Sulphur on 12/11/2008 at 06:10
Not Turtle, apparently. LUCKY NUMBER FIVE! :eww:
Dario on 15/11/2008 at 15:17
I don't think I'd want to "smell" games until I'm in a far more immersive system (like a screen that wraps around my head), or I'd just feel like everything smells bad whenever I'm gaming.
I mean, seriously, you'd have to get really used to the smell of smoke, dust, and burnt flesh nowadays.
Ostriig on 15/11/2008 at 16:01
Quote Posted by Dario
I don't think I'd want to "smell" games until I'm in a far more immersive system (like a screen that wraps around my head), or I'd just feel like everything smells bad whenever I'm gaming.
I mean, seriously, you'd have to get really used to the smell of smoke, dust, and burnt flesh nowadays.
I don't think I'd want to smell games at all. Imagine having to put up with the likely reek in Fallout 3's Megaton. Or the stench of your own character after having spent a week crawling through a dungeon in your Full Plate +5. Pass.
Dario on 15/11/2008 at 19:28
Well, I probably wouldn't mind if every game had a "casual" and "hardcore" smell setting, with the former being completely non-offensive, and comfortable.
You know, sewers would smell just a little off (like a mild city gutter), and burnt flesh would smell more like burnt wood/appliances, just so you get the "burnt" effect.
Pidesco on 15/11/2008 at 20:32
Quote Posted by Ostriig
I don't think I'd want to smell games at all. Imagine having to put up with the likely reek in Fallout 3's Megaton. Or the stench of your own character after having spent a week crawling through a dungeon in your Full Plate +5. Pass.
Better yet, would be to know what +5 chafing feels like.
demagogue on 15/11/2008 at 21:04
I believe them when they say the emotional impact and "nostalgia" factor would be much higher if games had specific smells strategically attached to certain scenes, like a whiff of a particular perfume for a specific woman, or a familiar musty smell for an old book. Things where the smell would add to the emotional awareness of the event.
You might later smell that perfume again and know the woman must be near at an ominous point.
It would work as another part of the story telling, not as something to put the player off.
Dario on 15/11/2008 at 21:30
Yeah, in a game with depth (like Thief), smells could add a whole new dimension to the gameplay. I hadn't thought of it like that... I was thinking of smells being used more like, "well, now you're in the sewers. Smells like crap, doesn't it?"
When I think of smells being used in Thief, it changes things. I want to smell fresh bread when I'm approaching the kitchen... and I want to smell when the lady of the house walks by (perfume lingering in the hallway).
You could also be sneaking up on a guard, and know he's drunk simply by the smell... And when Benny farts, well... you know.
It could also serve as a nice warning. Let's say you're crawling through some tunnels, and get the familiar whiff of Ape Beast crap, or the smell of dead animals. You may not see or hear anything, but the smell can tell you what you're coming upon.
It could let you know which areas are more dangerous. Let's say you've entered 4 crypts in the game so far, and each one has been uneventful. But then you come across one that immediately overtakes you with the smell of dead animals... The player would be like, "Umm... okay, why am I really not liking the fact that I'm smelling dead animals down here?"
june gloom on 15/11/2008 at 22:07
I hope this never catches on and for a very selfish reason. I have a very poor sense of smell (and yes, it's affected my sense of taste.) I mean, if there was a gas leak or smoke or whatever, I wouldn't know it. I mean, you can alleviate a hearing loss with closed captioning, but what the fuck would you use if someone couldn't smell?
