Bad Endings Options

[Jens of Zanicuud]

Some times ago I was working on a project (now dismissed - or rather, waiting for my current project completion) which was designed to end badly, with the death of every character in the party (this was however related to the plot).

I've seen quite a few RPG with a default (i.e. not optional) bad ending (FFXIII-2 / KH Birth by Sleep - if we can call their ending bad), so I wonder if it's a taboo to make your game ends in a tragic way, or simply players prefer an happy ending to every game they play, since they are playing not to think to their problems...

What's your point about it?
Would you play/create a game with a tragic ending (not optional - main ending)?

If so, why?

That's a feature I've never found in a RPG Maker game (excluding maybe survival horror...)
If you know some link 'bout that, I'd be pleased to give it a look.

Maybe my project will resurrect, who knows?

Jens

[Jens of Zanicuud]

So again, I emphasize, if an "everyone dies" ending adds relevance to the theme, that can be really powerful. But if it's just thrown in for the sake of surprise, it pisses me off.

'Jonnie19[/b]' date='Jul 29 2012, 09:05 AM' post='565154']
TL;DR: Go ahead and do it, there is too many happy go lucky stories around. But remember to develop your characters and world so much that the player can become eveloped in the world...so much that WHEN it happens. The player can really feel it. and do not under any circumstances bring the player back to life, in a equal...or later in the game. It's just stupid. Plain and simple stupid.

I agree with both of you. I'd have never planned to revive (urgh!) a character (it's something I actually HATE too! A dead character is dead.)
Again, I didn't intend to use a surprise for surprise's sake. I just thought to give some hints during the game, hidden here and there, something mostly ignored by the characters as pointless news and facts, which, if read in a different way, could give the true key to understand the game.

I found another example ofgame filled with bad endings: 999, Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors. There's only one "happy" ending.
However, there are something like three "you die" bad endings, one "everyone dies" bad ending, one "some character die ending" and a "to be continued" fake ending.
Yes, I felt frustrated while finding the "you die" and the "everyone dies" endings, but this made me play that game another time to obtain the true ending.

Maybe I could do something similar...
Thanks again for your comments, I really appreciated every replies.
Thanks MagitekElite and MEands too. You are right 'bout that, but I'll probably take that idea back and develop a short game when I complete Tryadine Effect.

Jens

This post has been edited by Jens of Zanicuud: Jul 29 2012, 04:02 AM