Curse

Undivine · Oct 26, 2005, 03:43 PM // 15:43

These days some people actually consider it rude to not skip cutscenes during the missions. I've done all the missions and I usually want to skip them, but I'm not going to pressure anybody to skip them if it's their first time through and they want to know how the story progresses.

However, in many cases there is a legitimate reason to pressure someone. If you activate a cutscene while someone in your group is being attacked, they might be killed. If someone is poisoned or bleeding and close to death, cutscenes will prevent the group from healing or curing to save them. And of course, there's the necros with their 5-25 minions or so, which are all rapidly deteriorating as the newbies of the group are enjoying the story.

And let's not forget that some A-holes will actually join a group for a mission, then just leave their character AFK and let the rest of the party do the mission for them. Those guys are not even at their computers, so they won't skip the cutscenes, which make them a further drag on the team.

I don't consider this feature of the cutscenes fair. It's not quite a bug, but it kind of is. There is actually a tactical advantage to skipping cutscenes, and when people don't, the rest of the group can get annoyed.

But there shouldn't be. Can we get this corrected somehow?

Nighteye · Oct 26, 2005, 04:26 PM // 16:26

Maybe freeze all the hp/mp/conditions of all creatures during the cutscene?

Trance Addict · Oct 26, 2005, 04:40 PM // 16:40

No. Simple way to fix this.

Make it like GvG/Tombs. If you skip, you skip; you can go back to doing whatever you were doing. If you don't skip, you watch the cutscene.

I'm a genius.

Trance Addict · Oct 26, 2005, 04:41 PM // 16:41

Also, you should be able to vote out people out of games. I'd much rather be doing a mission with 7/8, then 8/8 with one leecher.

Epinephrine · Oct 26, 2005, 05:11 PM // 17:11

Frustrating to lose all your minions due to a cutscene, or to have the spells you've been maintaining all shut down because you can't blessed signet and so on.

I don't know what the solution is though - allow those who skip to stand there, but use skills to maintain themselves/cure themselves? You can't really allow them to move and further the game, as they'll run off without the people watching the cut-scene.

Sol_Vie · Oct 26, 2005, 05:24 PM // 17:24

During Dunes of Despair with me (at the time) N/R, one person didn't skip and when we came back the scarabs had me at 20 HP and 3 degen. Thanks to a quick vampiric gaze and life siphon, I lived, but 2-3 other people were at half or lower health. I was mighty pissed, but relieved no one died. It'd be nice if HP/MP of PCs and NPCs were frozen during cut scenes.

Former Ruling · Oct 26, 2005, 05:29 PM // 17:29

Simple: Skipping is per person..If you skip..you skip and keep going..if you dont..you dont...

The rest of the team can do w/e while the "newbies" as they were called watch the show.

Yichi · Oct 26, 2005, 05:46 PM // 17:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trance Addict

No. Simple way to fix this.

Make it like GvG/Tombs. If you skip, you skip; you can go back to doing whatever you were doing. If you don't skip, you watch the cutscene.

I'm a genius.

/signed for this option

Undivine · Oct 26, 2005, 11:25 PM // 23:25

I'd much prefer the solution where all health degen, enchantment durations, and anything of that nature is frozen. Letting some people continue while others watch the cutscene is no solution at all. You know people aren't going to wait for them. Even if they do, that means the undead will still be dying and the enchantments will still be fading while they wait.

And if people aren't going to wait, it's likely that even people who actually want to watch the cutscene will skip it anyway because they don't want to be left behind. Then why have story in this game at all?

MadLep · Oct 27, 2005, 12:09 AM // 00:09

-Freeze all events in the real game (enemies don't attack, DoT etc has no effect).
-Allow option to go back and watch cutscenes that you've skipped later on. That way people can skip the scene if most of the party wants to, then carry on playing and watch the cutscene at the end.
-Anyone who skips ends up back in the game and can carry on. Anyone still in the cutscene will not be in the game world, and would be "greyed out" on the party list (as if they were still loading). It's up to them to catch up once they've finished the cutscene.

First time I played through I skipped the cut scenes most of the time if I was the last person. The story made no sense till the second character through. (Although the whole white mantle aspect of the plot is still pretty weak, even when it does all make sense)

Undivine · Oct 27, 2005, 01:22 AM // 01:22

Let's try to keep this spoiler-free, although I do agree with you about the White Mantle.

Making the cutscenes viewable after the mission is a really nice idea, but I highly doubt it could be implimented. The type of cutscenes GW uses are not prerendered - you're not simply watching a movie. You're actually watching a scripted set of in-game events. They program your character to run here and there and program the dialogue and script the enemy behaviour where appropriate, such as when the Charr try and bash down the door at the end of The Ruins of Surmia mission.

It takes an excessive amount of reprogramming to make cutscenes available at the end. First, you would stay in the area instead of being transfered to the next city. Secondly, all NPCs relevant to the cutscene that were killed during the mission would need to be resurrected again and repositioned. Thirdly, you get teleported to where the cutscene takes place. Fourth, any environmental changes that happened during the mission, such as the seed bridge in one cutscene in The Wilds mission, or the boat the Vazier summoned in Sanctum Cay, must be reversed and done again. And finally, the cutscene would be missing all the other members of your party.

It's a lot of effort for a small feature.

Hate · Nov 25, 2005, 10:48 PM // 22:48

This thread is so old, no ones even gonna see my post.