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What affects immersion?
happyiksar
Member Posts: 125
Just want to see what you think makes a game immersive..
When I played EVE for a week or two, I noticed that the game was way more immersive than other MMORPGs I've played.
Some things that made the game immersive:
The Music.. EVE probably has the best soundtrack of any newer MMORPG. Just listening to the soundtrack, it's like you are in outer space, like the middle of nowhere...
Lack of NPC interaction, hand holding etc.
The immersion in EVE was about on the same level as in EQ, which also had an amazing soundtrack (each town had memorable music that would cue when you get in radius) and little hand holding.
Comments
IMO one of the things that made EQ so immersive was the first person view, you where your character, MMoRPGs just dont do it anymore and people dont know what they are missing, btw it has to be a view that includes seeing your hands, weapons swinging, spells going off, etc, not just a view in empty space from eye level.
Godz of War I call Thee
Immersion is a choice.
Yeah, first person view was amazing. It was real, you have real Line of Sight instead of having some kind of 360 view that you have in newer games. That's totally unrealistic. I can't do that in real life...
They need to force first person view on everyone, and don't give any other options.. otherwise people using first person would just be at a disadvantage. Other views just ruin the game.
Pretty much everything. The amount of customization/depth in the game (IE: Things to do besides killing x looting y), the art style, the sound, hell even the way zones are laid out. Players effect immersion greatly too. Nothing kicks immersion in the ass faster than seeing someone with their pants on their head dancing on top of an NPC with the name "TOUCHMAHBALLZ!" Immersion is pretty much the sum of all the games parts and how well they come together, but it's also minus all its flaws.
Bans a perma, but so are sigs in necro posts.
EAT ME MMORPG.com!
I don't really agree with that. Some games I log into and it all feels fake. Other games, i feel like i'm there. Hours can pass by in no time at all. EVE and EQ are immersive games, I didn't have a choice. Everything about those games are immersive.
I'll have to agree with this. Since I left EQ I've not played a fantasy MMO with a good first person perspective.
Doktar - 70 Troll Priest - Perenolde
I agree. And while I am now accustomed to, and prefer, 3rd person view, I admit the 1st person view was much more immersive.
For me its all about how much I can get into my char. If I can get into my char, a lot of other stuff becomes irrelevant. A case in point was AoC. When the game started out by providing a backstory to MY char, and even worse essentially the same back story as every other char in the game, it kinda doomed a lot of the game for me.
Give the players the freedom to be WHO they want to be, and they'll forgive a lot.
In a word: everything.
The same things that create it, affect it.
That is exactly right, and we're not saying NO to save WoW, because it is already a lost cause. We are saying NO to dissuade the next group of greedy suits who decide to emulate Blizzard and Cryptic, etc.
We can prevent some of the future games from spewing this crap, but the sooner we start saying no, the better the results will be.
So - Stand up, pull up your pants, and walk away.
- MMO_Doubter
A great MMORPG that does it's job right immerses you whether you like it or not.
"Mr. Rothstein, your people never will understand... the way it works out here. You're all just our guests. But you act like you're at home. Let me tell you something, partner. You ain't home. But that's where we're gonna send you if it harelips the governor." - Pat Webb
For me, it's the story. Who am I and why am I in this world? I like the little things explained. How am I able to resurrect after dying? Whats my part in this interactive, everdeveloping story? Asheron's Call and Anarchy Online did these things pretty well. But most games don't bother. You die and simply restart at a certain point. That kind of thing is an immersion killer for me.
Yes! Whenever I play any MMO that can zoom into 1st person, I'm always disappointed to not see my character's hands/arms, which makes me NOT want to be in 1st person... Ever. It just seems like I'm missing something.
/pedant
Games affect immersion.
Or did you mean effect?
/pedant
Everything effects immersion on some level, for me, but character customization, graphics, lore and in-world explanations of game mechanics definitely compose the top five in some order.
Immersion Building:
Story
Little Graphical Attention to Details (sewer rats scamping around, nice use of grass, foiliage, etc...)
Tools for expression
Consistency in design and execution
Immersion Destroying:
g@||D0|F, DriZZZt, lK57s83jsl, Obama4Prez, etc...
Endless attempts to Cyber
Double Jump
Swords roughly 23x larger and longer than your entire body length.
Next to naked warrior chicks walking like they have a stick up their bum.
Nice summary.
I would add to 'double jump,' though, the ability to bunny-hop without penalty. Bunny-hopping is why jumping needs to consume stamina and/or be slower than running.
Instances and restrictions destroy immersion. They can, however, lead to some having a more enjoyable gaming experience.
Immersion factors:
1. Music and sound effects. AoC, Lotro, EQ2, and WoW do this well.
2. Visceral feel of combat and movement. WoW and AoC do this right.
3. Story. Not quest text but actual cut scenes, phasing, and cinematics. FFXI, Lotro, AoC and WoW do this well. EQ2 does not.
4. Open World, with tons of exploration areas. LOTRO and WoW do this right, EQ2, AoC and many others do not.
5. Last but not least, Monster AI. Monsters that just sit there and don't come with their friends ruin immersion. I'm looking at you Warhammer. Monsters should have surprising pathing moves and behaviors. FFXI does this perfectly.
On a side note to some of the comments above. I and my friends do not like forced first person view. It can be an option or even the main view but 3rd person should also be an option so as to not shun player preferences. These are MMORPGs not single player games. Need to cater to as many as possible if you want them to succeed.
