Simply bring them on, especially when story related (love them in FF14); option to skip is appreciated in case of alts. The lore and story are for me more important, than “racing through the game as fast as U can”, being a casual PVE only player.
I like it when cutscenes are after we just accomplished something difficult that required a lot of attention. It's like a reward. When cut scenes happen when we are in the middle of doing something else, it just feels like a distraction. They should be of the quality that makes us feel like an important part of the game just happened.
Also, in open world, people watching cutscenes might be vulnerable targets.
Other than cut scenes, I really enjoy it when games tell me the information via voice acting rather than just text. Like when you receive some game lore or something and a narrator/NPC voice goes off while you run. It lets the player keep moving throughout the world while still getting the information without having to stop and read things.
On that note, I could also imagine lore being voice acted and replayable through a UI thing. Once you have uncovered some lore in the game, you get a Lore Log that you can select through the game UI and replay the voice acted Lore blurb. Since travelling is going to be a big part of the game, listening to lore like a podcast while you roam around Verra could be cool.
Use cutscenes sparingly to tell the part of a story you think is critical. Everything else needs to be experienced in the game.
WoW does this pretty well - vanilla being the best example: 1 cinematic to introduce the world, 1 cinematic for each race to set tone, anchor a bit of story, and a little push out the door.
On the other hand, FFXIV simply failed. I stopped playing because it felt like the playing experience was just filler between cutscenes. There was a 23 min cutscene in one of the chapters that you couldn’t skip. Same with SWTOR, which was a single player game jammed into an MMO jar.
At launch, Verra stops being your story and becomes our story. If you disagree and want to retain greater control over your story, then make a single-player game.
1. Characters with personality
2. Well-written dialogue
3. Proper pacing. With extra attention paid to how scenes flow into each other, including the transition from gameplay scenes to cutscenes.
4. Specially animated/cinematic scenes (not all the time, but for particularly important, hype, or funny moments)
5. At least basic animation/emotes/facial expressions for all scenes
6. Good voice acting (only for important characters/scenes. More on that later.)
7. Cinematography. Use the camera. Frame the shots. Focus on who's talking. Etc.
8. Proper pacing again, but from the other side. Try to cut down on wasted time/fluff when it's not needed to keep scenes flowing smoothly.
My reference for how to do this well would be FFXIV (they get better at it in later expansions). The only thing they fail at is the last point, because they're really not afraid of taking their time to set up plot points properly. And it's a JRPG, so of course the characters need to yap a lot. (Affectionate.)
I put characters and dialogue first for a different reason though. Normal gameplay includes plenty of action and cool visuals already. Cutscenes are the downtime. And they're the only time to flesh out character motivations or background lore. (Aside from lore books/journals that might be laying around with just text. But those are incredibly skip-able IMO.) Anyways, if you want people to read/listen, then the words have to be interesting. And the best way to do that is to make interesting characters say those words.
Speaking of which, you might think voice acting is the key here, but it's not very high on my list. I understand the cost of good voice acting (not AI) is prohibitively expensive. That's fine. Save it for only the most important characters and cutscenes. Use that to introduce the voices/personality of those characters, then we can imagine the characters speaking in any un-voiced dialogue of lesser importance. And for minor characters with no voice, their personality can still shine though via good dialogue and writing quirks.
3: I would also suggest having it so that once cutscenes are experienced that they are stored in a player journal so that players that want to re-experience the cutscenes can do so, or so that your players can experience the cutscenes/story on their own time.
I love this!!!
So even if you are in a crunch grind, and want to press through "skip" you can always go back to your video library at your leisure and watch the cutscene as often as you want and admire it - if it's good, and Not if it isn't
Usually the storyline in mmo is not very interesting. Therefore, I do not see the point in bothering too much with cutscenes. It all depends on the coolness of the storyline. It would be ideal if you could go to the archive at any time and look at the history.
If you voice them, you need to do a very good job in terms of both expression, flow and pacing. But I don't need you to voice them. I've never had any trouble with FFXI's cutscenes, and they have managed to have a very strong impact when appropriate. Instead, build a bank of very good, reusable music that you can use to set the emotional tone and fit the scene. You're absolutely allowed to reuse these, and in fact doing so wisely helps you increase the emotional impact of your cutscenes overall. You don't need them in small informative-style cutscenes, but reliably using them in cutscenes of meaningful length or emotional impact nudges players minds into the appropriate emotional space, making it easier to absorb and sync up to the cutscene, as well as subtly helping prevent the mind from wandering randomly. Don't overdo it. You don't need "epic", you need a stable backdrop that sets the appropriate tone. This isn't about "making an impact". It's about creating a vocabulary that you can use to communicate with your players.
