Playing games is stressing you out? Damn.. that's a complete opposite of my entire life's experience. To be honest, I'm having a bit of a difficult time even imagining that some convo timer could have such an impact on anyone, but... I guess there's always one. The fact that you find is stressful and boring is even more baffling.
This isn't a new concept, and its something that's been incorporated in just about every game genre, from chess or even solitaire games, RTS, racing, action, adventure... hell, I can't think of any game that I've played in the last couple decades that did not incorporate timed events in some fashion as part of their game. So is it just the timed dialogue that causes you discomfort or just the concept of timed events in general? Genuinely curious... I can understand disliking some aspects of games, and these days people will complain just about everything, but it's rare to see someone be this emotional about a mechanic that's as common as pressing the Right Arrow to go right.
Playing games with timers don't stress you out? I have to say that is very different than what I've heard many different people talking about. There's a suprisingly large community of players that have been playing video games for a very long time that are completely sick and tired to be totally frank, of timers in video games. Why does it surprise you that some people feel uncomfortable when being timed? As you say,
"This isn't a new concept, and its something that's been incorporated in just about every game genre" "I can't think of any game that I've played in the last couple decades that did not incorporate timed events in some fashion as part of their game."
There are so many people that are tired of these kinds of mechanics because they are cheap and feel very forced. I as the player should rely on the games ability to naturally create tension through storytelling, atmosphere, the environment around the player, the sounds of that environment, and what is actually happening in the game in that current moment VS "Hey we think the player should get really stressed out right now, but it shouldn't have to have anything to do with anything currently happening inside the game right now, No they will be stressed out because of a little clock or disappearing bar, Whallah, masterpiece" See the difference?
"So is it just the timed dialogue that causes you discomfort or just the concept of timed events in general? Genuinely curious..."
timed events, timers of any kind at all, very much stress from dialogue choice timers too, since I have to read, and when I read I must read carefully, and then I must think. There is no time to do that, so it ruins the dialogue, thus ruining the story.
"these days people will complain just about everything"
I feel you there, and I promise I'm not one of "those". I actually care strongly about this game and take it very seriously. I'm not trying to forcefully insert political stuff into the game because of my beliefs like a lot of those infamous complainers that I will not mention by name (other internet personalities in general, thank God never seen on the forums) I'm trying to make sure that people understand this mechanic, and better ways of conveying emotion and feeling and excitement and stress and many other feelings rather than the game cheaply forcing the player to feel an artificial version of that feeling. An okay horror game scares the player with jumpscares and timers. A masterpiece of a horror game can make the player feel fear all on their own.
"but it's rare to see someone be this emotional about a mechanic"
Because It ruins the experience, and the experience of Cyberpunk2077 must be a masterpiece because it is one, and it must live up to itself, for that is its DESTINY. Imagine being immersed deep into the game, and then you experience something completely immersion shattering that sends you painfully tumbling back into the real world, for example a dancing banana singing "It's peanut butter jelly time!" right before you're fighting the final boss or something. That is how disruptive timers are to players (especially the ones that are sensitive to it) because suddenly I'm not playing the game anymore, I'm freaking out in a stressful panick trying to read the options or look at my choices as fast as I can and force my brain to think so fast that it hurts. There isn't any sense of choice, there's just "Oh no!!! I have to pick the right choice or I will have to reload my save! Hurry choose the smart choice!" with extreme uncomfortable fear that I will choose the bad choices I wanted to avoid, but couldn't possibly know in that short period of time.
"that's as common as pressing the Right Arrow to go right."
Common or normal doesn't always mean good. It was once common for people to do the plumbing of their homes with lead pipe. (very unhealthy and dangerous!)
He's not alone, I have the same problem actually.
Besides, even IRL most of the time there is no real "window" to say something that dissapears when you waited a bit too much.
Thank you, I'm so glad someone gets it!
Example:
*You get into dialogue choices in conversation with character*
Option 1: *Really important information bla bla bla*
Option 2: *Really important information bla bla bla Really important information bla bla bla*
Option 3: *Really important information bla bla bla Really important information bla bla bla*
"Okay so let me read these-
*WARNING YOU HAVE 2 SECONDS LEFT TO READ ALL CHOICES AND PICK ONE OR YOU MISS OUT BIG TIME HAHA!*
"Wait no no I-
*TIME UP! YOU LOSE!*
"REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
All this accomplishes is forcing the player to reload the save 10 times until they select the right choice under extreme stress anyway.
^And I bet that 99% of the time there won't be any timed dialogue in a game either, but just like in real life, there are situations that warrant a prompt response instead of sitting and contemplating in silence.
Let me ask another way... is it just the timed dialog that causes you stress and discomfort or any form of timed mechanic? And what games have you played in the past that have not caused you stress?
I said it before, will say again, It's a video game. Realism only benefits the game to a certain point (for example the realism in the environment and how beautiful it is with the atmosphere and the theme etc.) But- at a certain point, too much realism starts to hurt the game because if it's too much like real life, nobody will buy the game and just go enjoy real life, except that real life isn't that fun... because it's too realistic...! See?
I love playing video games because they're not real life. I'm tired of real life. It's not fun for me. It makes me sad. I like realistic video games, but they still have to be "video game" enough that they are less real than real life. If Cyberpunk2077 was aiming for perfect realism, there would be no text dialogue choices floating in front of the character before they talk. I also find it even more unrealistic if I'm talking to a person in a game with a dialogue timer and just because the timer ran out, they can't hear what I have to say anymore? "Wait person I know what to say to you now!" "NOPE! I'm not listening anymore!" "But the enemy is about to raid out base! JUST LISTEN TO ME! YOU NEED TO HEAR THIS!" "NOPE! timer ran out LOL don't care" *reload save*
the timed dialogue sections are the best bit of RP in all of the Witcher 3.
They aren't quick time events to force you to react spam a button but to answer a question honestly.
for key scenes i hope they are back in CP 2077.
But the only option left is to react spam a button without reading any of the choices because there is no time to read them. You can't be honest if you couldn't read the options and choose honestly.
If there has to be a timer, then for the love of Gawd, have the exact dialog choices for us to choose from and not some condensed interpretation of what the character will actually say. It's not fair to hamper the player twice when it comes to dialog; pick one or the other.
I would just ask CDPR to make timers of all types and kinds 100% optional in the settings. I will absolutely without any hesitation go into my Cyberpunk2077 settings and disable all timers in the entire game in an instant. I really don't mind if this means that all dialogue options are basically pause screens for me, basically the characters just making faces and lifting their eyebrows and music playing in the background until I make my choice, even if I walk off and use the bathroom and leave the game running on that very screen for hours or days before I come back and say "I will now make my choice", Obviously I wont wait that long, but It's a good example of the freedom I would like to have. Under normal circumstances (Like if I did not need to use the bathroom) I would get into a dialogue and sit around for maybe 2-10 minutes and really think about my choices before selecting one.
"Not making a decision does need to result in the game choosing for you"
But then it is a movie, not a game.