Opening Cutscenes: necessary?

[-LuX-]

I've began making my game recently, and I've been wrestling with the decision to include a long opening cutcene, a short one, or none at all. I was thinking of showing the events that led up to the "now" in my game, but that is done a lot. In Addition to that It would take an extremely long, and begrudgingly evented cutscene to show all of the aformentioned events...

I'm at a loss as to which course of action to take.


Thoughts?

 

[Sechs]

Long cutscenes are usually needed for games with more complex plots. However, most players like to get into the action right away, so having a ten minute long cutscene is not a particularly good move to take. There are more players who like action more than story. There is a compromise you can take though.
You could have an interactive cutscene. This means that the player will take control of the pivotal character during certain segments of the "cutscene" to highlight the events that lead up to the main story. For example, have Character A run from Place 1 to Place 2 to get Item B which then will show another part of the cutscene. This way, players won't feel like they are watching a movie, but actually playing a game. Do you know what I mean?

 

[Zekallinos]

People generally don't care about your game's history. Not until they start getting immersed in the game, that is. Give only the necessary information so that at least the player won't go "wtf?" when he is asked to combat an enemy or solve a puzzle at the start of the game.

 

[regi]

It's generally agreed upon that long cutscenes are no good; like the others have said, people want action and tend to get bored watching intros. I would suggest a very short (if at all) intro cutscene, and then have the player jump right into the game while simultaneously introducing the history, characters, and (arguably the most important) gameplay. Maybe the player controls the villain while he executes the final stages of his master plan? Or perhaps you explore some old ruins full of mysterious artifacts. Obviously go with something less cliche, but while you're doing this, introduce battles, puzzles, and other fun gameplay mechanisms: these'll hook the player just as well as (if not better than) an intriguing plot will.

 

[Ellie]

One thing I hated about Final Fantasy VIII was the immensely long wait to play the game. Even when the opening FMV finally ends you have to sit through an evented cutscene for ages before you can do anything.

It's subjective and personal; you have to decide for yourself. I think everyone here will give a different opinion.

 

[Brewmeister]

How about making the "History" text based that the user can read at their own pace, then a short "Intro" cutscene that shows only the events immediately before gameplay starts. Then you can have an option to skip the history & intro for players starting a 2nd new game.

Or, you could have the main menu...

History
Intro
New Game
Continue

And give the player the option.

 

[Venetia]

In the old school days you could easily get away with there being zero cutscenes at all. The game opens, music starts, and you start racking up points. Today however we've gotten into a place where an intro is expected, and a lack thereof is off-putting to gamers at large.

That said, long intros suck ass. You bought the game to play it, not to watch it happen. Don't let it get past 2-3 minutes, total, before the player can take control. Ideally, keep it around a minute. That doesn't seem like a lot but it's perfect if you play it right. You want the player to be interested in the task at hand. Their desire to learn about the why's, how's, and history will come later, after the game has kicked up enough interest.

Example: in Morrowind, your character wakes up on a boat then lands on the island. Bam, gameplay starts. Is that game without lore or history? Hell no. But the player finds out at their own pace.

 

[-LuX-]

Thank you all. I really needed to see how many people felt the same way as I did. Long cutscenes usually bore me and make me want to turn the game off, of they make me miss important things being said (since I'm rapidly tapping A to get to the gameplay). I would've hated to have my game be disliked if I didn't have a long enough cutscene...

 

[Sechs]

Some long cutscenes are important; don't forget that. Use them towards the end when your player is hooked on the story.

 

[Petros]

I think some kind of intro cutscene is needed. In my own game it's not more than five minutes before the titles show up and the game begins and only about two minutes of that is cutscene. Without any kind of a cutscene, it's just "Ok where are we what the fuck is going on, where do I go?"

In screenwriting and storytelling in general, there needs to be an Inciting Incident that sets the hero on his journey.

E.G:

Luke Skywalker discovering the message from Princess Leia in the droids is his inciting incident.

The Narrator going to his first "Meeting" in Fight Club sends him to Tyler Durden.

On some occasions the inciting incident isn't just one moment but several. For example:

Final Fantasy VII, the inciting incident is actually the death of Zack for Cloud. But the real quest begins when Sephiroth massacres the Shinra building, this leads to the true quest of Final Fantasy VII, yet Cloud's journey began with Zack's death, hell it even says so in Advent Children Complete.

 

[ama55]

I agree with everything I've heard here but I have a few more points:
No where in your game should a cutscene really be longer than 5 minutes, especially in the beginning. Nothing has turned me off more playing RM games than listening about "a mystic world with 7 crystals and a cliche hero saves the girl" blah blah blah. Let the story unravel itself. Give only hints and clues in the intro and save the main storyline for later.
This might be a bad example but the series Full Metal Alchemist starts off years after the major push for adventure. Then, it goes back and explains things as they go along. This is a much better approach.

 

[Petros]

Yeah that's the same way my game starts, In Medias Res, it's a classic really, even Homer used it. Start a story in the middle so you throw people in the midst of the story, people enjoy confusion at first but it does pay to tell them what's going on eventually, so they return to when the story really began.

 

[zchin]

I would reccommend putting a long one to get the person into playing your game if the thread doesn't do the job, I'm putting an event in every cutscene part that makes up the starting that will sense if you are trying to skip it so people wouldn't get really mad is they are playing the game again because it is good.

Thank you and have a happy holdiday!

 

[Ellie]

You could of course take Final Fantasy X's approach: the cutscene is interactive. Well; I'd have said the whole part with Zanawhatsit was an intro, but it has battles and whatnot intertwined so you end up being thrown straight into the action while the game explains what is going on.