Miley
Member
Video games are a fairly contradictory art. It awakens almost all of our senses. We feel, through a joystick, a steering wheel, a keyboard. The sound of a weapon, a screeching tire, a musical note adds a little more to the experience. However, where the video game tries to put the package for these last years, it is on the visual aspect. So much so that the next productions can no longer even demonstrate their full graphic power because of the limitations of Internet distribution and, probably, of our material. The purpose of this series of articles is to highlight all that makes our media unique. How do artists manage to transport us into their universe? How can a video game be so unique game after game? This is what we will try to discover and analyze.
Dishonored: get the most out of an RPG game
When we think of Dishonored, we especially have in mind the sumptuous artistic direction and the choices that are offered to us throughout the game. These choices are not limited to what the decor or the menu of objectives offer us. No, it goes much further than that. Because limiting the possibilities offered to the player to that would be a real insult to the team at Arkane studio. To understand why the Dishonored series is so unique, you have to take a few things apart.
To design an RPG action of this magnitude, you have to give the character a varied and evolving palette of powers, movements and gadgets. An RPG by nature allows you to develop your character, to make him not only more powerful but also to make him adopt a style that is unique to us. Most RPGs of this type therefore offer us the choice between action and stealth. In general, the player will choose to use this or that power / gadget to perform a specific action, with perhaps even a combination of two elements. Arkane Studio thought much further than that when designing Dishonored. Indeed, each element of the gameplay can be used in any situation. The goal here is to give free rein to the imagination of the player, as long as he takes the time to experiment. There is a whole panoply of it because the game offers us to choose between killing and neutralizing, rushing into the pile or preferring infiltration. Finding an alternative utility to a power can even happen by chance during a moment of panic. It is in this that the title of Arkane manages to highlight what many studios fail to do (out of ignorance or laziness): the concept of interactivity.
But where Dishonored is even stronger, it is the complementarity and the physics brought to each of its elements. As we know, an advanced management of physics in a video game can bring more or less crazy situations and absolutely not anticipated by the developers. Here, the physical elements are very discreet, almost invisible to the average player because at no time highlighted by the game. The most telling example is that of the Blinking power. The latter is not a simple teleportation but a brief acceleration from point A to point B (anywhere in space), everything between the character and his destination can influence or be influenced on / by moving (everyone has already tried using Wink through a lightning gate). A guard near the trajectory, for example, will be unbalanced by the breath caused by the movement. Now imagine the possible combinations of powers, gadgets and physics. Yes, it makes you dizzy, you only have to see the different Superplay videos here and there on the web to realize it. Even the bullet fired from the pistol has not only physics but also modeling. Use the power to stop the time immediately after firing and you will see the bullet near the cannon. Now use the power of possession to place a guard right in front of you and get out before time runs out. There you go, no need to aim straight. The combo is also possible for a guard to succumb to his own shot.
The expression “emerging gameplay” then takes on a whole new dimension.
Super powers yes, but the rest then?
Obviously, the notion of gameplay is not limited to three magic powers and four weapons in his barda. For a video game to be really fun, it must also be given favorable ground. We are talking about level design here and this is not an element to be overlooked. The complexity of the latter generally increases as the player progresses. In the case of an RPG, it also evolves taking into account the different powers and gadgets acquired by the character.
If you do not make your hero evolve throughout the adventure, certain passages are likely to be more difficult at best, at worst impossible because simply unthinkable for a development team. Which player would not use their skill points to be more powerful? Well not the seasoned Dishonored player. This is also an aspect anticipated by Arkane since a success requires not to use any improvement rune throughout the game. Dishonored 2 goes even further, leaving the player the choice to flatly refuse the brand of the game. 'Outsider (and therefore to have no power).
