HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

In
video games A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
, a scripted sequence is a pre-defined series of events that occur when triggered by player location or actions that play out in the game engine.


Function

Some scripted sequences are used to play short cutscenes that the player has little control of. However, they are commonly used in games such as ''
Half-Life Half-life is a mathematical and scientific description of exponential or gradual decay. Half-life, half life or halflife may also refer to: Film * Half-Life (film), ''Half-Life'' (film), a 2008 independent film by Jennifer Phang * ''Half Life: ...
'' or ''
Call of Duty ''Call of Duty'' is a first-person shooter military video game series and media franchise published by Activision, starting in 2003. The games were first developed by Infinity Ward, then by Treyarch and Sledgehammer Games. Several spin-of ...
'' to bring in new enemies or challenges to the player in a seemingly surprising manner while they are still playing. They can also present further plot points without interrupting the player and making them watch a cutscene. The intended results of this style of presentation is to increase
immersion Immersion may refer to: The arts * "Immersion", a 2012 story by Aliette de Bodard * ''Immersion'', a French comic book series by Léo Quievreux * ''Immersion'' (album), the third album by Australian group Pendulum * ''Immersion'' (film), a 2021 ...
and to maintain a smooth-flowing experience that keeps the player's interest. Scripted sequences trigger a number of things. A timer, a checkpoint or the progress of the game could activate a scripted sequence. For players that
speedrun Speedrunning is the act of playing a video game, or section of a video game, with the goal of completing it as fast as possible. Speedrunning often involves following planned routes, which may incorporate sequence breaking and exploit glitch ...
video games, skipping these scripted sequences that would otherwise slow down their completion time requires skill, and being able to manipulate the game's hit boxes so that the game does not trigger a sequence is necessary for fast completions.


Examples in-game

''
Half-Life Half-life is a mathematical and scientific description of exponential or gradual decay. Half-life, half life or halflife may also refer to: Film * Half-Life (film), ''Half-Life'' (film), a 2008 independent film by Jennifer Phang * ''Half Life: ...
'' uses scripted sequences throughout the game (aside from one short cutscene). Walking near other characters can trigger scripted sequences such as dialog. These dialog sequences tell the game's story in a different manner and are sometimes there simply for entertainment purposes. ''
Gears of War ''Gears of War'' (also referred to as ''Gears'') is a media franchise centered on a series of video games created by Epic Games, developed and managed by The Coalition (company), The Coalition, and owned and published by Xbox Game Studios. The ...
'' uses scripted sequences between sections of game play to provide objective reminders and tell the game's story without the use of cut scenes. The game triggers a playable scripted sequence once all of the enemies have been cleared in an area, usually these sequences play while the player moves to the next area. ''
Resident Evil 4 ''Resident Evil 4'' is a 2005 survival horror game developed and published by Capcom for the GameCube. Players control the special agent Leon S. Kennedy on a mission to rescue the US president's daughter, Ashley Graham (Resident Evil), Ashley ...
'' has many examples of scripted sequences that utilize a quick time event to feature more action-packed game play. As the player navigates the level, they must react to the event to continue.


Criticisms

Games such as ''Call of Duty'' have been criticized for their reliance on these sequences, as many feel they tend to guide a player through a game by the invisible hand of the developers, blocking progression with
invisible walls ''GameTrailers'' (''GT'') was an American Video game journalism, video gaming website created by Geoffrey R. Grotz and Brandon Jones in 2002. The website specialized in multimedia content, including Trailer (promotion), trailers and gameplay f ...
until the scripted sequence has triggered further progression.“Call of Duty: Black Ops review” by Tom Francis; ''PCGamer'', 17 november 2010. Also, the use of scripted sequences may diminish replay value as the surprise effect is negated upon subsequent play-throughs.


References

{{video game gameplay Video game terminology Fiction forms