When it comes to cutscenes, what entices you to not skip them? Tell us about your favorites, and what makes them unique.
Characters I care about sharing real experiences or perspectives (be that past or present). Give me something that serves as a connection to the world and the people in it. This can be large or small, and comes in many shapes and sizes.
You're mainly going to lose me if your cutscenes are needlessly repetitive, your characters don't make sense, or I just don't care about what they're experiencing, categorically. Show me the impact I have on the world (or inspire me to have one), show me the impact the world has on me, or make me understand or care about what the world is like in general.
Ultimately it boils down to "good writing". Be clear, be concise, understand what you want to convey and what kind of impact you want to have. If you do that, and have the skill to execute it, you'll be fine. You don't always need a big cutscene to achieve your goals. You don't need to be stingy, or go overboard. What ultimately matters is whether you can tell your story effectively.
For length or frequency, I haven't really kept solid statistics, and I'm sure you'll get plenty of feedback on that, but the key point for me is timing. Don't interrupt my activities and flows with cutscenes very often. Place them so I'm at a natural rest point or a lull between activities. Usually when I've just finished doing something, or when I probably don't already have specific plans. Cutscenes make a good endcap for an experience, or section of an experience. But put them at 'checkpoints', or where 'getting the cutscene' is itself the goal (and therefore itself a checkpoint). You can send me right back out to resume what I was just doing, but probably not more than once, occasionally unless it's specifically the sort of situation where you'd expect that. I guess I'm saying "if you interrupted me specifically, you'd better have a good reason for it". I don't really expect you'll have trouble with this.
More later, maybe.
EDIT: Ashes is a never-safe PvP game. Make an exception. Your cutscenes are gonna lose all their impact if someone else skips them for me, even if I can resume them later. Don't let people gank me mid-cutscene. They can wait.
To be honest, there are a lot of factor to take in consideration for me to look and listen to cutscenes.
I am gonna watch them and pay real attention is they are similar to movies' scenes.
Firstly, they must have good voice acting with good facial expressions. Secondly, scenes must have a good camera angle/effects to be appealing and intriguing. Lastly, they must be in relation to the lore of the game and easy to understand what's happenning.
Plus, if they look buggy or quickly made, I am gonna skip them.
Last thought. I usually skip cutscenes in MMO brcause I have other things to do that it more interesting.
I usually skip cutscenes in dungeons as I never want to be that one that holds everyone up. The exception is in a game where it is culturally accepted that newbies will be watching every cutscene - then I don't mind making them wait for me.
Storyline cutscenes, I relish (if they are done well). If it's voiced, rich in content, and has characters I care about, I'll grab the popcorn and sit through any length cutscene. I especially appreciate when a game warns us before a long series of cutscenes beyond a certain action. That way, if I know I have to log off in a few minutes, best not to start that whole cascade and feel rushed.
I never cared for cutscenes in an MMORPG. I just don't think cutscenes lend themselves well to open world RPGs outside of for MMORPGs. I think Elden Ring is a perfect example of how to do open world RPG story. Have it largely be based on lore with cut scenes for special bosses.
I like them personally when it explains the lore... What past events have happened in this area or to this person? This can create a desire to help them or to defeat them based off of lore, cut scenes, etc.
Music in the background is also important. Nothing like a good melody in the background as you watch something being built or it being burnt to ashes... dependant on the circumstances.
A 2:00-3:00 minute cut scene really can make all the difference in how alive this world feels.
My decision to skip or not skip a cut scene is based on my immersion in the story line and lore of my character that I have created based on my beliefs after reading the lore for the game. It also is just by accident most of the time because the skip button only requires on click to activate. With that being said please make the skip button a "hold to skip".
I watch cutscenes, but my friends skip them, and they complain about waiting me, until cutscene finishes.
This comment resonated with me. I definitely felt that social pressure to skip, or have people complain, when I genuinely want to watch the cut scene in my immersive experience.
Maybe the solution is having limited cut scenes in a group setting?
You need only look at the top mmos to see how cutscenes in whatever form is popular, and they always tend to have fantastic storytelling, with colourful characters that win the players' hearts. People invest in a cutscene when they are invested in the games story and you have to first engage us in a game where we feel part of that lore and story.
If I feel like my character is important, has purpose and actions really impact this world, a character who is addressed by the world we are in, I'm more inclined to watch a cutscene to deepen that immersion.
