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Phase I of Alpha Two testing will occur on weekends. Each weekend is scheduled to start on Fridays at 10 AM PT and end on Sundays at 10 PM PT. Find out more here.
Check out Alpha Two Announcements here to see the latest Alpha Two news and update notes.
Our quickest Alpha Two updates are in Discord. Testers with Alpha Two access can chat in Alpha Two channels by connecting your Discord and Intrepid accounts here.
Immersion
How much immersion would you all like to see?
Personally I would love to see the developers implement the option to use virtual reality headsets. With the graphics this game provides this would look absolutely amazing. And what about sound? Being able to hear people walking up to you and being able to distinguish whether it is just one person or a group, if they are nearby or still far away and whether they are in front of you or behind you. What about abilities all having different sound effects, so that you are able to distinguish what skill someone uses from just the sound.
If the game would have these kind of features it would make it so much more immersive and, in my opion, more fun to play. Would do you all think about this?
Personally I would love to see the developers implement the option to use virtual reality headsets. With the graphics this game provides this would look absolutely amazing. And what about sound? Being able to hear people walking up to you and being able to distinguish whether it is just one person or a group, if they are nearby or still far away and whether they are in front of you or behind you. What about abilities all having different sound effects, so that you are able to distinguish what skill someone uses from just the sound.
If the game would have these kind of features it would make it so much more immersive and, in my opion, more fun to play. Would do you all think about this?
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Comments
I think we have lost something with the 3rd person aerial views.
How can anyone sneak up on you with a 3rd person camera ?
How can you be ambushed, flanked ?
This is something we always have to deal with as humans with limited range of vision.
We rely on sound, smell, taste, temperature, pressure and instinct to compensate.
I would like avatars to emit proximity based virtual sounds, smells and temperatures.
I would like avatars to have sensors that can pick up on this.
I would like different races to have variable distribution on what sense(s) take the fore and which are regressive.
I would like the sensors to be resonant, focused and limited range/scope to enable variation.
I would like avatars to have 1st person only to enable these other system to work.
But its not going to happen :(
I think we have lost something with the 3rd person aerial views.
How can anyone sneak up on you with a 3rd person camera ?
How can you be ambushed, flanked ?
This is something we always have to deal with as humans with limited range of vision.
We rely on sound, smell, taste, temperature, pressure and instinct to compensate.
I would like avatars to emit proximity based virtual sounds, smells and temperatures.
I would like avatars to have sensors that can pick up on this.
I would like different races to have variable distribution on what sense(s) take the fore and which are regressive.
I would like the sensors to be resonant, focused and limited range/scope to enable variation.
I would like avatars to have 1st person only to enable these other system to work.
But its not going to happen <img alt="????" src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/2.2.1/svg/1f641.svg" />
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I totally agree with you, but as long as there is still limited zoom function it is, to a certain extent, still possible. You will only see what is comming at you from behind a split second before at attacks you, so I still hope that they will not have to much of a zoom out option and implement the sounds
So we can never know true reality, its all perceived by our senses. Try putting your tongue upside down and then running your finger over it :)
I concur with @Elveone on this one.
So we can never know true reality, its all perceived by our senses. Try putting your tongue upside down and then running your finger over it <img alt="????" src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/2.2.1/svg/1f642.svg" />
I concur with <a href="https://www.ashesofcreation.com/forums/users/elveone/" rel="nofollow">@elveone</a> on this one.
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So memory is a conditioned harmonic resonance.
Seen that video before a while ago, or something very similar.
Quite fascinating really.
VR will certainly be a great call considering it will be the first and definitely a worthy game of VR.
Although for proper immersion you'd have to have other stuff as well, like great headphone(ideally noise cancelling) and great internet and a laptop/PC that can handle it.
I've moderate to poor levels of internet and a ok-ish system, so I really cannot get fully immersed like others.