Playing Dishonored in this way allows you to completely rediscover the streets of Dunwall and Karnaca, to rethink the methods of approach and confrontations. And that's where we see how much Arkane Lyon has done prowess on the level design of its game. Instead of stealthily crossing a roadblock controlled by guards using Clination, taking possession of an NPC or 'a rat, or stopping time; observation must be observed to locate an open window overlooking the roof, and a staircase leading to the said window. Once understood and assimilated, this level design becomes the portal open to all of the player's experiments, the only limit of which will be his own imagination.
Interactivity at the service of gameplay
What do we think of when we talk about the term "interactivity"? Is a video game interactive by its simple destructible decorations? Can you choose between 2 lines of dialogue in a Tell Tales game? Or even be able to push a block of stone to climb a high overhang? No, we have to go further than that. Interactivity should not be limited to a simple proposition of choice (which will often have the same consequences) or to a physical manipulation of what we see. We rarely have control over the progress of a video game. Replaying the Mass Effect series, for example, will offer almost nothing different if we decide to make the choices opposite to the first part. A few lines of different dialogues or different scenes certainly, but the adventure itself will not budge an iota.
Cinema sometimes manages to establish interactivity in its films thanks to several levels of reading or interpretation (Mother illustrates this concept perfectly, for example). A video game has the potential to go further by changing the construction of its adventure depending on the type of player. In the case of Dishonored, everyone can have their own experience. The game is full of side quests that will affect our experience at some point. Scenes may simply not exist according to our actions. The progression could prove to be much more full-bodied and certain places much less accessible.
Let’s take concrete examples. Accumulating the murders uncovered in Dishonored will make the guards more numerous and attentive as the adventure progresses. The rat population will also be increased and may cause problems, or on the contrary give new opportunities. The guards will have different conversations. Some will be afraid, others will be impatient to get their hands on this murderer who is spreading terror in the city. Choosing not to kill anyone while remaining invisible can, on the contrary, greatly facilitate progression. The patrols will be reduced, the guards relaxed, the rats fewer, some of Corvo's companions will become benevolent, others will not understand your choices, et cetera et cetera.
Make each game unique, adapt the game according to the type of player, offer a wide range of possibilities, that's what the Dishonored series is capable of. Arkane has achieved a feat that should inspire many development studios.
Do not hesitate to give us your opinions on this new section in the comments, hoping that it will make you want to (re) discover a video game while thinking about the aspects that can make it unique. As a bonus, a video of the best actions on Dishonored.
Dishonored: get the most out of an RPG game
When we think of Dishonored, we especially have in mind the sumptuous artistic direction and the choices that are offered to us throughout the game. These choices are not limited to what the decor or the menu of objectives offer us. No, it goes much further than that. Because limiting the possibilities offered to the player to that would be a real insult to the team at Arkane studio. To understand why the Dishonored series is so unique, you have to take a few things apart.
To design an RPG action of this magnitude, you have to give the character a varied and evolving palette of powers, movements and gadgets. An RPG by nature allows you to develop your character, to make him not only more powerful but also to make him adopt a style that is unique to us. Most RPGs of this type therefore offer us the choice between action and stealth. In general, the player will choose to use this or that power / gadget to perform a specific action, with perhaps even a combination of two elements. Arkane Studio thought much further than that when designing Dishonored. Indeed, each element of the gameplay can be used in any situation. The goal here is to give free rein to the imagination of the player, as long as he takes the time to experiment. There is a whole panoply of it because the game offers us to choose between killing and neutralizing, rushing into the pile or preferring infiltration. Finding an alternative utility to a power can even happen by chance during a moment of panic. It is in this that the title of Arkane manages to highlight what many studios fail to do (out of ignorance or laziness): the concept of interactivity.
