Shockwave1 says:
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I have made it to the Beast in Ch 1 in the game and I have to say, the mechanics of the game are decent, the story is pretty good, but whoever decided on the cut scenes should be shot, flogged, burned, and never work on PC games EVER again. Must be the same guy who worked on NWN hordes because it is the same inane design.
Did anyone else thing the prelude was overdone with cutscenes by about 500% I know you are learning in the prelude but still you couldn't take two steps w/o one.
Then you get into the Ch 1 and how many times does the game force you to put your sword away, walk up to a bad guy and talk to them in a cut scene and then start a fight with no sword drawn and bad guys a foot away. I should be able to talk to people from a safe distance thank you, and with my sword out. This happens several times (the dwarf, the salamandra guards, etc)
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Apparently, Shockwave1 has a problem with
gameplay, and the
amount of cutscenes breaking up gameplay way too often, not with the
game design in general. He states he likes the game mechanics (underlying rules and their implementation) and the story (narrative aspect of game design).
Gameplay makes a game entertaining and enjoyable.
Now, is gameplay (an important part of game design) subjective or objective? The term "gameplay" is vague and probably pertains to the interactive aspect of a game.
The amount and complexity of interaction with the gameworld determines the overall quality of the gameplay. So, it is objective.
However, you can enjoy or hate the gameplay regardless of how good or bad the overall design might be from a professional critic's viewpoint. After all, every game is aimed at its fan base. A gamer's attitude towards the gameplay is definitely subjective.
Shockwave1's point concerning the cutscenes is valid, imo. The amount of cutscenes is overwhelming. You may love the quality of animation for the heck of it, but it has nothing to do with the gameplay itself.
Many people in the business today seem to be more interested in making movies than in making games. -Tim Skelly.
Shockwave's frustration with being forced to enter a fight having the sword sheathed, mostly pertains to the game mechanics.
It seems he is not as fond of the game mechanics as he previously stated. Read on:
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If you have a sword, you expect to be able to use it, if you have magic spells, you expect to able to use them. If the game starts deciding arbitrarily that you can's use your sword here, or MUST use a spell here then it becomes too puppet like.
.......
If you are telling me there is no bad game mechanics here I think you are high, but you're entitled to your opinion. Personally, I think it takes away from the immersion and realism of the game. No game has done the freedom thing perfect yet, but others have done it better.
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Inflammatory language aside, he makes a good point, here.
"Realism" in a game is a common sense concept that makes the hero's actions seem rational and the game itself more believable. If a hero is supposed to act irrationally on a regular basis, that is a design's flaw. Small (?) things like the ones Shockwave1 describes, along with a host of other small and not so small things he is yet to encounter, add to the frustration. The extreme linearity of The Witcher doesn't help either.
The Witcher is a good game, but it has many shortcomings. It is far from being perfect, in spite of whatever the numerous fanboys would like us to believe.