Gamescom 2015
Jul 24, 2015
It's after 10 pm and I haven't written the 2nd blog entry for this week. In my defense, I spent most of the day writing the dialog that happens when you visit the Diner. It's the first dialog I've written that introduces one of the other playable character flashbacks, so I spent some time trying to figure out the best way to unveil some information.
It's also a dialog I don't want you to exit out of early and that can be tricky without the player feeling trapped.
For most (and I mean most) dialogs, you should always be able to choose the last option and end the dialog. We call it the "goodbye" line.
5 Thanks for your help, we'll be back if we have anymore questions. -> done [reyes] [heard_about_ransome]
It should always be there and make the player feel safe: there is no penalty to getting into a dialog, you can always exit.
The one general exception to this rule is if the dialog dumps you into a small node that is just for comedic purposes. four joke answers. That's OK because it should send you back into the main node with the goodbye line.
For this dialog, I couldn't let that happen, not without making the dialog obscenely complex and probably overly confusing in the process. The trick is to make the dialog so interesting that players don't want to exit, but that borders on being pretentious.
Anyway. Bla bla bla. Enough about my problems.
The good news is that I'm going to Gamescom! I've never been before and I'm really exited. We're not showing Thimbleweed Park (at least not while I'm sober... hint hint), but it should be a lot of fun!
I'm going to be at the Adventure-Treff party, so if you want to hang out and talk Monkey Island, Maniac Mansion, Thimbleweed Park or adventure games in general, come on by.
- Ron
@Ron : great location, nice place beside the "masses".
I guess, having no goodbye option in certain situations is fine. There are several examples throughout the LucasArts games, but those are rare enough not to bother too much. I never felt really trapped in any of them. If you can't exit a dialog at a certain point, there was always a good enough reason so that you didn't want to end it either.
I really love it when you have a dialogue tree, and when you try to click on the goodbye line, the other character say something to the point of, "Not so fast!..." or maybe "We're not done talking!" :) In special situations. You want your players to feel the importance. Even when a player does not get any "punishment" for clicking the wrong dialogue, it will make sense.
Also, are there timed dialog puzzles in the game? Like when you have to give the idol to the Cannibals in Monkey Island, and you take took long? If so, ... I hope this time the other person doesn't wait quietly, but gives you cues.
"Well?"
"Hurry up, I don't have all day! Or night."
"Don't have anything small and pointless with ya?"
"Gah, I give up! Come back when you have something for me."
It sounds like in Ron's example, you're talking to a person of authority, or at least someone who thinks they're in a position of power, so not allowing you to leave imparts a further sense of intimidation. It's also a clue to the player that this is more than just a joke tree, so they should pay attention.
Such ideas can inspire you to find the best possible solution yourself finally.
I for myself like the idea of including a goodbye line which doesn’t allow you to really exit. Do you?
Use your adventure fan base, Ron. Be glad you have it ready when necessary. The final decision is always yours, of course.
Have fun in Cologne. Too bad I haven’t known before; After a meeting with Chris Hülsbeck for lunch, I’ll leave by train at 5pm. Bugger. :-(
The point where it gets annoying is where you enter every room and there are multiple characters who all have vital information that you need to click through dialog trees for.
https://youtu.be/KxwcQ1dapw8
But if the options were evolving instead so that you never have a repetition of the same phrases during the dialog, the player wouldn't feel trapped, I think, because he can clearly see that the dialog proceeds.
http://www.computerhistory.org/_static/atchm/electronic-arts-deluxepaint-early-source-code/
It looks like pixel art is getting trendy again :-)
Furthermore it has always (for 25 years) felt a little off to me when the "exit line" appears too early, or too universally in dialogues, i.e. in places where no conceivable player would ever choose it, since something essential is obviously still in the process of being conveyed. It feels right to be denied the exit line until it is dramatically feasible.
So I say don't worry too much about players feeling "penalized" by being stuck in mandatory dialogues and infodumps. I as a player understand very well that when I choose to talk to a new character I am making a miniature commitment to see the conversation play out.
I guess the key word above is "brief." Figure you get... at least 30 seconds(?) of my reading attention before it even occurs to me to need to check in with my general freedom of action as a player. Maybe that's the wrong duration, and maybe it varies from person to person, but it works like that, I'd say. That is, it's essentially a quantity/pacing issue rather than a branching/freedom issue.
As a fellow poster already said: If you are at gamescom at a specific location at a specific time earlier than 5pm, you could probably meet some of us backers to say hi.
Personaly I will be at the gamescom that friday starting in the morning leaving some time in the afternoon. That would make my day to say "Hi".
If nothing else.... be careful at the gamescom. It'll be crazy full and some halls have no room to even walk...
Much worse than a christmas market.
Got a funny story regarding that meeting the voice of Mario at gamescom 2 years ago.... crazy. Maybe later.
Best Regards,
Andreas
http://tinyurl.com/nkkhzs3
Paulaner or Erdinger Hefeweizen!
I know, Le Chuck calls this "Grog" :D
do you, Gary and Dave plan to implement some Easter eggs in your game?
For example maybe a cameo appearance of yourself as a waiter to have a small talk with or any other character role in one of your already cutten rooms, which were meant to be useless in the last week's blog.
one more try to reach you :)
I know you are very selective regarding answering posts and you are also very particular regarding conversing with ppl, but I believe a few here would be happy to know if you'd be at least a little bit willing to say "Hi" directly @ GC2015 *before* the adventure party. We won't be offended if you say "no".
I don't know if you've heard, but be sure to check our the 25th Anniversary event from Revolution (http://tinyurl.com/RvltnGC15) on that friday, if you happen to be there at this time.
Best regards from a fellow swdev,
Andreas
For the 25th anniversary celebration you need a regular gamescom ticket (which are sold out by now...)
Crud. Foiled again.
I'm glad your humor is ever present in the blog entries, even after a late night dialog-jam. I'm so very excited about this game!
Still following your site regularly, such a relief from all the excitement, hatred and general crap of the internet.
So, my and a few thousand of other players worldwide are going to be so excited to play Thimbleweed Park probably during the Christmas 2016 break.
Playing adventure games is quite a lonely activity (=that's also why it's good), but still you want to share when you've done an achievement. I don't know for the others, but there's only so much you can decently expect from your family as far as listening to your in-game achievement, whereas they themselves are not playing the game.
Thus, will we have some kind of forum where we can discuss among players, with no "spoiler" risk ? For instance, the forum could have many "chat rooms"which, to enter, you would need to answer a question linked to the game itself, so that when I am at a certain point in the game I can "socialize" with other players that are at the same point in the game as I am and we can share a good laughter together.
Is my comment clear?
Thanks
Michael
Regards Tim
In this Case I could come only to the Party on Friday and go to the Gamescom on Saturday :)
Ron, do you know at which time you will be there? I know, you will not have a lot of time for a talk.but just to see you live in person one time would be great.
You made a lot of my Childhood memorys and are responsible for o lot of my actual humor :)
Tim