Immersive-ness

[Scabbed Angel]

Many threads have stated ideas on immersive-ness in games, and opinions on how immersive Doom 3 should be. Some think that in order to achieve this, the creators of the games need to carefully design it for that purpose. Gravity on Mars and the moons may need to be taken into consideration, atmospheric conditions, physics regarding weaponry, etc. For example, one argument stated that a shotgun blast would not likely drive someone through a window as stated by one of the game's creators (I don't remember who off hand).
In retrospect, others state that there needs to be a supsension of reality for immersiveness to be possible. These people usually do not mind cutscenes because it works like a book, where you are the main character, and have to put yourself in the mind and being of that character. In Doom, you are a Marine. Having cutscenes, for example can be bennificial because if allows you to relate to the character in his situations/environments. He is not a geeky game fiend on a web message board, for example. Others would state that cuttscenes break up immersiveness.
I am the latter half. I think that in order to achieve the most immersiveness, you need to relate to the character you are playing, not have the world of the game catering to you.

What do you all think?

[Manc]

If I had to choose, I'd be against cutscenes, at least of the third person. I'd really like to see more realism with character movement (although only so much can be achieved with the input devices we currently use); things such as sitting down, having your view spring back when you land from a jump, laying down, etc. I think really being able to do these sorts of things would add a lot more immersiveness. However, there is little gameplay value added with these features. Things like realtime shoot-anywhere geometry destruction would add both more gameplay options and reality.


Oh yeah, and fp ololol.

[Tetzlaff]

I as well don´t like interrupting cutscenes. I recently played Unreal2 and it was a good example of how not to do it. They obviously tried to use cutscenes to give the game a cinematic feel, but it was just annoying and interrupted the flow badly. The game mainly sucked for a number of other reasons (linear level design, flat combat) though.

For me realism isn´t the main factor of immersion. I feel immersed when the athmosphere is right, when the world I discover feels alive, and huge. That´s much more important then certain picky realism aspects, for example I really don´t bother at all if it´s realistic that I can carry I shitload of really big guns arround :) I need all those guns for a good combat experience and realism should done elsewhere please...
But what I like are some nice realistic details that don´t touch the core gameplay. Like for example, looking down to the floor and seeing my own feet (Gore - Ultimate Soldier did that). But please no such stuff like fat geek movement speed and stamina, or bleeding to death etc. It´s always a fragile balance between action-orientated gameplay and simulated realism. And if a game isn´t fun (when it´s too overdone realistic for example), then it ca´n not immerse me anyways.

[Zoorado]

I don't mind cutscenes, as long as they are of high quality and high production values. I mean, FF: TSW was pretty neat in execution and direction...

Also, DOOM 3 isn't really action-oriented. It's lies more appropriately in the genre of survival horror. Running at 100mph while spamming on the RL doesn't qualify as scary, IMO.

[dsm]

I don't know what makes a game immersive to me.

I guess the atmosphere and gameplay has to be of a special type, but I know one thing:
If done right, I don't mind cutscenes at all. RtCW pulled it off excellently for instance (I even think they added to the immersiveness).

[doomedout]

dsm said:

If done right, I don't mind cutscenes at all. RtCW pulled it off excellently for instance (I even think they added to the immersiveness).

I thought the cutscenes were shabby in that game, you never ever did develop any feelings for the main character because he always kept aloof. All you got were a couple of generals you wouldn't give a rats ass about.

[Scabbed Angel]

The main character in that game was simply "the guy." There's not a whole lot to grasp about him other than the fact that he's in the army. In D3 I wouldn'y mind HL-style interactive characters that you can walk up to and the say something. "Hello...uh...Doomguy", or something for instance. Come back in and see you best bud gutted. Oh yes.

[dsm]

doomedout said:

I thought the cutscenes were shabby in that game, you never ever did develop any feelings for the main character because he always kept aloof. All you got were a couple of generals you wouldn't give a rats ass about.

Oh yeah those...
The OSA cutscenes were crappy, I agree on that. I was more referring to the ones like the one that plays before the crypt levels start.

[doomedout]

dsm said:

Oh yeah those...
The OSA cutscenes were crappy, I agree on that. I was more referring to the ones like the one that plays before the crypt levels start.

Those rocked.

[Amaster]

I could go either way.

[Zoost]

Scabbed Angel said:

I am the latter half. I think that in order to achieve the most immersiveness, you need to relate to the character you are playing, not have the world of the game catering to you.

What do you all think?

In FPS, you are/play the character.

What makes a game also immersive is when things in the world happen, that have no impact on the gameplay. For instance: a coffee machine that is still on and works; people/creatures that have no idea of the mission your on and ignore you, go about their routines; wheater (image a giant (sand)storm on mars!), Machines still working and being operated by clueless people.

Another factor that makes a game immersive is when you don't have to pay any attention on the way the game runs on your machine. So you don't want to save a mission, tweak the settings to see if it can look even more beautiful, adn then to find out it gets choppy.

Last thing I'm going to say about it is that immersiveness is also created by the factor that you can play the game alone, without a doorbell/phone, no sunlight in your monitor, and have all the time in the world to play.

Smoking some weed does also help ;y

[DeAdLy_cOoKiE]

To me immersiveness is achieved by clever, realistic level design. Realistic corridors and rooms, multiple ways to reach a certain room or area. Elevators taking you to random floors (without loading). The more linear a game is, the immersiveness experience will suffer. I like large levels. And NO loading times. I like a WORLD to wander about.

Some games that achieved the immersiveness-part for me:
Armour-Geddon
Exile
Midwinter
Warhead
Inferno
System Shock 1/2
and ofcourse Halflife (!)

[Fredrik]

Doom is one of the most immersive games ever.

Visual design, *music*, story, level design.... yeah.