Seeing this I was like, wait, is Taylor the author of that one? I had to go load that one back up just to check (and then went through another play through - damn you!) only to find, no… that’s just Taylor being Taylor. Especially after:
I’d say Taylor is just the cutest little thing, except I don’t know how well such a compliment would be received, and I don’t feel like losing my teeth any other way but the natural way - to caffeinated beverages and carbonated beverages, or even better, a combination of both.
For me not to buy a CoG or HG has something to do with the author…and if the game does not interest me or gets me intrigued enough when I play the free chapters then I don’t automatically buy the game.
Yeah, when absolutely no effort is made to get you involved with the world or attached to your character and the narrative is basically going ‘And then this happened, and then this happened,’ When the story is linear. So basically if I don’t like the writing and if the story is too short.
A hefty 3 page long lore dump with a plethora of names or made up fantasy jargon in the intro will usually put me off.
I’d rather learn the history/setting by actually experiencing it and deciding how to feel about it. No need to rush it.
I used to simply buy the game after the demo if I had funds available, but after NOLA Is Burning, I try to gague the opinion of the game from either the forums or Google Play reviews. It isn’t perfect (some of the games I’ve liked like Empyrean get fairly bad feedbavk), but generally, the feedback allows me to make a more jnformed decisoon.
-Customization is important
-So are good characters and choices that have actual impact
-People like late game callbacks to early choices
-The stats on Tin Star were great
-But apparently they were also terrible?
-You shouldn’t try to be too funny, unless you can actually do it.
-Everyone is crazy in different and exciting ways.
Bad writing and railroading, genderlocking, lack of RO (not a hard no, but I like being able to smooch), forced “canon” RO (I automatically hate them), third person pov (and to a lesser extent first person), bad comedy. And when I think the narrator/mc is either an idiot or a jerk.
For one thing, it’s a sign of lack of meaningful options if I feel like the character is making bad choices for stupid reasons (just give me the prompt “As you hurl yourself from the cliff, you can’t help but wonder why.” if nothing else). For another, I don’t really want to be embarrassed by my own avatar.
For me, one sure-fire off-putter (if that’s a valid term) is undoubtedly when you are told what your character is thinking or feeling when you haven’t stated this for yourself in a choice. Of course, there may some cases that are easy to swallow - fearing for your life during an attempt on it, for instance - but other can be a lot more jarring. I’m thinking of something like this:
“You turn and cannot disguise a gasp as you find yourself face to face with the most breathtakingly handsome man you have ever seen.
[Insert flowery description here, with much lingering of one’s gaze on anatomical features.]
“So what brings you here?” he says nonchalantly, his flawless [insert colour here] eyes burning into yours. You feel a blush rise in your cheeks as you endeavour to recover your powers of speech in the face of such incredible aesthetic beauty.”
Exaggerated, perhaps, but it gets the point across. What annoys me so much about it is how it breaks my sense of immersion by suddenly wresting my character from my grasp. Even if I had previously defined my character’s sexual and/or romantic orientation as including a particular gender, that would not automatically mean that they would be attracted to every member of that gender. For this reason, I find “canon” romances unappealing, and playing a character that begins in some sort of relationship is an extremely risky prospect unless (a) it is part of the plot and (b) the player is able to determine the circumstances of the relationship and their character’s feelings towards their partner. I believe that The Hero Unmasked! goes some way towards mitigating this, although the protagonist still has to have entered into their engagement either willingly, unwisely or with mercenary ambitions. For this reason, I would probably be most comfortable playing an already engaged or married character in a historical-style setting where arranged marriages are common, as this would allow me the most freedom in choosing my character’s opinions of the “match”.
It’s not just romantic opinions either - I remember reading a Fighting Fantasy book once where the main character was speaking with an innkeeper (believe it or not) and the narrative stated that they were incredibly indignant about the innkeeper’s behaviour. I just remember thinking how arrogant the main character looked.
I think it’s all down to the fact that the whole appeal of interactive fiction is about being able to choose who you are and what you want to do, and if your (or your character’s) internal reactions and impulses are dictated for you it can put a dampener on things. There’s also the identification element - as I can see other people have mentioned on this thread, I have a hard time with gender-locked games.
I had to say it out loud so I could do a sound check, but yes.
I know right! You feel frustrated and quite a bit put off by this, and cannot disguise a gasp as you find yourself face to face with the most inane off-topic-ish reply to your comment.
…
Er, I mean, yeah! Seriously, yes. Do not put emotions into my character, thank you, unless it has been established prior (say, I’m afraid of worms with bells on top and suddenly I find myself opening a can of them). Meta-gaming, it would be called, or power-gaming, in role-play terms. It is bad.
You cheeky cheeky person!