Opening Cutscene?

[Redraf]

Now, up 'till today I was thinking there was no opening cutscene generally from words of mouth. But about three quarters (For the part I'm talking about, listen to 12:06-12:22, it has from the start to the end of her question) of the way into the five podcasts, when Elizabeth is saying the game is scary, she says 'especially the opening sequences'. Now, opening sequences can refer the the opening parts of the game, I know, but its generally used to refer to a cutscene.

So:

@Elizabeth: Yes, no, is it not decided yet, or are you not allowed to tell us?

@Other people: Do you want a cutscene or do you want it to be left a secret/have it explained at the end like and enigma wrapped in a mystery?

[Jeff]

I assure you, with every fibre of my being laid on the line that there will be an opening cutscene.

I'm not willing to wager on what it will reveal, probably very little about the character you're controlling itself, but more to do with how you came to be in rapture in a more immediate sense.

[Raveness]

@Other people: Do you want a cutscene or do you want it to be left a secret/have it explained at the end like and enigma wrapped in a mystery?

I think it's inevitable that Bioshock will include an opening cutscene, rather than just plunge the player into starting point A and let them go from there. I'd much prefer to have one as well, so that it can give a sense of bearing in the world, and impart as much trivial backstory as Irrational feels we may need, to engross us further in the epic of Rapture.

I'd also like to see an nVidia logo cutscene where a Big Daddy crashes through the logo and charges at us as we backpedal.

[v.dog]

I prefer scripted squences to cut scenes (ala the HL series) because the immersion is never broken. This is your journey -start to finish- not you watching somebody else's.

As for whether we start on the plane or not, it doesn't bother me that much.
But if I was writing it- you'd start in complete darkness. There would be a light in the distance. Moving towards it, you break through the surface and see the burning wreckage of a plane all around you. The wind moans, and the remains of the plane creak and groan as they succumb to the twin threats of fire and water. The cloud part, and in front of you, silhouetted by a massive moon, stands an omminous tower-

[^ilovebioshock!]

I prefer scripted squences to cut scenes (ala the HL series) because the immersion is never broken. This is your journey -start to finish- not you watching somebody else's.

As for whether we start on the plane or not, it doesn't bother me that much.
But if I was writing it- you'd start in complete darkness. There would be a light in the distance. Moving towards it, you break through the surface and see the burning wreckage of a plane all around you. The wind moans, and the remains of the plane creak and groan as they succumb to the twin threats of fire and water. The cloud part, and in front of you, silhouetted by a massive moon, stands an omminous tower-

you should write a book and i am not be sarcastic

[v.dog]

Thanks.

[Hatesink]

I assure you with every fibre of my being laid— that I have no clue

[Necros]

I assure you with every fibre of my being laid— that I have no clue

LOL

It was mentioned in one of the articles that there will be an opening cutscene, where your plane crashes into the ocean. Then you get the controls and have to get out of the water and down to Rapture.

I like cutscenes, they don't brake the immersion for me. If they are done right.

[Raveness]

If the question is whether using the game engine to produce a cinematic, or a BIK video, just like vdog I'd prefer the former. It is rare that produced videos are excellent and enhance the game world (Jedi Knight, Diablo 2 all I can think of), and they take up more space that could be devoted to other game assets (more levels). They tend to take the player far out ofthe game atmosphere they will be introduced to or continue playing within.

I thought this was a question of having a cutscene vs. not having a cutscene

[splicer]

I agree,a good first cutscene can make all the difference,especially if it uses the game engine and has some level of interaction,my fave opening cut scene is probably riddick-EFBB.

[Hatesink]

fave opening cut scene is probably riddick-EFBB.

That is a good one http://forums.2kgames.com/forums/ima...ons/icon14.gif

I like the opening sequences of Dark Corners also.

...and who could forget Illusion Softworks' Mafia— excellent opening scenes.

[splicer]

Yeah dark corners has a great opening,its one of my fave games,i must have played it a dozen times to achieve 100% on mythos specialist,thats dedication for you! Hooray,Ive become a senior anorak!

[BioShockWins]

all I know is that it started with you are on a trans-atlantic flight when your plane crashes. You are the soul survivor. Beliving these are your last moments you see a light house in the distance. Figuring you have nothing else to lose you make a swim for it. Upon entering it you find a rusted abandoned bathysphere.

Oh... also, in the SPIKE TV trailer you see a part of the opening cutscene...


I probably shouldn't have told you that!!!

[wsad]

Link to it?:P

[vrap]

http://www.2kgames.com/cultofrapture/downloads.html
The one on the far right.

There's no way of knowing if it's a passive scripted sequence or an interactive one, but it is in realtime.

[Rapture_Tourist]

CGI trailers look nice and so did the X06 trailer.

CGI trailers can look much better than any in game graphics and thus they can push our imagination even more forward and create great realism.

If you are not able to match that graphical standard with in game graphics, you risk to create a gap or a break in the atmosphere. It's not happening always, but it accurs more easily.

This is an arguement for in game cutscenes. I would love to have CGI trailers at the beginning and in the end of Bioshock. The first is a little introduction into Rapture or the whole setting maybe and the ending is just the big final . Everything in the middle should remain in in game engine.

EDIT: I thought of the "intro movie" happening right after you entered the bathysphere and dive to Rapture. It's like the intro of the James Bond movies then (e.g.) . First, you see the plane crash and as we know right after that, the game is playable. You swim a bit and you enter the lighthouse and get in the bathysphere. Then comes the intro, giving a introduction to what the game is about (camera diving through the underwater landscape, fishes, looks inside the windows..).

