Dresden on 7/7/2012 at 07:19
Quote:
Of course you don't "design" immersion. That's like designing a game to be "good".
You can design immersion. Having things like sound traveling slower than light and gravity affecting bullets goes a long way to making a game feel more real. Deus Ex and Thief had things like doors that can be damaged open, enemies that drown and can still be killed when unconscious, and good sound propagation. They were more sims than any first person game that came before them.
ThePhotoshop:
Thief 1: The inside of "The Haunted Cathedral".
Thief 2: Rooftops from "Life of the Party".
Deus Ex: Statue of Liberty. Hong Kong's Tonnochi Road. Maybe the Lucky Money dance club.
System Shock 2: Anything really. But I would keep the inventory screen with the research tab open to show those off. I always loved how wordy and scientific the research was in SS2. Compare it to Bioshock's "+ Damage".
SDF121 on 7/7/2012 at 15:56
Quote Posted by ThePhotoshop
I wasn't asking about how Looking Glass games / immersive sims are designed, but how you could represent that design philosophy with iconic visual elements from their (and Ion Storm's / Arkane's) catalogue.
My mistake, I was confused by the wording of your initial post.
Quote Posted by ThePhotoshop
'm coming up with ways to illustrate this article (for print) that utilise something a bit more interesting than screenshots of key games.
So what do you feel are the defining, iconic elements of all of the above?
I was under the impression that you were wanting something more than just pictures. I now realize that you were asking for something more than simple stock photos of the game.
ThePhotoshop on 8/7/2012 at 13:03
Is that the Eidos logo in the F12 aug slot?
Vivian on 8/7/2012 at 13:33
... right, so now that SDF121 has posted all the screenshots, let's try and get some half-decent suggestions for imagery representative of immersive sims. Most of them involve stealth and environmental manipulation (beyond just shooting bullets into things) to a large degree. I think it probably should involve some or all of the following: crouching in shadow, air-vents, leaning, fiddling/hacking something important looking while the guard a few metres away stares into the middle distance and mutters something about rats, and some kind of visible two-tier AIs - bots (accessable to player manipulation) patrolling the background, maybe, and humans (not accessable) the foreground? I mean, that's getting quite specifically deus ex, but that's the kind of mood-board I'd put up.
I presume this is going to be an illustration of some kind, right?
SDF121 on 9/7/2012 at 06:19
How about a scene where the character is hidden in the shadows while hacking into an enemy computer terminal to turn the guards machines against them? The image could show the character up on the second floor balcony of a hanger manipulating a computer while down below a machine is seen attacking a group of guards. Some of the guards will attempt to engage the machine while others will flee (to sound the alarm) and run into a few explosives strategically placed by the player. Perhaps there can be some turrets on the ceiling that the character hacks into as well. Maybe some cameras that he can disable. The hacking of the turrets and the robot should be apparent from them turning on the guards but perhaps the cameras being hacked can be demonstrated with a red light (instead of a green light) by the lens or perhaps the artist could illustrate these options on the screen of the computer that the character is hacking. Alternatively, you could always go for something more simple that represents the ability to lure your enemies into a trap by having the character hiding around a corner waiting to beat an unsuspecting guard with a melee weapon. With regard to this specific example, a certain piece of System Shock 2 concept art comes to mind.
Inline Image:
http://www.sshock2.com/ss2mmdb/artwork/trap.jpgjay pettitt on 9/7/2012 at 06:36
uh-huh.
Shodan is visually iconic - assuming you were into PC gaming 15 years ago. I guess Bouncers / Rapture are a modern equivalent. If you want something not obviously someone else’s IP then I think your Statue of Liberty sans head idea is as good as any.
Or PCs. And clutter. Immersive Sims are wrapped up in the golden age of PC gaming with mice, keyboards, CRTs, CD cases, late nights and coffee.
Sulphur on 9/7/2012 at 07:04
A security camera. Make it a steampunk one a la Thief, and bam.
After all, most immersive sims are about making you choose from your multiple options, and that's what cameras are a manifestation of: hack it, or sneak past it, or use an invisibility power, or destroy it. Just an idea. :laff:
Thirith on 9/7/2012 at 11:37
Is that Arx Fatalis? If so, it's just about sold me on getting the game on GoG...
gunsmoke on 9/7/2012 at 14:24
Fuck yeah it is. Arx is an amazing game and should be required to play by everyone here prior to joining the forums. Do it!
