More cutscenes - good or bad?

Safe-Keeper · 06-22-06, 12:47 AM

For example, Rome: Total War made extensive use of cutscenes to great effect. Every campaign and single mission was preceeded by a cutscene that got you into the situation and helped set a great atmosphere.

In my opinion, there should be cutscenes for every single single-player mission, as well as for each starting year of the campaign. If you've played Rome, you know what I mean. Something deep and atmospheric for the career start-ups, and dramatic cutscenes for the single-player missions, with a little bit of historical information and some events leading up to the beginning of the mission. Nice use of camera angles, music, sound effects, dialogue, everything (except a few of them were a bit melo-dramatic and cliché-ish).

For example, for the Narvik mission my idea of a cutscene would include some sentences on the invasion of Norway, and then the "2 destroyers for 2 zestörer battle" - then the battleship entering the fjord. Something like that.

I know your main argument, too, gamer as I am at heart: "But I'll like it the first two times, then just skip it!". Fine, skip it. Just like you skip the opening cutscene when the game starts. Just like you, when having gotten into Silent Hunter III, do not spend more than ,5% of your patrols in the 3D compartment.

No one's saying you'll want to watch the movies 1000 times, over and over again. It's just like the 3D Compartment and the opening film on game-start: It's there to set the mood, to get beginners into the game world and give them the impression that they're a "real submarine commander". Or, in the Single missions' case, that their sub and the surrounding ships didn't just pop into place, but are actually part of a bigger picture.

As for cutscenes upon death, I'm less sure about those. They'd easily be out of context, would they not (unless you had many different ones -one for death by sinking, one for death by hull damage, and so on)?

OK, your turn. Go.

DeepSix · 06-22-06, 05:45 AM

No cut scenes, period, if I had my way (and I won't, and I'm not trying to change anybody's mind, so I don't mind saying what I think about cut-scenes

). All they ever do is put me that much closer to developing carpal tunnels.

SH3's startup is a procession of films, splash screens, and progress bars - downright interminable. "Fixin' to get ready to start." I know you already foresaw this objection, but I'll say it anyhow: after I've played it once - once - I have no use for all the clutter and it just gets steadily more annoying from there.

So, to make a "wish list" item out of this

, how 'bout giving players a .cfg file where they actually can turn off this stuff if they want?

All that aside, though, splashes and cuts are sort of par for the course - certainly nothing that would prevent me buying the game. I'd rather not have 'em, but you and others rather would. My utterly unfounded prediction, therefore, is that whatever we get will be more than I want and less than you want.

Safe-Keeper · 06-22-06, 08:00 AM

Quote:

So, to make a "wish list" item out of this

, how 'bout giving players a .cfg file where they actually can turn off this stuff if they want?

How about making it an in-game setting in the Options menu? All games should have that.

[ X ] Play Opening Film.

Oh, and how about some damned subtitles while we're at it? Option to turn the off, of course. Especially if the movie's in part or wholly in a foreign tongue (points to the opening film in a certain sub game

).

Regarding the poll, what I find interesting is that so many are in favour of a Career End cutscene, which I did not vote for, but not a Career Start film, which I did vote for.

Or maybe I am in favour of a Career End film, when I think of it.

DeepSix · 06-22-06, 09:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Safe-Keeper

How about making it an in-game setting in the Options menu? All games should have that.

[ X ] Play Opening Film.

...

Sure, that'd work for me.

06-22-06, 11:12 AM

When I think of cutscenes I think of:

Red Baron: A short film of your pilot getting a medal pinned on him. A newspaper headline about his exploits/death.

Aces Of The Deep: Likewise the newspaper clippings.

Silent Hunter: Scene of fireworks upon successful completion of a career; a wreath on the water commemorating your loss.

I sometimes watch the SHIII intro movies, but when I don't want to it's a simple matter to click them away. Also simple to delete them from the respective folders, or replace them with blank files.

