Topic: Fangame's story question

[Lelygax]

I don't know how many people will identify themselves with this question, but simply talking: Would you play a fangame if it had a bad story?
Sometimes you can find the story too "fanfic" or just dislike it for some reason, but the gameplay is good or atleast bearable enough to hold you, I dunno.
I would appreciate if you explain with your words too why you choose that answer too.

I thought about that because: Imagine that you plan to make a game yourself, but you don't know if people will like your story even if you can program or do art? This could hold someone from making a game if the person lacks self confidence (even more you can't do anything and plan to learn lol). So hopefully this can encourage some people and at the same time be realistic.

There is a limit to how far you can go with the story? (I'm not talking about NSFW, sorry kids  )

edit:Forgot to say that you can skip the story if you want, in said game.

Discussion is very welcome. 

Some examples (feel free to post new ones, food for thoughts):
-For some reason a Belmont shows sympathy for Dracula.
-Cultists try to use a Belmont as a sacrifice to revive Dracula soul inside his body.
-A vampire shows sympathy for a human and maybe even sacrifices himself for him.
-Cameos from another Konami games, being serious or as a joke, like a boss fight, unlockable mode or both.
-Crossovers with another franchises in some way.
-A Belmont becoming Dracula, as a body recipient maintaining its appearance or Dracula shaping its body to resemble him.
-A Belmont becomes corrupted by Dracula's relics and tries to take his place (might even suceed as a side-scenario)
(These examples are ideas that I had some years ago, some I've even shared here, some not)

[X]

It's difficult to give one answer or the other with this kind of question. I've played some badly programmed games in my time, but the stories of those games were really good, so I stuck with them. On the other hand I have also played some very good games but the stories themselves were trash.

[Shiroi Koumori]

Story is important for me.

[VladCT]

Thankfully I've yet to have this problem, but I wouldn't enjoy a fangame if the writing in general is shitty fanfic levels of bad.

[coinilius]

Depends on the type of game it is - if it is driven by its story and the story is rubbish, then that could be a problem, but if the story is just an excuse for the action then it wouldn't matter anywhere near as much - there are plenty of classic games out there where the story is terrible or non-existent, after all.

I don't think 'too fanfic' is necessarily a problem - sometimes an idea can sound ridiculous on paper but still be made to work in the execution.

[theplottwist]

I don't know how many people will identify themselves with this question, but simply talking: Would you play a fangame if it had a bad story?
Sometimes you can find the story too "fanfic" or just dislike it for some reason, but the gameplay is good or atleast bearable enough to hold you, I dunno.

I would, as I have already. The good thing about games is that, when the story is good, it's a bonus. When the story is bad, you really didn't lose anything in the game as the core mechanics that constitute a GAME are still there. So, provided that the gameplay is stellar and functions nicely without requiring the story, then the bad story won't affect it too much.

However if you do not give me the option to skip your story when it's bad, then I'll be quite upset.

That's not to say I don't value story - I do, a lot. It adds flavor to the game that would otherwise be an exercise in repetition with no attachment. The story provides a reason for you to do what you're doing.

This only works with complex games, though. Simple games, able to function purely based on fun/challenge factors (such as Pac-Man) wouldn't really benefit much from a story.

Also, this:

Depends on the type of game it is - if it is driven by its story and the story is rubbish, then that could be a problem, but if the story is just an excuse for the action then it wouldn't matter anywhere near as much - there are plenty of classic games out there where the story is terrible or non-existent, after all.

There is a limit to how far you can go with the story?

Well, for fangames, I believe yes. The limits are loosely what the official product established. Let's take Castlevania, for instance:

-Have you seen Castlevania stories on space? Then this is a no no.
-Have you seen Castlevania characters curse? Then this is a no no.
-Have you seen Dracula be a woman? Then this is a no no.

But, as with every rule, there are exceptions. The good thing with stories is that they are malleable things, and by providing the proper contexts and explanations, you can even make the no nos above believable.

So, in the end, it all boils down to how good of a writer you are. The more attention the writer pays to believable explanations, the harder it will be for their story to break my suspension of disbelief.

[Lelygax]

It's difficult to give one answer or the other with this kind of question. I've played some badly programmed games in my time, but the stories of those games were really good, so I stuck with them. On the other hand I have also played some very good games but the stories themselves were trash.

So we can more or less assume that one can hold the other?

Depends on the type of game it is - if it is driven by its story and the story is rubbish, then that could be a problem, but if the story is just an excuse for the action then it wouldn't matter anywhere near as much - there are plenty of classic games out there where the story is terrible or non-existent, after all.

I don't think 'too fanfic' is necessarily a problem - sometimes an idea can sound ridiculous on paper but still be made to work in the execution.

A Castlevania type of game, being 2D or 3D, stage-to-stage or exploration.

I would, as I have already. The good thing about games is that, when the story is good, it's a bonus. When the story is bad, you really didn't lose anything in the game as the core mechanics that constitute a GAME are still there. So, provided that the gameplay is stellar and functions nicely without requiring the story, then the bad story won't affect it too much.

However if you do not give me the option to skip your story when it's bad, then I'll be quite upset.

That's not to say I don't value story - I do, a lot. It adds flavor to the game that would otherwise be an exercise in repetition with no attachment. The story provides a reason for you to do what you're doing.

You got it right, I was meaning good gameplay that lacks a good story.

Also, this:

Well, for fangames, I believe yes. The limits are loosely what the official product established. Let's take Castlevania, for instance:

-Have you seen Castlevania stories on space? Then this is a no no.
-Have you seen Castlevania characters curse? Then this is a no no.
-Have you seen Dracula be a woman? Then this is a no no.

But, as with every rule, there are exceptions. The good thing with stories is that they are malleable things, and by providing the proper contexts and explanations, you can even make the no nos above believable.

So, in the end, it all boils down to how good of a writer you are. The more attention the writer pays to believable explanations, the harder it will be for their story to break my suspension of disbelief.

Ive seen Dracula be a Woman on Castlevania Ressurection's trailer , but we surely doesn't know if it really was him disguised/transformed or not. XD
About space, I've seen Kid Dracula goes to what seems to be space and Getsu Fuuma seems to happen in another planet? (even it can or not be a spin-off)
Don't take it too seriously, just trying to say that similar things could've happened.

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Also I think its a good idea to edit the main post adding the info that you can indeed skip the story (IMO any game where you can't do it in some way loses a point with me, since it would be a pain to replay and be forced to read or watch all again.)

[theANdROId]

I personally prefer games with a great story, or rather, games that have a fantastic story are the ones of which I am the fondest.  I've played games that were good games with a terrible story, or sucky games that had a good story.  In regards to any game element though, I'm sure if an element is bad enough I'll quit playing.  I think there are several different things I appreciate about a game and what it has to offer, so it takes a bit before I'll quit.