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rawliverandgoronspice · 7 months

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Hello!! I'm back for: more whining about TotK Quest Design Philosophy

I can't reblog a really great post I just saw for some reason (tumblrrrr *shakes my fist*), but hmmmm yeah not only do I completely agree, but I think I might expand on why I feel so much annoyance towards TotK's quest design philosophy at some point, because it does extend past the fundamentally broken setup of trying to punch a pseudo-mystery game on top of BotW's bones, where the core objective was always explicit and centered and stapled the entire world together; or the convoluted and inefficient way it tells its story through the Tears, the somehow single linear exploration-driven quest in the entire game.

Basically: I'm talking about the pointless back-and-forths. There were a lot of them, a lot that acted against the open world philosophy, and almost none of them ever recontextualized the environment through neither gameplay abilities nor worldbuilding nor character work.

I'll take two examples: the initial run to Hyrule Castle (before you get your paraglider), and then the billion back-and-forths in the Zora questline.

I think?? the goal of that initial quest to Hyrule Castle is to familiarize you with the landmark, introduce the notion that weapons rot, tell you about the gloom pits, and also tell you that Zelda sightings are a thing? But to force any of these ideas on you before giving you a paraglider is, in my opinion, pretty unnecessary. I think the reason it happens in that order is to prevent Link from simply pummeling down to the gloom pit under Hyrule Castle and fight Ganondorf immediately while still introducing ideas surrounding the location; but genuinely, the Zelda sighting makes the next events even more confusing? Why wouldn't you focus all your priorities in reaching the castle if you just saw her there? Why lose time investigating anything else? Genuinely: what is stopping you from getting your paraglider and immediately getting yourself back there, plunging into the depths to try and get to the literal bottom of this? (beyond player literacy assuming this is where the final boss would be, and so not to immediately spoil yourself --which, in an open world game, you should never be able to spoil yourself by engaging with the mechanics normally, and if you can that's a genuine failure of design)

I think, personally, that you should not have been pointed to go there at all. That anything it brings to the table, you could have learned more organically by investigating yourself, or by exploring in that direction on your own accord --or, maybe you think Zelda is up there in the castle, and then the region objectives become explicitely about helping you reaching that castle (maybe by building up troops to help you in a big assault, or through the Sages granting you abilities to move past level-design oriented hurdles in your way, etc). Either way: no need to actually make you walk the distance and back, because the tediousness doesn't teach you anything you haven't already learned about traversal in the (extremely long, btw, needlessly so I would say) tutorial area.

But to take another example, I'll nitpick at a very specific moment in the Zora Questline, that is honestly full of these back-and-forth paddings that recontextualize absolutely nothing and teach you nothing you didn't already know. The most egregious example, in my opinion, is the moment where you are trying to find the king, and you have to learn by listening in to the zora children who do not let you listening in.

So okay. I think Zelda is great when it does whimsy, and children doing children things guiding you is a staple of the series, and a great one at that. But here? It does not work for me on any level. Any tension that could arise from the situation flattens because nobody seems to care enough about their king disappearing in the middle of a major ecological crisis, except for children who are conveniently dumb enough not to graps the severity of the situation, but not stressed out enough that it could be construed as a way for them to cope about it and make anything feel more serious or pressing. It feels like a completely arbitrary blocker that isn't informed by the state of the world, doesn't do anything interesting gameplay-wise with this idea, doesn't build up the mood, and genuinely feels like busywork for its own sake.

This is especially tragic when the inherent concept of "the zora king has been wounded by what most zoras would believe to be Zelda and is hiding from his own people so the two factions do not go to war over it" has such tension and interest and spark that the game absolutely refuse to explore --instead having you collect carved stones who do not tell you anything new, splatter water in a floating island, thrud through mud who feel more like an inconvenience than a threat or, hey, listen to children playing about their missing king less than a couple of years after being freed from Calamity Ganon's menace. It feels like level designers/system designers having vague technical systems that are hard-coded in the game now, and we need to put them to use even if it's not that interesting, not that fun or not that compelling. It's the sort of attitude that a lot of western RPGs get eviscerated for; but here, for some reason, it's just a case of "gameplay before story", instead of, quite simply, a case of poorly thought-out gameplay.

Not every quest in the game is like this! I think the tone worked much better in the sidequests overall, that are self-contained and disconnected from the extremely messy main storyline, and so can tell a compelling little tale from start to finish without the budget to make you waddle in a puddle of nothing for hours at a time. It's the only place where you actually get character arcs that are allowed to feel anything that isn't a variation on "very determined" or "curious about the zonai/ruins", and where you get to feel life as it tries to blossom back into a new tomorrow for Hyrule.