VR is overrated for immersion IMO(and yes, I have tried it several times). It will confuse your brain into thinking "this is huge" or "this is really scary" or "oh crap, they are going to get me" but for me this is actually a huge reminder that I'm actually playing a game. Also - character movement on foot in first person is simply unnatural and will cause most people to want to return their last meal to the world in semi-digested state. There is this romantic notion that VR is great because of all the anime and video games and even books that handle the subject matter but in its current state VR is just plainly crappy.
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LMAO.
I personally have desired for a High-Strong sense of Immersion. And I personally think its how they <strong>utilize the Environment</strong>; Aside from Enemy Creatures ... the Environment itself could be dangerous - like quicksand, Tall Grass to hide in, Trees to Climb & Hide (i.e. using the environment for Stealthy Tactics - you don't have to be a Stealth-Class to be sneaky :3.
( admittedly though, the "Stealthy Tactics" will be based on how the U.I Interface will be set - would nameplate font-size be small or big ? can the nameplates be seen Close-up or Far away? Can it be altered in Settings ? etc ... )
Will their be Haunted Areas ( e.g. Forests, Lakes, Taverns, Mountains, etc ... ) which could cause the Player to see Hallcinations/illusions (Non-Cleanse-able) or something similar to that ? Can some Players cast Spells similar to this ( BUT will be cleanse-able )
Or how about "Weather Hazards" ? They stated that their will be Seasons put into this MMO - each Season could have its own Unique Hazard(s): Can you be struck Lighting ? Frostbite from the Cold ? If its really Windy ( almost like a storm ) .. can you randomly be blown back in a random direction ?
Can Boulder(s) randomly Fall at any give moment from a Mountain ? Can a ... "Withered/Old Ledge crumble and Fall (from Erosion) ? Can you randomly trip on a rock ( cliche right ? xD ), Can Player accidentally fall into a Hole and find an Underground Passage ?
Their a lot of stuff to consider. In short, what else can Seasons do ? Besides Road-Blockage
And I mention Environments mostly because it seems to be easiest to try to increase Immersion.
When you mention VR, I had thought of .Hack// Series & SAO ... but i'm not too sure about that - it would decrease awareness. But sweet to see.
I also like your idea about Haunted Areas and I would like to see more of that. Biomes that are actually dangerous and in which you cannot just run around to find the next thing to do but have be careful not to die just by being there. There are so many things the developers could add into the game to make it more realistic, and that sense of realism would help to add to the immersion. Yes it is a fantasy game, but that does not mean that there is no need for logic behind things. That is no reason not to add those details you mentioned like being able to trip if you walk wrong or having to watch out for falling rocks
I always wish that VR would be already further developed and while we can do quite a lot the technology is unfortunately still lacking. VR is not necessary for immersion but it would definitely help a lot
Like say if you go up a mountain and it takes you like 2 hours and you end up finding a cave and the cave is full of trolls with no end insight and you make your way through and die a few times then that player goes "Hey ive found a cave and it looks like its hiding something its a bit hard can you help me" then
next minute you and a few mates are reclimbing that mountain and trying to explore together type thing. instead of just having a map you bring up and only go to Points of interest and nothing else real world immersion lets you explore the world and not from a minimap.
Also make it take awhile to level up that also helps with immersion i remmeber vanilla days i spent like 2-3 months to get to max level cos i was exploring stuff and having the best time of my gaming mmo career so to speak. then it got too easy and the exploration immersion wore off.
I would like also to see landmarks in game from a distance and being able to scale a mountain see a landmark in the distance and go alright i need to get there jump off and glide down somehow "with like a temporary buff which you find at all high points in the game world including the towers in metropolis. that would be fun better than flying mount tbh
to go on about the gliding we could have a static npc race that live in high points like spirits of the world type thing that give you the buff when you glide to the ground it wears off like magical wings of something it could open the door to exploring places only you can glide too.
need to keep people engaged for hours at a time and not just log in do my dailys check my AH etc then log off. make it so you create a storyline in your mind whenever you play the game that would be real immersion imho, i dunno