For PvP-focused games, unfortunately, it is not that simple. But otherwise I agree.
For me, Setting and freedom of chracter progression (skill systems).
Playing: Rift, LotRO
Waiting on: GW2, BP
Sound effects and music always completely alter the experience of the viewer, whether it is games or films. Large portions of a lot of films actually involve nothing of interest visually but slap on a sinister sound track and the viewer finds themself staring at the screen expectantly. Change that soundtrack to something else and its like watching a different movie.
The OP mentioned the music in EVE. It had the same effect on me too. It really evoked the feeling of being in space which helped me get into the game......even though most of the time I wasnt really doing anything. That coupled with the nice visuals made it quite dreamlike to play sometimes.
I also totally agree with the above posters who say they enjoyed the first person view in EQ. If a game detaches you visually from your character then it stands to reason that you will feel less involved in the action. This isnt always the case though. I found Risen to be very immersive and thats played from a third person view.
Fluid and intuitive controls help with immersion a lot as well. If you have to fiddle a lot and keep staring at the keyboard then its naturally going to detract from immersion. This is why I often find the Battlefield games to be very involving to play. It really puts me into the shoes of the soldier.
Decent realistic graphics with good lighting, a high level of detail and fluid animations also help a lot.
I'm currently close to finishing the new Stalker game (Call of Pripyat) and I have found it to be very immersive. It can seem a bit odd and disjointed at times but in most cases it absolutely oozes atmosphere. Creeping through a ruined city as the sun sets, hearing a gust of wind blow leaves across your field of view and actually seeing those leaves scatter about can really make you feel like you're there. Then gradually clouds start to form overhead and shortly afterwards it starts to rain. On other days the sun is out and everything looks wonderful. So yeah.....I suppose I could add "a decent and realistic weather system" to the list. Then you hear the sounds of wild dogs barking and see a pack of them darting from a building in the distance. Knowing that the pack of dogs is not a scripted event and they actually "live" in the world and can randomly encounter and get into scuffles with other denizens that roam around really helps to bring the world to life. Nothing stays still in "the zone" so you might clear out a mutant lair one day in an old abandoned fueling station and for days it will remain empty. Then one day later you might be passing the same place and find that more mutants have taken up residence......or a group of bandits have moved in.
I also noticed something else which helps immersion which I NEVER get from any mmo. In Stalker there is no grind. It doesnt have levels or stats and killing things doesnt make you more powerful. I dont gain anything from killing mutants. Why would I? I really like this as it allows me to behave as I would in real life. There were various instances where I chose to make a detour to avoid a large pack of mutants as it was safer and also saved my ammunition. In an mmo I would be thinking about exp points and loot. In this game I am always trying to get somewhere or achieve a certain goal. I'm not playing the game to "level up". I'm playing the game to play the game. Oh yeah and thats another thing. NPCs that react to things you have done.......that helps immersion a lot.
The other reason I find it immersive is because there are no players with silly names floating over their heads, running and jumping around in an unnatural way.........oh and no chat channels with "level 10 mage lfg doomlord quest" scrolling by. EVE is the only mmo I remember playing in which this annoyance didnt accur because all the ships moved as I would expect them to and the menus and chat channels fitted perfectly with the setting.
All of these reasons is why I dont play any of the current mmos. They are all so severely lacking in all the features that make a game immersive for me that I just dont feel like bothering with them. Thats why I tend to stick with FPS or single player rpgs for immersion.
For me it is realism. If I am able to ressurect and lore characters are unable too, there better be a valid explanation. (Lotro had the best explanation for this with morale).
World size also have a major effect on my immersion, if the nearest village to a capital is within a minutes run, it just feels like I'm touring around disneyland (For example, Goldshire is right next to Stormwind).
If a certain metal is meant to be specail, it better be hard to obtain. If everyone is running around with mithril swords, the metal doesn't feel specail at all (And honestly, Hitting someone with a steel sword has to hurt just as much as being hit by one of another metal).
Travel methods can pull me out of the game also. If I am able to teleport while the NPC's have to ride their horses or go through a certain specail portal, it better be a rare thing. Same thing goes for mounts (I'm looking at you wow...), if everyone is riding dragons, it just feels weird.
Make it so...
Alts ruin immersion for me. Thats not to say I dont have any, but it does stop me fully developing one character.
PAST: UO-SWG-DAOC-WOW-DDO-VG-AOC-WAR-FE-DFO-LOTRO-RIFT-GW2
PRESENT: Nothing
FUTURE: ESO
music - graphic - hard game - that is what make my immersion-
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Level of immersion depends on type of game I play and reason for playing it.
I like and play all sorts.
I've played EQ, AC, DAOC, AO, E&B, SB, CoX, FFXI, WoW, FE, DF, ect... my list is up there.
All of said games have redeeming qualities of their own at which I enjoyed at one point and time for one reason or another.
So what do I think makes a game immersive?
The users imagination.
I rolled 20, 10, 8, 6, and 4 sided die on top of $200 worth of hardback books, adjusting THAC0, and scribbling on paper with my mechanical pencil the gear my totally imaginary characters had, all the while feeling more immersed than compared to what I ever was in any MMORPG.
"There is only one thing of which I am certain, and that's nothing is certain."
I can't agree more, especially the character names part. Can't believe some people actually make names like this, it's just......gah. Also breaks the whole immersion when "xXxSasukexXx" stops next to you and say "lulz, giv gold?"......dang it.