Put us in cutscenes, make us feel part of the storytelling, and if its a standard game cutscene... god please don't make us 5ft -10 when everyone else is 40ft+.
Animated cutscenes, need to be of great quality and visually eyecatching. If the first eight seconds doesn't make someone go OH...then it will probably be skipped.
Outside of that, they need to be really well done, placed, with good music/sound, and also good voice actors.
Cutscenes can be fine, but most MMOs do them poorly and have too many. I'd actually be fine with no cutscenes at all.
I skip them in MMOs when:
1 The writing is terrible.
2 Its way too long.
3 It disrupts actually playing the video game.
4 When I already don't care about the characters involved.
5 I've already seen it.
Examples of them done well:
FFXIV: The production quality is top notch, it's literally what they do.
SWTOR: Original SWTOR stories were good and well paced.
Even with these examples, the above rules still apply. You can run into a lot of trouble with cutscenes, it's usually not what players are coming to an MMO for.
If you run into something in the narrative where you find you really need a cutscene, then make a cutscene.
If you run into something in the narrative where you find you really want a cutscene, then don't make at cutscene.
I will summarize things that made me want to watch cutscenes VS things that didnt here:
Things that make me want to watch a cutscene:
- There is action or emotion in it that warrants a cutscene, something that has impact and couldnt be shown in the same way as reading a textbox.
- I do not feel like i am "rushed" when the cutscene plays, i don't miss anything important like an event or the start of a raid.
- It is voice-acted.
- You managed to make me invested in the story (this one is a big part, i will enjoy worse cutscenes if the story is really good).
- It isnt super long, or a slog to click through.
- The animations are good and it doesnt look unnatural or bland.
- It is rendered In-Game and doesnt take me out of the immersion.
- Cutscenes themselves are not too common so i feel like this is something really important!
- The characters become more likeable, and develop their own (body motion) quirks that cannot be shown in a normal setting.
Things that made me skip a cutscene:
- I have to click through textboxes to advance the cutscene (not voice acted).
- The game made me feel like i wasnt advancing fast enough as the others by bombarding me with mini-cutscenes of things that could have just been an e-mail (lmao).
- A cutscene started after like 1 quest of something, when i wasnt invested at all and thought it was a fetchquest or a very minor side story.
- The cutscene starts with someone just talking for 5 hours before the acton begins.
- It is rendered in a different quality or art style as the game itself, using spells and effects that are impossible for players to achieve.
- The characters arent very expressive/ they don't really have their own character, and all become same-y.
There is obviously a healthy middleground that i would personally still accept, and that "rendered out of engine" thing is most likely just a personal preference, but it would be cool if those points could be considered.
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DracoSyxMember, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One
I like story focused cut scenes especially that have your character within it, but we should have an option to skip it.
When it comes to cutscenes, what entices you to not skip them? Share your favorites and what makes them unique.
I'm really eager to see cutscenes at the start of my journey into Verra and during impactful story moments, especially if they feature a fantasy-oriented and cinematic art style.
Where I think cutscenes would be fitting:
Node level-ups
Significant story arcs
Story-related Dungeons/Raids
What I'd love to experience in the cutscenes:
My character
Key story-related NPCs
Environments from story-related Dungeons/Raids
Sound is also crucial for setting the mood and enhancing the atmosphere. Additionally, in-game cutscenes, where the world dynamically changes and NPCs move around without changing the screen, add a layer of immersion that's hard to beat. It's like being a part of the unfolding story in real-time, which can be incredibly engaging.
Even though I typically watch cutscenes in games, it's important to have the option to skip them if desired.
I usually accelerate them :
I read the subtitles and move to the next one. I rarely completely cut them.
But to answer your question: what makes me not cut them ? interesting from the 5 first seconds
[exemple PNJ coming from far: I cut directly]
When it comes to cutscenes, what entices you to not skip them? Tell us about your favorites, and what makes them unique.
What I love about cutscenes is Mistery the ones that are pretty cleaver and have smart dialogue. Intensity is also a factor like in a Crescendo level of effect.
If your UX team waypoint the player around, then the dialogue does not matter, and they will skip your cutscenes. Exploration and immersion is not a thing if your UX team waypoints players around. Cartography of an area can be fun. If I have to kill 15 goblins and I get way pointed to them, your dialogue and cutscenes are irrelevant wastes of time. Listening to the descriptions in the dialogue of npcs, mapping out areas, and finding points of interest should be an immersive part of rediscovering vera.