I voted "Yes" to all.

CCIP · 06-22-06, 12:49 PM

Yea, the little things are great. Just look at SHIII commander - even the "personnel file" is an awesome feature that adds so much immersion just with a few lines of text with your captain's background and career.

Cut scenes might be nice, the best ones would be things like little newsreels about your successes and the war progress. It would be nice to come back from patrol and watch the war news before going on the next one.
Actually, though, I'd love to see some of the even more basic little details that add life to the game. The paper clippings would be great. A more interactive 'office' and 'drydock' would be even cooler.

But the absolute most important thing, I think, is that the game tries to incorporate the features that SHIII commander had!

Safe-Keeper · 06-22-06, 01:15 PM

[Slaps forehead, hears hollow echo from within empty blonde head]

Oh my God, how dumb we are

!

Seems everyone here forgot about something else very, very, very worthy of a cutscene.

Funerals at sea, anyone? A sad scene in which the body is lowered into the water and roses are thrown after him, set to a melancholic, sad theme (preferably that trumpet fanfare played during funerals or moments of grief in war, do you know which one I mean

?).

Gee, I oughtta go see someone. If funerals ain't worthy of cutscenes, nothing is

.

PS: Would one of you moderators mind fixing the UBB of the poll, please? Thanks in advance.

06-22-06, 04:31 PM

Excellent idea, Safe-Keeper! I don't know if they want to do something like that, but it sure would be neat.

Rosencrantz · 06-23-06, 05:38 PM

I voted no cut scenes, basicly bacause of the same reasons DeepSix allready wrote about. BUT... I like also ideas of CCIP, especially newpapers and so on. Safe-Keepers idea about the funerals at sea is interesting too.

-RC-

nikimcbee · 06-24-06, 01:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

When I think of cutscenes I think of:

Red Baron: A short film of your pilot getting a medal pinned on him. A newspaper headline about his exploits/death.

Aces Of The Deep: Likewise the newspaper clippings.

What Steve said....

I liked the cutscenes from sh1, maybe make them nicer.

CWorth · 06-28-06, 09:22 AM

I had to vote no cutscenes.

All I ever do is click past them or remove them all together and never watch them in any game I have that uses them.They are nothing more than an annoyance to me so I can do without them.

Drebbel · 06-28-06, 09:29 AM

I agree. who need a cut scene of for example my sub arriving back home when I have a nice 3d port, a boat excorting me, a radio message, some people on the quay welcoming me.

Lionman · 06-30-06, 05:15 PM

This is a no brainer I think. Have ALL the cut scenes as options that can be turned off by the "no time wasting" brigade and when the rest of us get bored but keep them in the basic standard game as they are great for setting the scene and adding to atmosphere and immersion.

In fact by applying this approach to ALL the features that some people think unnecessary and making the game's realism totally scaleable from Arcade to ultra-realistic and historically 100% accurate. That way all types of gamers can have fun and nobody feels cheated. That also means the game can be built to run like a movie on the Alienware brigades ultra-PCs while running smoothly on low end machines sans all the demanding extra features. Like most modern FPS games the game can also be built to auto-configure for optimum performance on whatever platform it finds itself running. End of issues.

Drebbel · 06-30-06, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lionman

This is a no brainer I think. Have ALL the cut scenes as options that can be turned off by the "no time wasting" brigade and when the rest of us get bored but keep them in the basic standard game as they are great for setting the scene and adding to atmosphere and immersion.

But remember it takes resources to develop cut scenes. IMHO those resources should be used for other things.

The orginal SH had cut scenes for i.e. leaving port. SHIII evolved and had a complete 3d world that made cut scenes unnessesary. I hope SHIV will have the same if not more.

But maybe having cut scenes for things like getting your own command, or you boat being launched is a good idea. All other cut scenes are not needed IMHO.

