Talk:Quick time event

Starting page

Just started the page, heard about QTE's all the time and took me a while to figure out what it was refering to so figure a page on it wont hurt. I know that its not the "official" name(there doesnt seem to be one), so trying to make that clear. John.n-irl 16:48, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

Citation?

The only citation on this page is one for heavenly sword. I don't think it should be on there, as a list hardly needs citations. ~~Lazyguythewerewolf . Rawr. 15:32, 15 September 2007 (UTC)

Name

No one refers to them as Quick Timer Events as far as i can see, while it may originally have been coined that. Im going to try editing the article to reflect that(with a source). (sorry this comes after a bunch of edits, but it needs a source anyway if your changing the name because of Shenmue)John.n-irl (talk) 22:29, 22 November 2007 (UTC)

Aargh! I don't really care what it's called, but can people stop doing cut-and-paste moves. It destroys the history. Use the Move tab people! Leithp 08:34, 23 November 2007 (UTC)

I've now move protected it for a week anyway, to allow for discussion. The move protection won't stop edits to the article. Leithp 08:43, 23 November 2007 (UTC)

Ha, grand, sorry don't usually move pages John.n-irl (talk) 21:44, 25 November 2007 (UTC)

While I don't have too much of a preference one way or the other, it is probably important to have consistency. Currently the article is at Quick Time Event, but the article itself (outside of the reference text quoted from 1up) refers to Quick Timer Events.

For what it's worth, the PAL manuals for Shenmue I and II both use the spelling "Timer", and the US manual for at least Shenmue also uses that same spelling. There has been a short discussion on the subject at User talk:Waka#QTEs.

What we do have that could be useful here is WP:COMMONNAME, which suggests that the article should be at the most common name. So if Quick Time Event is now most common, we should probably keep the article located there, regardless of the original spelling. --Dreaded Walrus ^{t c} 13:50, 27 November 2007 (UTC)

It can be noted that Zero Punctuation uses "quick time event". --BranER (talk) 14:10, 5 March 2008 (UTC)

Dragon’s Lair reference

I have to wonder if a single reviewer’s opinion is enough for an encyclopedia to credit Dragon’s Lair for the introduction of QTEs… —Frungi (talk) 04:08, 3 June 2008 (UTC)

I'd have to agree, especially when there's an essential difference between these things and Dragon's Lair: The modern QTE tells you what to do, and then you do it (in one of three ways: 1) one key at a time, 2) from memory like __Simon__, or 3) in quick succession like __Track and Field__), while Dragon's Lair was a trial-and-error process. It didn't tell you what to do--you had to pump your quarters in as you learned what was the right choice in each scene. Dragon's Lair might be a precursor, but it's hardly the same thing. Maxweinberg (talk) 16:48, 11 October 2008 (UTC)

Not sure if it already the case in Dragons Lair, but in Space Age you did get to see what to do next, but not by exact instruction, but simply by highlighting the item you need to interact with, which for most part tells you which direction to press. Also QTEs like, everything else, are evolving and changing, in Tomb Raider: Underworld for example you have QTEs that don't depend on a single button, but are real gameplay, so when a ledge suddenly breaks, the game will go into slow-mo and give you a second or two to react and jump to a save spot. Heavy Rain is pushing things in a different direction and integrating QTEs as core part of the normal gameplay, removing the requirement for fast reactions and adding optional choices. And in older games like Another World or Heart of the Alien you got QTE-like elements too, that require you to press in a certain direction at a certain point under a time limit, but again without being shown on the screen what to do. -- Grumbel (talk) 17:55, 4 January 2010 (UTC)

Haha, fantastic

First sentence of the article: "A Quick Time Event (QTE) is a method of torture used in video games." A more responsible editor would change this line, but I can't bring myself to do it. Recorded here for posterity. Big props to the original author. --Arperry (talk) 17:24, 25 September 2008 (UTC)

Criticsm

Quick time event are one of the most criticed things in games so why isn't there a critcsm section! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Duckdudetom (talk • contribs) 09:28, 8 October 2008 (UTC)

Are they the most criticised things in games? I would've thought bad controls or buggy experiences would be. Even Yatzhee (Zero Punctuation guy) says that they're as good as any other plot device in cutscenes if they're implemented properly. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Thegreatnick (talk • contribs) 19:04, 23 October 2008 (UTC)

Shenmue? How about Die Hard Arcade?