I personally could care less about cutscenes because they take so much time and resources away from the game. Make your game the best you possibly can. Then after release if you really wanted to make a short film that paints the story we're all playing in the world. That being said In all my 25 years of gaming what makes me skip cutscenes is TIME/SPEED. Majority of players will be racing to max level for several reasons. Maybe to be apart of the first boss kills in endgame. Maybe to get in the best guild. Maybe they're just trying to catch up too a friends level. Either way most ppl will skip cutscenes regardless of quality. I'm probably not alone when I think of skipping them I justify it by saying, "I will just watch it when I level second char or someone will post a video and I will watch it later."
I think there's a few solutions for this while still maintaining freedom of choice. Reward players for not skipping with items. Not just any rare item either. Needs to be items that directly help players level faster. Maybe exp potions or gear that gives bonus exp on kills. These items will not be important end game but no one will want to skip them. Another option is create a POI in town that offers players to view past cutscenes that they missed. So they can watch while maybe doing other things like crafting.
Lastly, at the end of the day player is going to value cutscenes over actual game quality. Please just make the best game you can make because the entire fate of MMORPG rests on your shoulders. So no pressure at all.
I assume we’re taking about in-game-engine cutscenes that occur sporadically throughout gameplay.
Before I say anything else - I have to tell you that I much prefer stories to be unfolding in front of me as I’m playing my character in the game. After seeing some of the quest and story arc content shown off in the livestreams, I’m growing increasingly concerned that the storytelling in day-to-day activities will feel somewhat flat, disengaging, and superficial.
Why is a Minotaur just standing around in the woods waiting to ask dozens upon dozens of different players to serendipitously show up and make the same delivery for him? Why is there not a segment of the city guard camped out near the enemy Minotaur or the enemy goblins eager to recruit new fighters and get in on the action themselves once the boss fight starts? Why do the citizens involved in the crashed caravan that hit the bandits’ land mines just stand around doing nothing during the ambush? Why is there no visual effort to put out the caravan fire, and instead, a cheap switch from flaming busted caravan to having it be put out and repairable after the bandits are gone?
Now that you’re asking questions about cutscenes, I worry the team is planning on leaning on them to do the meat of the story telling while the questing system’s complexity, quality, and player engagement languish like what you’d find in an MMO from 2005. The quests (and all moment to moment gameplay) need to make the world feel alive, believable, and engaging. Look to GW2 for inspiration on that, but don’t stop there.
Don’t lean on the UI. Use engaging NPC interactions in quest content, voice acting where appropriate, and dynamically spawning and pathing groups of NPCs in relation to currently available world content to show players the story right in front of them while they play instead of using cheap UI pointers to tell them where to go or to give them exposition on why. Don’t lean on cutscenes. They’re fun sometimes and can provide some cinematic flair to the ending of a big story arc, but should feel epic when they do happen. Good storytelling should be happening in the world without cutscenes all the time.
This is your chance to innovate and push the envelope in order to actually impress newcomers and get them to stick with the game after the novelty of nodes and trading systems starts to fade a bit.
Now, for where cutscenes feel earned and satisfying, I will say that I generally watch almost any cutscene, because one of the biggest reasons I play games is for narrative. I wouldn’t skip a cutscene just because it’s all text, the voice acting was bad, or the animations were poorly executed (though it would definitely make me consider it). The rare occasions I do skip cutscenes would be when they feel unnecessary, or when the messages being conveyed feel unimportant. As much as I love BG3, there are plenty of times when having every little thing voice acted / narrated and animated for a cutscene is kind of annoying, and I skip through stuff while glazing over the subtitles. But any quest-related cutscene, I’ll watch all the way through.
Generally, I’d say what makes a cutscene engaging and enjoyable is good voice acting, good motion capture for facial animations, proper dialogue writing and good overall storytelling. Baldur’s Gate 3 is an excellent example of all these things. I know it’s not an MMO, but the line is being blurred more every day with modern tech. I would recommend learning as much as you can about character development, narrative building through environment design outside of cutscenes, and general storytelling from that game.
I honestly never know how to feel about cutscenes.
Honestly I think they need to be saved up and rare to be actually impressive.
No one likes being interrupted every 5 minutes of gameplays 2 wait through 2-3 minutes of texts or storytelling
I much prefer when the story telling is passive and told through the world.
A npc randomly talking with a friend on the side of a road I frequently walk with suddenly speaking about a interesting change in the world had note chance to grab my attention than one fo the 50 cuts cents throwing lore at my face
Like sure glorbock the wise elder can tel me about dragons destroying the world 5 eons ago.