But if I'm this harsh about the main storyline, it really is because I find it hard to accept that we do not criticize a structure that is at times so half-assed that you can almost taste employees' burnout seeping through the cracks --the lack of thematic ambition and self-reflection and ingeniosity outside of system design and, arguably at times, level design-- simply because it's Hyrule and we're happy to be there.

There's something in the industry that is called the "wow effect", which is their way to say "cool" without saying "cool". It's basically the money shots, but for games: it's what makes you go "ohhhh" when you play. And it's great! The ascension to the top of the Ark was one of them --breathtaking, just an absolute high point of systems working together to weave an epic tale. You plummeting from the skies to the absolute depths of hell is another one; most of the dungeons rely on that factor to keep your attention; the entire Zelda is a dragon storyline is nothing but "wow effect" (and yeah, the moment where you do remove the Master Sword did give me shivers, I'll admit to this willingly) and so is Ganondorf's presence and presentation in the game --he's here to be cool, non-specifically mean, hateable in a non-threatening way and to give us a good sexy time, do not think about it too hard. What bothers me is that TotK's world has basically nothing to offer but "wow effect"; that if you bother to dig at anything it presents you for more than a second, everything crumbles into incoherence --not only in story, but in mood, in themes, in identity. This is a wonderfully fun game with absolutely nothing to say, relying on the cultural osmosis and aura of excellency surrounding Zelda to pass itself off as meatier than it really is. This is what I say when I criticize it as self-referential to a fault; half of the story makes no sense if this is your first Zelda game, and what little of that world there is tends to be deeply unconcerned and uncurious about itself.

And no, Breath of the Wild wasn't like this. Breath of the Wild was deeply curious about itself; the entire game was built off curiosity and discovery, experimentation and challenge (and I say this while fully admitting I had more fun with the loop of TotK, which I found more forgiving overall). The traversal in Tears of the Kingdom is centered around: how do I skip those large expanses of land in the most efficient and fun way possible. How do I automate these fights. How do I find resources to automate both traversal and fights better. It's a game that asks questions (who are the zonais, who is Rauru and what is his deal, what is the Imprisoning War about, where is Zelda), and then kind of doesn't really care about the answers (yeah the zonais are like... guys, they did a cool kingdom, Rauru used to run it, the Imprisoning War is literally whatever all you have to care about is who to feel sad for and who to kill about it and you don't get a choice and certainly cannot feel any ambiguous feelings about any of that, and Zelda is a dragon but we will never expand on how it felt for her to make such a drastic and violent choice and also nobody cares that's a plot point you could *remove* from the game without changing the golden path at all).

I'm so aggravated by the argument "in Zelda, it's gameplay before story" because gameplay is story. That's the literal point of my work as a narrative designer: trying to breach the impossibly large gap between what the game designers want to do, and what the writers are thinking the game will be about (it's never the same game). And in TotK, the game systems are all about automation and fusion. It's about practicality and efficiency. It's also about disconnecting stuff from their original purpose as you optimize yourself out of danger, fear, or curiosity --except for the way you can become even more efficient. And sure, BotW was about this too; but you were rewarded because you had explored the world in the first place, experimented enough, put yourself in danger, went to find out the story of who you used to be and why you should care about Hyrule. I'm not here to argue BotW was a well-written game; I think it was pretty tropey at large to be honest, safe for a couple of moments of brilliance, but it had a coherent design vision that rewarded your curiosity while never getting in the way of the clarity of your objective. There is a convolutedness to TotK that, to me, reveals some extremely deep-seated issues with the direction the series is heading towards; one that, at its core, cares more about looking the part of a Zelda game than having any deeper conversation about what a Zelda game should be.

