Yep, this is another Vs topic. Last time I asked about slow-pace starts vs. action filled fast starts.
Now, I’d like to hear opinions on how they feel when a story has many choices(maybe 4-7 each page) to give you a sense of not being slowly railroaded in a story but arent very hard hitting but get the job done vs. a story with very few perhaps two choices a page but very meaningful and thoughtout but you know your being railroaded pretty hardcore, of course a balance of the two is the best but if you had to pick between the two which would you perfer?
I’m thinking “Meaningful” here is taken to mean consequential, whereas “Many” is taken to entail largely aesthetic choices. If that is the case, then, simply put, it depends on the circumstance. Aesthetic choices, if done well, whilst not largely affecting the gameplay proper, CAN affect one’s perception of the game, such that one imagines the situation in a different light. Purely consequential choices, for example, may invite the risk of appearing bare-boned and sterile. Consider this issue in terms of gameplay rather than coding.
Hence, iff an aesthetic choice has a palpable bearing on one’s perspective, then use it.
Er, I think I found a mistake on your part. Wouldn’t fewer, more meaningful choices be more practical and wouldn’t railroad you than having about seven almost pointless options that would railroad you? Surely, having Seven colors of hair to choose from, would do nothing but railroad you? Besides having long hair like Rapunzel. I don’t really have a opinion yet because of confusion.
@Drazen Yah, Exactly. Sorry for my loose definition of the terms.
@Happy Sorry, I forgot to mention that most times when things have more choices they seem… I guess, more open give the reader- I guess the best way to put it is a longer leash, while fewer may make you feel more limited and forced to pick from a smaller array so you may feel the lack of freedom and might feel railroaded from that.
This is an incredibly difficult topic to discuss, in my opinion the answer is and always will be: Whatever you think is best.
You can have many choices that affect very few things, very few choices that affect quite a lot of things or any combination of the two.
Personally, I’d rather see a really good story with a handful of choices that really make me stop and think.
Choices like “Do I go left or right” - even if each leads to a very different scene, I won’t feel the impact of the choice.
However something like, choose who to save:
“The Queen (you love) or a small innocent child”
I’d actually have to stop and think for a moment, that’s a hard choice. What do I think the consequences of that will be? Will the empire crumble without the queen’s guidance? Will my (character’s) heart turn inside out without her? Would she forgive me if I saved her over the kid? Does the kid deserve this? Why is he/she here? Can I sacrifice them for the good of the kingdom?
That - to me - is what makes a good choice.
I could care less if my character is wearing blue or black, or if they’re family name is burt or bort. Those are all nice touches, but to truly feel like a part of the story/game and world, I want to feel like my choices have weight, and when they have weight, they make me stop and think very carefully about what choice I’m going to make…
I’m with @CJW on this one as well. All choices do not need to be meaningful, but the most important ones should be. Otherwise I’m not going to be particularly impacted by the game.
I like customizing characters a lot, so most of the time, I don’t really mind a lot of choices which are there for purely aesthetic reasons. What I don’t like is when they’re the only kind of choice there, and the rest is just narrative and railroading. I’m agreeing with @CJW here, in that the choices you make should have an effect on the plot, that the choices should let you have a say in the story, and not just whether your character has green eyes or blue.
I like a mix of both, a good example of this is WayWalkers: University. You choose which race you are and while this may be for looks for some people, it actually does make a meaningful difference, (If you’re human then you have a bit more knowledge of some cultures than others, or If you choose Ki’ra then you will react differently to Sem. It’s well-thought choices that are the best, I was always a Tazu fan but I decided to play as another race and now I prefer Humans or Mulian because I felt each race was unique and special through each playthrough.
@statickandy Welcome to the magical land of the forum… Tuesday’s bingo night.