But Philiam and Getrude the peasants talking about legends of ancient ruins talking about a ancient civilization beign mysteriously wiped out while being drunk is way more interesting.
One you know YOU HAVE to go through. The other you realize you may have to explore it in the future or right now.
I believe that cinematics in games are essential.
However, they are often too long and boring.
It can quickly become tedious to watch them. Players won't hesitate to judge you based on their quality.
It's all about finding the right balance. Not too often, not too long.
Some players love them, others hate them.
Give us the option to choose whether to watch or skip.
That way, everyone will be happy.
The RP fan watches until the end, while the disinterested one clicks on skip.
You're doing a great job. Don't listen to the negative comments.
We would love to see the work in progress on the missing races and classes, not to criticize, but to admire the talent of your designers expressing themselves and bringing Steven's vision to life through Unreal Engine 5. The live streams where you show the technical side of the development are the best.
Thank you for making the MMO of our dreams.
Baron of Shadows
Graveyard's Grin
Your bones dance to my rhythm
I honestly hate cutscene but only because it typically happens to me in groups. No one wants to be that guy who seems afk watching a cutscene for 5 minutes. As well who wants to be watching a cutscene unsafely in a open pvp game? I prefer the gameplay to tell the story. Give us some live action. Put the cutscenes ingame not behind cinematics. I think they are best done short and sweet 30 seconds or less if at all. I also hate quest giver dialogue… but you prolly could have guessed that.
I think the purpose of cutscenes are to have a narrative relay of a lot of information/emotion. That being said I feel like there needs to be some baseline of investment into the game already via other means (story line) for the cutscene to deliver on that emotional goal to be of enough value to watch it through.
Not reading the other comments and suggestions. To daunting.
I don't skip cutscenes that have familiar characters. Let's say in early questing I came across a towns person out in the wilds who required my aid gathering an herb to save his/her mother or father. Later on if in a tavern party cutscene I see that same character eating, drinking, and smiling, I would think to myself, "Hell yeah.. they're happy. nice.. I helped make that happen."
I wouldn't ever skip a cutscene that was beautiful. If the world or environment is the main character in a cutscene you damn well now would know I am watching the whole thing. I personally love being immersed in fantasy worlds. The world being a main character is important to the success of any fantasy, whether it be novel, movie, or game.
ON THE OTHER HAND:
What would make me skip a cutscene would be constant (over played, over used) dramatic events to grab and catch my attention that have no rising action or hinting's as to why the dramatic event is even happening. If I am lost and having to mentally scramble to understand why something is happening I wouldn't be able to enjoy the cutscene.
Comments
Nothing, I like to play games and not watch them, cutscenes are inherently bad.
Best to try something completely different, like tell the story in audio while playing.
Also, in open world, people watching cutscenes might be vulnerable targets.
Other than cut scenes, I really enjoy it when games tell me the information via voice acting rather than just text. Like when you receive some game lore or something and a narrator/NPC voice goes off while you run. It lets the player keep moving throughout the world while still getting the information without having to stop and read things.
On that note, I could also imagine lore being voice acted and replayable through a UI thing. Once you have uncovered some lore in the game, you get a Lore Log that you can select through the game UI and replay the voice acted Lore blurb. Since travelling is going to be a big part of the game, listening to lore like a podcast while you roam around Verra could be cool.
WoW does this pretty well - vanilla being the best example: 1 cinematic to introduce the world, 1 cinematic for each race to set tone, anchor a bit of story, and a little push out the door.
On the other hand, FFXIV simply failed. I stopped playing because it felt like the playing experience was just filler between cutscenes. There was a 23 min cutscene in one of the chapters that you couldn’t skip. Same with SWTOR, which was a single player game jammed into an MMO jar.
At launch, Verra stops being your story and becomes our story. If you disagree and want to retain greater control over your story, then make a single-player game.
1. Characters with personality
2. Well-written dialogue
3. Proper pacing. With extra attention paid to how scenes flow into each other, including the transition from gameplay scenes to cutscenes.
4. Specially animated/cinematic scenes (not all the time, but for particularly important, hype, or funny moments)
5. At least basic animation/emotes/facial expressions for all scenes
6. Good voice acting (only for important characters/scenes. More on that later.)
7. Cinematography. Use the camera. Frame the shots. Focus on who's talking. Etc.
8. Proper pacing again, but from the other side. Try to cut down on wasted time/fluff when it's not needed to keep scenes flowing smoothly.
