In-Game Decisions

Started by T!M January 9th, 2014 4:43 AM
  • 650 views
  • 15 replies

T!M

Four Category MoTY (VG) Winner

Age 31
Male
Georgia, United States
Seen May 20th, 2016
Posted April 25th, 2014
1,422 posts
14.4 Years
I believe I made thread about this a while ago.

In-game choices. Sometimes in the story your main character is poised with two or more choices. These choices vary, from which path you'll take to who lives and who dies. Often times these choices ripple in later parts of the game. My question to you, the reader, is how do you go about deciding? Do you base your choices on what's best for the current situation or do choose things you would do if you were asked?
What's your process in making choices in-game and finally, what games do you like that have in-game choices?

Satoshi Ookami

Memento Mori

Age 30
Male
Abyss of Time, Great Seal
Seen August 5th, 2018
Posted July 3rd, 2018
14,253 posts
14.8 Years
I always answer according to what I, myself, would have answered =)
Unless there's another playthrough and I'm hunting for trophies that require specific answers =D
ROM hacking FAQ - Read before asking how to play a hack.

Anime List | PSN Trophy List

Crunch Punch

fire > ice

Age 25
Male
England
Seen March 18th, 2019
Posted January 16th, 2017
1,374 posts
10.2 Years
Most the time in these type of games, The Walking Dead being a prime example I just choose from who I want to save, simply because I like to immerse myself into a game as much as possible.
>> paired to gimmepie · last.fm
Age 28
Male
Cincinnati
Seen June 30th, 2014
Posted June 30th, 2014
673 posts
11.9 Years
Sometimes I make them just because I'm genuinely curious about what will happen. I'm very stringent about not letting my in-game characters become extensions of myself, so I don't particularly favor what I myself would do.
"Spend a little time each day tricking out your obituary."
-Me

Raine

Age 29
Female
Ontario, Canada
Seen December 16th, 2017
Posted October 5th, 2017
3,722 posts
9.3 Years
Honestly speaking, I'm not a fan of games that give you choices. Although I appreciate the replay value in multiple endings and writing your own character story, it doesn't suit my preferences. I like following one straight story and having one ending. I'm a horrible decision maker in real life, never mind making choices in-game. But when I do, I generally choose the sensible and probably most often chosen one.

Lord Scalgon

I'm just here so I won't get fined.

Your hairdresser.
Seen August 16th, 2018
Posted June 7th, 2016
270 posts
14.3 Years
I just pick the negative choices for the lulz. Sometimes, I tend to have more fun being the criminal rather than being the hero.

An example is Skyrim, after a guard orders me to submit, I'd tell him that "I'd rather die than go to prison".

As for real life, I always choose the optimistic path. Realism kicks in real life; in-game doesn't.
Liu Kang ftw.



YouTube (mostly uploads of bullet hell shmups)
Clash of Clans = Town Hall 11, Level 151. Max balloons, max wizards, max P.E.K.K.A.'s, max golems, max witches, max valkyries, maxed base except for walls and heroes. Crimson Reborn fighting.

Dansparce

The Unbeatable

Male
Dark Cave
Seen September 20th, 2016
Posted April 14th, 2016
457 posts
10.2 Years
Whenever I make a choice in a video game, It's generally trying to fit what the character I'm either playing as or created would say. If I want to make a complete saint of a character, I'll always choose the choices that help the most people and vice-versa.

Arc

Male
ᶘ ᵒᴥᵒᶅ
Seen March 17th, 2018
Posted January 31st, 2017
2,023 posts
15 Years
The only game that I really liked that had choices was the Walking Dead. Since, in those games the choices you made actually mattered, to a degree.

But whenever I'm given a choice, I usually decide my choices what best fits with the situation or what the character would most likely make.

Shadowraze

ur mum

Age 24
Non-binary
ur mum
Seen November 24th, 2022
Posted October 16th, 2016
794 posts
10.1 Years
"Make game choices carefully"

That's what I learned from playing The Walking Dead, Skyrim, and The Wolf Among Us. A wrong choice could lead to a game over so you really have to choose what is right. For me I put myself in the characters shoes just for me to realize what choices is for the best especially when I'm playing The Walking Dead like choosing between who gets to live now that's just harsh and you have to face the consequences that the characters will say to you regarding your decision. So I do 2-3 gameplays of the game just to see what each decision does for me to enjoy the game more.

I believe the Mass Effect series is something like that as well although I haven't played it yet.
Seen 1 Day Ago
Posted February 5th, 2017
6,779 posts
15.5 Years
I'm apathetic towards in-game choices as of right now, but it's mostly because the medium is still in a primitive state. Most modern games that use choices as a selling point end up falling on their face because they display choices in at least one of two ways:
-story changing choices only occur during dialogue
-said choices involve black-and-white morality

I think both of these are laughably poor ways of presenting player choice, but since it's an easy solution most developers use it. An equally big problem that arises is the pacing. A handful of these same developers think that the calm period in between heavy combat sequences is the perfect place for text dumps, and the conversations that occur themselves are so incredibly stilted and robotic that it's almost impossible to get immersed.

Moreover, I think what's more important than choices are their impact on the player, rather than on the game. A silly but surprisingly fitting example is a QTE in Assassin's Creed II, where you have a quick opportunity to hug Leonardo da Vinci(I think). Despite the choice affecting absolutely nothing, many players decided to play the segment over just because they wanted to making Leonardo happy.


tl;dr choices are cool, but how choices are presented sucks.

幕之内 一歩

<b><font color=

Age 39
Male
In the Ring
Seen June 28th, 2018
Posted February 1st, 2015
288 posts
13.9 Years
The thing about choices in game is that a lot of the time, those choices are really an illusion. They try to make you believe you have control. Some games really do give you choices and it actually effects the story and I applaud those games, but often times I always find the choices leading.

What I mean is, they give you either option A) Do it, B) Don't Do it or C) Ignore and it happens anyways. Or they give you options that your character wouldn't actually do (due to how you developed them or for whatever reason) but you can't progress without choosing an action that would break your character. Those kinds of options are frustrating. If you're playing a Rogue that would rather leave you broke and lost, but you're only option is to either help them or leave them alone, then what kind of choice is that really?
Laugh, and world laughs with you. Weep, and you weep alone.

acatfrommars

Male
Seen February 5th, 2023
Posted January 9th, 2023
3,870 posts
9.6 Years
Yeah, these are some of my favorite type of games. Mass Effect actually came to my head. Normally I would pick the choice which would cause the most chaos haha. Choice A:: run into a horde of enemies? Choice B: Wait it out. Without a doubt I'm running into that horde! I'm glad that we were able to make more of our own choices in GTA V. The Jewelry store mission is what comes to my head. :)