Extremely Long Cutscenes, What's your take?

[dunno001]

Khuutra said:
So you're saying that talking but not playing doesn't make for a cutscene?

Does that mean that being able to pause in cutscenes in MGS4 means they aren't cutscenes?

No, none of this makes sense!

 

 Ah, the fallacies of words alone. I've been trying to keep this simple without getting into a whole discertation on it, but that's looking hard.

Part of my thoughts come from being an old-fashioned DM, from pen & paper days. (In fact, I still am. One of my roommates and players also posts here.) Yes, talking alone does not make for a cutscene. It can lead to character development and plot, all while staying within character, reflected in the game engine. It's only natural to expect that player characters are going to talk to each other and NPCs; that's what the dialogue represents. By not having the view forced away, you can stay in character, keeping to the game. However, by changing to a radically different view (say, an FMV), you have pulled away from the character, an aside, if you will. Now you are out of character, which is what leads to a cutscene.

Also, pausing a cutscene does not negate the fact that it is a cutscene. By having sheer text, which, I used going to the bathroom as an example, you can have that be the only out of character moment. Breaking in an out of character event is fine, as long as you can come back in-character. Even if you could pause the cutscene, you still come back to out of character dialogue. Even if something relevant is said/done, the fact that you were pulled away from the engine (character) is what makes it a cutscene. At least in pen & paper, you can get it to end and back on topic whenever you choose to. But for a cutscene you must either let it go on, or forcefully end it.

And to Non Sequor, yes, the opera scene is awesome. But when you've played through it several times, it'd be nice to speed it up.