In-Game "Cutscenes"

Iccotak

I am NOT talking about traditional cutscenes like what WoW does. I am talking about showcasing story moments using the in-game engine and utilizing the player camera. Like the other TES games and even ESO.

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Take Skyrim for example there are moments where you don't have control of your character but it uses your camera to emphasize an important story moment - like when Alduin arrives and your head is on the chopping block

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsRA5BG3N8E

Other examples in Skyrim:

moments like in the Thieves Guilds quest when you get shot by a poison arrow and it takes you down

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2koXTceoVB8

when you meet Miraak in the Dragonborn expansion

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wB531FZ2Mg

when you fall after a building is toppled (go to 4:30)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awAY1UMTxBo

Don't be afraid to do more scenes like when you get sacrificed to Molag Bal (go to 2:54)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J89w6GVPpDo

or the Greymoor intro

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JK5t5RWUB5w

I'd be on board for "cutscenes" if they were implemented like that when it came to crucial story moments such as the first meeting with the main story villain as well as their defeat.

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Drew8315

They not going to do that because Elderscroll online is not Skyrim, and Star Wars Old Republic and FF14.Although those mmos do thoses cut scenes because both of those mmo had it from the beginning.We should be happy with any cut scenes they give us in this game.I will say this yes I will be extremely happy if the cut scenes were more like FF14, and Star Wars Old Republic in this game.

starkerealm

ESO does use theater scenes, where NPCs stand in the environment and talk to one another. But, you're not going to see these in-engine cutscenes they way you did in Skyrim for two reasons:

First: few players play ESO in first person, so even if you did in-engine cutscenes you couldn't safely assume players will be in first or third person.

Second: These can't play the way you want in a multiplayer environment. Imagine, you walk into a barrow and get darted by an arrow and collapse. As you wake up and pull yourself off a bed somewhere else in the world, you see a clowncar of players spilling out of that same bed.

Goregrinder

starkerealm wrote: »

ESO does use theater scenes, where NPCs stand in the environment and talk to one another. But, you're not going to see these in-engine cutscenes they way you did in Skyrim for two reasons:

First: few players play ESO in first person, so even if you did in-engine cutscenes you couldn't safely assume players will be in first or third person.

Second: These can't play the way you want in a multiplayer environment. Imagine, you walk into a barrow and get darted by an arrow and collapse. As you wake up and pull yourself off a bed somewhere else in the world, you see a clowncar of players spilling out of that same bed.

It just does not work the same way in an MMORPG. SWTOR can do it because it's practically a single player MMORPG as far as the storyline goes. ESO is not this way, so it just would not work.

JoDiMageio

I love cutscenes, so I give this a big, big yes!!!

(Side note, Skyrim was my first gaming experience really, and I had installed the Dance of Death mod at the suggestion of a friend... I will always remember my very surprised reaction when the first cutscene happened... Shock followed by a laugh followed by an evil laugh... Good times).

I find they make me much more invested in what is happening to my character... The example of the TG scene in Skyrim is a personal favourite... I remember plotting revenge after that, and couldn't wait to make Mercer pay. As someone whose primary investment in the game is the story, cutscenes are definitely an added bonus to enjoying the content.

starkerealm

Goregrinder wrote: »

starkerealm wrote: »

ESO does use theater scenes, where NPCs stand in the environment and talk to one another. But, you're not going to see these in-engine cutscenes they way you did in Skyrim for two reasons:

First: few players play ESO in first person, so even if you did in-engine cutscenes you couldn't safely assume players will be in first or third person.

Second: These can't play the way you want in a multiplayer environment. Imagine, you walk into a barrow and get darted by an arrow and collapse. As you wake up and pull yourself off a bed somewhere else in the world, you see a clowncar of players spilling out of that same bed.

It just does not work the same way in an MMORPG. SWTOR can do it because it's practically a single player MMORPG as far as the storyline goes. ESO is not this way, so it just would not work.

Yeah, TOR has you walk through gates into instanced story areas where you're the only player there. If you're in a group, it's hand coded to place the other party members in different places around the room.

VaranisArano

One key similarity is all your examples is that the player is forced to be helpless in order to advance the plot.

We're bound at Helgen, shouted down in Apocrypha, chained up by the Worm Cult, and ambushed in Greymoor.

I despise enforced helplessness when - if I had full control of my character, I'd be able to do something. For example, ESO likes to play with height. I met Zumog Phoom in a monastery, but because he was two floors up, I had to listen to him monologue instead of pelting him with light attacks. Rada Al-Saran was worse - there was a moment in Markarth where he's doing diabolical things on a much lower level that you view from a higher balcony. Varanis would have jumped, died, and rezzed herself in order to stop him from killing innocents, but no, I'm stymied by a chest high wall because the writers can't have me fight Rada right now.