My reference for how to do this well would be FFXIV (they get better at it in later expansions). The only thing they fail at is the last point, because they're really not afraid of taking their time to set up plot points properly. And it's a JRPG, so of course the characters need to yap a lot. (Affectionate.)
I put characters and dialogue first for a different reason though. Normal gameplay includes plenty of action and cool visuals already. Cutscenes are the downtime. And they're the only time to flesh out character motivations or background lore. (Aside from lore books/journals that might be laying around with just text. But those are incredibly skip-able IMO.) Anyways, if you want people to read/listen, then the words have to be interesting. And the best way to do that is to make interesting characters say those words.
Speaking of which, you might think voice acting is the key here, but it's not very high on my list. I understand the cost of good voice acting (not AI) is prohibitively expensive. That's fine. Save it for only the most important characters and cutscenes. Use that to introduce the voices/personality of those characters, then we can imagine the characters speaking in any un-voiced dialogue of lesser importance. And for minor characters with no voice, their personality can still shine though via good dialogue and writing quirks.
I love this!!!
So even if you are in a crunch grind, and want to press through "skip" you can always go back to your video library at your leisure and watch the cutscene as often as you want and admire it - if it's good, and Not if it isn't
GREAT IDEA!!!!
When it comes to cutscenes, what entices you to not skip them? Tell us about your favorites, and what makes them unique.
Characters I care about sharing real experiences or perspectives (be that past or present). Give me something that serves as a connection to the world and the people in it. This can be large or small, and comes in many shapes and sizes.
You're mainly going to lose me if your cutscenes are needlessly repetitive, your characters don't make sense, or I just don't care about what they're experiencing, categorically. Show me the impact I have on the world (or inspire me to have one), show me the impact the world has on me, or make me understand or care about what the world is like in general.
Ultimately it boils down to "good writing". Be clear, be concise, understand what you want to convey and what kind of impact you want to have. If you do that, and have the skill to execute it, you'll be fine. You don't always need a big cutscene to achieve your goals. You don't need to be stingy, or go overboard. What ultimately matters is whether you can tell your story effectively.
For length or frequency, I haven't really kept solid statistics, and I'm sure you'll get plenty of feedback on that, but the key point for me is timing. Don't interrupt my activities and flows with cutscenes very often. Place them so I'm at a natural rest point or a lull between activities. Usually when I've just finished doing something, or when I probably don't already have specific plans. Cutscenes make a good endcap for an experience, or section of an experience. But put them at 'checkpoints', or where 'getting the cutscene' is itself the goal (and therefore itself a checkpoint). You can send me right back out to resume what I was just doing, but probably not more than once, occasionally unless it's specifically the sort of situation where you'd expect that. I guess I'm saying "if you interrupted me specifically, you'd better have a good reason for it". I don't really expect you'll have trouble with this.
More later, maybe.
EDIT: Ashes is a never-safe PvP game. Make an exception. Your cutscenes are gonna lose all their impact if someone else skips them for me, even if I can resume them later. Don't let people gank me mid-cutscene. They can wait.
I am gonna watch them and pay real attention is they are similar to movies' scenes.
Firstly, they must have good voice acting with good facial expressions. Secondly, scenes must have a good camera angle/effects to be appealing and intriguing. Lastly, they must be in relation to the lore of the game and easy to understand what's happenning.
Plus, if they look buggy or quickly made, I am gonna skip them.
Last thought. I usually skip cutscenes in MMO brcause I have other things to do that it more interesting.
Storyline cutscenes, I relish (if they are done well). If it's voiced, rich in content, and has characters I care about, I'll grab the popcorn and sit through any length cutscene. I especially appreciate when a game warns us before a long series of cutscenes beyond a certain action. That way, if I know I have to log off in a few minutes, best not to start that whole cascade and feel rushed.
I like them personally when it explains the lore... What past events have happened in this area or to this person? This can create a desire to help them or to defeat them based off of lore, cut scenes, etc.
Music in the background is also important. Nothing like a good melody in the background as you watch something being built or it being burnt to ashes... dependant on the circumstances.
A 2:00-3:00 minute cut scene really can make all the difference in how alive this world feels.
This comment resonated with me. I definitely felt that social pressure to skip, or have people complain, when I genuinely want to watch the cut scene in my immersive experience.
Maybe the solution is having limited cut scenes in a group setting?
If I feel like my character is important, has purpose and actions really impact this world, a character who is addressed by the world we are in, I'm more inclined to watch a cutscene to deepen that immersion.
