The problems with Hub's
A lot of people have said they really want to old exploration style in season 1 to return. Where you walk around an area interacting with people and objects.
While part of me agrees it would add more game play and develop characters better, I think I know why they've been scrapped. The problem with this is that none of the information gained from these optional conversations can be used later in game; watch a few playthroughs of season 1, so many players just immediately hand out the food or immediately ask Andy if they can fix the fences.
This means that anything done in these areas optionally cannot be used in the story. So far this season almost every bit of dialogue has impacted the story, yes it feels more restricted but there are a few more connections to past events.
So while I do want Hub's back this is the reason they are not here, optional discussions mean that the player can learn a ton of information but there is no way the developers can use this to further the story. I do think they could add a few puzzles like the train and a couple of small conversations in these areas.
Comments
Well I liked those random moments even if they weren't really story important
I agree with you I wouldn't mind seeing hubs return but the choices seems to have more impact now ethier way im loving season 2 I think I might be liking it more than S1
I don't necessarily want the hubs back, I just want Telltale to spend more time developing the characters. The hubs were good because idle chatter is one of the best ways to build character.
I think telltale did a good job developing characters in house divided hopefully they will keep it up
Okay, the optional conversations don't create options later in the game, but they do help you make more well-informed decisions.
For instance, if you skip the optional dialogue with Nick (especially if you went with Pete) at the end of the bridge you might not be inclined to think he's a good guy and end up getting him killed.
So I think hubs are important.
Exactly, I still think there should be some areas and there are. However I've still seen numerous people walk past Nick in that scene without even a thought to talk to him.
Heck in the lodge scene tons of people dont even try to talk to rebecca they just put the thing on the tree and then keep walking around until they eventually talk to her. I really dont get when people play RPG's that way. Dont you want t talk to everybody?
They did do a good job but i was disappointed that we didn't get the option to talk to Sarah when they where sitting by the shack or in the ski lodge, They let us talk to Alvin, Rebecca, Nick, Kenny, Walter and Sarita but we couldn't even ask if she was ok after the incident with Carver.
ahh well I will give you that one I wish we could talk to her I think her character gets a lot of hate for no reason she actually seems interesting
Yeah, I don't know either.
There seem to be quite a few people that like to "beat" games.
That expression always makes me frown, especially when it comes to rpgs.
Or they could treat the information gained while walking around and conversing with people like the watch in the first episode; if you take it, you have more options later, but it doesn't derail you if you don't have it. Maybe if you learn something about someone, you get a different choice of something to say to them. Personally, I liked the ability to wander around and chat with everyone.
True but there was so much we learned in season 1 through hubs that couldnt be brought up later
Whenever someone keeps walking past people instead of interacting in hub areas I get very frustrated and stop watching the LP. Anyway, just because it can be missed doesn't mean it should be removed. I agree with Onmens that it helps make more informed decisions, and I think they're worth it for that. Forcing players through all content isn't the way to go. If some players rush past stuff then let them, it's their loss.
I didn't mind hubs...
until, of course, I decided to replay the episode...
Then I would have to wander around, talk to every person who I know exactly what they will say, then try to pick up every candy bar, every battery, repair every swing... I really hated replaying episodes with the hubs, and I needed to talk and interact with EVERYTHING again in order to make the choices matter. I found them quite tedious in that sense, but that's just me.
Fine for the first time playing, annoying when it's the second time playing... Kinda frustrating the third.
I loved hubs. As A user stated, it allows you to not only get invested in a character for choices later. But for me personally, it lets you get invested in the characters and people rather than finding out about the characters backstory "later in the show" it's what truely for me sets the video game apart from a typical tv show.
I also enjoyed the fact that hub areas for the most part in our first time playing, had no clear objective. So it was almost free-roam of "relax and do what you want for a minuite" Really nice to get a break and interact with the characters we made a good relationship with.. Season 2 just seems all rush rush rush, it's exhausting..
Yeah I think we should be able to talk to everyone at those small points, even if its just a small thing for each person
Remember that most conversations there are optional, and can be skipped the second time when you know what to do. Unless you're OCD, of course.
I think that's what they were going for with the first two episodes really. The episodes were so fast paced that they were exhausting, as you said, and there was never a minute to spare. I think that was exactly how they wanted the first two to feel, and now that they're taking us to Carver's camp I feel like everyone will get the hub they so desire. We're only two episodes into the story, and I think mixing it up like that helps keep it fresh. If every episode used the exact same formula it might start to get dull.
Yes, but these random moments can develop the characters further and make us care for them more. like the Alvin Window Scene in Ep 1.
However, I have to agree these can be easily missed, I didn't even know you could talk to Alvin when sneaking around until I came on these forums.