1. Voice chat. I never use it in an RPG game. You are an orc, and I refuse to let you sound like a 15 year old boy.
Good one! Yeah, that was a feature I had looked forward to and learned the lesson, "careful what you wish for!". The low quality of the VC which is either too loud and you can't hear anything else or too quiet and you can't hear what they're saying... not to mention the constant mouth breathing from the guy who can't be bothered to set up a PTT key...
Sweet! Our mighty Dwarven Tank is a 12 year old boy with asthma... :P
I don't mind voice chat sometimes. I understand it's necessary for certain guild, group or raid leaders to use it in order to facilitate faster communication. (I appreciate people who would rather take their time and type it out, have patience in general, enjoy the moment, etc.) However, it's never used like that and you end up with this,
"Okay, we're going to pull in a 30 seconds, Jake you take the right ..**INTERRUPTION!!**
"OMG, IS ANYONE WATCHING CBS RIGHT NOW HAHAHA"
"Loud Static"
"Multiple Mic Keys from 5+ users."
"Can anyone hear me?"
"Hey, I just got back from work, where are we at with the raid?"
"JONNY PUT THAT TOY AWAY AND GO TO BED."
etc..
And instead of typing up an announcement, like "Raid is starting in 15 minutes." and leaving it in the chat box for all to see, you end up with,
If you want immersion, choose a single-player game. MMO's are not immersive. Chat alone is an immersion wrecker. Even when chat is about the game, it isn't in character, just LFG etc...And when the Chuck Norris jokes start, time for the combat only tab.
If I had to really choose it would be raiding. I don't really play MMO's for the "roleplay" immersion though however when I used to raid the whole "playing-a-game" feeling went out the window and felt more like a statistics class utilizing excel spread sheets. Other then that not much else takes me out of the game. I play MMOs for what they are, video games with a lot of people, whether your generic name is Legolas or you prefer to type like a short bus rider it's all in good fun to me. People like to play how they want and I think that is something unique about MMOs. Or maybe I'm just too laid back and not uptight enough.
cartoonish world. You just can't immerse yourself with that. Guild chat- if I'm honest, this does. Timesinks- like travelling and having to form groups etc.
I know you can turn them off but i would like too see people stand around and talking next to eachother to highten the feel of a living more "realistic" world in mmo games.
No guild chat either. It would be cool to have a guild house and you had to either go there to be able to have private guild conversations. Whats your thoughts on this?
What would make your MMO experience better? ....And no im not an RP player.
Talking "face-to-face" in a MMO is just inefficient. No chat channel = you cannot shout trade to everyone, you cannot do lfg.
We are playing games here, I don't want realism. I want good fun gameplay.
voice chat, i hate voice chat. I dont want to listen to your whiny, mouth breathing. i dont want to read and HEAR you every time you feel the need to curse. voice chat was pushed for and added for those who like to cyber and its an evil that should have never been!!!!!111one!!!eleventy!
If an MMO could maintain the the depth of play and immersion of games like "The Witcher" I would be extremely happy. If it had, in addition, a combat system and skill tree system based on that of "The Witcher", as well, I'd be ecstatic.
If an MMO could maintain the the depth of play and immersion of games like "The Witcher" I would be extremely happy. If it had, in addition, a combat system and skill tree system based on that of "The Witcher", as well, I'd be ecstatic.
Meh, I loved everything about the witcher except the combat, the clicky controls drove me nuts.
I think I have a different interpretation of immersion than most people.
When people bring up "immersion breaking", they're invariably talking about the MMO equivalent of the fourth wall; the point where one becomes aware that the game world in which they are playing is not real. I don't believe that MMOs can have that level of immersion; there is always a suspension of disbelief due to the mechanics and limitations of the game.
Instead, I consider MMO immersion to be "that thing, where you're playing for hours and realise that you forgot to eat because you were just enjoying yourself too much." .. and the primary killer of that feeling for me is excessive downtime. I stop having fun when I'm forced to stop playing the game for an arbitrary (and usually unnecessary) reason.
Playing: EVE, Final Fantasy 13, Uncharted 2, Need for Speed: Shift
The only thing that really breaks immersion in an MMO for me is vent. There is nothing more immersion breaking than a hot elf mage with a voice of a 13 year old boy.
The only thing that really breaks immersion in an MMO for me is vent. There is nothing more immersion breaking than a hot elf mage with a voice of a 13 year old boy.
The Internet: Where men are men, Women are men,and children are the FBI.
Instead, I consider MMO immersion to be "that thing, where you're playing for hours and realise that you forgot to eat because you were just enjoying yourself too much." ..
