Ostriig on 24/2/2011 at 22:30
The technical aspects are easy to think of, but could you elaborate a bit on what major advantages it offers to designing? About the only things that pop straight into my mind right now relate to factional assignment and AI behaviour to some extent.
Judith on 24/2/2011 at 22:37
Fallout always had loading zones ;) Also, dividing your locations into interior/exterior sections isn't that bad, from the design standpoint it gives you much more freedom. You don't have to worry about measurements that much, it's not a problem when your interior is slightly bigger/smaller than its exterior representation etc.
Eldron on 25/2/2011 at 00:13
Not having to render everything that's inside a building, and yes, interiors will almost always be more detailed in the way they are decorated and sprinkled with items, it's just not easy to cull stuff like that.
And since npc's can travel between zones it only becomes an issue if you decide to see it as one.
Gussss on 25/2/2011 at 02:42
looking forward to more dungeon crawling in the elder scrolls world.
Ostriig on 26/2/2011 at 00:26
Quote Posted by Judith
Fallout always had loading zones ;) Also, dividing your locations into interior/exterior sections isn't that bad, from the design standpoint it gives you much more freedom. You don't have to worry about measurements that much, it's not a problem when your interior is slightly bigger/smaller than its exterior representation etc.
To be honest, I don't think it would make an overwhelming difference for Beth in that respect. Their general house interiors never really struck me as being severely out of tune with their external representation, and practically all of their dungeons in Oblivion were underground anyway.
And, regardless, I don't think it gives you quite that much more freedom when you separate the indoor and outdoor spaces - for instance, the capital offenders in this department, Bioware. The fact that there are loading screens between the 2x2 metres exteriors of their mudhuts and their sprawling kilometers long interiors did little to alleviate my annoyance at that form of design. Sure, the separation does give some leeway to level designers, but I don't think it can really go to the extent it makes a significant difference before it loses that advantage.
Quote Posted by Eldron
Not having to render everything that's inside a building, and yes, interiors will almost always be more detailed in the way they are decorated and sprinkled with items, it's just not easy to cull stuff like that.
No argument there, I did agree that there are technical benefits to keeping spaces separate. Clutter and lighting in particular, I imagine. I was just curious about how it would help ease the gameplay design.
Quote:
And since npc's can travel between zones it only becomes an issue if you decide to see it as one.
Thing is, I really do think having a consistent, uninterrupted gamespace can have notable benefits to the overall experience.
Firefreak on 26/2/2011 at 06:42
Also, (derailing the thread further), when you start to think in portals, you still can have a Tardis without a zone break. i.e., Have the interior mapped out in a separate level space, only connect the door(s) and window(s) to the corresponding exterior holes of the building.
Though, when done wrong it might mess with your perception if you can look through both a door and window that don't match up with the same scales on the outside.
I, too, think that there is not much to gain by seamless zoning, other than proper lighting from the outside according to daytime. But it might be an experience running from the coppers through a village, dash unseen into a building and, hidden in the shadows, watch and hear the guards run by through a window.
mothra on 26/2/2011 at 14:25
liked, not loved daggerfall,
didn't like oblivion,
didn't like FO3,
liked New Vegas,
but this trailer rings all my bells. shouting at dragons ? count me in.
Biohazard on 27/2/2011 at 17:59
They really did a fantastic job with that trailer. We got a glimpse of the storyline, heard some epic music that pays tribute to its predecessors, and got to see some actual gameplay footage (which seems to be more and more rare for companies to release nowadays). I am now officially on the Skyrim bandwagon.
steo on 14/3/2011 at 17:41
It basically looks like New Vegas with swords to me... and some inconsequential graphical improvements
Nameless Voice on 15/3/2011 at 03:06
Must... stop... rewatching... trailer....
