SHP Forums

Me and my friend was talking the other day about adventure games and if we made one, what it would be about. Then we started shooting ideas back and forth about things in our lives and happenings at our jobs that would make an "Adventure Game where not a whole lot exciting happens".

Can you imagine playing as a hapless semi-dimwitted usher at a movie theatre who spends his shift ripping tickets, flipping the "now seating" light on, and answering redundant questions from customers? Or a theme park employee who works in a restaurant and buses tables all day?

Sort of like Seinfeld?

SierraDude81 wrote:Can you imagine playing as a hapless semi-dimwitted usher at a movie theatre who spends his shift ripping tickets, flipping the "now seating" light on, and answering redundant questions from customers? Or a theme park employee who works in a restaurant and buses tables all day?

It'd be the Adventure genre's version of Skyrim...

Sounds like "The Evenings" adventures from a Dutch cartoon. "What if I let him stay in bed for another half hour?"

SierraDude81 wrote:...an "Adventure Game where not a whole lot exciting happens".

Can you imagine playing as... a theme park employee who works in a restaurant and buses tables all day?

I beg to differ. Read a book called Waiter Rant (url=http://www.amazon.com/Waiter-Rant-Thank ... 539&sr=8-1]here's the Amazon link[/url] in case you're wondering), and then tell me that nothing happens on a waiter's shift.

DeadPoolX wrote:

SierraDude81 wrote:Can you imagine playing as a hapless semi-dimwitted usher at a movie theatre who spends his shift ripping tickets, flipping the "now seating" light on, and answering redundant questions from customers? Or a theme park employee who works in a restaurant and buses tables all day?

It'd be the Adventure genre's version of Skyrim...

I fear I don't understand the joke. Skyrim may be more focused on exploration and character progression than story, but it's packed full of epic events, not only in the main quest.

AndreaDraco wrote:

DeadPoolX wrote:

SierraDude81 wrote:Can you imagine playing as a hapless semi-dimwitted usher at a movie theatre who spends his shift ripping tickets, flipping the "now seating" light on, and answering redundant questions from customers? Or a theme park employee who works in a restaurant and buses tables all day?

It'd be the Adventure genre's version of Skyrim...

I fear I don't understand the joke. Skyrim may be more focused on exploration and character progression than story, but it's packed full of epic events, not only in the main quest.

I just mean that, in general, the Elder Scrolls games lack a strong, cohesive plot and allow you to go about doing whatever you want. So you can spend the day doing mundane tasks, like fishing or whatever. In other words, stuff that's usually considered boring and not on par with the action and adventure often associated with RPGs.

Granted, I've never played Oblivion or Skyrim, but I did play Morrowind and I distinctly recall a very strong feeling of "so what the hell do I do now?"

Don't get me wrong -- I like being able to decide how and when to do things myself, but sometimes I feel there's too little direction in these games. I don't want to be held by the hand and pushed from Point A to Point B (as is often the case with Adventure games), but I'd like some reason to continue the game, other than "let's see if I can screw with the towns people."

Seinfeld - The Nothing Pitch:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQnaRtNMGMI

DeadPoolX wrote: Granted, I've never played Oblivion or Skyrim, but I did play Morrowind and I distinctly recall a very strong feeling of "so what the hell do I do now?"

I understand your point and indeed Morrowind was perhaps too open. This issue has been somewhat solved in following installments, though, especially Oblivion.

AndreaDraco wrote:

DeadPoolX wrote: Granted, I've never played Oblivion or Skyrim, but I did play Morrowind and I distinctly recall a very strong feeling of "so what the hell do I do now?"

I understand your point and indeed Morrowind was perhaps too open. This issue has been somewhat solved in following installments, though, especially Oblivion.

I am going to have to... STRONGLY disagree with you, Andrea. This was the EXACT issue I had with Oblivion was that it was too open; too many stupid little, pointless, side quests! Almost everyone you ran into had an issue that you could help them with! Whether it was finding a necklace, or finding someone's dog. It was all over Oblivion. And the game was so open, you could go anywhere, and forget where you got most of your quests. I love RPGs. Most that I started, I have finished. I couldn't finish this one, just because I didn't like how everyone had something for you to do. (And then finding them again, when you found what they wanted, was so difficult because of how open it was).

BUT - that said, the flip side, Oblivion is hailed a pretty good game from just about everyone else I know. I think the only complaint I heard (which ironically I thought was a strong point to the game) is that monsters leveled up as you did.

Well, the journal keeps you constantly updated on how far you are on any given quest and always provides clear directions for your goals. And then, if you stick to main quest and the guild quests (Fighters Guild, Arcane University, Thieves Guild, Dark Brotherood, Arena), the openness of the world shouldn't be an issue.

With that being said, part of the unique charm of these games is that you can role-play your character to the extreme. Do you want to be stick to the main quest and save the world? Fine. Do you want to ignore it and be a dungeon-crawling treasure seeker? Just do it. Do you want to become Archmage and rule the Arcane University? That's OK too. Do you want to simply explore, to hunt, to fish, to cook, to buy houses and horses and invest in shops? The game allows it. You can shape your character just the way you like it.

In my opinion, the Elder Scrolls game are the closest to a real RPG you can find on PC thanks to their staggering freedom. You can literally be anyone you want to be and play accordingly.

AndreaDraco wrote:Well, the journal keeps you constantly updated on how far you are on any given quest and always provides clear directions for your goals. And then, if you stick to main quest and the guild quests (Fighters Guild, Arcane University, Thieves Guild, Dark Brotherood, Arena), the openness of the world shouldn't be an issue.

With that being said, part of the unique charm of these games is that you can role-play your character to the extreme. Do you want to be stick to the main quest and save the world? Fine. Do you want to ignore it and be a dungeon-crawling treasure seeker? Just do it. Do you want to become Archmage and rule the Arcane University? That's OK too. Do you want to simply explore, to hunt, to fish, to cook, to buy houses and horses and invest in shops? The game allows it. You can shape your character just the way you like it.

In my opinion, the Elder Scrolls game are the closest to a real RPG you can find on PC thanks to their staggering freedom. You can literally be anyone you want to be and play accordingly.

The openess of the world is the issue, and being anyone you want is the issue. Reason being, you can wander around, for hours, doing nothing at times (if you're just wandering off the path, and get lost) - or you can do an assortment of mundane tasks (as you said, because you can do anything) - and thus, going back to what I believe DPX was saying. You can sit there and fish for six hours, if you want to improve some kind of fishing skill or something. (I actually can't remember if you can fish in Oblivion, honestly... But I thought you could?) So, I think what DPX was saying, there are indeed, hours worth of mundane tasks available to you in Oblivion (well, he said Elder Scroll, but Oblivion is a part of that chain).

It's great - for some people, like yourself - who enjoy it. It's too much, for others like me, who clearly suffer some form of ADD, and can't handle having too much available.

I tend to prefer RPGs with a strong story. That doesn't mean I dislike open world games or anything; sometimes they can be a lot of fun. However, I the overall appeal doesn't seem to last as long for me.

I think a better term for games like Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim would be "Fantasy Simulator." Unfortunately, that name would probably conjure up perverted ideas, but the gist of it is there.

In those games you do role play, but the simulation aspect is greater. You're living, breathing, and eating in that world. Your existence is, more or less, dependent on whatever you decide or don't decide to do.

While a more story-driven RPG might have many similar elements, it still has a dedicated path for the hero to follow. In other words, you have a purpose in the game beyond "find enough food to eat tonight."

And all of this to say - "Sure, I could see a game about mundane jobs!"