Attila
10-21-2012, 10:40 AM
Clarification: I don't question if the TV series or the game will be finished, my concern is how it will be done.
Since the announcement of the project it was stated that the TV series will influence the game world, and also players via the game will be able to influence the TV series. Recently however it is often commented upon this in a way that makes it questionable how much, if at all, will be true.
From Destructoid:
“Four years ago, both we and Syfy knew we were going to do this, but we were like, ‘How the hell are we going to do this?’”
Rob Hill, senior producer at Trion Worlds, is standing on the terrace of the Park Hyatt hotel in Toronto, Ontario. The sky is overcast and the air is freezing. This was supposed to be Defiance’s big coming out party, but it’s starting to feel like a reminder that winter is coming. That time of year when TV productions in Toronto come to a halt and game designers work more than sleep to make a spring release happen. One can say, Defiance is getting it from both ends.
As a result, Hutzel is working closely with Trion to make compromises on both ends that make sense. If a six-legged creature is too hard to animate in the game, the developers give the creature insect legs instead. In some cases, enemies and characters won’t appear identical. Colors in the game may be more vivid, while the show goes for a more muted presentation. The goal is to avoid confusion and disassociation, while making Defiance work as a game and show.
“Early on, I called what I was doing open architecture design for the show,” Hutzel says. “Even if we don’t have an immediate plan for the game, let’s design everything we do for the show so it flows smoothly across development of the game."
Despite early rumors that players would be able to directly influence the TV series, Syfy’s producers have made a firm stance during the set visit that this will not be the case. However, Hill is confident that Trion will have more freedom to experiment in season two, by including more drastic player choices and highlighting specific characters in story sequences (though, it was unclear if this would be limited to in-game cutscenes).
“The TV show is not choose your own adventure […] We know what we are doing in the TV show. This is about creating great satisfying drama,” executive producer Kevin Murphy says, during one of many panels throughout the day. “These two experiences holistically create a larger experience. If you’re a gamer watching the show, you’ll go: “Oh wow! So that’s where that went?”
Read the original, full article at http://www.destructoid.com/going-all-in-defiance-is-syfy-and-trion-s-biggest-gamble-236904.phtml#PS9HUjdGCglYj5Lw.99
I may be wrong, but as I read this statement, to me it sounds as if Trion will make the "cinematic promotional game version of the TV series" as the game, where as SyFy already planned out what the TV show will be like, and what the story of it will be, what kind of events will happen. So in the end, choices won't matter, kinda reminds me of the whole Mass Effect 3 ending fiasco.
So, will Defiance have a different color-based ending scene depending on what players in the game do? (Using a bad "nightmarish" possibility to highlight the issue)
Just how much is player involvement important?
Since the announcement of the project it was stated that the TV series will influence the game world, and also players via the game will be able to influence the TV series. Recently however it is often commented upon this in a way that makes it questionable how much, if at all, will be true.
From Destructoid:
“Four years ago, both we and Syfy knew we were going to do this, but we were like, ‘How the hell are we going to do this?’”
Rob Hill, senior producer at Trion Worlds, is standing on the terrace of the Park Hyatt hotel in Toronto, Ontario. The sky is overcast and the air is freezing. This was supposed to be Defiance’s big coming out party, but it’s starting to feel like a reminder that winter is coming. That time of year when TV productions in Toronto come to a halt and game designers work more than sleep to make a spring release happen. One can say, Defiance is getting it from both ends.
As a result, Hutzel is working closely with Trion to make compromises on both ends that make sense. If a six-legged creature is too hard to animate in the game, the developers give the creature insect legs instead. In some cases, enemies and characters won’t appear identical. Colors in the game may be more vivid, while the show goes for a more muted presentation. The goal is to avoid confusion and disassociation, while making Defiance work as a game and show.
“Early on, I called what I was doing open architecture design for the show,” Hutzel says. “Even if we don’t have an immediate plan for the game, let’s design everything we do for the show so it flows smoothly across development of the game."
Despite early rumors that players would be able to directly influence the TV series, Syfy’s producers have made a firm stance during the set visit that this will not be the case. However, Hill is confident that Trion will have more freedom to experiment in season two, by including more drastic player choices and highlighting specific characters in story sequences (though, it was unclear if this would be limited to in-game cutscenes).
“The TV show is not choose your own adventure […] We know what we are doing in the TV show. This is about creating great satisfying drama,” executive producer Kevin Murphy says, during one of many panels throughout the day. “These two experiences holistically create a larger experience. If you’re a gamer watching the show, you’ll go: “Oh wow! So that’s where that went?”
Read the original, full article at http://www.destructoid.com/going-all-in-defiance-is-syfy-and-trion-s-biggest-gamble-236904.phtml#PS9HUjdGCglYj5Lw.99
I may be wrong, but as I read this statement, to me it sounds as if Trion will make the "cinematic promotional game version of the TV series" as the game, where as SyFy already planned out what the TV show will be like, and what the story of it will be, what kind of events will happen. So in the end, choices won't matter, kinda reminds me of the whole Mass Effect 3 ending fiasco.
So, will Defiance have a different color-based ending scene depending on what players in the game do? (Using a bad "nightmarish" possibility to highlight the issue)
Just how much is player involvement important?