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Quantum Break: TV show woven into game based on your choices; dynamic cover system

Thought this was deserving of its own thread. Should make nice for multiple playthroughs.
So how does it work?

"You first play through an act of the game, Lake says. "It culminates in a special scene that is the junction moment, where you make a choice," which opens up an episode of the show "based on the choice you make." So you get roughly 22 minutes of programming tailored to your decisions. And all of Quantum Break is "shaped by your choices."

The given example of a junction moment is where evil corporate bad guy Paul Serene has to either: 1) kill a student activist who's witness to some shady things or 2) threaten to murder her family to bend her into submission. Both bad, one less bad, I suppose. Her death, should you choose, is reflected in the protest scene from last year's trailer. On the other hand, should she live, she becomes Jacks ally, helping to dig up dirt on Monarch.

Sometimes these two parts of the game weave even closer. A live-action conflict between Monarch folks who've captured Jack ends at an anticlimax as their guns disappear and Jack is shown to have gotten away. On the game side, there's a cutscene of Jack waking up in the back of the van, noticing the conflict outside, and escaping (and gun jacking) during a time skip.

With Xbox having killed its original programming arm, Lake also clarified that, "the game and the show ship together as one item."
Via Destructoid

Also from our resident Remedy member Kyle:

Few words on the cover (as I've seen that mentioned a few times): we use a dynamic cover system, aka it's automatic. There isn't any player input to go into cover, Jack will do it automatically when you're near a valid object. Think of it as a non-cover based shooter, where the character will keep low to avoid getting shot :p. You shouldn't be worrying about taking cover, we want you to focus on other things.

Our core moment-to-moment gameplay when in combat is intended to be very free. Lots of moving around the play space, rather than necessarily being hunkered down in cover taking pot shots. Most of our combat spaces are large in size to push movement around the space - and we try and encourage this with some of the Time Powers (which I'm sure we'll talk more about at a later date). That being said, when you're low on health and being suppressed, you'll appreciate Jack taking cover for you :).
 

Crossing Eden

Hello, my name is Yves Guillemot, Vivendi S.A.'s Employee of the Month!
The cover system so far has looked really good. Had no idea it was soft instead of hard cover.
 
One step closer to Kojima's vision of the future.

kojima.jpg
 

Frog-fu

Banned
Because if there's one things gamers are craving, it's 22 minute cutscenes.

You can either put up with it or simply not buy it. It's that simple.

Remedy has a hard-on for this TV shit, and I don't get why..

Because they're fantastic storytellers and this gives them the opportunity to tell the story of Quantum Break in rich detail.

If you're into Remedy games but don't care for the story, then I'm not sure what you're doing. The gunplay is great and all, but there are other games more suited to your aversion for expanded media.
 
So is the cover similar to Last of Us where Joel would naturally duck or press himself up against cover whenever you're crouched?

I LOVED that system, I hope they incorporate it into Uncharted 4. Seemed way more natural and intuitive.
 

nbnt

is responsible for the well-being of this island.
It's 4 22-min tv show episodes according to Sam Lake.

EDIT: And they also change based on player choice.
Man I imagine this must be.. quite costly.

I loved Alan Wake and I'm still excited as ever for this game, but the whole live action thing seems unnecessary and will add nothing to my experience. Hell, it'll dampen it.
 

timlot

Banned
Shaping up to be a true triple-A title. Production value is way up there. Looking to be one of only a handful of day one full price games I've bought this generation.
 

Alienous

Member
One step closer to Kojima's vision of the future.

kojima.jpg

Even Kojima embraces video games as their own medium now, at least with what we've seen of The Phantom Pain. Things like being able to play sequences in a unique order, or stumbling across story moments. Doesn't seem like he's tacking a movie onto MGSV.

I don't think I want to watch a four episode TV show while playing a video game.
 

Ricky_R

Member
Is the tv show integration integral to the story? Will skipping it make the story difficult to follow?

I enjoyed AW's episode like concept a lot, so I wouldn't mind this evolution of that concept, but for those who aren't that much interested, it would nice to know that detail.
 
Even Kojima embraces video games as their own medium now, at least with what we've seen of The Phantom Pain. Things like being able to play sequences in a unique order, or stumbling across story moments. Doesn't seem like he's tacking a movie onto MGSV.