But where Dishonored is even stronger, it is the complementarity and the physics brought to each of its elements. As we know, an advanced management of physics in a video game can bring more or less crazy situations and absolutely not anticipated by the developers. Here, the physical elements are very discreet, almost invisible to the average player because at no time highlighted by the game. The most telling example is that of the Blinking power. The latter is not a simple teleportation but a brief acceleration from point A to point B (anywhere in space), everything between the character and his destination can influence or be influenced on / by moving (everyone has already tried using Wink through a lightning gate). A guard near the trajectory, for example, will be unbalanced by the breath caused by the movement. Now imagine the possible combinations of powers, gadgets and physics. Yes, it makes you dizzy, you only have to see the different Superplay videos here and there on the web to realize it. Even the bullet fired from the pistol has not only physics but also modeling. Use the power to stop the time immediately after firing and you will see the bullet near the cannon. Now use the power of possession to place a guard right in front of you and get out before time runs out. There you go, no need to aim straight. The combo is also possible for a guard to succumb to his own shot.
The expression “emerging gameplay” then takes on a whole new dimension.
Super powers yes, but the rest then?
Obviously, the notion of gameplay is not limited to three magic powers and four weapons in his barda. For a video game to be really fun, it must also be given favorable ground. We are talking about level design here and this is not an element to be overlooked. The complexity of the latter generally increases as the player progresses. In the case of an RPG, it also evolves taking into account the different powers and gadgets acquired by the character.
If you do not make your hero evolve throughout the adventure, certain passages are likely to be more difficult at best, at worst impossible because simply unthinkable for a development team. Which player would not use their skill points to be more powerful? Well not the seasoned Dishonored player. This is also an aspect anticipated by Arkane since a success requires not to use any improvement rune throughout the game. Dishonored 2 goes even further, leaving the player the choice to flatly refuse the brand of the game. 'Outsider (and therefore to have no power).
Playing Dishonored in this way allows you to completely rediscover the streets of Dunwall and Karnaca, to rethink the methods of approach and confrontations. And that's where we see how much Arkane Lyon has done prowess on the level design of its game. Instead of stealthily crossing a roadblock controlled by guards using Clination, taking possession of an NPC or 'a rat, or stopping time; observation must be observed to locate an open window overlooking the roof, and a staircase leading to the said window. Once understood and assimilated, this level design becomes the portal open to all of the player's experiments, the only limit of which will be his own imagination.
Interactivity at the service of gameplay
What do we think of when we talk about the term "interactivity"? Is a video game interactive by its simple destructible decorations? Can you choose between 2 lines of dialogue in a Tell Tales game? Or even be able to push a block of stone to climb a high overhang? No, we have to go further than that. Interactivity should not be limited to a simple proposition of choice (which will often have the same consequences) or to a physical manipulation of what we see. We rarely have control over the progress of a video game. Replaying the Mass Effect series, for example, will offer almost nothing different if we decide to make the choices opposite to the first part. A few lines of different dialogues or different scenes certainly, but the adventure itself will not budge an iota.
Cinema sometimes manages to establish interactivity in its films thanks to several levels of reading or interpretation (Mother illustrates this concept perfectly, for example). A video game has the potential to go further by changing the construction of its adventure depending on the type of player. In the case of Dishonored, everyone can have their own experience. The game is full of side quests that will affect our experience at some point. Scenes may simply not exist according to our actions. The progression could prove to be much more full-bodied and certain places much less accessible.
Let’s take concrete examples. Accumulating the murders uncovered in Dishonored will make the guards more numerous and attentive as the adventure progresses. The rat population will also be increased and may cause problems, or on the contrary give new opportunities. The guards will have different conversations. Some will be afraid, others will be impatient to get their hands on this murderer who is spreading terror in the city. Choosing not to kill anyone while remaining invisible can, on the contrary, greatly facilitate progression. The patrols will be reduced, the guards relaxed, the rats fewer, some of Corvo's companions will become benevolent, others will not understand your choices, et cetera et cetera.
Make each game unique, adapt the game according to the type of player, offer a wide range of possibilities, that's what the Dishonored series is capable of. Arkane has achieved a feat that should inspire many development studios.
Do not hesitate to give us your opinions on this new section in the comments, hoping that it will make you want to (re) discover a video game while thinking about the aspects that can make it unique. As a bonus, a video of the best actions on Dishonored.