#thoughts #tloz #totk #totk critical #when will my brain return from the imprisoning war...#quest design #game design #level design #game criticisim #I think the more time goes on and the more uncomfortable I am with “if the game is fun it's good”#sometimes the game is fun and the game is empty #fun games can be addictive and predatory on purpose #(not saying totk is but it is well known that fun is not a neutral feeling)#fun can also reinforce questionable ideas of what “fun” should even look like #*side-eying CoD and co*#and fun =/= coherent always #if we're talking about games like artpieces #then you don't get to pick and choose which parts matter and which parts don't #you can absolutely say “I resonated with it for X and Y” but to make an argument that people who feel uncomfortable by content #that is in the game!! put in the game!! on purpose!!#is not a very productive attitude let's say

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peteytheparrot · 2 months

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Made a Mordecai ponytown design lmao

#This game is addicting 💔💔💔#Might make Rocky next #Ponytown #pony town #mlp #design #lackadaisy #lackadaisy mordecai #mordecai heller

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unculturedswine69 · 8 months

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Hey yall! im super late with these (ive been...way too busy sadly) but happy birthday to my fave lil guy ever! juza is a very important character to me so i just had to show my love somehow <33

ive been really into idol things lately so i tried designing an idol outfit for juza! i took some inspiration from some idolmaster dresses and tried to also relate it to his original outfit :) hope you all enjoy!

now i will go back to my inactivity :')

#HHHH I MSO LATE ITS OCTOBER NOW #ANYWAYS UHM AUTISM AM I RIGHT HAHA #a3 #juza hyodo #a3!#a3 fanart #a3! fanart #guys i missed juza week but i was there in spirit sobs #a3! juza #a3 art #a3! act addict actors #a3! game #oh yeah feel free to use the outfit design if you want! idk how or why but feel free hehe #act addict actors #idk what else to tag #autumn troupe #please a3 moots back me up here..#unculturedswine69 #unculturedswine69art

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jackgoodfellow · 5 months

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Don't Starve is the only game I know that somehow senses my HUBRIS.

I was 2 MINUTES AWAY FROM THE FINAL PORTAL IN THE FINAL LEVEL OF ADVENTURE MODE WITHOUT CHEATING OR ANYTHING. I had spent DAYS working to win the game, 2 MINUTES away from the end! I had Chester! I had a billion pierogies! I had two activated touchstones! I had it all, baby!!!!

I even bragged to my wife that the game was almost easy now!

Big mistake. The Hubris Sensing Technology (TM) of the World's Most Unforgiving Game sensed my complacency and the next thing I knew I was barraged by more Clockwork Bishops than I have ever seen in a single place in my hundreds and hundreds of hours playing this evil evil game!!!

I got through more killer bees than I'd ever seen, and a huge dense forest of 1,000 spiders! All that I could handle!!

But I have NO IDEA what I was supposed to do about a bottleneck that involved 60 ranged attacks hitting me within 5 seconds and stun-locking me to death. I have never been so Humbled by a game, and I've been playing this game for so long!

I have made this art piece to commemorate the occasion.

DISCLAIMER/CREDIT:

To make this, I cut out sprites from the game and from other official art by Klei Games, and then I added all the lighting effects and arranged it all together.

The only other thing I actually drew for this is Wigfrid's hand holding the torch.

Normally, I illustrate every element of a piece I do; but for this, I just wanted to quickly communicate the High-Pitched Silly Screaming Horror of running into this monstrosity in the "all-darkness" level of Adventure Mode!!

EDIT: Someone confirmed for me after making this post that the *Impossible Bishop Gauntlet of Doom* was, in fact, a glitch. -- OR IS THAT JUST WHAT THE BISHOPS WANT ME TO THINK????

#my art #and also the official game art #together at last like fish and sticks #dst #don't starve #wigfrid #don't starve together #dst wigfrid #wigfrid don't starve #i went from hero to zero in SECONDS. what a game!#for context when you lose in Don't Starve you lose the whole save file no matter how many hours you have put in #the sequel Don't Starve Together is more forgiving. you're allowed to have save files in that one!!#but the original is an excellent game if you can emotionally distance yourself a little bc it can be DEVASTATING #I was emotionally prepared for this one but I have actually gotten really sad sometimes losing this game #so just be aware of that if you are interested in learning a game that is designed to kick you in the nuts!#on the upside the main way to unlock new characters is to die cuz that's when you get your XP!#it rewards trying many times #but also I literally hurt my hands playing for too long it's very addictive #my hands will be fine I just can't play video games for a few days #edit: apparently the bishop thing is a glitch that had been fixed on pc a few months back but not fixed on the switch which i was using

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mankai-march · 4 months

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Intro post!

Welcome to Mankai March, a relaxed event where we interview the fandom daily with some fun questions!

Contents: Mod info | Event info | Blog rules | Tag Guide

Mod Info

You can call me LC(she/they)! My main blog is @akaikami-cherryblossom!! You can also just call me mod if you want lol idm. I’m a total Sakuya oshi, and am kinda excited to bring this random idea I had at 3 am to life!! I’m also very nosy and want to hear others ramble about a3! 👁️👁️

Event Info

The premise is simple: a question will be posted here every day of March, and you get to answer!! It can be in the reblogs, tags, or in a separate post, and feel free to tag the blog! All questions will go up at 4 am PST. It’s just a fun little thing to discuss the silly little actor game hehe :). All are welcome!