View Poll Results: Which of these cutscenes do you want in SHIV (you may select multiple options)
Opening Film.	33	62.26%
Career Start (one film, regardless of starting year)	9	16.98%
OR Career Start (one film for each year)	26	49.06%
Career End (Career at an end from retirement, death, capture, etc.)[/b]	34	64.15%
Single-Player Mission start.	17	32.08%
Single-Player Mission end (one for victory, one for defeat).	19	35.85%
I don't want any cutscenes.	11	20.75%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 53. You may not vote on this poll

06-22-06, 12:47 AM	#1
Safe-Keeper Ocean Warrior Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Norway Posts: 3,234 Downloads: 11 Uploads: 0	More cutscenes - good or bad? For example, Rome: Total War made extensive use of cutscenes to great effect. Every campaign and single mission was preceeded by a cutscene that got you into the situation and helped set a great atmosphere. In my opinion, there should be cutscenes for every single single-player mission, as well as for each starting year of the campaign. If you've played Rome, you know what I mean. Something deep and atmospheric for the career start-ups, and dramatic cutscenes for the single-player missions, with a little bit of historical information and some events leading up to the beginning of the mission. Nice use of camera angles, music, sound effects, dialogue, everything (except a few of them were a bit melo-dramatic and cliché-ish). For example, for the Narvik mission my idea of a cutscene would include some sentences on the invasion of Norway, and then the "2 destroyers for 2 zestörer battle" - then the battleship entering the fjord. Something like that. I know your main argument, too, gamer as I am at heart: "But I'll like it the first two times, then just skip it!". Fine, skip it. Just like you skip the opening cutscene when the game starts. Just like you, when having gotten into Silent Hunter III, do not spend more than ,5% of your patrols in the 3D compartment. No one's saying you'll want to watch the movies 1000 times, over and over again. It's just like the 3D Compartment and the opening film on game-start: It's there to set the mood, to get beginners into the game world and give them the impression that they're a "real submarine commander". Or, in the Single missions' case, that their sub and the surrounding ships didn't just pop into place, but are actually part of a bigger picture. As for cutscenes upon death, I'm less sure about those. They'd easily be out of context, would they not (unless you had many different ones -one for death by sinking, one for death by hull damage, and so on)? OK, your turn. Go. __________________ First Strike Mod tester. Hardcore sub skipper.

06-22-06, 05:45 AM	#2
DeepSix Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Music City Posts: 683 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	No cut scenes, period, if I had my way (and I won't, and I'm not trying to change anybody's mind, so I don't mind saying what I think about cut-scenes). All they ever do is put me that much closer to developing carpal tunnels. SH3's startup is a procession of films, splash screens, and progress bars - downright interminable. "Fixin' to get ready to start." I know you already foresaw this objection, but I'll say it anyhow: after I've played it once - once - I have no use for all the clutter and it just gets steadily more annoying from there. So, to make a "wish list" item out of this, how 'bout giving players a .cfg file where they actually can turn off this stuff if they want? All that aside, though, splashes and cuts are sort of par for the course - certainly nothing that would prevent me buying the game. I'd rather not have 'em, but you and others rather would. My utterly unfounded prediction, therefore, is that whatever we get will be more than I want and less than you want. __________________ Jack's happy days will soon be gone, To return again, oh never! For they've raised his pay five cents a day, But they've stopped his grog forever. For tonight we'll merry, merry be, For tonight we'll merry, merry be, For tonight we'll merry, merry be, But tomorrow we'll be sober. - "Farewell to Grog"

