08-30-2008, 06:10 AM | #1 |
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Linear or non linear?
What do you prefer? Some reviews of games complain of adventure games being too linear. Personally I don't mind either, but actually, I think I prefer linear. I like to be limited to following a path in a game where you have to complete a puzzle or a line of investigation or dialogue before you can progress because it gives me absolute direction and stops things getting too confusing. I know what I'm meant to be focusing on. I like it if I'm stuck in a room or an area and I have to figure out what to press or what to find to move ahead rather than the gameworld being so big and free roaming it becomes overwhelming.
Even in action games, I like it when they say something like "your current goal is to get to the upper level" or something like that. However, Voyage was rather non linear in places and that worked well too because it was heavily puzzle based, so if you got stuck you could go try another puzzle in another area. Same with safecracker. As an additional thing this to thread, which games can you name which are non linear? |
08-30-2008, 06:19 AM | #2 |
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I prefer linear with some elements of non-linearity: for example, in Gabriel Knight 3 you could easily miss some points and yet the game can be perfectly beatable. Another great example of very well-done non-linearity is The Last Express, or even some old games like Quest for Glory 2 or Conquests of the Longbow.
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08-30-2008, 06:25 AM | #3 | |
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08-30-2008, 06:46 AM | #4 |
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I thought GK3 was a failed experiment in that regard. In the situations where you really messed-up something the alternative route was always unsatisfactory and prompted you to rather load a saved game and try again. Also, the stuff that was truly optional to learn pretty much didn't add anything to the story or characters. Even finding out through a finger print who was Grace's mysterious helper was just a red herring.
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08-30-2008, 09:49 AM | #5 | |
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Spoiler: In my opinion, it is a good example of a linear game with some degree of non-linearity: after the first playthrough, I played immediately a second time 'cause I feel I left out too much details.
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08-30-2008, 10:38 AM | #6 |
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I hate non-linearity where it's in the style of Gabriel Knight 3, where you can miss out on alot of interesting things if you do things wrong.
If the non-linearity simply affects the order of your actions, then I'm for it. |
08-30-2008, 10:52 AM | #7 |
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Me too. I like graphic adventures (3D, 2.5D, whatever) with an interactive fiction feel.
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08-30-2008, 10:57 AM | #8 |
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It's obviously easier to tell a story in a linear fashion it allows the developer to control the pace and direction of the story.
The downside of that is it creates a bottleneck where if you are stuck on a puzzle there is nothing else to do and the game grinds to a halt. Too much non-linearity can go the other way with no cohesion to the story and leaving the player with too much to do and no clue where to start. So some happy medium has to be the best way forward. Lucasarts always done it best in my opinion always leaving you with 3 or 4 puzzles on the boil at the same time. Can't figure out one of them then try another until the flash of inspiration comes in. I prefer the mixture. Linearity works in movies and books, but not in video games.
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08-30-2008, 11:02 AM | #9 |
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One of the game that used non-linearity in a very bad way, in my opinion, was Culpa Innata: moreover, it seemed to me a linear non-linearity, a forced one - so I was hugely disappointed.
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08-30-2008, 11:03 AM | #10 | |
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Sure, all the optional segments in GK3 are nice, but they aren't anything more special than hearing Gabriel's fun comments for random objects in the game. They are often difficult to find or activate and are ultimately wasted resources that could instead enrichen the core gameplay, story, or characterizations. I found the optional stuff in GK1 much better and providing additional depth to the proceedings. Also, you usually had a whole day, or several to find it.
Concerning the supposed alternate routes. I don't believe any player who is kicked out by Montroux or does some other possible serious mistake just lets it be and plays on. Quote:
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08-30-2008, 11:12 AM | #11 | ||
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If you look them in the first day, at each and every one of them in the proper order, near the end Gabriel starts to talk about Granny, his childhood and his experience with the clergy and the Church as an institution. Also, you can notice that he can't remember correctly certain stations, and he makes some comments about he not paying attention during catechism. Later, when you can visit the church with Grace, she also makes some comments about her childhood and - if looked in the proper order again - she thinks about Gabriel and Granny too.
