undefined | Better HN

0 pointsjohnnyworker2y ago0 comments

Remember when consoles were touted as having none of the disadvantages of PC (no patches, no loading times, "it just works"), but what we actually got was consoles that are suckier than PC in every way, but instead PC gaming being gimped by consoles existing? (e.g. Fallout 4 having four choices at any point in any conversation has zero to do with "writing" or "game design" and everything to do with a controller having 4 buttons)

So yeah, if it's shittier and allows even harder rent seeking, it'll be the standard in a few decades. Don't count on quality being a factor, gamers are the kings of Stockholm Syndrome and there isn't any hoop you can't get them to buy and then jump through.

0 comments

gambiting2y ago

>>e.g. Fallout 4 having four choices at any point in any conversation has zero to do with "writing" or "game design" and everything to do with a controller having 4 buttons)

That's an extremely weird argument. Literally no one at Bethesda was being stopped from writing compelling dialogue choices for that game because controllers only have 4 buttons - it's a choice they made conciously, they wanted to simplify the dialogue trees and that's what they ended up with. To even suggest that it's because of consoles is........just odd man. Like, it's not a thing. I've worked in video games for long enough to tell you that the number of controller buttons would never even make it into a discussion about these things, unless it was coming directly from Todd Howard or something.

johnnyworkerOP2y ago

It was one of many examples, if you want to pretend PC game interfaces (speaking of fallout again, the same key for gun bash and grenades, plus a trillion other things in basically all AAA games) aren't gimped by consoles that's great, but you finding it "weird" and "odd" isn't even an argument.

gambiting2y ago

Nice move of goalposts - interfaces absolutely got nerfed because of consoles, I never argued otherwise. You argued that the reason why Fallout 4 got crappy dialogue options was because controllers have 4 buttons(to quote you "Fallout 4 having four choices at any point in any conversation has zero to do with "writing" or "game design""), which is complete nonsense, but I don't know how to prove it to you other than by saying I have worked in the industry long enough to tell you with absolute certainty that it doesn't happen. If bethesda wanted to have 20 dialogue options they would have done it regardless. The fact that the conversation options suck in that game and that they basically all mean the same thing has nothing to do with how many buttons are on a controller(!!!!). If you walked into any conversation about NPC conversation systems and said with a straight face "I think we should only have 4 dialogue options because controllers have 4 buttons" you'd be laughed out of the room.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 comments

gambiting2y ago

>>e.g. Fallout 4 having four choices at any point in any conversation has zero to do with "writing" or "game design" and everything to do with a controller having 4 buttons)

johnnyworkerOP2y ago

gambiting2y ago

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse