Influence over people?!

edited September 2012 in The Walking Dead
My main problem with the game is when you take sides things don't really matter, all there is, is different cutscenes or characters swapping spots. Take the Lily thing for instance when I told her to drop her crazy search, she should've dropped it since I helped her out so much. Now if I let her just be paranoid and feed it to her then it would have a different outcome.

Also with Kenny, wish with me siding with him so much he would side with me once.

It seems like Lee isn't the controller but the follower. He agrees or disagrees with people but no one ever follows him (unless it's Clem). If I picked Doug over Carly Lily should have thought it was someone else, she seems like she just dislike Carly for some reason.

I'd like to throw in that Lee isn't a very perceptive person. I would have notice that s**t was going to go down in almost every case and I would have been on my toes. Lily grabbing her gun, Kenny dropping the block on Larry, where the hell is Mark (you reject me to seeing him, seriously?), choosing between Doug and Carly (run throw her the bag, and dip over to Doug). I think I get my point across. I know some of them add to tension and story and I'm completely cool with that. But it would be cool to add a "What If" add-on to let you choose things YOU would do in some way of added choices.

But back to the subject, the weight of trust with people and influence you have doesn't seem to be very "influential" because of the fact you can't change peoples minds or at least offer a compromise.

Comments

  • edited August 2012
    Lee isn't Rick. He doesn't lead or control people. He's just a smart guy who no one listens to.
  • edited August 2012
    The choices don't matter as much as they make you think
  • edited August 2012
    The game has been very enjoyable in the first playthrough as a story, but you are totally right. The choices and build ups don't really seem to matter. Even if you side with Lilly instead of Kenny through 1&2 she will leave you anyway. I can't choose to save Carley instead of Ben, so it's not even that people just swap places like in episode 2, but now everything seems to be bottle necked to start the storylines anew. Which is kind of a bummer, since I was expeting that I could have various storylines with different people like in episode 1&2 with Doug and Carley.
  • edited August 2012
    Exactly! See I wish the choices REALLY did matter, but they don't really. You barely change anything. They could make a good story AND give decisions to the players at the same time. It would expand on the game and make it a tad harder to work with since there would be a lot of branching but it would be worth it. Some people want it to cater to the player choice others like watching a movie. I prefer the choices if you don't mind.
  • edited August 2012
    "The game adapts to the choices you make" sure sounds nice, but it just hasn't been true. It's the same as every other game ever made; your choices change dialogue, but not the game.
  • edited August 2012
    Yes, I noticed. The first thing I did after I played the first episode was to start again, and instead of saving Duck I tried to save Shawn. I was surprised and dismayed to discover that not only can I not save Shawn, but Hershel is still piping mad and throws everyone off his farm even when I tried to rescue his son.

    It's fine for an adventure game to have a linear path. That's the way all adventure games are. I just think TTG is a little dishonest, trying to make their game out to be something that it's not.
  • edited August 2012
    First of all, quite a few of your examples - like Lily leaving you and Shawn's death - were some of the few things that had to happen in the game because they tied into the story of the comics.

    Secondly, in pretty much every game that has ever taken player choice into account, it's always been the ending where we really see the consequences of our actions. We've just passed the halfway point here, we don't know how all of our choices turn out yet.

    Thirdly, we do have to temper our expectations here somewhat. It's not reasonable to want the game to become drastically different in story halfway through just because of your actions. You can't expect to have your episode 4 take place in Chicago with all different characters while mine takes place in Savannah. At the end of the day, Telltale does not have infinite resources and can't possibly make a game that has such large variations. How it all ends may end up being drastically different, but the lead up to it, by necessity, has to be pretty similar.
  • edited August 2012
    I disagree completely that the lead up to the ending had to be so (let's go ahead and say exactly) similar based on your choices. With five episodes, I think we should have been expecting a major divergence at this point based on prior decisions considering the nature of the game. With over a million copies sold, it was perfectly reasonable to expect at least two different storylines to happen by the third episode. A different locale would be a great example of the game "adapting to the choices you make," even if the game ended at the same place in episode 5. We won't see that, which is a major disappointment.
  • edited August 2012
    Except that isn't reasonable. That essentially means that Telltale would have to make two different games (and that's assuming that people would really be happy with only two divergent story paths - and we know they wouldn't be). They don't have the resources to do that, and if the reactions around here in the last couple months have shown us anything, we wouldn't have the patience to give them enough time to do that. It's not a choose-your-own-adventure book, where they just have to write more pages. They would have to build a whole other game to make that work.
  • edited August 2012
    First of all, quite a few of your examples - like Lily leaving you and Shawn's death - were some of the few things that had to happen in the game because they tied into the story of the comics.

    Secondly, in pretty much every game that has ever taken player choice into account, it's always been the ending where we really see the consequences of our actions. We've just passed the halfway point here, we don't know how all of our choices turn out yet.

    Thirdly, we do have to temper our expectations here somewhat. It's not reasonable to want the game to become drastically different in story halfway through just because of your actions. You can't expect to have your episode 4 take place in Chicago with all different characters while mine takes place in Savannah. At the end of the day, Telltale does not have infinite resources and can't possibly make a game that has such large variations. How it all ends may end up being drastically different, but the lead up to it, by necessity, has to be pretty similar.