Blog Rules

There’s really only one: BE KIND!!! Remember that not everyone shares your opinion, and that this is a public space! Also, mod is an adult but can be uncomfy with sexual topics, so please don’t be too nsfw! Thanks!

Tag Guide

#mankai answers - The tag for reblogged answers! If you put your answer in the comments of the post or make a separate post and tag the blog, it’ll be shared under this tag! Don’t worry, if you put your answer in the tags or replies, it won’t be shared!

#mankai questions - Exactly what it sounds like! The tag for all the questions we ask daily!

#mankai march promo - Also exactly what it sounds like! For promotional posts for the days leading up to March!

#mankai ask tag - Self explanatory!

#mod post - Mod talking tag :3

Thanks for reading until the end!! I hope you can enjoy this event!

#graphic design is my passion(I cannot do it for shit)#a3! act addict actors #a3! game #a3! mankai company #a3! actor training game #mod post #a3! act! addict! actors!#a3!

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cinderoo · 5 months

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doctor of rhodes island

#arknights #arknights oc #arknights doctor #アークナイツ #drawing study #character design #artists on tumblr #cinderoo #my doctor OC's name is yulina or yuliana : )#coming out as an arknights fan. this game is too addictive and fun #and it makes me use my two braincells

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txttletale · 10 months

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🔥 addiction and culpability :)

the idea of 'an addictive personality' & the disease / mental illness models of gambling addiction & even the very concept of 'problem gambling' (as opposed to a corresponding construction of 'healthy gambling') are rhetorical interventions that serve the gambling industry by occluding how it purposefully and knowingly fosters addiction so that it can escape regulation or consequences for the immense social damage it causes

#ask #ask meme #read addiction by design and vicious games

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ravenofthevale · 2 years

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#dice #dice set #purple #dice goblin #dice maker #handmade resin dice #dice photography #art #business #design #gaming #handmade #dnd dice #dnd 5e #rpg #dice addiction #dice collection #raven of the vale

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thesoulsofthedarned · 4 months

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TL;Dr : Reverse 1999 is great

So since yesterday I’ve been playing Reverse 1999 because I was interested in the story. Honestly I’d say this game is pretty good overall! The story is cool, the gameplay is fun and interesting, and the characters are really fun, not to mention the character roster has a much more unique and diverse cast than Genshin (sorry Genshin). So for this post, here are some of my highlighted characters:

Sonetto is pretty sweet, plus she has cool attack animations. She’s also a free five star you get in the main story, which is neat :3

Normally i dislike Tsundere characters because they can be annoying, but Matilda is an exception. She also has pretty attacks, plus she’s kinda funny so I like her.

Leilani is currently my favorite, i just love how cute and energetic she is! I’m really glad shes for free, even though she’s a 3 star :,)

Currently one of the MVP’s of my account. Does decent damage plus provides solid healing, an overall comfy unit for me. It helps that she reminds me of Diluc. I dunno why but characters who represent justice/judgement always appeal to me in video games. Maybe it’s because of their strong presence?

Mondlicht is another favorite of mine (even though i have trouble pronouncing her name ;-;). I really like how she’s a balance of cute and stoic, it reminds me of Razor (not 100% sure if they’d get along tbh). She also has an axe gun so she’s easily top tier lol.

Ok so from what I’ve seen on the internet, his name in the English language is spelled “Zima”? I think? Lemme know if I’m wrong. Anyways yeah, I like him a normal amount. He’s just a peaceful, possibly sleep deprived lil guy with an owl, you can’t compete with that! Plus he sounds like he struggles with speaking english, unsure if that was the intent but it’s a very cool detail.

Sweetheart makes me feel a certain way, plus she’s a really nice Dps. Her design reminds me of Betty Boop a little bit. Her voice is nice too, it really sells the kind of character that she is.

Pavia’s interesting to be sure. He reminds me of Childe with his murderous tendencies and unmatched charm. For real though, this guy is a borderline psychopath, the voice lines will tell you that much 0-0

La Source is a decently comfy healer, definitely worthy of the MVP status despite being a 3 star. Plus I love how sassy she is, she can be pretty funny. That being said, she’ll probably be benched as soon as I get my hands on a better healer.