Do you prefer systemic or scripted games?

This is not an "open-world vs. linear" debate. No answer is the right one, so have fun!

I like both equally, but contrary to popular belief, think it is harder to make a boring systemic game because there will always be a wide expanse of things to do in whatever way the player wants to do them. Scripted games are a delicate balance of not giving the player too much direction (it ends up feeling hand-holdy) but not gving them too much ambiguity (confuses and frustrates the player.)

@mclarenmaster18: Yes and no. Scripted just refers to any game where the events are not systems that interact with you and other systems outside of the developers' control, but are pretedermined happenings. Although open-world and systemic, scripted and linear, usually get lumped into the same bucket (and most open-worlds are systemic and most linear games are scripted), open-world/linear and systemic/scripted are not identical and not mutually exclusive.

Systematic games. where we have to find our ways instead of game taking control by players hand.

I’m pretty much getting to the point where I won’t play games with cutscenes. I don’t want my hand held, I don’t care for cinematics, I don’t want to press a button and have all the worlds secrets revealed to me like Assassins Creed, Batman, The Witcher, Tomb Raider etc. and I sure as hell don’t want a game like Uncharted where the treasures light up without a button press, platforming is “jump to the yellow thing,” “there’s a bunch of ammo lying around meaning there is about to be a gunfight,” or where you watch the game more than play it.

Give me Rocket League, PUBG, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, BotW, Madden, ARMS, Trackmania etc. You know, games that require something from the player other than QTE button presses and following a NPC around to hear some dialog?

TC you should have also warned this is not a games with cut scenes vs games without cut scenes (or shall we say very little cut scenes?). MGS5 for example is game with heavy cut scenes but it is a systemic game. You will be surprised even scripted games have systemic combat. So your video is right in pointing out the rise of systemic in games.

It depends on the quality of the game. I wouldn't say I have a definitive preference one way or another.

I like games such as Nioh and Resident Evil 4 as well as games like Thief and Breath of the Wild. It really depends on the quality of the finished product. Equally, there are systemic and scripted games I don't like.

Both have an appeal of their own, it depends on the game really, at least for me.

I am a choice person. That is why open world games are more my thing. I like to make my own fun. (that is why building games are my favorite genre)

For me what matters is a compelling story. Doesn't matter what the gameplay is if it isn't capable of sucking me into its narrative.

@ellos: I kind of assumed people wouldn't think it is a cutscenes-vs-no-cutscenes debate.

I can enjoy both myself.

botw has cutscenes. plenty of them. long ones too. it also has qtes.

I play 100% to experiment with different ways to solve a problem

so my gaming requirements are pretty clear in that respect I would think.

I think some others play kind of like as a score meaning 'give me a specific challenge and let me overcome it'

I instead look for multiple possible solutions

The more freedom and choice (or at least the appearance of those) , the better for me. Systemic gets my vote, usually.

Generally lean more towards gameplay-oriented games with scripted levels/encounters.

Both.

scripted typically give a better, polished experience. For example, ME1 - 3 were much better than Andromeda and part of the reason was that they weren't trying to be open world.

The type of game I like depends on what I'm in the mood for, I like a variety when it comes to games. Not a fan of the cutscenes though or really long intros that you can't skip past.

@lifelessablaze: Systemic games aren't necessarily open world and vice versa...

I prefer games that are fun. I couldnt care less about anything else. If a sequence is scripted but fun to play I couldnt give a rats a** about anything else. People will always find a way to b*tch about somethin

@toonlonk: systemic sounds better on paper but my favorite games of all time (half life 1-2) were super scripted games.

@Vatusus: I wasn't bitching about anything or trying to diminish your own fun from a game, and besides, you're on System Wars. What did you expect?

Seems the best example that has both is Disgaea, or Valkyria, which i love both those games, so i guess i like both systematic and scripted.

@X_CAPCOM_X: BOTW does not have QTEs. A button prompt and QTE are not the same thing. Besides, all the cutscenes are easily skippable, and most are entirely optional. The only two things that you have to do in BOTW is leave the Great Plateau and beat Ganon.

My post wasnt in any way, shape or form directed at you but those that complaint too much about games being "scripted", ya know, those "movie games" crowd

Open world games are objectively better.

This is like asking:

Do you prefer more immersion or less? More immersion is always better.

Yeah. Think Sony's movie games.

A lot of my favourite games of all time (Deus Ex, Half-Life, Chrono Trigger, etc.) are linear (albeit with a fair degree or player choice in DX and CT). But I can't deny how much better they would be if they were made as more open-ended games today.

@Vatusus: Oh. Okay, sorry. Can be hard to tell who you're even referring to online.