» Sat Jun 09, 2012 5:28 pm *@29:45 (but you should really see the whole thing)
In the speech* Todd Howard expresses the importance of story as context for gameplay using Dead island as an example.
This simple illustration is the reason why I LOVE RPG. RPG sometimes offer an openworld or choices but through this they always offer players motivation (story) to do quests (gameplay). Choices make for an interactive story and openworld makes fot a costumizable story. Either way you, the player, is offered context and incentive to do a quest, so go out there and FIGHT/TALK/whatever needs to be done to WIN!
This has been my issue with games like Dragon Age 2 as well. Combat is detached from story, they just throw wave after wave of enemies at you. To the point where you realize they want you to enjoy the combat for its own sake and not as a means to an end (which is the story). I have never enjoyed the combat in a Bioware RPG, but the interactive story has carried me through it but with DA2 it failed to do so because combat became a seperate feature and there was too much of it.
Now on to Skyrim, and the reason why I'm posting this here. The problem with Skyrim (for me) is that the quest designs have been simplified. It seems that whoever designed them lacks imagination. Especially the randomized quests are horrific. The handmade quests are 'okay' but there are only so much of them, for example on average guild only has 10 handmade quests. Random quests they offer plenty of, for example the steal/fetch quests of the thieves' guild.
What happens in these quests is that you get random dialogue which comes down to 'do this for me, because I really need it done' and than you do this unimaginative quests that doesn't evolve beyond the original premises as you progress in the quests. After having done one or two of these quests than you know how they will turn out from then on. Worst yet is that when you finish the quest you get a random dialogue response like 'thanks you, you did a great thing'. Except, you don't feel great about it, you feel tricked. The whole story around the gameplay is fake, it is unbelievable and so the story doesn't enhance the gameplay experience. Of course many of us still continue playing because the gameplay (combat) alone is enough, but there could have been so much more to it. Morrowind had bad animations and combat was poor but the context was there and it made you want to continue.
This key element of why I LOVE RPG is (to a certain degree) missing in Skyrim. Of course it still has a fantastic world to discover with lots of dungeons that are al handmade and unique. But the lack of quests that offer interesting stories to enhance the gameplay is a shame. And now Todd Howard himself expresses the imporance of story to gameplay. I find this strange to say the least.
