the door, slamming his head on the table, dodging the saw blade and taking out that thug all happens without you following the prompts.
3) Snagging Catwoman with the batclaw happens without aiming or triggering the prompt.
4) Hitting Catwoman with the stun device happens without aiming or triggering the prompt.
5) Entire fight sequence at Cobblepot Park happens without needing to follow the prompts. Batman still dodges and strikes back except for the gun sequence and the thug getting bashed into the statue (he runs into it on his own).
Finding out that most of this QTE's do little more than making a prompt glow is very disappointing. I would rather watch a cutscene of batman fighting than given the illusion that any of these actions matter.
Maybe they just need to put less QTE's in and make them matter? Maybe figuring out another way to have the player interact with the fight sequences? I feel like anything would be better than useless button mashing that affects nothing...
I still love the story and the dialogue choices in this game. I can't wait to find out where this story goes but this gameplay almost makes me want to just watch it on Twitch so I don't have to deal with it.
I love TellTale and I love Batman.... please don't make this the game that ruins that love!
Comments
Yes, they need to fix this and add rewind then I'll be happy.
Its just the first episode man, chill out.
It's only the first episode considering Wolf Among Us didn't have instant Game Over screens in fight sequences if you didn't press every QTE prompt in it's first couple of episodes. Also I think the main point by doing the prompts is to fill up the bat symbol to do a finishing move and if you don't fill up the symbol Batman will get knocked out.
I was a bit disappointed too. There were A LOT you could miss. In most whole scenes, there was only 1 you couldn't miss. Scenes of 10+ prompts. That was a bit depressing considering for all the flack Jurassic Park got, at least that game punished your mistakes. If you want your cake and to eat it too, why not have a menu option for "normal" and "cinematic" modes or something. I know it's a lot more work to animate more scenes, but it's a lot better in my opinion.
Wolfie at least he's not a mere mortal.
that's my reasoning... only tougher opponents, can kill him. can't recall any tough person can't kill if we do nothing.
I do like how the cops stare at him, not using his grappler & standing there awkwardly looking upwards.
That's the kind of things I hope to see in my playthrough missing out most of the QTEs
awkward or blunt moves. It's ok he still survives, but make him look foolish or if the thug is so lame, he really don't need to do anything to win.
Batman wouldn't be able to do what he does for every long if generic mercenary thugs or a classy cat burgler could best him. I do not mind the game picking up my slack, some of these QTEs were really difficult and fast. "OTL
Well, that's kinda disappointing.
I was hoping it would be kinda like The Wolf Among Us.
The Woodsman fight in that is the absolute perfect example of how all games should do QTEs if they choose to.
The fight is entirely QTEs, but there's a single one that will fail you if you miss it.
If he swings at you, you press a button to dodge. If you miss, you get sliced in the face.
He bumrushes you, and you can knock him out or get knocked into a wall.
It was amazing.
Yeah, they should've just stuck with what they already did before in The Walking Dead/Wolf Among Us. Feels kinda lazy.
Agreed, it feels like they didn't put much work into the fighting/QTE's.
Don't get me wrong, the choices/dialogue are pretty decent.
But the rest just feels like they rushed it just to get the game out.
It's like they're making an illusion to get the player to FEEL like he's actually a part of the game.
It's quite disappointing really.
During which episode should bad mechanics be seen as unacceptable?
If that was the main point of the prompts, it wasn't communicated very well at all. They put an arrow pointing down, you hit down, batman dodges down. That seems to be setting a clear expectation for how you are interacting with the game.
Not every failed QTE needs to result in "game over". But to remove all consequences for missing a QTE removes any motivation to interact with those sequences.
The consequences could be very minor (batman gets hit when he otherwise wouldn't have) and yet that sense of my hitting a fast/difficult QTE adding something to the scene could be very satisfying.
Or maybe they need to make the QTE's easier to hit and make them matter more.... Something; anything other than what they gave us in this episode.
Still loved the story and dialogue tho. Those were on point!
People's excuse was that it's just the first episode? Easily one of the worst mechanics yet and that's the excuse. Telltale is no stranger to action sequences and even when missing one button didn't immediately result in a game over it still altered an action sequence in some way. So yeah I have to call bs on this issue being present because it's the first episode. TWAU didn't have this amateurish problem in it's first episode
Don't play any of the Arkham games then.
Missing one shouldn't punish you but when you don't have to do them at all (like the Oz scene) then that's ridiculous in my opinion. It feels a little bit lazy.
^Dat bad game designs are not plot. They should not be here in first place QTE in past had the sole point of failing the level if you missed them. WIth what TT they are pointless.
All I meant by that is that you can see an improvement in later episodes. Jeez
I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt since the point of doing the prompts is to to fill up the meter to do a finishing move and if you don't successfully fill up the meter, you get a game over. They're just testing the waters.
I'm just going to wait and see. Things can easily change somewhat in upcoming episodes.
I would have definitely agreed with you, except for the fact that Telltale seemed to want to take the QTEs in a new direction with a special action bar. Sure you can stand to miss a few, but if I understand it right, the more you miss the less likely you will be to have that cool finishing move. I think it's more of a positive incentive system than the punishing system of a game over system. I guess time will tell if they think it is a better system, but I think it works will in this comic book franchise. I do think they should build in some more stumbling animations though in case of a missed prompt.
