june gloom on 27/3/2013 at 16:31
I wouldn't even let you on the bus, let alone up front.
Queue on 27/3/2013 at 16:33
What about marrying your sister?
Renzatic on 27/3/2013 at 16:39
Fcuk™ off. She's mine. :mad:
Queue on 27/3/2013 at 16:44
Cracker'ass anti-purist!
Judith on 27/3/2013 at 18:47
Quote:
What I fear for most is that the design of the levels and assets is hurting players who choose not to use focus. Deus Ex 3 had some problems with this, where some items which would otherwise be very visible in the environments were obscured by the games poor lighting/shadowing and a lack of contrast in colors. Bioshock Infinite as well had a very poor use of contrast in assets and lighting to make items that the player would otherwise be attracted to very difficult to see in the environments without the highlight effect.
I played DXHR without object highlight, and I am playing Bioshock Infinte without it right now. I have no difficulty in finding interactive objects. They all have characteristic look, but sure they don't stand out from the environment, why would they? If you don't see them, you turn on the object highlight or at least snoop around more carefully. This is a kind of "have your cake and eat it" situation IMO.
Renzatic on 27/3/2013 at 19:45
Quote Posted by Judith
I played DXHR without object highlight...I have no difficulty in finding interactive objects.
Same here. DX:HR was perfectly playable without any of the interface fluff. I had absolutely no problem going without waypoint markers or frobbing highlights.
Though to play Devil's Advocate, I did have some problems doing the same thing with Dishonored. There were no maps of any kind in that game, and the characters never told you exactly where you needed to go. It was built with the assumption that you'd have these things on, and being able to disable them felt like an untested afterthought. It goes to show you that even if you can go helpful-hint free, that doesn't necessarily mean the game will be built to accomodate people who want to play that way.
heywood on 27/3/2013 at 22:10
There's not enough information for me to give a simple yeah/nay answer to this troll-poll. If focus is mana for a system of magic powers you acquire throughout the game, then I don't want it. I'm so, so tired of that. On the other hand, if the primary use of focus is to slow time, effectively making player actions like lockpicking, movement, and attacks faster, then I'm interested to see how it works.
Using focus for object highlighting is a side issue. As long as you don't see highlights in "normal" mode, or can turn them off, I don't really care if stuff glows blue when focused.
---------------
Renzatic,
Most of the levels in Dishonored had a map hanging on the wall or somewhere similar. They tended to cover one section or building rather than the street level, and they weren't really necessary to find your way around. One of the things I really liked about Dishonored was that it didn't lead you around and the levels weren't gratuitously signposted for the player. You were given enough information to find the target and you couldn't get really lost because the levels weren't that big or complex.
SubJeff on 27/3/2013 at 22:26
Seems fine to me. As presented by EM anyway, not via Vae's "translation" idiocy.
Quote:
Missing an "I don't care and this poll is a pointless, insulting trap" option.
QFT
I don't get the " it's only optional so far as the player choosing not to use it" angle.
This is true for many things in many games, including the DXHR cover system and also the DXHR machine gunning faces option. If the intention is to allow some greater player choice, and it doesn't alter the fundamentals, why should we care and why even bother saying this? Its an obsolete statement and a logical tautology.
Quote:
supersedes the players normal ability to complete standard tasks.
Again we come back the player skill/ability vs simulated skill/ability issue; playing as Garrett in Thief 1 already granted you simulated skills that exceed your normal abilities, like "stealth in darkness" or being able to climb a rope. I've been over this many times before on this forum but unfortunately I've lost the little piece I wrote on optional expansions to Garrett's abilities. I'll re-write it sometime because I think some people on this board need a reminder about the implementation of options.
thiefessa on 27/3/2013 at 23:46
Quote Posted by Subjective Effect
Seems fine to me. As presented by EM anyway, not via Vae's "translation" idiocy.
QFT
Seconded.
The limited respondent options are all too obvious. Guess I'll have to vote for zombie. :cheeky:
Vae on 28/3/2013 at 00:49
Quote Posted by retractingblinds
What I fear for most is that the design of the levels and assets is hurting players who choose not to use focus. Deus Ex 3 had some problems with this, where some items which would otherwise be very visible in the environments were obscured by the games poor lighting/shadowing and a lack of contrast in colors. Bioshock Infinite as well had a very poor use of contrast in assets and lighting to make items that the player would otherwise be attracted to very difficult to see in the environments without the highlight effect.
The problem with this, like regenerating health is it's another developer shortcut. Less work and testing involved in getting a playable product. The way they describe how it'll highlight drawers in desks with loot for example is troubling, does that mean people like me who prefer to not have to deal with that will be hammering away at every individual drawer looking for the ones we are allowed to interact with by the developers? Or will they take the route that's less lazy and make all drawers interactive? That's a lot of work there, and it seems unlikely that any developer these days is willing to go through with it.
They seem keen on developing uncertainty and doubt among thief fans, both are things which won't sell a product.
You make some good points that I am also concerned about. Hopefully, the design compromises will be minimal...but I suppose we'll just have to wait and see.