    I agree with you 100 percent. We dont know everything thats gonna happen just yet. Wait untill season 1 is done then we can see.
  • edited August 2012
    Except that isn't reasonable. That essentially means that Telltale would have to make two different games (and that's assuming that people would really be happy with only two divergent story paths - and we know they wouldn't be). They don't have the resources to do that, and if the reactions around here in the last couple months have shown us anything, we wouldn't have the patience to give them enough time to do that. It's not a choose-your-own-adventure book, where they just have to write more pages. They would have to build a whole other game to make that work.

    No, that's not the case. It wouldn't take two games to make that happen, it would only take 6 episodes. 5 and 1/2 episodes even to make a true change in the gameplay. Based on the obnoxious delays we won't see it, as Telltale was obviously understaffed for this offering.
  • edited August 2012
    I like the little choices that DO matter. Like saying the Barn smells like Shit in episode 1. My cousin chose manure. In episode 2 when Duck says the Barn smells, Clem says "I know! Like Shit!" And Kat gives you a disapproving look. She said manure in my cousin's play through. Nice little touches.
  • edited August 2012
    TellTale didn't expect it to take so long to develop Walking Dead, all their other games released monthly except for the occasional delay.

    In truth TellTale could've prepared more, but in the current situation right now we have 2 options:
    1. Make true choices, longer development cycle.
    2. Illusion-ish of choice, 2 month cycle.

    What do you think they chose?
  • edited August 2012
    Viner16 wrote: »
    TellTale didn't expect it to take so long to develop Walking Dead, all their other games released monthly except for the occasional delay.

    In truth TellTale could've prepared more, but in the current situation right now we have 2 options:
    1. Make true choices, longer development cycle.
    2. Illusion-ish of choice, 2 month cycle.

    What do you think they chose?

    I hope they do a season 2 with all new folks and take all the time they need.
  • edited September 2012
    Metiphis wrote: »
    I hope they do a season 2 with all new folks and take all the time they need.

    I hope so for TellTale. Not saying I hate the game or anything but if you want us to replay the game over and over to enjoy your product to the max then add in different branches.

    I don't want to replay the game because it feels as if everything is going to end in one linear fashion with little distractions here and there.
  • edited September 2012
    If every character made the same decisions, and had the same personalities, they might as well all be lee. What do you think, lee? I agree completely, lee.

    Just as in real life if you like two people, but those two don't like each other, you can't make them like each other.
  • edited September 2012
    Except that isn't reasonable. That essentially means that Telltale would have to make two different games (and that's assuming that people would really be happy with only two divergent story paths - and we know they wouldn't be). They don't have the resources to do that, and if the reactions around here in the last couple months have shown us anything, we wouldn't have the patience to give them enough time to do that. It's not a choose-your-own-adventure book, where they just have to write more pages. They would have to build a whole other game to make that work.

    Give that man a prize! He 'gets it'!
    Sad, but true and perfectly worded
  • edited September 2012
    Lilly had since Episode 1 a big problem with Carly, because she don't back down and tell Lilly clearly what she thinks. Lilly is a person who always want to be on top, be the leader & want to have right with everything she say.
  • edited September 2012
    MakersWax wrote: »
    "The game adapts to the choices you make" sure sounds nice, but it just hasn't been true. It's the same as every other game ever made; your choices change dialogue, but not the game.

    Last I checked, dialogue is a part of the game.

    And after I retried EP2 for my missed 360 achievements, and got verbally sandblasted by Kenny due to the choices the game made for me for EP1.... I'm seeing how it does in fact adapt.
  • edited September 2012
    DreadMagus wrote: »
    Last I checked, dialogue is a part of the game.

    And after I retried EP2 for my missed 360 achievements, and got verbally sandblasted by Kenny due to the choices the game made for me for EP1.... I'm seeing how it does in fact adapt.

    lol what did you do? did the game pick Larry over Kenny in that Duck situation?
  • edited September 2012
    I had the first two achievements for episode 2 not unlock when I played it - so I went with an EP2 game... and the game chooses your episode 1 actions at random.

    Based on what kenny said.... I think Lee left duck on the tractor and sided with Larry in the pharmacy... Kenny.... was not amused by this. lol
  • edited September 2012
    DreadMagus wrote: »
    I had the first two achievements for episode 2 not unlock when I played it - so I went with an EP2 game... and the game chooses your episode 1 actions at random.

    Based on what kenny said.... I think Lee left duck on the tractor and sided with Larry in the pharmacy... Kenny.... was not amused by this. lol

    i would imagine he wouldn't be lol :D
  • edited September 2012
    All I have to say is "Carly will remember that." Two minutes later... :)
  • edited September 2012
    What I dont like is that we're wrapping up the season and despite all that he's done (and not done, depending on your playthrough) Lee is still the errand boy for Kenny / Lilly or their referee. Those 2 have been at each other like cats and dogs since Ep1- Lee has never had any group-wide issues (unless you went Rambo at the end of Ep2). The point is, he has clearly proven himself to be the more stable of the 3, why wasnt he voted up...better yet.
    When exactly did anyone appoint K or L the leader? I dont remember a vote and they clearly dont respect the other as the person of authority. Is Lee just the designated spectator/referee throughout the entire series?
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