The article cites Shenmue as the first modern use, but I remember those goofy scenes in Die Hard Arcade when you had to dodge pipes or jump over obstacles during cutscenes. Sorca1701 (talk) 19:06, 15 October 2008 (UTC)

Stub-class?

I think this article should be moved up a class. While it is worth an article, there just isn't that much more to be said on QTE, refs and citations aside. Centrepull (talk) 05:48, 9 February 2009 (UTC)

rhythm games

What about games such as Parappa the rapper. they would fall under the definition of QTE's atm but parappa isn't seen as a QTE game but a rhythm game. QTE's could be argued to always have a narrative context that music games don't seem to have as strongly. —Preceding unsigned comment added by NGKrush (talk • contribs) 12:15, 4 June 2009 (UTC)

You're right, the mechanics are similar. Personally I would see a QTE as something that by definition has a disconnect between action and outcome - so having "B" flash up on the screen in order to dive left is a QTE, being rewarded for tapping in time to a beat and/or playing something resembling an instrument is not. Take out the music from a rhythm game and to my mind it becomes a QTE.

It seems to me that the tendency towards QTEs in games with narrative is a consequence of it being difficult to find gameplay mechanisms that closely map to complex narrative actions; QTEs are a quick and (sometimes) dirty solution. It's this disconnection between action and outcome that QTEs are criticised for, seeing as it goes against the principles of meaningful play.

Of course, it's not really about what we think, it would be interesting to see what's been written on the subject.Playclever (talk) 12:49, 4 June 2009 (UTC)

List of Quick-time event games?

Can you make a list of games with quick-time events please? It is technically a sub-genre after all. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 110.32.91.220 (talk) 14:51, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

Typo

Hello. I would like to know why we use "Quick Time Event" and not "quick time event". Is there any reason why we dont use lower case? It is no more, no less than MMOG or any acronyms. Thanks a lot. bayo 11:17, 1 April 2010 (UTC)

GA Review

This review is transcluded from Talk:Quick time event/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Reviewer: RJaguar3 | u | t 01:14, 12 March 2011 (UTC)

Rate	Attribute	Review Comment
	1. Well-written:
	1a. the prose is clear, concise, and understandable to an appropriately broad audience; spelling and grammar are correct.	"A quick time event (QTE) is a method of context-sensitive gameplay used in video games, in which the player performs actions on the control device shortly after the appearance of an on-screen prompt" could be clarified; it is unclear what "in which" refers to. I would suggest "In video games, a quick time event (QTE) is a method of context-sensitive gameplay where the player performs actions on the control device in response to an on-screen prompt." "QTEs generally involves the player following onscreen prompts to press buttons or manipulate joysticks within a limited amount of time." (singular-plural agreement issue) "They allow for the game designer to create sequences of actions that either cannot be performed or would be too difficult to be performed with the game's standard scheme." (dangling modifier) "the general use of QTE has become panned by journalists and players alike" (was it not originally panned, or has it been panned more in recent years? if not, I don't think "become" is the right verb) "Die Hard Arcade (Sega, 1996) and most notably Shenmue (Sega, 1999) whose director Yu Suzuki coined the Quick Time Event term" - here "Quick time event" is italicized, while in the lead, it appears in quotation marks; choose a style and be consistent with it. Also, choose one of "quick time event" or QTE to use consistently through the article, and also be consistent about the plural of the abbreviation QTE. This article could definitely use a copy-edit for clarity, consistency, and precision.
	1b. it complies with the Manual of Style guidelines for lead sections, layout, words to watch, fiction, and list incorporation.	Lead: looks fine, good length for 10000 character article Layout: good Words to watch: There are instances of weasel words, such as "While some uses of QTE have been considered as favorable additions to gameplay, the general use of QTE has become panned by journalists and players alike" (who panned quick-time events), "Such uses were also seen as giving the player only the illusion of control" (by whom?), "The use of QTE within Shenmue is often praised" (by whom?), "sections which utilized the QTE were considered 'some of the most thrilling in the whole game'" (same), "they also are considered to be a weak addition to gameplay" (by whom?), "They are often considered a 'bane of action games'" (by whom?), "While this example is considered to use QTEs effectively" (who considers it effective?), "This sequence is critically panned" (by whom?). It would be good to include reputable journalists or organizations to support the claims made in the article in-text (such as "Joe Blow from Gamasutra said that quick time events are a 'terrible, terrible mechanic game designers should never use.'") Also, there is a peacock term that needs to be attributed or removed: "A renowned example of this type of QTE is a knife battle in the game Resident Evil 4." Fiction: good Lists: good
	2. Verifiable with no original research:
	2a. it contains a list of all references (sources of information), presented in accordance with the layout style guideline.	References look fine and reliable.
	2b. reliable sources are cited inline. All content that could reasonably be challenged, except for plot summaries and that which summarizes cited content elsewhere in the article, must be cited no later than the end of the paragraph (or line if the content is not in prose).	Currently, controversial statements appear to meet the standard. However, when the weasel-y opinions I pointed out in criterion 1 are attributed, those opinions will need citations.
	2c. it contains no original research.	At the end of the History section, what criteria are used to determine which video game titles belong on the list of "higher profile titles that focused on [quick time events]"? This sentence just seems to be a magnet for editors to come and add every single game using quick time events, so it would be good add some stated criteria or simply delete the sentence.
	3. Broad in its coverage:
	3a. it addresses the main aspects of the topic.	No glaring omissions in aspects of quick time events that need to be covered.
	3b. it stays focused on the topic without going into unnecessary detail (see summary style).	A short and sweet article. Detailed descriptions of games whose use of quick time events has been critically analyzed (Dragon's Lair, Shenmue) are appropriate at the current length they are given in the article.
	4. Neutral: it represents viewpoints fairly and without editorial bias, giving due weight to each.	This article does address both the critical positives and negatives of quick time events. However, I'm not sure whether some reviews or sources are given undue weight. Is any old Flash game parodying the use of a certain quick time event really worth mentioning?
	5. Stable: it does not change significantly from day to day because of an ongoing edit war or content dispute.
	6. Illustrated, if possible, by media such as images, video, or audio:
	6a. media are tagged with their copyright statuses, and valid non-free use rationales are provided for non-free content.	File:Shenmue quicktimeevent.jpg, the lead image, does not even have an NFUR for the image's use in this article. File:Heavy rain move.jpg has a NFUR for this article, but it fails to address why the image could not be replaced by a free mock-up of a quick time event (perhaps involving motion controls). The NFUR also fails to show why such a replacement would be so detrimental to the encyclopedic quality of the article that the proposed free image could not replace the non-free one currently used. File:Yu suzuki gdc 2011 cropped.jpg is free and tagged, so that image is fine.
	6b. media are relevant to the topic, and have suitable captions.	Captions look fine to me. I don't see any need for additional images (except for free replacements of the non-free ones currently in use).
	7. Overall assessment.	Pending