06-22-06, 12:49 PM	#6
CCIP Navy Seal Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Waterloo, Canada Posts: 8,700 Downloads: 29 Uploads: 2	Yea, the little things are great. Just look at SHIII commander - even the "personnel file" is an awesome feature that adds so much immersion just with a few lines of text with your captain's background and career. Cut scenes might be nice, the best ones would be things like little newsreels about your successes and the war progress. It would be nice to come back from patrol and watch the war news before going on the next one. Actually, though, I'd love to see some of the even more basic little details that add life to the game. The paper clippings would be great. A more interactive 'office' and 'drydock' would be even cooler. But the absolute most important thing, I think, is that the game tries to incorporate the features that SHIII commander had! __________________ There are only forty people in the world and five of them are hamburgers. -Don Van Vliet (aka Captain Beefheart)

06-22-06, 01:15 PM	#7
Safe-Keeper Ocean Warrior Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Norway Posts: 3,234 Downloads: 11 Uploads: 0	[Slaps forehead, hears hollow echo from within empty blonde head] Oh my God, how dumb we are! Seems everyone here forgot about something else very, very, very worthy of a cutscene. Funerals at sea, anyone? A sad scene in which the body is lowered into the water and roses are thrown after him, set to a melancholic, sad theme (preferably that trumpet fanfare played during funerals or moments of grief in war, do you know which one I mean?). Gee, I oughtta go see someone. If funerals ain't worthy of cutscenes, nothing is. PS: Would one of you moderators mind fixing the UBB of the poll, please? Thanks in advance. __________________ First Strike Mod tester. Hardcore sub skipper.

06-22-06, 11:12 AM	#5
Sailor Steve Stowaway Posts: n/a Downloads: Uploads:	When I think of cutscenes I think of: Red Baron: A short film of your pilot getting a medal pinned on him. A newspaper headline about his exploits/death. Aces Of The Deep: Likewise the newspaper clippings. Silent Hunter: Scene of fireworks upon successful completion of a career; a wreath on the water commemorating your loss. I sometimes watch the SHIII intro movies, but when I don't want to it's a simple matter to click them away. Also simple to delete them from the respective folders, or replace them with blank files. I voted "Yes" to all.

06-22-06, 04:31 PM	#8
Sailor Steve Stowaway Posts: n/a Downloads: Uploads:	Excellent idea, Safe-Keeper! I don't know if they want to do something like that, but it sure would be neat.

06-23-06, 05:38 PM	#9
Rosencrantz Grey Wolf Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Finland Posts: 758 Downloads: 78 Uploads: 0	I voted no cut scenes, basicly bacause of the same reasons DeepSix allready wrote about. BUT... I like also ideas of CCIP, especially newpapers and so on. Safe-Keepers idea about the funerals at sea is interesting too. -RC-

06-28-06, 09:22 AM	#11
CWorth Grey Wolf Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Gettysburg PA Posts: 845 Downloads: 38 Uploads: 0	I had to vote no cutscenes. All I ever do is click past them or remove them all together and never watch them in any game I have that uses them.They are nothing more than an annoyance to me so I can do without them.

06-28-06, 09:29 AM	#12
Drebbel Dutch Sea Lord Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Almost at periscope death ! Posts: 1,665 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	I agree. who need a cut scene of for example my sub arriving back home when I have a nice 3d port, a boat excorting me, a radio message, some people on the quay welcoming me.

06-30-06, 05:15 PM	#13
Lionman Torpedoman Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Dartmouth, Devon UK Posts: 120 Downloads: 2 Uploads: 0	This is a no brainer I think. Have ALL the cut scenes as options that can be turned off by the "no time wasting" brigade and when the rest of us get bored but keep them in the basic standard game as they are great for setting the scene and adding to atmosphere and immersion. In fact by applying this approach to ALL the features that some people think unnecessary and making the game's realism totally scaleable from Arcade to ultra-realistic and historically 100% accurate. That way all types of gamers can have fun and nobody feels cheated. That also means the game can be built to run like a movie on the Alienware brigades ultra-PCs while running smoothly on low end machines sans all the demanding extra features. Like most modern FPS games the game can also be built to auto-configure for optimum performance on whatever platform it finds itself running. End of issues. __________________ \"The Battlefield may be virtual, but the experience is always real.\"