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Theorist
Original Poster
#1 Old 1st Dec 2014 at 7:25 AM
Default Would telltalegames be better without the time limit?
Or restricting time limit to the action scenes? Telltale Games is the one that makes The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, and the new Game of Thrones and latest Borderlands.

Because of that time thing I end up replaying sections a lot. Sometimes entire chapters just to change one thing. If that counter was nixed for conversations there wouldn't be regretful decisions. But that's exactly what Telltales wants or seems to want, but personally it would be better with plenty of time to weigh what you're about to say, whose side to take or remain neutral, or what stance will be remembered and used against you later. I could be comfortable with my choice and there would likely be much less rewind.

Do you enjoy that kind of pressure from Telltales? You are under the microscope at all times and it's difficult to have clarity and make the best of ambivalence. It does create dynamics and unpredictability, but can go wrong when you think you picked a 'best' choice for you but ended up saying something different from what was implied from what's displayed, and then it's instant regret. Or do you like the real time, can't be perfect, everything has consequences thing that the developers are giving us?

Early in The Wolf Among Us I told one of the three little pigs that things have to be the way they are. And what does Big Bad Wolf do? He throws in an extra shot about sending the pig back to the farm and a game message says that they will remember that. These games definitely want you to 'deal with it' but sometimes I can't and hit that rewind. Then the rewind nearly kills it, because the game knows and immediately tries to making you 'deal with it' by saving upon the choice you made.
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Test Subject
#2 Old 4th Dec 2014 at 3:14 AM
Not at all the game really convey a sense of urgency, its a different experience if you can agonize over the decisions. Usually the main choices do not have a timer (usually).
I've actually never thought the timers were too short.
And all the maladies of the world burst forth from Pandora's cooch
#3 Old 7th Dec 2014 at 2:47 PM
I haven't played any of those game yet (though the Wolf Among Us has piqued my curiosity), but I don't think I would mind such a timer, at least not anymore. I used to play games that give you choices in a "min/max" kind of way, as in, which choice will give me the 'best' weapon/friendship increase/mission/whatever. But then I noticed something about this style of play: I would be making decisions that didn't really 'fit' how I wanted the story to flow. I would basically just tell people what I thought they wanted to hear, and sometimes it would be the opposite of how I thought my characters should think. I blame this thinking on strategy guides. They basically tell you what the rewards/consequences of your action will be, so I would just choose from that list.

So now, I've started an experiment. I bought Dragon Age 3 (not by Telltale, but it is a big game with lots of choices that reflect on how the story plays out) but I didn't buy the guide. I now make story decisions based on character development: how would a Dalish Elf mage react to this situation, as opposed to a Human warrior from a noble house? Would a Dwarf rogue take the hard line, or would she look for a more subtle approach? And if some of the other characters in the game have 'issues' with my choices, let the chips fall where they may. And I have discovered that not only is the story more cohesive as a whole, it also makes for a much more dynamic game experience. I don't know how certain choices will play out, but for better or for worse, that's how it is.

I have also noticed that sometimes "bad" choices can be "good". In your example of sending the pigs back to the farm, and their reaction to that, perhaps late down the line this choice opens up an interesting mission, or similar, that you wouldn't have gotten through other means. I have noticed that games such as this will "reward" you either way you choose, just not the way you might expect.
Field Researcher
#4 Old 9th Dec 2014 at 10:55 AM
I often find that I don't have time to read all the decisions because I either get distracted and don't read the choices right away, or the timer runs out on me before I have a chance to choose. If it were longer it would be so much better.
Theorist
Original Poster
#5 Old 10th Dec 2014 at 3:01 PM
Thanks guys! In the end, The Wolf Among Us Forced me to just abide by my decisions because rewinding would have meant going through entire sections. The time limit was stressful and I did make mistakes and got the treatment I deserved. This game doesn't bend to make your decisions make big changes, but nuanced changes in how people respond to you. It's the end where your actions in previous chapters are brought against you.

Mild, indirect procedure spoiler:
Fortunately, I had played mostly for justice. Unfortunately, the last action given to me to choose included a brutal action and I took it, thinking that almost everyone would be satisfied. Absolutely the wrong thing to do. The game said "Fabletown is now afraid of the Big Bad Wolf." And what followed was a wrap up a day later with everyone treating me like I'm a damn sociopath. People, were you not entertained? Apparently not. I'm not a monster, am I?
 
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