Do RPGs actually benefit from having a writer?

[Darkzone]

Yes cutscenes are shit and if you're a writer on a game and insist on presenting the story by cutscenes, you are in the wrong job.

I agree almost 100% with your other post, though we call those people "Quest Designers" or "Content Designers" not writers at Funcom. And having a writer to act as an editor for their content is usually a good idea.
But I disagree about cutscenes. Like every other tool in the toolbox, it is about knowing when and how to use them. For example, I'd much rather use a cutscene to show a story beat and act as a bridge then have the player sit through a loading screen.

This kind of discussions here are always like: Which tool is better a screw driver or a hammer? But a saw is always shit, because it cannot screw things or hammer nails and the folding rule is useless to nothing.
Yes you should not use the hammer to screw things together, like you should not use the saw to hammer in the nails.

None of the storytelling tools are inherently bad in cRPGs, else they would already have fallen out of use. It is always about the way the devs use them. Oversalt chips or fries and there are salty shit; overpepper an steak and you know the deal. A good writer can add informations about the world and things in this world that you should not really play or watch as a cutscene. Cutscenes can show you events that unfold because of your decision that you have no influence upon this events. Or you can witness by the cutscene the personalities of the character that you play (Geralt as an example) or other NPCs.

 

[Dedicated_Dark]

If Twicher 3 is considered an RPG then Yes.
If Dark Souls is considered an RPG then No.

 

[anvi]

Yes cutscenes are shit and if you're a writer on a game and insist on presenting the story by cutscenes, you are in the wrong job.

I agree almost 100% with your other post, though we call those people "Quest Designers" or "Content Designers" not writers at Funcom. And having a writer to act as an editor for their content is usually a good idea.

But I disagree about cutscenes. Like every other tool in the toolbox, it is about knowing when and how to use them. For example, I'd much rather use a cutscene to show a story beat and act as a bridge then have the player sit through a loading screen.

Your company is the worst. Crappy quests and dialogues everywhere.

 

[Doktor Best]

Yes. A good story is forever.
A good "gameplay" will be good until the next year.

Im replaying Doom right now. I disagree.

 

[laclongquan]

Yes. A good story is forever.
A good "gameplay" will be good until the next year.

Im playing replaying Doom right now. I disagree.

Or Icewind Dale series
Or Jagged Alliance2
Or Fallout Tactics
....
Good gameplay is like, ten times the halflife of good story.

 

[anvi]

There is 30 year old gameplay I still want to play. Gameplay is what games are all about. This generation of graphics and story whores needs to get a clue.

 

[octavius]

Note that scenario creation is distinct from writing as such:

Rogue - No writer
Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord - No writer
Wizardry: Knight of Diamonds - No writer
Wizardry: Legacy of Llylgamyn - No writer
Wizardry: The Return of Werdna - Scenario by Roe R. Adams III
Wizardry V: Heart of the Maelstrom - Scenario by David W. Bradley and Andrew Greenberg, the two programmers
Wizardry: Bane of the Cosmic Forge - Written and programmed by David W. Bradley
Wizardry: Crusaders of the Dark Savant - Written and programmed by David W. Bradley
Akalabeth: World of Doom - No writer
Ultima - No writer
Ultima II: The Revenge of the Enchantress - No writer
Ultima III: Exodus - No writer
Ultima IV: The Quest of the Avatar - Plot collaboration by Roe R. Adams III
Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny - Several writers
Ultima VI: The False Prophet - Several writers
Ultima VII: The Black Gate - Several writers
Ultima VII: Serpent Isle - Several writers
Might and Magic: Secret of the Inner Sanctum - No writer
Might and Magic II: Gates to Another World - No writer
Might and Magic III: Isles of Terra - No writer
Might and Magic: Clouds of Xeen - Possible writers, credits unclear
Might and Magic: Darkside of Xeen - Possible writers, credits unclear
Tales of the Unknown: The Bard's Tale - Scenario Design by Michael Cranford (designer) and Brian Fargo (level designer)
The Bard's Tale II: The Destiny Knight - Scenario Design by Michael Cranford (designer) and Brian Fargo (owner)
The Bard's Tale III: Thief of Fate - No writer

The addition of writers to CRPG development staff was a mistake.

What about Dungeon Master?

 

[Safav Hamon]

Icewind Dale

Good gameplay

RTwP garbage

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

What about Dungeon Master?

Dungeon Master credits Nancy Holder for "Prologue", i.e. the story writing in the manual, the best place to quarantine any story writing.

 

[laclongquan]

Icewind Dale

Good gameplay

RTwP garbage

You suck at tactic games, do you know that? It's not that heavy a crime, considering the tiny portion of tactic savvy gamers among Codexers. But it's a crime if you dont know your own self.

IWD2 is great at both low level design (normal-insane), and high level gameplay (heart of fury mode).

IWD1? I play both the IE engine original game and the module for NWN2 and they are both great, proving that the design is good and can be applied to different engine without losing quality.

 

[octavius]

What about Dungeon Master?

Dungeon Master credits Nancy Holder for "Prologue", i.e. the story writing in the manual, the best place to quarantine any story writing.

I thought the story was noticably better written than the usual story you find in manuals, and it turned out Mrs. Holder was a real, professional writer, not just the designer's wife. The only other manual story I really liked, and that one I thought was excpetionally good, was the Dark Wheel by Robert Holdstock for Elite. It really sucked me into the game.
So it is, or at least was, easy to spot the difference between the pros and the amateurs when it comes to writing (and voice acting for that matter).

 

[you know what time it is]

Assuming the writer is decent, yes? Though writing =/= storytelling.



Here's a good example of that.

Being recently promoted to GD lead I try to construct the narrative in such way that it doesn't require lots of text (if any) to make a point or provide depth for a character. Scars being the oldest form of storytelling and all that. That being said it all really depends on what kind of project is being made and what is required to engage player's imagination given the context.

Coming back to your question specifically - it's way too broad and undefined, but even then it's still a firm yes.