Interrogations integrated into the Gameplay (Classic Approach + Physicality) | Forums

[Andre202]

Since I do have issues with the narrative design I try most of the time not only to show off where the issues are but at the same give suggestion how they could improve upon what they showed or what they actually have.

In the legacy series you had full control over the one you interrogate. I liked them because I could hear the funny dialouges with Sam's black humour but also because they gave me the freedom to skip them if it wasn't required to interrogate the person.

In Conviction the interrogation is restricted to a specific area but therefore they added the physicality which always ended in a three times hit and then answer sequence though.

In Blacklist it seems like you aren't in control over the whole interrogation sequence. It may let you do a few things (like turning the knife in the wound of the person you interrogate) but they seem to be more of QTE (Quick-Time-Events) rather then being really in control over the whole situation. I thought Maxime didn't like such things.

After Conviction I thought the natural evolution of interrogations would be to have the freedom like in previous games but also the physicality as an option to bring the guy to tell you some info. I will describe how it would work. You may add your own idea here too.



So in Conviction you may remember the move when you had an enemy as a human shield and went with him torwards an edge or a wall, you would be able to hit his face with the wall or the edge to kill him. Now that's how the interrogations would work too. If you have an enemy who has something to say, you can switch to the interrogation mode where you can decide to be brutal or to be calm & collected as we know Sam. Now in brutal mode Sam would be able to interact with the whole environment around him to get the guy to talk. It would work just the way as the wall-meets-face feature. In the calm & collected way Sam is able to pull the guy against a wall or the bottom (like in DA) to tell something or doing it the complete classical way and being able to skip the whole interrogation. The environment would be a very important key aspect for both brutal & calm (classic) interrogations. Sound would also play a role. What do you think about that?

[sameer_monier]

I like your idea, let me add this:

Once you hold the enemy alot chunk of butto*ns go to waste, so instead let's use them for example X to interact with environment, F to punch.
Guards should be of many types, some break easily with the collective stance, while other may need a push also with the collective stance.
On the other hand some guards need you to be brutal, otherwise they won't give you what you need, while the last type will never break no matter what you do.
Regarding the last type, well you can know about the info from other ways, like listening to conversation for examples.

Also the player should be able to go from classic to brutal on the fly.

[mudsak]

Thanks for posting this topic. I simply miss the classic style interrogations. I'm really surprised to see that they're bringing back the cut-scene-style interrogations. I understand that they're flashy for show due to the cinematic nature of them, but they're horrible for replay value. These cinematic cut scene interrogations are also a major interruption in the gameplay. They completely interrupt the game, and pull you out of the experience. I know they're designed to do the opposite, but they're a forced experience.

The classic interrogations were perfect. The dialogues were often humorous as well. You could choose to interrogate individual or not. You could choose to be finish them with a lethal or non-lethal takedown depending on how you felt about their character/cooperation. Most importantly though... you were still playing the game, and in control. You didn't even have to interrogate them if you didn't want to. Such a better approach. The forced cutscenes are horrendous. I'm VERY surprised to see the return of this from Conviction.

Yet another advantage of the classic style interrogation... you could include more of them into a mission because they're non-intrusive to the gameplay. This cutscene style interrogation limits the number of interrogations simply because it would ruin the game if there were more than one in any given level.

I give Ubi an F- for changing the interrogation method.

[mistahkmak]

i too thought it would be origional style for sc6. At the least a healthy combination of both

[Andre202]

The thing is would be more of a "real" moral as before. Do you really go that far to basically torture the person to get the info or to you to press out the information in another way? So it may depend on your way you handle the interrogations of how much info you get. You could balance that out. Classic approach needs longer time to get everything out but it's quiet. The brutal approach gets you fast to answers but it's also pretty loud.

[SolidSage]

I hope they are a choice, when Sam grabbed guy in the tent it looked like a choice, rather than scripting. It did seem to go into a mini game, with the knife twist and kill/ko choice, but lots of players loved the lock picking mini game so I can see how it fits.
Alternative methods of interrogating would of course be welcome. So would alternative ways of procuring the information..(maybe extract the intel from a safe or a terminal with tools, instead of a person).

I DEFINITELY want to still be able to smash faces into walls though!

[Andre202]

If you haven't accessed the interrogation mode at least in my idea, you definitely will be able to do so. I mean that's where the idea is coming from.

[SolidSage]

Yeah, I think it sounds good. If they don't go that far in depth I want wall+face smashes and more variety.

I like the idea of being able to option an interrogation from a meat shield but then they need to code a lot of varied responses or a 'no intel' type response set, right?

[mudsak]

I hope they are a choice, when Sam grabbed guy in the tent it looked like a choice, rather than scripting. It did seem to go into a mini game, with the knife twist and kill/ko choice, but lots of players loved the lock picking mini game so I can see how it fits.
Alternative methods of interrogating would of course be welcome. So would alternative ways of procuring the information..(maybe extract the intel from a safe or a terminal with tools, instead of a person).

I DEFINITELY want to still be able to smash faces into walls though!

That entire scene in the tent seems like a cutscene that the player doesn't have hardly any control over. You probably mark those two guys then press the A or B button a time or two throughout the cutscene. Regardless... you get forced to sit through these cutscenes that are hardly interactive. My guess is that moments like there are probably load screens being disguised.

Personally I think the classic interrogations were an integral part of Splinter Cell. They were an actual part of the gameplay. Don't replace them with cutscenes. If we have to watch a cutscene, fine. But don't take a part of the game that used to function really well and ruin it.

[FrankieSatt]

I also miss the classic interrogations. In Conviction it seemed that torture and brute force was normal for Sam Fisher and it basiclly turned him into "Jack Bauer" and not the Same Fisher that was in previous Splinter Cell games.

Sam Fisher would never do the things that he did in Conviction and he shouldn't do those things in Blacklist. The threat of physical violence, which is what it was in previous Splinter Cell games, is all that it should be. Bashing someones head against a urnial or jabbing a knife in someones hand isn't needed.