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08-30-2008, 11:51 AM | #12 | |
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08-30-2008, 08:42 PM | #13 |
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I liked Indy 4 (not the movie - Fate of Atlantis where you could choose a path and solve puzzles in different ways, as well as having to choose from the 3 methods that led to different scenes/etc.
I still get the full story, but still have enough replay value. |
08-30-2008, 09:57 PM | #14 |
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Personally I really hate when I finish a game and feel (or know) that I haven't seen all aspects of it. It's not my idea of fun replaying a whole game just to see a couple of different things but still I feel I haven't played properly the game if I don't. Is like going to watch a movie and later find out that you missed a whole portion of it and you have to watch it all over again to find out what.
Of course non-linear doesn't necessarily mean that. I agree that lucas arts games where pretty good in that aspect. Indy4 was good also since you just had to save at a certain point and then you could play the game in 3 different paths which had enough differences to not make you feel that you were playing the same game over and over.
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08-31-2008, 03:35 AM | #15 |
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Hmmm... not sure what i prefer. Probably non-linear when it comes to adventure games. Especially for the more story driven adventure games like Broken Sword or something. I kinda like having a set goal to focus on without getting side-tracked or confused. A lot of the story driven adventure games are just like the more story driven movies, which are linear anyway. I guess i don't mind either one really so long as it's done right.
There've been a lot of interesting points made already that i agree with. I mean, i like the non-linear segments of the LucasArts games like Indy 4 or Monkey Island 1 & 2 etc, where you can choose to do certain tasks in any order you want and where you can use more than one item for a solution to a puzzle. I think more adventure games should do that. But i'm not keen on the non-linearity in Gabriel Knight 3 or The Last Express for example. I don't like the idea of having to be in a certain place at a certain time just to see a few characters doing something specific or just to hear a bit of extra dialogue. And sometimes checking on certain characters prevents you from checking others. Especially if you have a clock against you and i much prefer taking my time instead of rushing around. I'd sooner experience all these little things during my first playthrough. I, too, don't want to have replay the game again just for that extra bit of dialogue or something because i wasn't there in time. If the game has multiple paths or different endings then i'll be more inclined to replay it.
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08-31-2008, 08:36 AM | #16 |
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I prefer linear games when it comes to adventure games. But I prefer the gameplay to be non-linear. This means that you get to do the puzzles in any order you want; you should be able to do a puzzle whenever you want. And by that I mean that I don't want to play a game in which my character (and I) can't go back to pick something up I needed from 2-3 screens back to solve the puzzle in screen 4 or 5. For rpgs, I prefer a more non-linerar approach.
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08-31-2008, 08:38 AM | #17 |
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The nature of adventure games means that they need to ultimately be linear. They are very story driven and seen as a story is a linear entity, the game has to be as well. I agree that multiple puzzle solutions and the ability to choose order of the puzzles is good. However I don't see this as being non-linear as such. This method is just a great way to give the player freedom while, but not instead of, following the linear path.
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09-01-2008, 01:48 AM | #18 | |
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Stories can be linear or non-linear per se, and could be perceived in a linear or non-linear fashion, even if they were created to be the exact opposite, thanks to the effort of the author, who can interweave story (fabula) and actual plot as he likes, and the perception of the reader/viewer/player, who is (not anymore) forced to a linear/passive perception. There are modern authors that have proven this, and I think it can happen also for adventure games. Some of the examples in this thread are here to prove it (even if a smaller, lesser intent than its literary counterpart, of course - yet, at least)
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09-01-2008, 10:19 AM | #19 | |
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Non-linear game play/plot can greatly increase the replayability of a game. The 2nd time through can be a different game, if the non-linearness of game is done right. The more linear the game, the less likely I will be to replay it. |
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09-01-2008, 11:01 AM | #20 | |
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Saving and loading doesn't always work...there are games where you must do something different near the beginning to see something different near the end (pandora directive comes to mind).
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