Limited Choices discussion (merged threads)

[macil]

I also bought the game based on the choices affecting outcome marketing.

The VERY FIRST thing you see when you load a new chapter is:

This game series adapts to the choices you make.
The story is tailored to how you play.

This is pretty much a lie. It should read something like:

This game series flavors the experience from the choices you make.
The story is colored by how you play.

I'm still having fun with the game, but like a poster above me, it annoyed me enough to post about it. In my opinion, it wouldn't be difficult to create a few set pieces per episode and then focus all attention into story and branching. And also like a poster above me, I'd be happy with an "A or B" branch -- I don't need "A, B, C, D, E, F", though I remain unconvinced that it would be such a monumental hurdle to overcome.

I don't think the choices would necessarily have to become a logisitical nightmare the longer the story went on -- I think creative writing and what kind of choices you actually present could take care of a lot of those problems.

And I would hope sophisticated enough tools are available to the designers that allows writers to basically load a set piece (after completed by level designers), place characters and script the scenes. I would imagine the tool could be simple enough that if it were released, the public could easily create their own episodes (hint, hint).

You would have new models on occasion, but most animations should be done by now and with a good base of generic assets and a decent level editor, you can create a lot of different types of locales. Maybe the voice acting takes too long / is too expensive.

Like I said, still having fun with the game, but the source world/material of The Walking Dead is so rich its kind of disappointing we don't have some real branching. Maybe on the last episode, they'll go crazy (we can hope.)

inb4 "make your own game" (which is on my long-term agenda.)

[ShadowFlux]

Originally Posted by CrazyGamerzPC

Shame TTG, but still, if this was advertised as an interactive story, it would be brilliant

Watch playing dead episode 1, it was advertised as such.
I believe they likened it to a couple different things: A long form story, and an interactive tv show.

There are several threads complaining about the choices, I think the people making the complaints should go (re)watch Playing Dead episode 1 and episode 2 which came out well before the first episode of the game.

[idonotexist]

Originally Posted by Gman5852

Realistically, WD would probably be between 2 and 3, it is NOT as linear as shown, if it was that, there would be zero consequences for anything done at all.

I haven't seen any real consequence so far. You choose which character dies when. It's happened once. If I had the option to keep someone alive or kill someone then I'd be pretty much satisfied.

I keep mentioning that when I saw the bandits in the camp I fully expected to have to make a judgment call. There was a lot of walkers and lead flying. If I could have chosen st save someone then I would have been pretty much satisfied. Grated some other things about the game would have still frustrated me but I might be able to say that all in all I enjoyed it.

Here's what I really would have liked to happen: Larry doesn't get executed by the hand of fate. He continues to hate me and goes on and continues to sabotage me at every turn. He makes my life a living hell and then finally, I get the opportunity to let him die. If I want to I can justify it because he's a danger to Lee and his surrogate daughter. And if I dont I can justify that because I'm just better than that.

And then maybe he shoots Carly in the face, or throws me to the walkers 2 seconds before the game ends. Or maybe he saves my life, or someone else's. And I get to think about those possibilities until it happens.

But none of those things is going to happen. Whatever's SET to happen is going to happen. So why do I care? Oh there might be something tacked on for episode 5, some big decision you get to make, but it wont take you back more checkpoint to get all the possible endings.

[TheWildcard]

I see this game branching....But in the last episode. I figure they will take one of two routes for the split...

1 They will simply have a number of decisions that split the game at that point regardless of what you have done previously.

2 They will pretend to make your choices matter by tallying up your choices and grading them. This will create branches for "you are a jerk", "you just let things happen around you", "you tried to play hero", and so on.

[StrawberryRainPop]

Originally Posted by kongdong

I found this from someone else that sums it up pretty accurately. look at the 3rd graph to see how 'choices' matter.

agreed. After Carley died, and episode 3, i might as well be watching a movie, seeing as nothing i do means crap.

