i like oasis in deserts, mountains, and gardens filled with flowers and animals like butterflies.
Gardens with butterflies? .... but what about all those wonderfull corpsefilled mines deep under ground, with their musty, stale air and the beautifull rustic ambiance?
0
Options
RokoMember, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One
I like mountain sides with forests, rivers and waterfalls because of the vistas they can offer.
Also like lakes at the foot of a mountain
1
Options
LethalityMember, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One
It doesn't matter to me. As long as it feels alive and different every time I roll through. Seasons, weather, flora and fauna that obey those rules, etc.
I'd really love a dense forest that you want to be prepared for to explore. With swamps and very dark areas . With mighty creatures protecting it and no set paths.
Even if this is an mmo it would kinda hurt the atmosphere to see a bunch of players everywhere in there all the time.
Speaking of atmosphere; sounds play a big role for me. Such as rain on the leaves, cracking branches, birds and insects, Deep white noise (look it up on yt) etc.
What I dont like are Vulcanic landscapes if all you see is lava and ashes. A Vulcan in the middle of a jungle or something would look sick tho.
Most favourite would be
Snow plains
Actually Water biomes in general.
I know everyone hates anything that has to do with water in video games but well made waterlevels/biomes are usually among the most beautiful and memorizable places in games and water allows for extremly intresting mechanics (and sights)
I wouldn't say that I have a favorite type of biome, but I like biomes that feel full, unique, and interesting. .
I like when biomes standout for having obstacles or surprises and modes of navigation not found elsewhere that break up the monotony of travel when not on a main road. For example things like being able to slide downhill or worrying about walking on thin ice in an arctic region or a sky/mountainous area playing with a falling/gliding mechanic as both a means of quick transportation and the risk of falling to death..
I dislike areas that are flat, boring, empty, repetitive, and that impart a feeling of placelessness or just exist between spread out destinations (thats what roads have an important purpose for and putting a few trees between point A and B does not make it more interesting than a path). I don't like two-dimensional or homogeneous areas like plains or deserts unless they are littered with points of interest such as ruins, camps, or caves. Even a city can be boring when its possible to get turned around in it because all of its buildings or rooms within the building look the same.
Obviously it is impossible to litter shortcuts, landmarks, traps/environmental hazards, and enemy ambushes throughout every square inch of a vast land, but a little variety and novelty can give the illusion of a more dynamic world.
but for real, please no empty deserts. I don't want to be able to turn around 360 degrees and see nothing but empty sand. Other than actually being empty, the only thing worse than a place looking empty is to look empty and boring.
0
Options
CatspurrMember, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One
Usually desert biomes are a sludge to get through in games because they are often massive and everything is just a shade of the same color. It's hard to balance a desert biome though as they generally are quite big and as its mainly sand.. not alot of resources can be used for a more vibrant desert. I think a mix of sandcolors could be cool, like: black, white and red sand. Corrupted biomes also fall to the same curse sometimes where they just become filled with the same texture all over and gets boring after a while.
As for my favorite biome it is usually high fantasy forests filled with strange flora and fauna although your underworld is looking mighty fine with all that pretty bioluminescent stuff.
0
Options
kalendrisMember, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One
Don't really care what kind of biome it is as long as it's well done, and feel mysterious in a sense. Not just random lava everywhere for the sake of lava. Hidden places, like caves or a hollow three or things like that always make it tingle in my manstuff. Make it feel grand. And I really dislike when games change the biome in a matter of meters or split them by random barren mountains. Would be cool to see someone actually manage to make something decent out of a desert biome aswell.
My favorite is a temperate/deciduous forest in the winter. Deep snow on the ground, trees limps blanketed in white, and fluffy snowflakes falling from the sky.
2
Options
MCakeMember, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One
edited October 2019
Favorite
Bio luminescent
Super snowy with snow coming down
Redwood
Wouldn't want to live/spend a lot of time in
Desert
Open plains
I don't think any biome "just needs to go away." Even the less popular ones have their place.
1) Deep, thick, rain-forests where civilization has never reached, and the canopy blocks out the sun, leaving the world below in a half-twilight during the day and an impenetrable darkness during the night. Forests filled with aged, gnarled, trees that dwarf those picking out their way among their roots below; roots covered with moss, and clinging vines, and the forest floor covered with the dead leaves and mushroom patches growing from the graves of the fallen and decaying trees.
