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Check out Alpha Two Announcements here to see the latest news on Alpha Two.
Check out general Announcements here to see the latest news on Ashes of Creation & Intrepid Studios.
To get the quickest updates regarding Alpha Two, connect your Discord and Intrepid accounts here.
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.
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.