[LokiHavok]

For the diagram above:

1) IS practically infeasible, especially for an indie dev house
2) THat branching out. Looks to me to appear to be two different games. That's jsut not doable
3)That's not an accurate depiction of the branching that happens in TWD
It's just not that simple
It's more like several small tangents come off off those little balls based of the choices you make, then come back and merge with the next major event.

Honestly, to the people complaining. Your logic is invalid. You're askin for an Open-World RPG not a graphic adventure game, which TWD has always been advertised as. It's choice system is pretty advanced for that genre.

Basically you're praying and hoping an apple is going to turn into an orange. And when it doesn't you get angry. TTG is an independent game studio that makes ADVENTURE games. With a fraction of the budget of the developers of most mainstream titles. Jesus Christ, your lack of appreciation is sickening!

[Web Head]

why didn't he grab the saw or a woody thing to smash zombies' heads trying to get in the farm? When I firstly played ep 1, I was looking for the saw as a first thing ^^^ but :O

[skepticalguy90]

Originally Posted by LokiHavok

For the diagram above:

1) IS practically infeasible, especially for an indie dev house
2) THat branching out. Looks to me to appear to be two different games. That's jsut not doable
3)That's not an accurate depiction of the branching that happens in TWD
It's just not that simple
It's more like several small tangents come off off those little balls based of the choices you make, then come back and merge with the next major event.

Honestly, to the people complaining. Your logic is invalid. You're askin for an Open-World RPG not a graphic adventure game, which TWD has always been advertised as. It's choice system is pretty advanced for that genre.

Basically you're praying and hoping an apple is going to turn into an orange. And when it doesn't you get angry. TTG is an independent game studio that makes ADVENTURE games. With a fraction of the budget of the developers of most mainstream titles. Jesus Christ, your lack of appreciation is sickening!

I don't think many people are asking for decisions that will branch off at every episode into a situation where you have hundreds of scenarios. But when you end episode 3 and the situation is the same no matter how you played it, that seems like you're not really making a difference with your choices, because at the end of the day you're all in the same place.

[bazenji]

The more I hear, the less these arguments make sense.

We all have different stories. Which means our choices mattered.

[LadyJ]

Originally Posted by TheWildcard

I see this game branching....But in the last episode. I figure they will take one of two routes for the split...

1 They will simply have a number of decisions that split the game at that point regardless of what you have done previously.

2 They will pretend to make your choices matter by tallying up your choices and grading them. This will create branches for "you are a jerk", "you just let things happen around you", "you tried to play hero", and so on.

I think that the second scenario is likely.

I also think that this linear issue isn't one that will ever be resolved on this board to anyone's satisfaction. It cannot be disputed that the way this game was advertised was problematic. This is evidenced by the split amongst the community.

I have been on this board for about 4 days and have seen the point argued no less than 10 times in different threads with viewpoints from both sides. I stand by my original opinion and don't plan on restating it or arguing it again.

From where I sit, it is an incredibly bad choice on the part of TTG to not address their method of marketing, either in the form of modifying future sales pitches or by modifying the game itself.

There are too many people arguing both sides for the issue to not warrant any action.

[kingmartykim]

Episode one wasn't as linear since we could have chosen different ppl ( Doug and Carley ) and saving Carley made Lee talk more about his past...etc....and after ep 3 everything went downhill...back to linear...hopefully things will change a bit in ep 4 like either leaving Omid to die...or choosing to save him...etc

[UnknownFox]

You know, its possible they are aiming for multiple endings, based on your overall choices. Say depending on how well you treated Clem throughout would decide on her choice of staying with him, while middle road she saves him but leaves, third being she saves herself and runs for it.

Personally, if the final episode can at least take all 4 episodes into consideration to have multiple endings, I think I will be fine. Least then it would give another reason to replay it.

