Shadowrun Shadowrun: Hong Kong Pre-Release Discussion [GO TO NEW THREAD]

Sykar · Aug 20, 2015

Immortal said:
Yea, Basically.
Don't branch the story off if you can't fully realize that arc in a meaningful way.

Just write the characters how they should be naturally, then if it makes sense for a back story arc, play it to the hilt.

Not every companion needs a "sub-plot / mission" and not every sub-plot should start and stop in a single level. The consequences of what happened to that character should bleed over into other missions and areas of the game while your still playing it. It's more work, no doubt - maybe it means some characters get a little more shafted. It's my opinion but we don't need every NPC to be a snowflake with a speshal mission level.

==== Opinionated Land =====

This whole ideology is a Bioware Staple IMO

Every companion must have a unique back story - with a story hook that is force fed to us.

I'm fine with unique back stories, obviously its good writing to have fleshed out characters but we don't need every detail of their history spoon fed to us. Things can be ambiguous or just not ever told to us outright and used more as a tool by developers to flesh their motivations out - without ever telling the player it.

Every back story must go to a special or different location off the main quest

with that companion tagging along

Finally - that arc needs to be resolved for them at that moment (without affecting the main story)

with an optional slide show at the end of the game with 2 -3 possible endings for their "arc"

or a possible change to the "final battle" where your choice to help a companion leads to some kind of twist or resolution. Betrayal / Death

NWN, Dragon Age, Star Wars, Mass Effect, Jade Empire and even Baldurs Gate 2 to an extent..
It bleeds over to Obsidian games too and this game as well. It feels campy and breaks the flow of the game with these quick Episodic Sub-plots and you basically are checking the boxes for each companion in case there's a consquence later on in the game if you didn't do it.

(AKA Mass Effect 2, if you don't do all their sub-plots, they die at the end, Or NWN 2 - They might betray you)

But those side plots are completely optional. You are not forced to do them whatsoever.

Durandal · Aug 20, 2015

Immortal said:
Yea, Basically.
Don't branch the story off if you can't fully realize that arc in a meaningful way.

Just write the characters how they should be naturally, then if it makes sense for a back story arc, play it to the hilt.

Not every companion needs a "sub-plot / mission" and not every sub-plot should start and stop in a single level. The consequences of what happened to that character should bleed over into other missions and areas of the game while your still playing it. It's more work, no doubt - maybe it means some characters get a little more shafted. It's my opinion but we don't need every NPC to be a snowflake with a speshal mission level.

==== Opinionated Land =====

This whole ideology is a Bioware Staple IMO

Every companion must have a unique back story - with a story hook that is force fed to us.

I'm fine with unique back stories, obviously its good writing to have fleshed out characters but we don't need every detail of their history spoon fed to us. Things can be ambiguous or just not ever told to us outright and used more as a tool by developers to flesh their motivations out - without ever telling the player it.

Every back story must go to a special or different location off the main quest

with that companion tagging along

Finally - that arc needs to be resolved for them at that moment (without affecting the main story)

with an optional slide show at the end of the game with 2 -3 possible endings for their "arc"

or a possible change to the "final battle" where your choice to help a companion leads to some kind of twist or resolution. Betrayal / Death

NWN, Dragon Age, Star Wars, Mass Effect, Jade Empire and even Baldurs Gate 2 to an extent..
It bleeds over to Obsidian games too and this game as well. It feels campy and breaks the flow of the game with these quick Episodic Sub-plots and you basically are checking the boxes for each companion in case there's a consquence later on in the game if you didn't do it.

(AKA Mass Effect 2, if you don't do all their sub-plots, they die at the end, Or NWN 2 - They might betray you)

Would it be better if said background episodes are incorporated into the main plot? I know most JRPGs do this.