2) Swampy wetlands where the sinkholes swallow groups whole, and quicksand pits suck at your feet. Where tall reeds grow from stagnant pools of water, and huge willow trees bow low, and dry ground is a rarity. Where midges, no-see-ums, mosquitoes, and crawlers thrive, and frogs, snakes, eels, and slithering fish dart around unexpectedly, and where wisps lead the unwary and uninformed to their watery doom.
3) Wide, deep, and swift rivers, with rocky rapids, sudden waterfalls, submerged rocks, and the occasional small tree covered island spotting its length as it meanders its way to the sea. To wide for any bridge, the only way to cross is by boat or to chance the rapids where the water is swift and shallow, but one slip and the current drags you far down river.
4) Corruption infested wilds, where nature has turned on itself and the very landscape is a deadly morass of carnivorous plants and hostile, corrupt, wild life. Where the long dead civilization of the past lay buried by the ancient death-throes of Verra when the corruption was at its height of its strength and the dark side of nature was fully released. Corruption the burbles and bursts in gory displays of nature gone wrong, and the echoes of the corruptions lure call out still to those who venture to close to its chaotic borders.
1
Options
WololoMember, Phoenix Initiative, Hero of the People, Kickstarter, Alpha One
most favorite place must be underwater, i love anything water both irl and ingame. least favorite is any place where it snows. white can be so bright ! lol
1
Options
VarkunMember, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One
I do like high forested hills or mountain areas with snow.
But I also like to see all of the variety that different biomes offer how they transition from one to the other. I enjoy seeing the diversity both in the creatures and the terrain. I do hope that many resources will be only found in certain environments and seasons as we will have seasonal change. Will be nice to see just how seasons change the environments and the evolving of the world its self as we the player have our effect.
Close your eyes spread your arms and always trust your cape.
I like areas that permanently rain. This can be forests, jungles, marshes, or just grasslands, so long as its just dark and rainy it makes me happy.
Another biome, if it can even be called one, is the "dead" planets in swtor. There are two planets in SWTOR that are absent of any life or even the force and they are the closest thing you get to the void or death in that game, and walking through both those worlds actually felt like you where on a planet that was dead and crumbling.
0
Options
CypherMember, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One
In no particular order: I really enjoy tropical islands, or islands in general usually. I enjoy thick jungles, bonus points if there's a waterfall or three. I also enjoy the very rare occasion where you have to actually explore a vast region to find a hidden settlement or dungeon or both. Usually that's in a desert and that's fine but any biome type would do.
What I don't like is arid/dry zones where it's just bland. If used in moderation it's fine. But if that area is immense, no.
I love deserts that house multiple pockets of oases, rocky cliffsides that give options for very vertical settlements. Mountainous jungle areas with many waterfalls and nestled cave systems, places for carving out stone into statuesque architecture. I also love to see different takes on "wasteland", some go dry and arid where sun and starvation will kill even the most tried of adventurers, others have a place covered in muggy swampland that traps and kill most things that venture in thinking to loot something of value off the things that came before them. The sandy beaches dotted with small islands further out in the surf, bits of area only revealed by high or low tides.
What I have had enough of: plains. Nothing to look at, nothing to explore. Just...quaint, and nothing else really. Fine for a safe area, but no fun to have in large doses.
I like nature, forest, mountain, river, underwater forest, etc
I like ruins inside of nature fortress, where there is a maze inside of it
I like something that looks there is a riddle behind it, whatever it is i
0
Options
MeowsedMember, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One
Mountains. Definitely mountains are the best. Soaring vistas, deep valleys, daunting cliff faces, winding paths, hidden paths and caverns, sparse-but-hardy vegetation mixed with myriad rock formations, and the occasional stream pouring down the slopes and cliffs.
Honorable mention to forests with giant trees.
On the flipside, plains are kinda, well, plain and boring, unless there's a lot of things built on them (farms, homesteads, marketplace, etc.)
Mega troll fr
0
Options
ilisfetMember, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One
Deep forest ruins, snowy ruins, and verdant dark forests are my favorite locales. The kind where manmade structures are there, but barely recognizable, eroded by time and all but consumed by the environment. The other type is a dark forest, the kind that elicits a feeling of solitude, but verdant and soothing rather than dead and oppressive. I also like cliffs overlooking water and in general temperate green areas with or without blue pools. Their wintery white counterparts also work.
