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[Matlock]

http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20051021/sheffield_01.shtml

You can't shoot Dom [in Gears Of War] either. The fundamental problem with making an interactive narrative is like – how would you make Lethal Weapon 2, the buddy cop movie - if in the first scene Danny Glover turns to Mel Gibson and shoots him in the head? Never underestimate the ability of the user to undermine the narrative you're trying to tell. You have to allow for every single scenario. You're empowering the user's ability to make the game look stupid, essentially.

:lol @ the mental image of Lethal Weapon 2 playing out that way

GS: How long will it be?

MR: We really haven't figured out how long this game is. We really want to fill the whole story out, then go back and figure that in.

GS: Who wrote the story?

CB: Eric Nylund is writing the story – he's the officially assigned writer from Microsoft, he wrote the Halo book. I created the universe for the game.

GS: I like that arc on the grenade [in Gears Of War].

CB: My logic here is that we give you a cursor for your gun, why not give you an arc for your grenade? If you're a soldier, and you're going to have a good idea of the weight of the thing, and how far it's going to go, so why not just give you a visual indication of it?

GS: How would you do that with the Nintendo Revolution?

CB: Just throw the controller at the screen.

MR: I'd get tired after a while.

CB: Yeah, you'll have an entire generation of gamers with Popeye arms.

:lol

 

[Bigfonzie]

when are they going to make a leathal weapon game??!

 

[Bauer Action Hour]

Yeah, I found that last paragraph pretty funny. Overall, the interview is quite good and answers some of the pressing questions people have about the game (animations, framerate, etc).

 

[nubbe]

This actually makes me more excited about Revolution

 

[Drinky Crow]

You're empowering the user's ability to make the game look stupid, essentially.

no, most game narratives already seem stupid without any essential interaction from the player. I'm thinkin' space marines versus scary monsters can't look clever, by definition. The total lack of irony on behalf of game authors and designers shows how this industry remains steeped its self-absorbed nerd origins.

(Capping Mel Gibson, on the other hand, would be not only refreshing, but cathartic.)

 

[jett]

:lol That was a pretty good interview. Pretty cool that he's actually featured in the very first NP mag.

 

[Ghost]

Im kinda excited that Eric Nylund is writing the story, well i guess im more excited just because Epic ARENT writing it. But either way, my excitement is raised.


He makes a good point about linear story telling too, theres no doubt it'll always have a significant (Most likely dominant) place in gaming.

 

[Drinky Crow]

Eric Nylund is pretty cool. His wife, Syne Mitchell, used to work in my department, and she was a decent sci-fi author in her own right. They were a pair of smarties.

 

[Matlock]

Eric Nylund is pretty cool. His wife, Syne Mitchell, used to work in my depertment, and she was a decent sci-fi author in her own right. They were a pair of smarties.

She kinda looks like Ellen, to be honest.

 

[Drinky Crow]

I don't think I remarked on her looks, smarty man; just that she was a sharp gal.

 

[ZombieSupaStar]

ID HIT IT?

 

[Matlock]

ID HIT IT?

I'd agree here. There's a sassy quality.

 

[Mr Nash]

Does CliffyB secretly want to be an anime character?

 

[:Motorbass]

ahahohuuuh :x

Finally I have an excuse...

edit: omg, looks like Cliffy

 

[GaimeGuy]

Does CliffyB secretly want to be an anime character?

:lol

 

[Date of Lies]

Well if it isn't my old friend Cliff Bleszinski the level designer and his beautiful picture.

 

[Burger]

There is a fairly lame interview with CLIFF BLEZANSKI over at Jeff K's website

http://www.somethingawful.com/jeffk/cliifyintarview/

 

[BuG]

There's nothing more frustrating to me than a game designer who says “No, we put all of this effort into the story, you have to watch it!” No! Games are about choice.

This quote is in reference to cutscenes and the choice of whether to skip them or not, but the comment "games are about choice" strikes me as contradictory to his whole mantra on linearity. Although the technology for a holodeck is not yet here, games should be about choice within the gameplay, not cutscenes.

Is it a technology issue that games are still so linear? I know we're not at holodeck levels of technology just yet, but still. Or is it financial? Do games like KoTOR sell a fuckton? Hell, I've never bought or played these games which do offer legitimate choices in gameplay and here I am hypocritically preaching for more choice in gameplay, so I suppose if that's his angle he has a point. Maybe his angle is just 'user am stupid who will just break my masterpiece, so we designers simply won't let you do that for we are gods'. 'Bunny gods'.

 

[FightyF]

Does CliffyB secretly want to be an anime character?

First Zoolander...now anime.

 

[DDayton]

Hmm. How many former NOA employees are over at Microsoft these days? I knew about Howard Phillips (although he tends to be forgotten), and Ken Lobb is over there...

 

[aaaaa0]

Is it a technology issue that games are still so linear? I know we're not at holodeck levels of technology just yet, but still. Or is it financial? Do games like KoTOR sell a fuckton? Hell, I've never bought or played these games which do offer legitimate choices in gameplay and here I am hypocritically preaching for more choice in gameplay, so I suppose if that's his angle he has a point. Maybe his angle is just 'user am stupid who will just break my masterpiece, so we designers simply won't let you do that for we are gods'. 'Bunny gods'.

His point is that as a game designer, you simply can't offer unlimited choice to the player. Every choice that you allow the user has to be carefully considered: does it add to the game, or does it take away?

The end result is that even in the games that offer legitimate choices in gameplay have to constrain the player to some degree of linearity, simply because there aren't enough developers in the universe to create non-stupid outcomes for any possible action a player can make.

 

[mr2mike]

personally, I'm all for linearity. I want my games to have a plot, and everytime you give the player a level of freedom beyond what is necessary in that type of game, You loose a degree of freedom to tell the story.

Conider the MGS games. awesome games, but uber linear and with never ending cinematics and codec conversations to boot. but IT'S GOOD. because the narrative freedoms that have been kept from the plaer are now being employed to their fullest to tell the story. If you could pick up MGS3 and just sneak past the entire game straight to the end, in the name of non-linearity, it'd suck, plain and simple.

Keep non linearity in MMORPGs.