@Raveness: Have you ever played a Final Fantasy game? Square Enix did a great job with delivering CG-cutscenes of undeniable quality, great drama and story telling skills. So far, they differed obviously from the in game graphics.

Lost Odyssey (360 game, made by the "father" of Final Fantasy - Hironobu Sakaguchi) demonstrated how ingame graphics and CGI-work can be mixed seamlessly. It's just a pleasure to watch that.

[vrap]

My personal 2 cents on the whole thing: I wouldn't mind if there was not a single moment of non-interactive cutscenes in the whole game. I think game technology is now at a stage where we can leave behind borrowed narration techniques from other media and present the story to players in ways completely unique to this form. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy CGI sequences when they are well done, and there are plenty of examples of this in the past and some games actually benefit from them. The CGI trailer of BioShock shown at x06, for instance, was one of the best I have ever laid eyes upon, however for the kind of game that BioShock is I think it'd be entirely appropriate if the player see the story from his point of view from beginning to end.

[Raveness]

The CGI trailer of BioShock shown at x06, for instance, was one of the best I have ever laid eyes upon, however for the kind of game that BioShock is I think it'd be entirely appropriate if the player see the story from his point of view from beginning to end.

I don't understand what you mean here exactly CGI cinematics can and have been made to match the first-person perspective of the player and their environment, keeping it the same "point of view from beginning to end".

I do think we agree that if it is a nameless, faceless character we are assuming the role of, the most we should see is his/her hands, and never see us represented through a random avatar within CGI cinematics. One of the negatives SS2 did IMO was to go third-person and feature a purposeless male avatar that simply pushed a few buttons and said "Naaah".

[Pinky_Powers]

I prefer scripted squences to cut scenes (ala the HL series) because the immersion is never broken. This is your journey -start to finish- not you watching somebody else's.

Half Life does have opening and ending Cut Scenes though. They are in-game rendered, but non-interactive all the same. BioShock will probably be the same.

As for CutScenes breaking immersion; this can certainly be true, but I have played enough quality games where these sort of moments are nothing but the highest level of enjoyment. Deus Ex and Riddick are perfect examples of this.

[vrap]

I don't understand what you mean here exactly CGI cinematics can and have been made to match the first-person perspective of the player and their environment, keeping it the same "point of view from beginning to end".

I think at this point it's more a preference than a necessity; I like the idea of keeping control of the character at all times including when story is being told, so I don't feel like the writers are holding my chin forcing me to look in a certain direction. This of course makes it harder for them to craft a scenario which the player can't break by moving around and jumping on things etc. But it definitely brings out the creativity in the script writers and makes for more interesting narrative techniques.

[^ilovebioshock!]

I think at this point it's more a preference than a necessity; I like the idea of keeping control of the character at all times including when story is being told, so I don't feel like the writers are holding my chin forcing me to look in a certain direction. This of course makes it harder for them to craft a scenario which the player can't break by moving around and jumping on things etc. But it definitely brings out the creativity in the script writers and makes for more interesting narrative techniques.

they did that with prey when kinda the UFOs ubducted you you could run away from the beams for a short time and when people were talking to you you could just walk away

[Raveness]

they did that with prey when kinda the UFOs ubducted you you could run away from the beams for a short time and when people were talking to you you could just walk away

Your vernacular is a foreshadowing mirror of a future ironic stroke I may suffer, rendering me into an antithetical gibbering invalid.

So I'm guessing you mean that in Prey, the player could approach the plot progressing conversations as they see fit, and if player wanders off mid-sentence, it would pick up where they left off. Unfortunately in Prey it was meaningless, you'd just cause an empty limbo by breaking off conversations. An on-the-rails shooter doesn't offer any real sense of player control & flexibility.

[^ilovebioshock!]

Your vernacular is a foreshadowing mirror of a future ironic stroke I may suffer, rendering me into an antithetical gibbering invalid.

So I'm guessing you mean that in Prey, the player could approach the plot progressing conversations as they see fit, and if player wanders off mid-sentence, it would pick up where they left off. Unfortunately in Prey it was meaningless, you'd just cause an empty limbo by breaking off conversations. An on-the-rails shooter doesn't offer any real sense of player control & flexibility.

i didnt really know what i was talking about

[v.dog]

My personal 2 cents on the whole thing: I wouldn't mind if there was not a single moment of non-interactive cutscenes in the whole game. I think game technology is now at a stage where we can leave behind borrowed narration techniques from other media and present the story to players in ways completely unique to this form... for the kind of game that BioShock is I think it'd be entirely appropriate if the player see the story from his point of view from beginning to end.

Hear, hear.

Half Life does have opening and ending Cut Scenes though. They are in-game rendered, but non-interactive all the same. BioShock will probably be the same.

I think at this point it's more a preference than a necessity; I like the idea of keeping control of the character at all times including when story is being told, so I don't feel like the writers are holding my chin forcing me to look in a certain direction. This of course makes it harder for them to craft a scenario which the player can't break by moving around and jumping on things etc. But it definitely brings out the creativity in the script writers and makes for more interesting narrative techniques.

They did what Vrap said in HL, Pinky; you couldn't move, but you could look around. While limited, you still had control of the character.

As for CutScenes breaking immersion; this can certainly be true, but I have played enough quality games where these sort of moments are nothing but the highest level of enjoyment. Deus Ex and Riddick are perfect examples of this.

We will just have to agree to disagree on this one.