I don't like deserts. Deserts are often monotonous trudges through monotonous terrain with monotonous color and monotonous heat. They can be implemented well and fun, Breath of the Wild does desert well and while RuneScape's deserts aren't fun, they are interesting. ESO does deserts bad.
I also like exploring alien landscapes, though not inhabiting them. The best examples are the Cyclopean Haunt
https://etrian.fandom.com/wiki/Claret_Hollows
A cave at first glance, the low hanging, claustrophobic ceiling and seemingly flesh red walls give you the distinct impression you're inside something. And very unwelcome.
Favorite Biome is tall cliffs near the beach covered in cypress. The Cypress reach towards each other and make a tunnel of branches. Only here and there does the sun peak through and makes a spotlight ray. In fall the bright red,yellow and brown leaves would be on the ground and pushed around while walking along the trail.
Least favorite are rocky crags like pillars that stand out in ways that look alien and deformed. Lava pouring like waterfalls(really makes no sense).
1
Options
serinittyMember, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One
Favorites.
1. Fantasy Bio luminescent Within a thick dark forest. Glowing butterflies would be a must.
2. Caves with water and vegetation in them. But also bodies of water within the cave that reflect light, Creating water light reflections around the cave.
3. Dense jungle islands with waterfalls and large beaches. Populated with frogs and lizards and giant snails.
Not a huge fan of.
Anything plain. a Plain desert, a plain winter area, a plain plain. big open empty spaces in places that can still contain some kinds of vegetation and animal life are just so boring.
I believe forests are the best. There are plenty of great forest biomes that are all unique. Bright fantasy forests full of bioluminescent plants can be absolutely stunning, and dark creepy forests are an equally good contrast that can add a lot to the overall experience while playing in them. Giant redwood forests, especially with a bit of atmospheric fog, are great for exploring and tend to be some of the most pleasant biomes to spend time in. Even standard forests that lack gimmicks have their place as nice areas to pass through, but this kind of simplistic forest is best in moderation.
Forest biomes on their own are good, but their surroundings are also important. Giant cliffs separating the elevation of forests can make them seem much larger and provide outstanding views if done right. Clearings, lakes and rivers can add a lot of variety and alleviate monotony. Also pairing forests with other biomes, such as calm and peaceful snowy areas, comforting beachsides, and eerie and unsettling underground caverns, can enhance the feel of them manyfold.
On the other hand I am not a big fan of deserts. I think they are a bit too bland.
Aesthetically I like desert biomes. Fleshed out with a bit of everything you'd expect; oasis, ruins, an area thats detrimental to your health. Though for that last one IMO it shouldn't be tedious like runescape's. Going from point A -> B is fine, but having to spend an extended amount of time in the "desert heat" areas is annoying.
I like to climb and explore IRL so mountains are my most favourite.
Second place for me, tho its not a BIOM ,are closed in buildings like dungeons or ruins. They just feel cosy.
Third are small islands in the middle of the ocean.
Hating on DESERTS and plain places without anything to see. If i could i would remove them from any game
0
Options
VirtekMember, Phoenix Initiative, Royalty, Kickstarter, Alpha One
My favorite three (no particular order):
The Underrealm and surrounding above-ground areas in Ashes (colorful treeeeees!)
Run-down castles with multiple levels and "secret" tunnels and rooms
Forests with watering holes and random non-hostile wildlife
i would love to see a desert but make it so it feels lively and not boring is quite the challenge :
-You will need a lot of events, caves under the sand, different type of sands, part of rock, oasis, sand cities,...
I dont like anything related to lava, cinder ,ash or a swamp.
Underwater (caves underwater that open up to an above water underground Atlantis style area)
Snow
Oasis's that nomadic tribes highly prioritise
Mountains
Giant waterfalls that have secret passages that are highly difficult to locate
Proper sized rivers (Im talking that are wide and run to the ocean though the Nile is a wicked example to use when designing a river/ would make a cool wetlands area)
Oceans but with dynamic weather i have two points i want to go with this
First everyone loves crystal clear water but have it like realistic by having either reefs or islands further out
Second storms are a must like big ones that make you question why your a sailor.
Lake cities i mean cities in the middle of a lake
Ruins in any place are amazing when there is lots of lore to discover (I could explore ruins of ancient civilisations all day)
Ancient temples that have been abandoned are cool to
2
Options
MarzzoMember, Leader of Men, Kickstarter, Alpha One
What are your favorite and least favorite biomes in MMOs?