Put us in cutscenes, make us feel part of the storytelling, and if its a standard game cutscene... god please don't make us 5ft -10 when everyone else is 40ft+.
Animated cutscenes, need to be of great quality and visually eyecatching. If the first eight seconds doesn't make someone go OH...then it will probably be skipped.
Outside of that, they need to be really well done, placed, with good music/sound, and also good voice actors.
I skip them in MMOs when:
1 The writing is terrible.
2 Its way too long.
3 It disrupts actually playing the video game.
4 When I already don't care about the characters involved.
5 I've already seen it.
Examples of them done well:
FFXIV: The production quality is top notch, it's literally what they do.
SWTOR: Original SWTOR stories were good and well paced.
Even with these examples, the above rules still apply. You can run into a lot of trouble with cutscenes, it's usually not what players are coming to an MMO for.
If you run into something in the narrative where you find you really need a cutscene, then make a cutscene.
If you run into something in the narrative where you find you really want a cutscene, then don't make at cutscene.
Things that make me want to watch a cutscene:
- There is action or emotion in it that warrants a cutscene, something that has impact and couldnt be shown in the same way as reading a textbox.
- I do not feel like i am "rushed" when the cutscene plays, i don't miss anything important like an event or the start of a raid.
- It is voice-acted.
- You managed to make me invested in the story (this one is a big part, i will enjoy worse cutscenes if the story is really good).
- It isnt super long, or a slog to click through.
- The animations are good and it doesnt look unnatural or bland.
- It is rendered In-Game and doesnt take me out of the immersion.
- Cutscenes themselves are not too common so i feel like this is something really important!
- The characters become more likeable, and develop their own (body motion) quirks that cannot be shown in a normal setting.
Things that made me skip a cutscene:
- I have to click through textboxes to advance the cutscene (not voice acted).
- The game made me feel like i wasnt advancing fast enough as the others by bombarding me with mini-cutscenes of things that could have just been an e-mail (lmao).
- A cutscene started after like 1 quest of something, when i wasnt invested at all and thought it was a fetchquest or a very minor side story.
- The cutscene starts with someone just talking for 5 hours before the acton begins.
- It is rendered in a different quality or art style as the game itself, using spells and effects that are impossible for players to achieve.
- The characters arent very expressive/ they don't really have their own character, and all become same-y.
There is obviously a healthy middleground that i would personally still accept, and that "rendered out of engine" thing is most likely just a personal preference, but it would be cool if those points could be considered.
I'm really eager to see cutscenes at the start of my journey into Verra and during impactful story moments, especially if they feature a fantasy-oriented and cinematic art style.
Where I think cutscenes would be fitting:
What I'd love to experience in the cutscenes:
Sound is also crucial for setting the mood and enhancing the atmosphere. Additionally, in-game cutscenes, where the world dynamically changes and NPCs move around without changing the screen, add a layer of immersion that's hard to beat. It's like being a part of the unfolding story in real-time, which can be incredibly engaging.
Even though I typically watch cutscenes in games, it's important to have the option to skip them if desired.
I read the subtitles and move to the next one. I rarely completely cut them.
But to answer your question: what makes me not cut them ? interesting from the 5 first seconds
[exemple PNJ coming from far: I cut directly]
What I love about cutscenes is Mistery the ones that are pretty cleaver and have smart dialogue. Intensity is also a factor like in a Crescendo level of effect.
I think there's a few solutions for this while still maintaining freedom of choice. Reward players for not skipping with items. Not just any rare item either. Needs to be items that directly help players level faster. Maybe exp potions or gear that gives bonus exp on kills. These items will not be important end game but no one will want to skip them. Another option is create a POI in town that offers players to view past cutscenes that they missed. So they can watch while maybe doing other things like crafting.
Lastly, at the end of the day player is going to value cutscenes over actual game quality. Please just make the best game you can make because the entire fate of MMORPG rests on your shoulders. So no pressure at all.
Before I say anything else - I have to tell you that I much prefer stories to be unfolding in front of me as I’m playing my character in the game. After seeing some of the quest and story arc content shown off in the livestreams, I’m growing increasingly concerned that the storytelling in day-to-day activities will feel somewhat flat, disengaging, and superficial.
Why is a Minotaur just standing around in the woods waiting to ask dozens upon dozens of different players to serendipitously show up and make the same delivery for him? Why is there not a segment of the city guard camped out near the enemy Minotaur or the enemy goblins eager to recruit new fighters and get in on the action themselves once the boss fight starts? Why do the citizens involved in the crashed caravan that hit the bandits’ land mines just stand around doing nothing during the ambush? Why is there no visual effort to put out the caravan fire, and instead, a cheap switch from flaming busted caravan to having it be put out and repairable after the bandits are gone?