I've done that much more in games like Civilization than I ever have with mmo's. I just don't see the immersion aspect of mmo's in comparison to single player games.
A lot has already been mentioned, like names, item shops, etc.
The biggest immersion killer in MMORPGs for me is rushing through content/dungeons and raiding. And especially the number crunching at later stages of the games. And no, I'm not really much of a RPer.
The immersion is killed for me when the game is poorly made.
Otherwise, I've got no problem fitting in to any community.
Playing: World Of Warcraft Resting From: Nothing Retired: EQ2, CoH, Tabula Rasa, SWG, Warhammer, AoC Waiting For: SWTOR, APB Love(d): Tabula Rasa, SWG, World Of Warcraft, Age of Conan
Honestly, its Real life. Generally speaking, When i play a game for 3-4 hours and I'm completely focus on it, then that is when i have the most fun. But when people keep calling/texting me or i have to use the bathroom or eat, I can tend to loose my immersion. Even if im sitting in a main city and chatting for a hour about random stuff, I have great immersion.
Hrm i guess the quick answer would be RL distractions.
No stinging penalty for dying kills immersion for me. Oh, there are other things as well, but when you find that you character's best and most painless way to cross a zone is to die and reappear at a bind spot or graveyard on the opposite end, then immersion suffers immensely.
Got to have that penalty to keep on your toes and to respect the game world. Otherwise, everything just feels nerfed.
for me it's PVP yeah i know i hate one the most popular features in mmo's today. like in WoW i spend hour completing quests to find all the npc dead. or quest that has you group with bunch npc's to have other faction player kill them and get quest failed. don't care if or group players failed at mission but to fail because some rude punk thats where i draw the line. that and pop up duel request"please ask first". i don't mind a duel now and then but when it interupts quests and my story immersion i can't stand it.
world of warcraft has become a huge turndown for me because of the constant dumbing down community of self-proclaimed 'elitists' and naysayers.
RP realms aren't really rp realms anymore with the flocking of thousands who believe 'rp realms are more mature' and breaking the little thread of immersion that was left in them.
Graphics
I've been spoiled by RPGs released within the last few years that improved on this aspect... I find games with more appealing and more realistic setting to give a much more immersive feeling, the only exceptions are games I had enjoyed before.
Comments
Good one! Yeah, that was a feature I had looked forward to and learned the lesson, "careful what you wish for!". The low quality of the VC which is either too loud and you can't hear anything else or too quiet and you can't hear what they're saying... not to mention the constant mouth breathing from the guy who can't be bothered to set up a PTT key...
Sweet! Our mighty Dwarven Tank is a 12 year old boy with asthma... :P
I don't mind voice chat sometimes. I understand it's necessary for certain guild, group or raid leaders to use it in order to facilitate faster communication. (I appreciate people who would rather take their time and type it out, have patience in general, enjoy the moment, etc.) However, it's never used like that and you end up with this,
"Okay, we're going to pull in a 30 seconds, Jake you take the right ..**INTERRUPTION!!**
"OMG, IS ANYONE WATCHING CBS RIGHT NOW HAHAHA"
"Loud Static"
"Multiple Mic Keys from 5+ users."
"Can anyone hear me?"
"Hey, I just got back from work, where are we at with the raid?"
"JONNY PUT THAT TOY AWAY AND GO TO BED."
etc..
And instead of typing up an announcement, like "Raid is starting in 15 minutes." and leaving it in the chat box for all to see, you end up with,
"Raid starting in 15 minutes people."
"Man this beer is good."
"When was the raid starting?"
"15 minutes"
"Hey, anyone know when the raid is starting?"
Etc.
If you want immersion, choose a single-player game. MMO's are not immersive. Chat alone is an immersion wrecker. Even when chat is about the game, it isn't in character, just LFG etc...And when the Chuck Norris jokes start, time for the combat only tab.
If I had to really choose it would be raiding. I don't really play MMO's for the "roleplay" immersion though however when I used to raid the whole "playing-a-game" feeling went out the window and felt more like a statistics class utilizing excel spread sheets. Other then that not much else takes me out of the game. I play MMOs for what they are, video games with a lot of people, whether your generic name is Legolas or you prefer to type like a short bus rider it's all in good fun to me. People like to play how they want and I think that is something unique about MMOs. Or maybe I'm just too laid back and not uptight enough.
Virtual items for sale in game via an itemshop. That kills the immersion for me, I will not play one of those digital stores .. I mean "game".
cartoonish world. You just can't immerse yourself with that.