I would have also agreed that it doesn't matter that it's the first episode, if it doesn't have to do with the plot, then a bad game mechanic is a bad game mechanic. However, just taking the first fight, it's most likely that Telltale wanted to make the first fight player-friendly and forgiving, in order to smoothly introduce the game mechanics to beginners without them having to become frustrated not being able to pass the first scene because they don't know what to do (I know this was a complaint in the first fighting scene in Game of Thrones, so I think telltale is just taking measures to avoid this again). I'm sure QTEs will probably become more challenging as episodes pass.
It's lazy. If you don't want every QTE to have you to die, but The Wolf Among Us gave you cuts and bruises.
The Walking Dead got Lee to get fucked up or die a lot.
Story Mode actually had scenes trigger when you failed prompts.
Tales... I actually don't know. I never did a fail all QTE run, nor watch someone do it. But I assuming it's like Game Of Thrones.
Game Of Thrones gave you extra wounds and scenes trigger.
Guess they're just going full Michonne now? Three death scenes is all you need!
This is the type of thing that has been happening recently in more of Telltale's games than Batman though, and they don't seem to be learning?
This is the type of thing that has been happening recently in more of Telltale's games than Batman though, and they don't seem to be learning?
No? Story Mode still punishes for failure, so did Michonne (quite a bit) just because Batman had a rough start with the QTE system doesn't mean you can throw the blame on other series.
This game's qte system is pathetic, i mean, i managed to press three buttons in time throughout the whole game and it didn't change a single thing the special move bar got filled anyway and i finished all the fights, i mean, i don't want every mistake to kill me but it could at least have alternative animations for failing the qtes. This first episode felt really lazy in that regard.
Tales actually resulted in a lot of humor if you missed the QTE's, in my alternate playthrough I missed them just to see what would happen!
I agree. In TWAU for example when you missed a button prompt in a fight you would get attacked and hurt, but with batman you just carry out the attack as if you didn't fail.
Also you look foolish for trying to lift a sofa & failed...
that's the kind of thing i want to see in Batman,
one example is the cops staring at him doing nothing but holding a grappler upwards.
Though I thought the episode was great, I was disappointed in the QTE's as well. I have noticed this with Minecraft Story Mode as well. No matter what, the QTE's play themselves out. If you put the controller down the game could play itself out entirely (with a few exceptions of course). I miss QTE's like TTG previous projects. Like the Molly and Lee fight, for example. That one was spectacular and really mattered. Not to mention challenging.
Always hated QTES on first place, let alone when they don't even count, hope they'll fix them in EP2, or even better do away with them
Ah, I get what you mean there. Yeah, I can agree there.
I'm about 2 hours into Arkham Knight, with my sister helping me out understanding the lore and whatnot, I hope they won't be TOO difficult. :O
I kind of thought they might've done this so that new players or old players don't have to suffer too much from the faster-paced QTEs.
Agree with all of you...it was the first telltale game i've played and i watched the others in utube and qte was better especially in wolf among us.I hope in the next episodes will change
I'm no stranger to dying in TTG games and constantly failing prompts lol, so it really confused me. I didn't even realize that you can get a special 'finishing move' if you didn't fail much, could've been my own fault for not noticing it, but it could be presented to player clearer before the first fight taking place.
If the way the qtes were done there, was serving as some kind of 'tutorial' (to get somewhat acquainted with the new system or whatever) it could've been limited to the first fight, continuing as usual from there - presenting the consequences right away if you fail.
There was at least one game over screen though, if you failed to shoot Falcone's turret with your drone, so failing qtes there doesn't always go completely unpunished.
But in Minecraft there are at least some variations (if not death) if you fail the QTEs. For example you're supposed to build stairs, but if you do nothing, someone else will build it for you. Here, Batman does exactly the same animations even if you fail in most of the QTEs.
I'm aware. That's why in my original comment I made sure to put "(with the exception of some of course)".
Did a last check and saw still no difference in "inactive" QTE, so here's a compilation of both
hitting every mark (red) and missing all but the key mark (Blue)
Yeah, when I found this out it greatly lowered my opinion of the game. Keep in my that I originally had it at 7/10 and I'm gonna keep it there because I like the story. Plus, if you can kiss Selina then all is forgiven on that front.
I don't see how they can't have it that if you miss a QTE that you get hit or something happens that leads to a fail sequence. The fact that I can go through the majority of the scene and not do anything is just amazing. I mean damn you wasn't kidding with a illusion of choice.
One big variation they could have had is that if you don't throw the BatShocker at Catwoman then she can escape without the saving sequence. Though, saving sequence can happen if you actually bust her eye up it impairs her ability to get away and you have the falling sequence. Then you still have the "original" where you hit her with that McShockerz and save her. So, three little variations with two that can end up giving the "same" result and a "rare" one.
Stuff like that encourages multiple playthroughs just to see what happens in those scenes. TTG just seems like they want to pump these things out.