Now that you’re asking questions about cutscenes, I worry the team is planning on leaning on them to do the meat of the story telling while the questing system’s complexity, quality, and player engagement languish like what you’d find in an MMO from 2005. The quests (and all moment to moment gameplay) need to make the world feel alive, believable, and engaging. Look to GW2 for inspiration on that, but don’t stop there.
Don’t lean on the UI. Use engaging NPC interactions in quest content, voice acting where appropriate, and dynamically spawning and pathing groups of NPCs in relation to currently available world content to show players the story right in front of them while they play instead of using cheap UI pointers to tell them where to go or to give them exposition on why. Don’t lean on cutscenes. They’re fun sometimes and can provide some cinematic flair to the ending of a big story arc, but should feel epic when they do happen. Good storytelling should be happening in the world without cutscenes all the time.
This is your chance to innovate and push the envelope in order to actually impress newcomers and get them to stick with the game after the novelty of nodes and trading systems starts to fade a bit.
Now, for where cutscenes feel earned and satisfying, I will say that I generally watch almost any cutscene, because one of the biggest reasons I play games is for narrative. I wouldn’t skip a cutscene just because it’s all text, the voice acting was bad, or the animations were poorly executed (though it would definitely make me consider it). The rare occasions I do skip cutscenes would be when they feel unnecessary, or when the messages being conveyed feel unimportant. As much as I love BG3, there are plenty of times when having every little thing voice acted / narrated and animated for a cutscene is kind of annoying, and I skip through stuff while glazing over the subtitles. But any quest-related cutscene, I’ll watch all the way through.
Generally, I’d say what makes a cutscene engaging and enjoyable is good voice acting, good motion capture for facial animations, proper dialogue writing and good overall storytelling. Baldur’s Gate 3 is an excellent example of all these things. I know it’s not an MMO, but the line is being blurred more every day with modern tech. I would recommend learning as much as you can about character development, narrative building through environment design outside of cutscenes, and general storytelling from that game.
Honestly I think they need to be saved up and rare to be actually impressive.
No one likes being interrupted every 5 minutes of gameplays 2 wait through 2-3 minutes of texts or storytelling
I much prefer when the story telling is passive and told through the world.
A npc randomly talking with a friend on the side of a road I frequently walk with suddenly speaking about a interesting change in the world had note chance to grab my attention than one fo the 50 cuts cents throwing lore at my face
Like sure glorbock the wise elder can tel me about dragons destroying the world 5 eons ago.
But Philiam and Getrude the peasants talking about legends of ancient ruins talking about a ancient civilization beign mysteriously wiped out while being drunk is way more interesting.
One you know YOU HAVE to go through. The other you realize you may have to explore it in the future or right now.
However, they are often too long and boring.
It can quickly become tedious to watch them. Players won't hesitate to judge you based on their quality.
It's all about finding the right balance. Not too often, not too long.
Some players love them, others hate them.
Give us the option to choose whether to watch or skip.
That way, everyone will be happy.
The RP fan watches until the end, while the disinterested one clicks on skip.
You're doing a great job. Don't listen to the negative comments.
We would love to see the work in progress on the missing races and classes, not to criticize, but to admire the talent of your designers expressing themselves and bringing Steven's vision to life through Unreal Engine 5. The live streams where you show the technical side of the development are the best.
Thank you for making the MMO of our dreams.
Graveyard's Grin
Your bones dance to my rhythm
I don't skip cutscenes that have familiar characters. Let's say in early questing I came across a towns person out in the wilds who required my aid gathering an herb to save his/her mother or father. Later on if in a tavern party cutscene I see that same character eating, drinking, and smiling, I would think to myself, "Hell yeah.. they're happy. nice.. I helped make that happen."
I wouldn't ever skip a cutscene that was beautiful. If the world or environment is the main character in a cutscene you damn well now would know I am watching the whole thing. I personally love being immersed in fantasy worlds. The world being a main character is important to the success of any fantasy, whether it be novel, movie, or game.
ON THE OTHER HAND:
What would make me skip a cutscene would be constant (over played, over used) dramatic events to grab and catch my attention that have no rising action or hinting's as to why the dramatic event is even happening. If I am lost and having to mentally scramble to understand why something is happening I wouldn't be able to enjoy the cutscene.