I think there needs to be variation. Everything from deserts to arctic climate is mandatory and the shift between them needs to be gradual. The important part is that they feel "full" or alive. Everything is important but if you are gonna do deserts, do not make it empty.
My favourite in fact is arctic and deserts because of the extreme enviroment it provides. This opens up interesting gameplay options. Deserts and blizzards should give small debuffs because of the extreme weather.
Nothing in this regard is more interesting than leaving your warm (or cool), cozy base and venturing out in a blizzard or desert tempest. It just feels epic.
0
Options
MarzzoMember, Leader of Men, Kickstarter, Alpha One
Also make some islands mysterious and scary. Thich jungles, temples, caves etc.
Comments
Gardens with butterflies? .... but what about all those wonderfull corpsefilled mines deep under ground, with their musty, stale air and the beautifull rustic ambiance?
Also like lakes at the foot of a mountain
Even if this is an mmo it would kinda hurt the atmosphere to see a bunch of players everywhere in there all the time.
Speaking of atmosphere; sounds play a big role for me. Such as rain on the leaves, cracking branches, birds and insects, Deep white noise (look it up on yt) etc.
What I dont like are Vulcanic landscapes if all you see is lava and ashes. A Vulcan in the middle of a jungle or something would look sick tho.
Snow plains
Actually Water biomes in general.
I know everyone hates anything that has to do with water in video games but well made waterlevels/biomes are usually among the most beautiful and memorizable places in games and water allows for extremly intresting mechanics (and sights)
Dont really have anything "least favorable" tho.
I like when biomes standout for having obstacles or surprises and modes of navigation not found elsewhere that break up the monotony of travel when not on a main road. For example things like being able to slide downhill or worrying about walking on thin ice in an arctic region or a sky/mountainous area playing with a falling/gliding mechanic as both a means of quick transportation and the risk of falling to death..
I dislike areas that are flat, boring, empty, repetitive, and that impart a feeling of placelessness or just exist between spread out destinations (thats what roads have an important purpose for and putting a few trees between point A and B does not make it more interesting than a path). I don't like two-dimensional or homogeneous areas like plains or deserts unless they are littered with points of interest such as ruins, camps, or caves. Even a city can be boring when its possible to get turned around in it because all of its buildings or rooms within the building look the same.
Obviously it is impossible to litter shortcuts, landmarks, traps/environmental hazards, and enemy ambushes throughout every square inch of a vast land, but a little variety and novelty can give the illusion of a more dynamic world.
but for real, please no empty deserts. I don't want to be able to turn around 360 degrees and see nothing but empty sand. Other than actually being empty, the only thing worse than a place looking empty is to look empty and boring.
As for my favorite biome it is usually high fantasy forests filled with strange flora and fauna although your underworld is looking mighty fine with all that pretty bioluminescent stuff.
Wouldn't want to live/spend a lot of time in
I don't think any biome "just needs to go away." Even the less popular ones have their place.
2) Swampy wetlands where the sinkholes swallow groups whole, and quicksand pits suck at your feet. Where tall reeds grow from stagnant pools of water, and huge willow trees bow low, and dry ground is a rarity. Where midges, no-see-ums, mosquitoes, and crawlers thrive, and frogs, snakes, eels, and slithering fish dart around unexpectedly, and where wisps lead the unwary and uninformed to their watery doom.
3) Wide, deep, and swift rivers, with rocky rapids, sudden waterfalls, submerged rocks, and the occasional small tree covered island spotting its length as it meanders its way to the sea. To wide for any bridge, the only way to cross is by boat or to chance the rapids where the water is swift and shallow, but one slip and the current drags you far down river.
4) Corruption infested wilds, where nature has turned on itself and the very landscape is a deadly morass of carnivorous plants and hostile, corrupt, wild life. Where the long dead civilization of the past lay buried by the ancient death-throes of Verra when the corruption was at its height of its strength and the dark side of nature was fully released. Corruption the burbles and bursts in gory displays of nature gone wrong, and the echoes of the corruptions lure call out still to those who venture to close to its chaotic borders.
But I also like to see all of the variety that different biomes offer how they transition from one to the other. I enjoy seeing the diversity both in the creatures and the terrain. I do hope that many resources will be only found in certain environments and seasons as we will have seasonal change. Will be nice to see just how seasons change the environments and the evolving of the world its self as we the player have our effect.
