demagogue on 28/5/2012 at 17:13
Well while we're derailing this thread anyway ... there are two things that taking away the light gem could mean, one unacceptable IMO and the other a matter of taste.
(1) The unacceptable thing is if the game itself doesn't bother with calculating player visibility based on how illuminated he is and just wings it. Navigating the shadows in space is close to the heart and soul of the gameplay. So it would suck if the game didn't do the calculations. And once it has, there's no reason not to have the gem, since the data is already there.
(2) Whether you actually get the visible feedback about your visibility through the gem is a matter of taste. I've played it both ways in Dark Mod and it's a different kind of fun either way. With the gem you can really play the space and skirt shadows. Without the gem you get that little thrill of ambiguity, but you know when you're clearly in shadows you're safe, only when it's really important to know do you wish it were there. But actually Dark Mod allowed the best of both worlds (IIRC) since you could key-bind a command to bring the lightgem up or hide it. If T4 does that, then I could be happy with that.
heywood on 28/5/2012 at 23:20
I could be happy without a light gem as well. The important thing is to have stealth that's based on hiding in shadows and not just using cover. But I think a lot of people are going to rant if there's no light gem in T4.
I'm fairly confident there won't be a repeat of the DX:HR boss fights. It actually makes sense to have boss fights in a DX game since they were in the original. But Eidos completely screwed them up. I think they learned their lesson.
scumble on 29/5/2012 at 07:27
Now here's a thought - what if the light gem was an actual inventory item that you'd have to get out to check? One could think of it as an item that all Keepers would have carried with them to double check whether they were visible or not.
hopper on 29/5/2012 at 08:27
Quote Posted by scumble
Now here's a thought - what if the light gem was an actual inventory item that you'd have to get out to check? One could think of it as an item that all Keepers would have carried with them to double check whether they were visible or not.
Interesting idea in theory, and LGS may even originally have thought about it that way. The problem is that with visibility being so central to the gameplay, it would be too cumbersome to haul it out every time you need to check it. I like to think of the light gem as sitting on a bracelet or necklace, where Garrett can easily check it at a glance.
faetal on 29/5/2012 at 10:26
Quote Posted by hopper
Interesting idea in theory, and LGS may even originally have thought about it that way. The problem is that with visibility being so central to the gameplay, it would be too cumbersome to haul it out every time you need to check it. I like to think of the light gem as sitting on a bracelet or necklace, where Garrett can easily check it at a glance.
Wouldn't having a visible piece of jewellery which gets brighter as you become more visible create a positive feedback loop?
Kolya on 29/5/2012 at 20:53
There, the guitarist has spoken. Seriously though, how would that jewellery even work?
I think of the lightgem as a helper to give you information that you cannot experience yourself, because you cannot see your own body. In a 3rd person game it would be useless.
LarryG on 30/5/2012 at 01:40
Quote Posted by Kolya
There, the guitarist has spoken. Seriously though, how would that jewellery even work?
Um, that's the "Magic" of the game. At one time I remember (vaguely) an LGS explanation that it was a Keeper artifact that Garrett, ahem, appropriated. It's use gets explained in the T1 Mission 1 Keeper Training, which supports that it is Keeper in origin. Whether there is a glyph on the back or some other magical agency, who knows?
Boxsmith on 30/5/2012 at 04:07
Quote Posted by LarryG
Um, that's the "Magic" of the game. At one time I remember (vaguely) an LGS explanation that it was a Keeper artifact that Garrett, ahem, appropriated. It's use gets explained in the T1 Mission 1 Keeper Training, which supports that it is Keeper in origin. Whether there is a glyph on the back or some other magical agency, who knows?
Actually, the keeper overseeing the training only mentions an indicator on your screen lighting up when Garrett is visible. Goodbye, fourth wall.
snowcap21 on 30/5/2012 at 11:11
But where to place that jewel in first person mode? Is it always hanging before your eyes? Or do you have to look at your wrist or breast? But then I don't see, why you can't look at your body to judge the deepness of shadow.
As others have said, as long as the hiding in the shadows remains, I don't cling to the light gem.
Bakerman on 30/5/2012 at 11:57
I think the function of 'fully in shadow' could be accomplished in ways other than a light gem. I agree that if you know shadows are affecting your stealth, it's enough to have an indicator of when you're as safe as you can get. I seem to remember Amnesia doing something like this. Or maybe that was the rapidly-going-insane screen effect. Some subtle audio cue, or maybe even making use of the HDR - a little as it makes sense, maybe you can only see in deep shadows if you're in them yourself.
