Do you like humor in mission? Cool or intense?

[frag 0]

Gentlemen,

Following the release of the long awaited campaign, I stumbled on few comments where people were turned off by the humor and the cursing of the characters. Those same people wanted something more serious, avoiding the blockbuster “coolness†of war.

I am currently writing a small campaign and I will use that thread to adjust the mood of my dialogs.

So here is the question:

Do you appreciate humor in war games? Or you prefer intense and serious characters?

Do you prefer a cool kid joking around to make the atmosphere lighter? On a troubled soldier intensively living the horror of war?

Thanks in advance for your input. I just want to see if there is a general tendency.

Edited October 29, 2013 by frag

[iceman77 18]

Jokes and tomfoolery are okay if done in moderation. A snide or clever comment around every turn gets old though. >> Time & place... Time & place.

Edited October 29, 2013 by Iceman77

[Tacti-Cool 10]

Profanity and Humor in situations is a human coping mechanism with the violence of war.

[mistyronin 1181]

Profanity and Humor in situations is a human coping mechanism with the violence of war.

+1 To me its an important point in the missions, the human factor.

BTW Doctors do the same, specially surgeons. Its easy to lose your mind in extrem situations.

[antoineflemming 14]

Just as long as it's not overdone or overbearing. Everything needs moderation. And humor isn't a universal coping mechanism so not every one does that.

[Tacti-Cool 10]

Also true, the other coping mechanisms would be difficult to render in game, Alcoholism, Spousal Abuse, Flashbacks, the list goes on.

[antoineflemming 14]

Also true, the other coping mechanisms would be difficult to render in game, Alcoholism, Spousal Abuse, Flashbacks, the list goes on.

Anger maybe? Some people focus by actually focusing only on the mission, all the time. Spousal abuse isn't coping. Flashbacks aren't coping. Those are side effects, and results, of PTSD. That's different. Besides, the humor in the game isn't a coping mechanism. It's a stereotypical non-American view of American soldiers as undisciplined, rowdy people.

[maffa 29]

in true war scenes it'spretty famous that soldiers do dark jokes and slanders that any civilian in peace time would be shocked to hear. It is obviously a coping mechanism, alright. During Arma sessions, though, i prefer more concentration and brevity of communications. Depending on how many people there are in session, and if there's radio chatter, all you need is 3 people chatting 10 meters away and you get some consistent noise. At startup and after debriefing it's totally okay tho.

But if you are talking about having a Call of duty the first rather than company of two or GTA scripts, then i totally prefer the first one.

[mr burns 132]

I spy with my little eye something that starts with G!

Gras?!

Nah, not gras *looks around* .... it´s Geep!

[sektor 2]

I spy with my little eye something that starts with G!

Gras?!

Nah, not gras *looks around* .... it´s Geep!

Came here to say this :)

[laverniusregalis 10]

I spy with my little eye something that starts with G!

Gun? It's gun isn't it Kozlowski?

Nah, not gun *looks around* .... it's Geep!

"Jeep doesn't start with G, you meathead!"

[gliptal 25]

I spy with my little eye something that starts with G!

Gras?!

Nah, not gras *looks around* .... it´s Geep!

Oh the memories.

Yay!

[Reuben5150 2]

I liked Bad company 2, especially the dialogue in MP.

[das attorney 858]

Humour is a very subjective thing so I can only talk for me personally.

That said, there's lot's of "jokes" in games and film (especially SP game of Battlefield 2) that makes me roll my eyes like an acid casualty.

Off the top of my head, here's three random military situations in movies that raised a chuckle in my house:

/------------------------------------------------------------/

Dog Soldiers:

[Wells gives Spoon his watch]

Sergeant Wells: Just 'cause it's nice and new and shiny doesn't mean it's worth shit. Now remember I want that back.

Spoon: What about you Sarge?

Sergeant Wells: Well I'll count, wont I?

/------------------------------------------------------------/

Saving Private Ryan:

<Reiben eyes Miller.>

REIBEN: And what about you, Captain?

<Miller looks at Reiben, shocked.>

MILLER: Reiben, what's the matter with you?

I don't gripe to you. I'm a captain.

There's a chain of command. Griping

goes one way, up, only up, never

down. You gripe to me, I gripe to

my superior officers. Up, get it?

I don't gripe to you, I don't gripe

in front of you. How long you been

in the army?

REIBEN: I'm sorry, sir, I apologize.

But if you weren't a captain, or if

I were a major, what would you say?

<Miller considers his response.>

MILLER: In that case, I would say this is an

excellent mission, with an extremely

valuable objective, worthy of my

best efforts.