Another biome, if it can even be called one, is the "dead" planets in swtor. There are two planets in SWTOR that are absent of any life or even the force and they are the closest thing you get to the void or death in that game, and walking through both those worlds actually felt like you where on a planet that was dead and crumbling.
What I don't like is arid/dry zones where it's just bland. If used in moderation it's fine. But if that area is immense, no.
What I have had enough of: plains. Nothing to look at, nothing to explore. Just...quaint, and nothing else really. Fine for a safe area, but no fun to have in large doses.
I like ruins inside of nature fortress, where there is a maze inside of it
I like something that looks there is a riddle behind it, whatever it is i
Honorable mention to forests with giant trees.
On the flipside, plains are kinda, well, plain and boring, unless there's a lot of things built on them (farms, homesteads, marketplace, etc.)
I don't like deserts. Deserts are often monotonous trudges through monotonous terrain with monotonous color and monotonous heat. They can be implemented well and fun, Breath of the Wild does desert well and while RuneScape's deserts aren't fun, they are interesting. ESO does deserts bad.
I also like exploring alien landscapes, though not inhabiting them. The best examples are the Cyclopean Haunt
A familiar yet not forest where the land feels like a creature alive that you've unknowingly waltzed into the jowls of. Everything, even the goddamn walls, are trying to kill you here, with inhabitants designed to kill over survive.
A cave at first glance, the low hanging, claustrophobic ceiling and seemingly flesh red walls give you the distinct impression you're inside something. And very unwelcome.
I like biomes that transition, there's no hard edges! In fact, I wrote a doc about it contemporary to pre-prototype EverQuest Next: http://reesehollandgames.com/feature-concept-documents/7-biomes-biodiversity/
Least favorite are rocky crags like pillars that stand out in ways that look alien and deformed. Lava pouring like waterfalls(really makes no sense).
1. Fantasy Bio luminescent Within a thick dark forest. Glowing butterflies would be a must.
2. Caves with water and vegetation in them. But also bodies of water within the cave that reflect light, Creating water light reflections around the cave.
3. Dense jungle islands with waterfalls and large beaches. Populated with frogs and lizards and giant snails.
Not a huge fan of.
Anything plain. a Plain desert, a plain winter area, a plain plain. big open empty spaces in places that can still contain some kinds of vegetation and animal life are just so boring.
Forest biomes on their own are good, but their surroundings are also important. Giant cliffs separating the elevation of forests can make them seem much larger and provide outstanding views if done right. Clearings, lakes and rivers can add a lot of variety and alleviate monotony. Also pairing forests with other biomes, such as calm and peaceful snowy areas, comforting beachsides, and eerie and unsettling underground caverns, can enhance the feel of them manyfold.
On the other hand I am not a big fan of deserts. I think they are a bit too bland.
Second place for me, tho its not a BIOM ,are closed in buildings like dungeons or ruins. They just feel cosy.
Third are small islands in the middle of the ocean.
Hating on DESERTS and plain places without anything to see. If i could i would remove them from any game
-You will need a lot of events, caves under the sand, different type of sands, part of rock, oasis, sand cities,...
I dont like anything related to lava, cinder ,ash or a swamp.
Underwater (caves underwater that open up to an above water underground Atlantis style area)
Snow
Oasis's that nomadic tribes highly prioritise
Mountains
Giant waterfalls that have secret passages that are highly difficult to locate
Proper sized rivers (Im talking that are wide and run to the ocean though the Nile is a wicked example to use when designing a river/ would make a cool wetlands area)
Oceans but with dynamic weather i have two points i want to go with this
First everyone loves crystal clear water but have it like realistic by having either reefs or islands further out
Second storms are a must like big ones that make you question why your a sailor.
Lake cities i mean cities in the middle of a lake
Ruins in any place are amazing when there is lots of lore to discover (I could explore ruins of ancient civilisations all day)
Ancient temples that have been abandoned are cool to
I think there needs to be variation. Everything from deserts to arctic climate is mandatory and the shift between them needs to be gradual. The important part is that they feel "full" or alive. Everything is important but if you are gonna do deserts, do not make it empty.
My favourite in fact is arctic and deserts because of the extreme enviroment it provides. This opens up interesting gameplay options. Deserts and blizzards should give small debuffs because of the extreme weather.
Nothing in this regard is more interesting than leaving your warm (or cool), cozy base and venturing out in a blizzard or desert tempest. It just feels epic.