The Greymoor intro is an example of "Cutscene Incompetence" - now many times have our Vestiges been ambushed and walked away unscathed? That's the point of a cutscene, to take away control from the competent player and make them do what the game writer wants.

Sorry, cutscenes have their places, but cutscenes that take away control of our characters or"scenes" that rely on us being rendered helpless shouldn't be overused. I feel like ZOS already does it too much to railroad us along the story encounters with recurring villains.

Netheniel

I just completed Star Wars: The Old Republic and the story presentation in Fallen Empire was great, and I love how dialog choices matter in that game. It made me wonder what ESO would be like had they implemented such a system when building this game. Realistically however, I can't see a game as old as ESO adopt that. Still, if there's ever an ESO 2.0, I would love to see an improved story telling experience. Or even at the least, hopefully Bethesda revamps the story telling in TES 6.

Sylvermynx

VaranisArano wrote: »

One key similarity is all your examples is that the player is forced to be helpless in order to advance the plot.

We're bound at Helgen, shouted down in Apocrypha, chained up by the Worm Cult, and ambushed in Greymoor.

I despise enforced helplessness when - if I had full control of my character, I'd be able to do something. For example, ESO likes to play with height. I met Zumog Phoom in a monastery, but because he was two floors up, I had to listen to him monologue instead of pelting him with light attacks. Rada Al-Saran was worse - there was a moment in Markarth where he's doing diabolical things on a much lower level that you view from a higher balcony. Varanis would have jumped, died, and rezzed herself in order to stop him from killing innocents, but no, I'm stymied by a chest high wall because the writers can't have me fight Rada right now.

The Greymoor intro is an example of "Cutscene Incompetence" - now many times have our Vestiges been ambushed and walked away unscathed? That's the point of a cutscene, to take away control from the competent player and make them do what the game writer wants.

Sorry, cutscenes have their places, but cutscenes that take away control of our characters or"scenes" that rely on us being rendered helpless shouldn't be overused. I feel like ZOS already does it too much to railroad us along the story encounters with recurring villains.

Glad I read this, because now I don't have to type all that! Exactly how I've always felt myself....

Drew8315

Netheniel wrote: »

I just completed Star Wars: The Old Republic and the story presentation in Fallen Empire was great, and I love how dialog choices matter in that game. It made me wonder what ESO would be like had they implemented such a system when building this game. Realistically however, I can't see a game as old as ESO adopt that. Still, if there's ever an ESO 2.0, I would love to see an improved story telling experience. Or even at the least, hopefully Bethesda revamps the story telling in TES 6.

As I said ESO is different from FF14 and World of Warcraft, and Star Wars Old Republic MMO. Star Wars Old Republic, and FF14 both have in depth cutscenes because of numerous reasons. Like it or not guys Elder Scroll Online ,and Skyrim are two different Elder Scrolls, and people that play this game believe Elder Scroll Online should just be like skyrim.

Iccotak

Drew8315 wrote: »

Netheniel wrote: »

I just completed Star Wars: The Old Republic and the story presentation in Fallen Empire was great, and I love how dialog choices matter in that game. It made me wonder what ESO would be like had they implemented such a system when building this game. Realistically however, I can't see a game as old as ESO adopt that. Still, if there's ever an ESO 2.0, I would love to see an improved story telling experience. Or even at the least, hopefully Bethesda revamps the story telling in TES 6.

As I said ESO is different from FF14 and World of Warcraft, and Star Wars Old Republic MMO. Star Wars Old Republic, and FF14 both have in depth cutscenes because of numerous reasons. Like it or not guys Elder Scroll Online ,and Skyrim are two different Elder Scrolls, and people that play this game believe Elder Scroll Online should just be like skyrim.

Not quite - I just think that some moments in the games story could have better presentation

Sylvermynx

Iccotak wrote: »

Drew8315 wrote: »

Netheniel wrote: »

I just completed Star Wars: The Old Republic and the story presentation in Fallen Empire was great, and I love how dialog choices matter in that game. It made me wonder what ESO would be like had they implemented such a system when building this game. Realistically however, I can't see a game as old as ESO adopt that. Still, if there's ever an ESO 2.0, I would love to see an improved story telling experience. Or even at the least, hopefully Bethesda revamps the story telling in TES 6.

As I said ESO is different from FF14 and World of Warcraft, and Star Wars Old Republic MMO. Star Wars Old Republic, and FF14 both have in depth cutscenes because of numerous reasons. Like it or not guys Elder Scroll Online ,and Skyrim are two different Elder Scrolls, and people that play this game believe Elder Scroll Online should just be like skyrim.

Not quite - I just think that some moments in the games story could have better presentation

Yeah, I knew going in it wasn't going to be like Skyrim. Both fantasy yes, but two entirely different game types. The fact that it's all under one "umbrella" IP doesn't really mean much.

Athan1

This is an MMO so they're keeping things as streamlined as possible. You already see weird discrepancies in players being in menus or at crafting tables.