The things Telltale needs to do better with Game of Thrones in Season 2.
I loved this season for many reasons. I love the characters they built, I was fully invested and cared for the main cast. When they rose or fell, I felt it. I loved the settings they developed. I loved that they were able to create a realistic narrative in the ASOIAF world that had its own triumphs and pitfalls and still kept the spirit and the main themes of the series. I loved the voice acting (outside of Josera Snow who was godawful) and I loved the soundtrack.
But for criticisms, I have quite a few more. All of which are constructive and things I need Telltale to evolve in to make these games a more satisfying experience.
They need to develop a new engine. We're about to be in 2016. Telltale, you must spend the money on developing a new game engine for your next generation of games. The animations, the choppy frame-rate, the stuttering and sudden drop and reappearance of characters on screen, objects and hair going through the character's bodies to which they are a part of being a common occurrence. It's become clear that this engine is outdated and needs a complete revamp and overhaul at the very least. The bugs are too numerous to count as the episodes went on. I'm not sure if that just comes from a lack of beta testing due to a rushed production schedule, or a game engine that is just completely over its head. It needs to be addressed before Season 2.
There should be more than five to six choices in a ten hour game that matter, of which maybe three really change anything drastic. I'll try to not make this a generic rant about the reasons why your choices don't matter and how Telltale is lazy for not making thousands of branches off of every little decision you make. Anybody can see how much money Until Dawn spent and how long it was in development and the only reward for making certain choices and keeping certain characters alive is one 10 minute bonus chapter, a few extra snippets of dialogue, and an extra few seconds of them at the end talking about how they survived. We get it, Telltale intended for this to be a multi-season, multi-year story and as such must keep it on a streamline base plot as much as possible with only derivations being the characters involved and what they are discussing all the while keeping 95% of the main plot and outcomes as the exact same for everyone. But this entire series needs to flit more of the Rodrik/Asher type branches then ever before. Developing separate plot lines for players that made different choices is exactly what should be happening two to three times an episode. It adds replayability and depth. It's ambitious and I'm sure time consuming and exhausting in development. But I'm not asking for the world here. If this season had, I don't know, eight, not wildly different, but different enough climaxes and endings with different characters being featured or not featured moving forward from say early episode 5 on, critics would be raving about this game as revolutionary to the "interactive story" genre. Maybe there's an ending where Lady Elissa gets out alive. Maybe Ironrath falls but isn't in complete ruin? Maybe Bloodsong does something other than a couple stupid lines and doing a battle animation that Amaya does anyway if he's not there. Maybe Mira is saved by Sera causing a distraction if she's a good enough friend to that point. Maybe Elaena has a plot to play in Asher's story. Maybe no one is there to stab Harys and save Asher? I get that your branches could create a never ending amount of weaving in and out that it could be hard to create a satisfying narrative, but maybe a few decisions later, you're on a completely different, yet mostly pre-planned course. Somehow, I just feel like if there was a logical progression to everything, you could have climaxes/endings one through eight and still keep the entire thing from falling in on itself. I HAVE FAITH.
The stuff that does matter should be logical. Let's just talk about the traitor story line which is the best example of illogical progressions of choices mattering in bizarre and unsatisfying ways. In Episode 5 you have the option to kill the traitor. The traitor being one of the two most trusted advisers of the House who turned his cloak because the previous, now deceased 13 year old Lord didn't choose them as the most prestigious adviser. Even if you agree with every choice he suggests from that point in Episode 1 on, he's still the traitor. One of which sent his only living family member north of the Wall to defend the "North Grove" which no one other than the pre-deceased head of the House knew anything about. Hmm, awful story telling guys. Also, if you choose not to kill the traitor, then he escapes after the battle with Talia and rescues his Lord, whether that be the Lord he betrayed that he got ambushed and got his brother killed or the new Lord who he sold information on that got him ambushed and his brother killed. On top of that, if you don't execute the traitor, it explains in the Codex that your Sentinel was killed bravely in the battle. Why does he survive if the traitor is dead? Why does he die if the traitor lives? Did the traitor kill him? Is it because every determinant character that survives in this series that doesn't disappear forever immediately comes from a sacrifice this guy or that guy choice?
Other determinant characters should matter more like the Asher/Rodrik choice and they all shouldn't have to be a sacrifice this guy or that guy decision. Bringing Finn along provides some lovely dialogue, then he dies to no impact to anyone. Even a replacement wight shows up to battle Gared. Bowen and Erik? Placeholders if you're a monster and let your mother drink poison. Bloodsong? Amaya does the cool stabby move anyway. You still lose the battle horribly and Amaya and presumably Bloodsong still die. Duncan? Royland? They do the same exact actions in Episode 6 as Sentinel despite being completely different people for the first 90% of the game. Mira and Tom? We'll see but I don't hold my breath that we'll see either in any major capacity again. The survivor of Duncan and Royland will probably be dead by the end of Season 2 Episode 1 as well. Why is Rodrik and Asher the first decision that you finally get completely new branches (even though they all come back together to the same ending in the end)? Why can't Duncan and Royland both survive? Why can't Bloodsong sacrifice himself to save Ortegryn or Elissa or Amaya or even just escape certain death? I get it, it's Game of Thrones and some people just can't be saved for narrative purposes. But the more threads you're able to extend out, the more rewarding the journey will be for the player's involved.
That's all I got for now, and I hope someone from Telltale reads it and takes some of it into account.
Comments
I like all your ideas, but I don't see four happening. As I see it TT has really screwed themselves with so may determinate characters. It was nice to see that Asher didn't die at the end of ep. 6. But I know his time will come, wouldn't be surprised if he bits it at the very beginning of season 2. He's in very bad shape, and I assume rodrick is as well.
I think game of thrones has handled determinants the best so far, To the point i can even hope they will try and continue this in season 2. Honestly the walking dead s a joke in that regard, it barely even tries
Im probably going to transfer to the xbox 1, I'm not sure how good it was on there but it cant be worse than the leg on old consoles
I'd rather have a few key choices that actually matter, and to be honest again it appears to matter more in this game than others(where it tends to be a dialogue change or somehing). Also yes maybe not that much changes but there is at least some variety
I do agree with logic though, The traitor was so stupid, but hopefully there will be less of that
GoT probably did history with determinant characters actually having some importance
...it's sad...really sad.
Joking aside I don't believe the compromise between making the choices matter and plot line is always easy for Telltale. I'd like to have immersion AND interactivity but I understand the challenge that Telltale has. I think they've improved at managing "determination" over the years, so I already congratulate them for that.