I don't think I want to watch a four episode TV show while playing a video game.

You can choose not to watch them immediately.
 

Tunesmith

formerly "chigiri"
The scenes described came off as hokey with some stiff acting from Lance & co. Was strange to see when you were dealing with such established actors. That particular junction point was also not that great. Several shared shots (that could get boring on repeat viewings) and then the choice of Kill or not to kill and she becomes an Intel ally. Great.

The van scene with the disappearing guns particular came off a bit humorous rather than the tense nature that the actors in the scene were portraying as well. The game part of that event was also a bit overdramatised by the dev. The protagonist literally just woke up in the van and walked out and took both guns and walked off. With some slight hesitation when taking the second gun (due to the bad relationship between him and the guy the gun was pointed at).

I suppose seeing it all in context when the game is out will make it gel better but the whole BCD presentation they did at Gamescom just felt like "FMV Game 2015" slapped into a cool 3rd person shooter game.
 

inm8num2

Member
This sounds pretty cool. As long as the gameplay isn't restricted, as quoted in the OP, it should make for a pretty fun and engaging experience.
 

SEGAvangelist

Gold Member
Is the tv show integration integral to the story? Will skipping it make the story difficult to follow?

I enjoyed AW's episode like concept a lot, so I wouldn't mind this evolution of that concept, but for those who aren't that much interested, it would nice to know that detail.

In the IGN interview Sam Lake said you'll miss story elements if you skip the tv show episodes.
 

Shpeshal Nick

aka Collingwood
My wife is really looking forward to watching me play this. She likes Shawn Ashmore a lot and is excited about the TV Show aspect. She loved watching me play Uncharted because of the cut scenes. This takes it to another level for her.
 

Mifune

Mehmber
TV show has potential to be really awkward but I'm glad they hired some good actors. Not sure if long live-action cutscenes will disrupt the flow of the game too much. Maybe I'd rather have normal in-engine cutscenes.

At any rate, the game is going to rock.
 

hawk2025

Member
This is sounding amazing.

I've been turned around on the idea of having this TV show approach for the game. They seem to be incorporating it into the game fully.
 

LaneDS

Member
Sounds like a well-produced choose your own adventure with not that many possible ways it can branch out, which is pretty disappointing considering what (it sounded like) they were going for.
 
I dont really get why this is cool...

A live action cutscene... whoopty doo

I'm not understanding why it couldnt just be an in-game cutscene

If anybody wouldnt mind explaining what i'm missing, i am all ears (eyes)
 

ElTorro

I wanted to dominate the living room. Then I took an ESRAM in the knee.
Everything depends on the quality of the script and the acting. That mix of playing the good side and watching the bad side could be brilliant.
 

derFeef

Member
I dont really get why this is cool...

A live action cutscene... whoopty doo

I'm not understanding why it couldnt just be an in-game cutscene

If anybody wouldnt mind explaining what i'm missing, i am all ears (eyes)

I dunno, reading the article would help maybe. It's more than that. Also this is interesting:

"We are doing things like something that we are calling butterfly effects," Lake says. "There are certain trigger points in the levels that, if you trigger it, it's the beginning of a butterfly effect, and then there is a chain of events, these kind of unforeseen consequences, and you'll see something happening in the show. And with that, you are getting a certain collectible.

"Then again, the other side around, they are certain props that contain information that you see in the show, which you miss if you don't watch the show. And by finding those specific props in the following act in the game, we are unlocking further content for you."
 

Frog-fu

Banned
I dont really get why this is cool...

A live action cutscene... whoopty doo

I'm not understanding why it couldnt just be an in-game cutscene

If anybody wouldnt mind explaining what i'm missing, i am all ears (eyes)

Remedy are among the very few developers that can tell really amazing stories that could benefit from expanded media. Usually these attempts fall by the wayside; webseries nobody watches, comics nobody know about, etc. - but this is different. They're including a high budget liveaction series in the game with high production values and featuring reputable actors. It basically elevates the storytelling platform to a whole new level, which is something than anyone who really cares about the story in games ought to be excited about.
 
Gameplay and story shouldn't be segregated; well-designed games are supposed to bring them as close together as possible. It takes guts to try something like this, so I do respect them for that. It just seems backwards.
 
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