Placing review on hold to address concerns raised. This article was reviewed March 16, 2011; it will be reassessed seven days from now, on March 23, 2011 RJaguar3 | u | t 17:31, 16 March 2011 (UTC)

There seem to be two points to focus on here (I've tried to address the rest wrt to the same case-structure, fixing rationales). On the weasel-word statements, all of these (except for those in the lead, which I'm leaving unsourced as it is a summary) are followed immediately by the ref to support that statement. Are you looking for something different here?

On the images, I probably would agree that a mock-up image (possibly replicating the situation in the Shenmue picture by using free images of Wikipe-tan and a soccer ball) would help. --MASEM (t) 19:49, 18 March 2011 (UTC)

Mock up of a QTE from free elements has been created. --MASEM (t) 14:46, 19 March 2011 (UTC)

Thanks for your work on that. It looks like criterion 6 is now satisfied. Regarding weasel words, I believe that the MoS advises for in-text attribution, such as "John Doe, writing for IGN, said that..." That is, a name should be attached in-text to each statement that currently uses the passive voice ("is generally considered" and the like). See WP:WEASEL for more about this. RJaguar3 | u | t 16:28, 19 March 2011 (UTC)

Fail

After re-examining the article, the article still fails to meet criterion 1b, so I will fail the article for now. Once the article has been improved to meet the good article criteria, you are more than free to renominate. RJaguar3 | u | t 17:08, 23 March 2011 (UTC)

Disability section?

You have got to be kidding me. Why not mention that people who are blind have a hard time with QTEs as well? The last part reads like some sort of personal crusade rather than something belonging in an encyclopedia. People with ALS have a hard time with QTEs? Christ, they have a hard time breathing. I really don't think people with ALS are too concerned with QTEs in video games; such a thing can probably said about other people with non-ALS progressive, terminal diseases. Elderly people have a hard time because QTEs require quick reflexes? I would like to know an action game where slower reflexes aren't detrimental. The disability section is not only unneeded, it is silly and stupid, for lack of a better word.