Guild chat- if I'm honest, this does.
Timesinks- like travelling and having to form groups etc.
Talking "face-to-face" in a MMO is just inefficient. No chat channel = you cannot shout trade to everyone, you cannot do lfg.
We are playing games here, I don't want realism. I want good fun gameplay.
"A Snake Kicks YOU for 10 points of damage"
and
voice chat, i hate voice chat. I dont want to listen to your whiny, mouth breathing. i dont want to read and HEAR you every time you feel the need to curse. voice chat was pushed for and added for those who like to cyber and its an evil that should have never been!!!!!111one!!!eleventy!
MMO's have immersion?
If an MMO could maintain the the depth of play and immersion of games like "The Witcher" I would be extremely happy. If it had, in addition, a combat system and skill tree system based on that of "The Witcher", as well, I'd be ecstatic.
Meh, I loved everything about the witcher except the combat, the clicky controls drove me nuts.
I think I have a different interpretation of immersion than most people.
When people bring up "immersion breaking", they're invariably talking about the MMO equivalent of the fourth wall; the point where one becomes aware that the game world in which they are playing is not real. I don't believe that MMOs can have that level of immersion; there is always a suspension of disbelief due to the mechanics and limitations of the game.
Instead, I consider MMO immersion to be "that thing, where you're playing for hours and realise that you forgot to eat because you were just enjoying yourself too much." .. and the primary killer of that feeling for me is excessive downtime. I stop having fun when I'm forced to stop playing the game for an arbitrary (and usually unnecessary) reason.
Playing: EVE, Final Fantasy 13, Uncharted 2, Need for Speed: Shift
The only thing that really breaks immersion in an MMO for me is vent. There is nothing more immersion breaking than a hot elf mage with a voice of a 13 year old boy.
The Internet: Where men are men, Women are men, and children are the FBI.
I've done that much more in games like Civilization than I ever have with mmo's. I just don't see the immersion aspect of mmo's in comparison to single player games.
A lot has already been mentioned, like names, item shops, etc.
The biggest immersion killer in MMORPGs for me is rushing through content/dungeons and raiding. And especially the number crunching at later stages of the games. And no, I'm not really much of a RPer.
So we're all pretty much in agreement here.
It's the community that kills the immersion.
//sign me up.
youtube.com/gcidogmeat
The immersion is killed for me when the game is poorly made.
Otherwise, I've got no problem fitting in to any community.
Playing: World Of Warcraft
Resting From: Nothing
Retired: EQ2, CoH, Tabula Rasa, SWG, Warhammer, AoC
Waiting For: SWTOR, APB
Love(d): Tabula Rasa, SWG, World Of Warcraft, Age of Conan
Honestly, its Real life. Generally speaking, When i play a game for 3-4 hours and I'm completely focus on it, then that is when i have the most fun. But when people keep calling/texting me or i have to use the bathroom or eat, I can tend to loose my immersion. Even if im sitting in a main city and chatting for a hour about random stuff, I have great immersion.
Hrm i guess the quick answer would be RL distractions.
No stinging penalty for dying kills immersion for me. Oh, there are other things as well, but when you find that you character's best and most painless way to cross a zone is to die and reappear at a bind spot or graveyard on the opposite end, then immersion suffers immensely.
Got to have that penalty to keep on your toes and to respect the game world. Otherwise, everything just feels nerfed.
Instancing is my immersion breaker.
for me it's PVP yeah i know i hate one the most popular features in mmo's today. like in WoW i spend hour completing quests to find all the npc dead. or quest that has you group with bunch npc's to have other faction player kill them and get quest failed. don't care if or group players failed at mission but to fail because some rude punk thats where i draw the line. that and pop up duel request"please ask first". i don't mind a duel now and then but when it interupts quests and my story immersion i can't stand it.
The community
world of warcraft has become a huge turndown for me because of the constant dumbing down community of self-proclaimed 'elitists' and naysayers.
RP realms aren't really rp realms anymore with the flocking of thousands who believe 'rp realms are more mature' and breaking the little thread of immersion that was left in them.
Graphics
I've been spoiled by RPGs released within the last few years that improved on this aspect... I find games with more appealing and more realistic setting to give a much more immersive feeling, the only exceptions are games I had enjoyed before.
Names like Ikillu or Stabbymcstabstab. Stupid names like that ruin it for me a lot of the time.
That Guild Wars 2 login screen knocked up my wife. Must be the second coming!
Usually when player's wear clown suits ie the green pants,purple tops, yellow hats/helms etc. Obviously dressed in the most jaring way.
Way over the top oversized weapons.