icemann on 17/5/2017 at 09:35
Quote Posted by Abysmal
There's no more a feeling of "being there" in Thief or System Shock than any other decent first-person game.
Alien Isolation has that, and then some. It's the first game I've played since System Shock 2 that has given me that same feeling.
PigLick on 17/5/2017 at 10:12
Been playing SS1 again, and I must admit, it doesnt do sim as well as the UUW1+2 games.
still a great game though.
icemann on 17/5/2017 at 10:49
Still great. It's just super different to the sequel. I wonder which way they'll go with the 3rd entry.
Thirith on 17/5/2017 at 11:39
Even though I was an Ultima fan, the Underworld games never quite clicked for me, and I don't think I even finished the first one. For some reason, they also didn't make me feel like I was there (as much as this is possible), whereas System Shock did. I suspect that part of it was the tiny first-person viewscreen showing you where you were; what feels like 2/3 of the screen is basically UI.
PigLick on 17/5/2017 at 11:55
yeh pretty much limitations of the tech at the time. And also the arse movement system with the mouse instead of a freelook, which admittedly wasnt a thing in the day.
UUW2 especially had an amazing amount of depth, anyone remember the Watcher?
Starker on 17/5/2017 at 12:20
Yeah, you have to consider the time they were made. Did Underworld make you feel more like you are there than Wolfenstein 3D? Did System Shock make you feel more like you are there than Doom? Did Thief make you feel more like you are there than Half-Life?
Quote Posted by SplitterTrace
Then most modern open world sandbox games would be immersive sims. Wouldn't it?
Many games like the modern Far Cry games, Dying Light, and the GTAs allow for unpredictable results since due to interacting game systems/mechanics/physics.
Far Cry 2, absolutely.
Thirith on 17/5/2017 at 12:36
Quote Posted by Starker
Yeah, you have to consider the time they were made. Did Underworld make you feel more like you are there than Wolfenstein 3D? Did System Shock make you feel more like you are there than Doom? Did Thief make you feel more like you are there than Half-Life?
For me it's more that there was a certain threshold before which the tech simply wasn't there yet, and for me that threshold was crossed with
System Shock. It's not just technology, though; it's also, and perhaps more so, things like level design. Citadel Station felt like a place, more so than many later, more technically advanced games, whereas the dungeons of
Ultima Underworld gave me less of a 'being there' feeling than the 2D, isometric
Ultima VII did. The first-person perspective itself didn't outweigh other elements for me.
PigLick on 17/5/2017 at 13:15
I have a pretty active imagination, I dont need a lot to get me going. Things like Doom were great to play, but I didnt think about the world it set in after I had played it, unlike LGS games. So i guess world building is the most important thing for me?
PigLick on 17/5/2017 at 13:32
would be interested to hear what your MOST IMMERSIVE game(s) of all time is. For me two games come to mind and its purely a timing and enviromental thing. Firstly gta3 San Andreas, and then arma2 DayZ. If there were real life versions of those games you could drop me in anywhere and I would know exactly where I was. Sad? possibly
wait I meant: sad? Possibly!
Jason Moyer on 17/5/2017 at 21:19
Giant Bomb's list of the characteristics of an immersive sim is about as good as anything I've seen:
Quote Posted by GIANT BIZZOMB
Immersion in an elaborate and believable game world.
Simulation: physics and AI are used to create believable behavior in objects and characters which the player can freely interact with, resulting in 'emergent gameplay'.
First-person perspective so as to truly look through the eyes of the protagonist.
Game design that allows for multiple paths and/or multiple solutions in every situation.
A systemic game world that keeps track of the player's actions, which can affect the "whole" game.
open-ended/non-linear game design with an emphasis on choice and consequence.
Full control over the player's character in every situation.
A world with consistent rules that the player can interact with.
Narrative that is not always forced on the player, but instead can be told through exploration and gameplay at that players will.
No fail states, beyond player death.
They also point out that not every immersive sim checks every box, but they should check most of them.
