Old Dialogue Cutscenes vs Post-HoT Dialogue Cutscenes

[Omar Aschi Popp.7496]

I want to add that even though the side views from dungeons and PS are in-game graphics it is okay because it is done artistically enough to satisfy me. It is simple, and nice to look at.

But for big things I expect full rendered niceness

[kharmin.7683]

I'm guessing that the new way is cheaper to produce.

[kurfu.5623]

The old style can be skipped, which was nice after you had already heard the dialogue once or twice.

[eyestrain.3056]

@kharmin.7683 said:I'm guessing that the new way is cheaper to produce.

I would be really interested in knowing how time/resource intensive they are in comparison to each other.

[Lyger.5429]

@starlinvf.1358 said:Ideally I'd like to see a setup where a player approaches their conversation target (if its walking), and starts scaling the movement speed automatically to drift the player into a certain position ideal for the conversation to take place. Once on the rail, the character can just auto pilot while the conversation plays out (even enables use of scripted emotes as desired). If the player wants to deviate, they hold down a movement key, and the system scales them out of it, and back into full control. This has the potential to make use of better scene arrangement, and soft camera controls to guide the view point, giving a live shot some of the qualities of an FMV cut scene ,without all the hard shot transitions or fully robbing the player of controls. Gears of War uses a rough version of this for its exposition scenes, but that game also had the advantage of tighter level design that might not be afforded with GW2's typical level design.

This would actually be a really good idea, nothing more annoying than having cut-off or overlapping dialogue, due to the PC unknowingly triggering the next set of lines by a random NPC

[notebene.3190]

My problem with the newer(ish) cut scenes just being 'in the game' is how they handle (or, completely mishandle) dealing with sound.

I have a 5.1 DTS system, and the dialog will only be loud if I'm the proper distance from a character, and facing the character that is speaking. That's the only time it will come out the center channel. When you watch a movie, you might have all sorts of special effects happening in all the speakers, or 'ambient dialog' happening off in the other speakers, based on where they want to give you the illusion that the people mumbling are, relative to the action, but when people are talking, like, important people, who have their name in the credits, and at least one line of dialog. That dialog is sent to the center channel.

In this game, even when important dialog is happening, they don't bother sending that to the center channel. They let it adhere (lazily) to this rule where there is one imaginary, directional microphone hanging a few feet in front of my head...and that's it.

So on the one hand, the new way they do cut scenes provides some interesting depth that they don't get with the "two people side by side dialog" method. And largely, I guess I like it. I suppose I get why some people would like some of that skippable.

But it would be 'really' nice to actually 'hear' what everyone is saying when they are talking to me. Without having to play a little mini game of "point your imaginary directional microphone in the right direction".

[Zaklex.6308]

@eyestrain.3056 said:

@kharmin.7683 said:I'm guessing that the new way is cheaper to produce.

I would be really interested in knowing how time/resource intensive they are in comparison to each other.

We actually got that answer quite a while ago, I believe it was not to much after the new style scenes started to be used. I hate to paraphrase the answer because I'm a little fuzzy on it, but I do seem to remember it something along the lines as being less arduous to make them the new way then the original cut scene format...and in case everyone doesn't remember; your character wasn't always in the cutscene with the npc they were talking to, I can remember at least two scenes that had someone else in the scene with your character for what ever reason(not sure if it was because the off screen character was only saying a line or two or some other reason). I also don't find myself having to deal with a "million" other players being in the way with mini's, usually it's just my character...or if it's brand new content and everyone is doing it once the only voices I hear are my own characters and the npc's, but then I've always been good at just ignoring extraneous items(i.e. other non-essential characters and players).

[Leo G.4501]

@kharmin.7683 said:I'm guessing that the new way is cheaper to produce.

I would be really interested in knowing how time/resource intensive they are in comparison to each other.

If we're making a direct comparison to the old set of staged dialog and the new, the new has a lot more player dialog thus more cost since all the player voice actors have to voice it. The old style was likely a setup that was coded with the initial game and the chunk of code had a monetary value.

If we're making a hypothetical compariosn (likely what you mean), I'm curious myself. I'd assume when the game was in development, a "program" or set of code was made so that so that it was more a dynamic programmed instanced that mainly required variables like the background image, the NPCs'/players' model data, and emotes those NPCs/players performed. The bulk of the effort woud likely be lip syncing those NPCs'/players' models which likely was another set of code. Overall, I'm going to make the assumption that there really isn't any significant cost difference. It's mainly just some coding with a bit of polish on the lip-sync.

[Norseman.4280]

@ThomasC.1056 said:I'm more for the old cinematics version :

• They bring an opportunity to look at your character from a different perspective, and be self-satisfied by your exquisite taste in designing a suit of armor ;
• Same goes for NPCs, aside from the exquisite taste part ;
• You can see more details and things on characters models that you otherwise wouldn't enjoy as much ;
• It provides an invulnerable pause in an instance. And sometimes, it's nice to have a little rest to take your breath.
• As you're invulnerable, you don't need to worry about your surroundings. It happened frequently in HoT LWS3 and PoF that a huge dialogs part rolls up while finishing a fight, and you just can't focus on it.
• Skippable for whoever doesn't care about the 2 previous points.

This plus I love some of the art in the old cutscenes.

I wish they would bring that style back, I really enjoyed it.

[Chadramar.8156]

I like both. The old style had a certain unique charm and you got to see the characters involved more clearly, but the new style doesn't "take you out of the world" and allows for better conversations between 3+ characters. Though as others have said, the old style also has the advantage of providing combat immunity and not being accidentally skippable if you move too fast, while also being skippable if you want it to be (and still outputting everything into the chat for a quick-glance overview).

[Cantatus.4065]

@Nifer.6324 said:For the first play-through I do like the new way the dialog works ... however, I really liked the old cut scenes for taking my alts through. Please give us an option to skip the dialogue on multiple play throughs!! I really just want to get to the action-parts to knock out achievements, not listen to characters whine and/or monologue at me for the dozenth time.

This is my issue with the new version. I honestly don't have a preference when it comes to the aesthetics, but I've been working on getting the LWS2 achievements for the Illuminated Armor collection, and it's quickly become clear to me how much I miss having the ability to skip dialogue. It gets a little old redoing these chapters and having to sit through the same discussion every time I have to reset or do another run for a different achievement. If subsequent replays let you skip dialogue or just cut it out entirely if you wanted, I'd be perfectly fine with the new version. As it is, it's just inconvenient compared to the old cut scenes.

[eyestrain.3056]

Issues with positional audio and accidentally moving too far from the npcs and skipping dialogue are two other issues I didn't even think of. I don't think the old cutscenes were perfect but the more I think about both styles, the more I would like to see both used rather than just one or the other since they both have strengths and weaknesses.