Deus Ex Scribe Says Gameplay Trumps Story
- Thread starter Greg Tito
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Actually, Deus Ex subtly married mechanics and story together.
Certain characters could live or die depending on your "mechanical" interactions.
There are a couple of points in the game where telling a character how to help you might alter your approach entirely. One "boss" character can be instantly beaten via one of these choices (though it means giving up a useful upgrade).
Things like that are what they should be thinking about. The story should be memorable and interconnected to the player, if only so the player isn't relegated to being some random dude who farts around in logic-hallways killing/disabling everything between him and his objective.
A great game will be remembered fondly, but a great game with a strong story or atmosphere will be cherished.
It's this sort of thing that sets games like Deus Ex, Metroid Prime, and Shadow of the Colossus apart from most popular AAA titles.
Certain characters could live or die depending on your "mechanical" interactions.
There are a couple of points in the game where telling a character how to help you might alter your approach entirely. One "boss" character can be instantly beaten via one of these choices (though it means giving up a useful upgrade).
Things like that are what they should be thinking about. The story should be memorable and interconnected to the player, if only so the player isn't relegated to being some random dude who farts around in logic-hallways killing/disabling everything between him and his objective.
A great game will be remembered fondly, but a great game with a strong story or atmosphere will be cherished.
It's this sort of thing that sets games like Deus Ex, Metroid Prime, and Shadow of the Colossus apart from most popular AAA titles.
This statement made me all kinds of satisfied. She's right of course. In the same way that movies and books are written differently with pacing in mind, games need to be approached differently, with respect to gameplay, and the games with the best stories do just that. Gameplay pushing the narrative, storytelling without exposition. Very good to know that people in the industry really do think this way. Gives me big hopes for the future of video games 
Why is the title
When she goes on to say
When she goes on to say
Besides, she's right. We're playing games, not reading books. Adjust your story so it can be told through gameplay. Don't try to invent awkward mechanics just to suit your story.
How else did I sit through RPGs these days?
I play 'em for their nearly always unique combat systems.
I play 'em for their nearly always unique combat systems.
I know you almost certainly think mine is one of them.Maze1125 said:
But it ain't.
Deus Ex HAD to compromise on it's gameplay to become one of the greatest games of all time. So did Bioshock eight years later. Deus Ex could not have worked if it had 'good' gameplay.
Err well an example of the two working in harmony is when kill Anna when order to execute the prisoner on the jet and the story adapts to fit players actions. Which what got the main jist of the article is praising.Arec Balrin said:
DeMarle makes an important statement also which is to my mind incorrect: that in the relationship between merged gameplay and narrative that it is gameplay that leads and narrative which follows. One example would be the concept of Mana in fantasy games where gameplay dictates that spells must have a reasonable limit and narrative says this needs an explanation for the extent of its presence in the setting.murphy7801 said:
As regards Deus Ex, I completely disagree and had they made the game more 'fun' in the simple joy of movement and combat as is the gold standard of first-person shooters, they would have failed to make Deus Ex and instead we'd have something else called Deus Ex. What Ion Storm got wrong was so much better than what they got right. The Walton Simmons fight was terrible and had they looked at it and decided "we need to improve the combat" then the game would have died there and then all because of one scene.
I think the ailment that Deus Ex was spared has unfortunately infected Human Revolution deeply. Even if it turns out to be a good game, it will not be worthy of being called Deus Ex.
Seriously have ever read warren spectors reason for making Deus ex he wanted fuse stealth/shooter/talking/exploration into one great game there all gaming aspects. Secondly "I think the ailment that Deus Ex was spared has unfortunately infected Human Revolution deeply. Even if it turns out to be a good game, it will not be worthy of being called Deus Ex." the game isn't even out so no way you can make call like that to early even if you are a fan one way or the other on your opinion of the prequel.Arec Balrin said:
I have to agree.
Think of 'developed' as opposed to 'forced' relationships in RPGs. They are more more emotionally rewarding when they are player-intiated and caused.
Using gameplay as a mechanic for story telling, at least as I understand it, is not too different to what LA Noire is doing - where your ability to collect clues and ask questions affect the story, as opposed to being compulsory additions you need to get in order to progress.
Think of 'developed' as opposed to 'forced' relationships in RPGs. They are more more emotionally rewarding when they are player-intiated and caused.
Using gameplay as a mechanic for story telling, at least as I understand it, is not too different to what LA Noire is doing - where your ability to collect clues and ask questions affect the story, as opposed to being compulsory additions you need to get in order to progress.
Now that's just poor semantics. Yeah, I get what she says, which is more or less like what Extra Credits said: games need to tell their stories through their gameplay (instead of static cutscenes or others such things) if they ever want to be a fully realized medium. But that's just putting it badly.
Her answer shouldn't have been "gameplay before story", it should have been "gameplay should convey the story." Since that was the point she made afterwards.
And with that, I don't really have an argument.
Her answer shouldn't have been "gameplay before story", it should have been "gameplay should convey the story." Since that was the point she made afterwards.
And with that, I don't really have an argument.
