>>24680On some level storytelling itself usually doesn't have to do more than it needs to do. Purple prose is one example of breaking this rule. There's no need or use in a novel for filler content. Like when a man walks into a room, you don't need to describe every single thing, like what else was sitting in a table, what the magazines on the table were about, the color of the rug, whether he showered that money and the brand of his cologne etc. similarly to how you don't don't ned need anything in a shot besides exactly what you intended in film and photography.
In VtMBs case it's kind of an odd one because I think they did too much and possibly a few times but definitely once introduced too much shit without explaining it. The Hengyokai is the worst offender. This only makes sense for someone who's steeped really deep, and I mean
really deep into the lore. It didn't help that the model looked pretty terrible too. Since I was playing a Malkavian my first run I sincerely believed it to be just some weird retarded Malkavian specific thing and even then I was like yeah that's a bit much, since at the time I hadn't get read Kindred of the East. I had no idea that was even a thing and was equally puzzled when I encountered it the second time, as I'm sure many others were as well.
The problem with VTMB is that they tended to introduce way too many lore elements in a way that at times came off sloppily, and at others worked fantastically. Like for example the haunted hotel actually worked so well not just because the scene itself was so well done, because of how well it got integrated into the overall story so you can understand that Cainites like the Giovanni are messing with geists. What sorta worked but sorta doesn't is the Fae charm, because it's really not talked about at all and is just sorta there as something that stands out, but at the same time that's literally exactly how even a 300 year old vampire might encounter something like this, all of which creates the overall impression of a dark and forbidding world where assuming anything is incredibly dangerous, and where there are things, ancient and powerful and unknowable things, that scare even the worst ancient monsters you've ever met.
It also tended to integrate the story, atmosphere, lore and gameplay really well, since no matter how big and badass and manipulative you think you are, you're still just the plaything of another regardless of how much you think you're carving your own separate path. This is partly what I mean about integration of the audience with story because you, the player, are often operating under the illusion of having way more choice than you actually do to the point where most people forget how completely linear the story actually is.
Done poorly, you can end up with this
>>24693which reminds me of the terrible decision Troika made of having the early Sabbat member directly addressing the player "you in the audience may get a little wet." I have no idea why anyone made the stupid decision to leave that one.
Still, I think VTMB is a great example of storytelling in vidya. It had a lot of lore to draw on that other games didn't, sure, but there were times where that hurt the game more than helped.
In terms of the Hunters I think it worked too, because you ended up fighting a Society of Leopold member who actually was a threat so it helped show you exactly why drawing attention was such a bad thing, despite the fact that most of the time you feel more like it's other vampires getting pissed with you to worry about, but then you understand exactly why they are all so pissed with you to begin with. What would've been bad is if the whole Society of Leopold segment wasnt there because then you could see the seems too much and it'd just be an awkwardly implemented gaming mechanic. You also get to see how there are far off consequences to your actions, far enough that if you survive past these nights not just vampires but even the great grandchildren of mortals may remember you and cause problems later on.
What saddens me is that there's no game that really runs with that. VTMR sorta did but it was so obviously on rails and nothing would change no matter what you did. What would be cool is if the choices you made in the first half of a game completely changed the entire second half when you awake from torpor into the modern nights. Bioware at least sort of attempted this but sadly we got Mass Effect 2 & 3 which was a horrible wasted opportunity since I deliberately let the council die so in one fell swoop I could defeat the Reaper, advance my species' cause, and create the kind of solid leadership that was needed for the fight to come.
Instead what I got was a retcon with yet another retarded useless council failing to take decisive action with nothing at all changing. What a terrible wasted opportunity that was at showing unintended consequences.
>>24680On some level storytelling itself usually doesn't have to do more than it needs to do. Purple prose is one example of breaking this rule. There's no need or use in a novel for filler content. Like when a man walks into a room, you don't need to describe every single thing, like what else was sitting in a table, what the magazines on the table were about, the color of the rug, whether he showered that money and the brand of his cologne etc. similarly to how you don't don't ned need anything in a shot besides exactly what you intended in film and photography.
In VtMBs case it's kind of an odd one because I think they did too much and possibly a few times but definitely once introduced too much shit without explaining it. The Hengyokai is the worst offender. This only makes sense for someone who's steeped really deep, and I mean
really deep into the lore. It didn't help that the model looked pretty terrible too. Since I was playing a Malkavian my first run I sincerely believed it to be just some weird retarded Malkavian specific thing and even then I was like yeah that's a bit much, since at the time I hadn't get read Kindred of the East. I had no idea that was even a thing and was equally puzzled when I encountered it the second time, as I'm sure many others were as well.
The problem with VTMB is that they tended to introduce way too many lore elements in a way that at times came off sloppily, and at others worked fantastically. Like for example the haunted hotel actually worked so well not just because the scene itself was so well done, because of how well it got integrated into the overall story so you can understand that Cainites like the Giovanni are messing with geists. What sorta worked but sorta doesn't is the Fae charm, because it's really not talked about at all and is just sorta there as something that stands out, but at the same time that's literally exactly how even a 300 year old vampire might encounter something like this, all of which creates the overall impression of a dark and forbidding world where assuming anything is incredibly dangerous, and where there are things, ancient and powerful and unknowable things, that scare even the worst ancient monsters you've ever met.
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