<Reiben rolls his eyes. Miller plays it straight, with no obvious sarcasm.>

MILLER:

(continuing)

In addition, as I pointed out earlier,

I have a fondness for cheese and I

hope to have the opportunity to sample

some of the Ramelle products, when

we arrive there, to see if they live

up to their excellent reputation.

Moreover, I feel heartfelt sorrow

for the mother of Private James Ryan

and I'm more than willing to lay

down my life, and the lives of my

men, especially you, Reiben, to help

relieve her suffering.

<The men thoroughly enjoy the performance.>

REIBEN:

Sir, if you were not a captain, I

would compliment you, now, for being

an excellent liar.

MILLER:

But I am a captain. If I were not a

captain, I would thank you for the

compliment and tell you that the

ability to lie comes from being a

top-notch poker player, which I am,

having learned at the side of my

mother who is, by popular acclaim,

the best poker player in...

<The men all learn forward expectantly, believing they're about to find out Miller's home town. Miller smiles.>

MILLER:

(continuing)

...my home town, which shall remain

un-named.

/------------------------------------------------------------/

Black Hawk Down

Good luck with the campaign :)

Edited October 30, 2013 by Das Attorney

[gliptal 25]

Black Hawk Down

Good luck with the campaign :)

Nelson would remain nearly deaf for the whole mission.

Read Bowden's book, there were plenty of these situations! :D Stebbins' thrice RPG hit, Galentine's thumb, the like-I-give-a-fuck donkey at the first crash site, Fales' thrice run across the first crash site to grab the supplies, were all coped with humor by the soldiers involved. Even Wolcott's last words were humurous.

Yay!

Edited October 30, 2013 by Gliptal

[das attorney 858]

Yeah that was pretty funny - he's got the same gormless look on his face that he had when he shit the bed in Trainspotting.

If we're talking books, I'm more into Chuck Palahniuk or Brett Easton Ellis. (I met Mr Ellis and he was a thoroughly hungover and decent bloke).

Sometimes I feel I should read more mil style books, but I find them hard to get into.

[the_demongod 31]

I agree, all in moderation. The natural reaction to stress is a good point though. I cracked up when one of the soldiers in the intro to "Survive" said,

"Well, the AAF can respectfully go f**k themselves sir!"

Catch 22 and Chickenhawk are some good mil style books, both have some good humor in them. If you want a really weird war book, read "Slaughterhouse Five" by Kurt Vonnegut.

[sic-disaster 311]

Profanity and Humor in situations is a human coping mechanism with the violence of war.

Very true. Jokes and other stuff in any mission should be in light of this. Either boredom at base, causing random and 'stupid' conversations or events, or crude humor used so they won't have to deal with the trauma of death and the loss of friends untill after, when one can allow himself to be stunned by grief, but not now, because should they allow themselves to feel these emotions they would be undone, dead.

[2nd ranger 282]

Saving Private Ryan:

Off-topic, but I'm guessing you got that from the original shooting script or something, because half that dialogue you just posted doesn't happen in that scene.

[surfer 42]

I like both, humor and desperation, fear or hatred, one word having it dark, but more import is the skill of acting. Not every voice actor or even writer of a script if it's text only is a born comedian. I like that kind of dry humor that can get one person to laugh out loud and the other one to not even recognise it. Colonel McKnight of Black Hawk Down is one of those examples. Makes me laugh my ass of while not destroying the immersion for other people that wouldn't appreciate humor in such situations. Also plan in repetitions, if you hear the same "joke" after each respawn it will become annoying soon.

[NeuroFunker 11]

i dont't mind as long as it's not overdone, at every step, and it's not about toilet, poop, fart and some other stupid jokes.

[mjolnir66 48]

Dog Soldiers is pretty much the closest you'll come to my personal experience of war. Lots of snide comments and dark humour, even when shit was at its worst.

[suprememodder 11]

if it's well done and realistic. the current campaign humor is forced and unfunny. i guess they were trying to recapture the ofp magic, but it just didn't work.

i think in ofp's case, it was chit chat during downtime, whereas in the survive episode, you were always in life and death situations so the humor was just off and annoying.

[best2nd 10]

I spy with my little eye something that starts with G!

Gras?!

Nah, not gras *looks around* .... it´s Geep!

Geep doesn't start with G you meathead!

You blew my mind.

[paecmaker 23]

if it's well done and realistic. the current campaign humor is forced and unfunny. i guess they were trying to recapture the ofp magic, but it just didn't work.

i think in ofp's case, it was chit chat during downtime, whereas in the survive episode, you were always in life and death situations so the humor was just off and annoying.

I did however like the goat-pocalypse sign in camp rogain :D

On-topic.

Yes I do like some humour in game, as long as its kept to the point of soldiers talking bullshit during downtime. However it also depends on mission, for example in "Survive" its like a doomsday feeling all over and thats not the place to drop jokes everywhere.