[steadly]

i really don't think the game should be criticised , sorry but after just finishing the third episode I've been on the edge of my seat again and that to me is worth every penny . Yes the story is going in one direction but isn't it meant to be the choices we make on the way that matters ?? I mean ok its a valid point that no matter what you do Carly dies duck dies etc but its how we react to these situations in the dialogue that makes the game so good.
i for one love getting to the end and seeing who chose to do what and cant wait for the next one every time !, and for the money per episode i think were all winners. To have a truly 100% decision based game would take for ever to make and play and lets face it would cost a fortune to buy . I for one am a very happy customer

[Castiel91]

Is anybody disappointed with the game so far? The game not the story. I believe the story is very well written, and I'm thoroughly enjoying that part of the game, but the game itself is extremely frustrating.

I have played episode 1, 2 and 3 and my decisions don't seem to mean anything. When I first loaded the game I felt my decisions would make a difference, but apart from saving Carley or Doug I feel helpless. It's like going through a game supposedly giving you the freedom to make vital decisions and changes but the outcome still being the same, extremely disappointing.

I don't know if you guys ever had the chance to play Heavy Rain on the PS3, but that's a game Tell Tale should have been creating. A game where decisions count for something. A game where one wrong move and you can die and be written out of the game. A story that had like 5 possible endings and changes in the plot if you made bad choices. This is what I was hoping for when I bought The Walking Dead. I bought the game because I'm a fan of the TV series, but I was expecting more from the game.

I have been in several situations on the game where I have wanted to make a difference but couldn't as the game appears to be too linear and forcing your hand on many things. I would have loved to have made a difference without these silly "Appreciation hints" and the following person dying 10 seconds later unexpectedly.

Instead of just building up a strong relationship with some of the characters, you should be able to make sure they stay alive as well without the decision being made for you. If that means a slight change in the plot with the characters you like surviving so be it, I just feel Tell Tale have been lazy and created a very short gaming experience without you being able to do a thing to prevent character deaths.

Please don't get me wrong I am enjoying it as a whole to a certain extent but I was hoping for so much more hence the rant. I would have just loved to be able to make a valuable difference without feeling helpless.

[Lars80]

I think telltale got their money and now just want to get this game over with.

The easy way out is to kill the main characters, that way the decisions you have made with each one wont matter and they dont have to make all kinds of different options.

Like the Carley/Doug issue. Making you choose who to save... This was a mistake. Because of that they had to make 2 games. One with Carley, another with Doug. The easy way out was to kill them both. Problem solved.

Now with the main crew gone and the decisions you made gone with them, creating the next episode will be easier.
Kenny will drop dead in ep4, or he will be a nobody without his familly.

[Ja1862]

But those choices have 0 impact so they don't matter along the way

[Raidenorius]

You still do NOT understand world of TWD. Many of this what was written on last 2 pages, had been written before.

[malcom155]

The problem i have with the game is not the story, the world of WTD, the death of carley/doug, no, it's the fact that the game was advertised by "the story will be tailored by your choices".
At the end of the third episode (who i excellent, i think it's the better of the three in term of emotion and story) our saves are all the sames... how the story is tailored by my choices if all of them are without consequences ? Beside Doug/Carley choices, what other impact the story or "tailor" it ? None. Sequence, dialogue, changes a litlle but not the story herself...
This problem have nothing to do with "the world of TWD" or "Carley/doug death". You can do nothing, change nothing, or even influence in the smallest possible way the story, you can't save anybody (oh I already see "it's TWD world answers", you can keep it, i understand it and i agree but i don't speak of that now, i speak about choices and impact) or change anything (even in the smallest way in this chapter). So how can i tailor the story of a game if i can't change, influence or worsen things ?

this is my problem now.

I'd alreaffy buy the season and i think TWD game is a good interactive comic but not the game i see in advertising and the playing dead interviews...

[UnknownFox]

I do understand what you mean. Originally I thought it would mean the choices would ultimately affect my outcome of each episode. Say episode 2 those who chose to stay deal with the brothers, while those who chose to leave end up in the RV with Kenny and his family for episode 2 followed by episode 3 being completely different than what we got this time around.

That was my initial though on "tailored to your choices"

[TheWildcard]

Exactly Malcom...The game was/is advertised as something that it is clearly not. This is why people are upset.