Perspective

[Magnus]

Hello everyone! I just read about this new project and could not get over to this board fast enough. :)

I read the FAQ(It is very short) and I did not see anything with regards to the games perspective. Will it be over the shoulder 3d or will it be more like my beloved UO? I just want to know if I will need to buy some of those motion sickness patches to go behind my ears.

[Saint Faucet]

Back in Gratto's thread "Movement" (from September 7th), Rich and Rolfe stated that the game would be in a "first person point of view with keyboard/mouselook control".

There was also mention of a possible Diablo-style control, but that it was not on the "top of the to-do list."

[Cynycal]

i certainly hope that a 3rd person view will be available...because its my favorite...i like to see my character as he slaughters the thousands of innocents all throughout the land...i mean uh, as he dances with the wild flowers...yes thats it

[Kymeri mac An Iolar]

Having many different views to pick from is a good idea. I played UO and EQ and AC. EQ's ability to pick so many differents views and be able to set how close or far away the camera is, was great.

[Wrentia]

I'd like even more control over the camera views than EQ gives. I'd like to be able to zoom in on my own character for a close up without having to strategically place my character near an unmoveable object so the camera can be close....1st person view, overhead view (moveable up and down), 3rd person (diablo) view also moveable closer and further away, then a view that allows total camera movement...if I remember AC's beta well enough, they seem to be able to handle this quite well.

-Wrentia

[Kymeri mac An Iolar]

Yes, AC is probily the most versitile with camera views that I have seen. For some reason I just get motion sickness with the 1st person and I don't like the overhead view like diablo has. I generally like the over the shoulder view I was using in EQ.

[Lordosis]

Programming-wise, differnt camera views isn't hard to do. But someone (I forget who now) brought up the point that 3rd person camera can let you see behind you, etc. Places you shouldn't be able to see realistically. A behind the shoulder camera wouldn't be as big of a deal in this respect, but a full fledged roaming 3D camera could be a problem. I know firsthand the problems with EQ's 3rd person. I gave up on it early on, it was soooo frustrating trying to get the damn camera where I wanted it. Then I'd move my camera and I'd have to fix the camera again. It WON'T be like that, I assure you.

Basically, it's going to be a first person game, since it really draws you into the game the most. But we may add 3rd person since a lot of people are for it.

[Thirty]

First person is fine by me, BUT:

Sometimes we want to see what WE look like. No use going for a great look and everyone else but us gets to see it. You could make mirrors? Also, look down and see yourself if possible.

In first person, its often true that the only way to turn your head and look around is to turn your whole body. It would be nice to be able to just swivel your head (fast).

If we cant see them sneaking up, if they arent good at stealth, could we hear them?

[Wrentia]

Basicallt I want full support of moving a 3rd person camera around for the purposes of screen shots. Make it so that when in 3rd person mode, you are unable to start a fight until back in first person (or over the shoulder view for those dramimine poor people....:) )

I also like the idea of hearing people trying to sneak up on you. Sound can be a very important aspect of the game...the ability to hear a small tumbling rock that warns you an ambush is imminent would be very cool...

-Wrentia

[Thirty]

"...the ability to hear a small tumbling rock that warns you an ambush is imminent would be very cool... "

...the ability to hear a small tumbling rock that makes you THINK an ambush is imminent, but its just a scurrying rodent, would add a lot to atmosphere sometimes to ;)

A lil wind through the bushes and watch em all jump.

[Thirty]

Come to think of it, a scurrying rodent would sound different than say a stout twig snapping, which only happens when somone or something heavy steps on it. To really do this would mean a lot of sounds, so you would probably want to start small, footfalls for non stealthy people and critters, say, and no footfalls for stealthy ones. Throw in a few other sounds for atmosphere, wind gusts, rodents scurrying, animal noises, that sort. Smart trackers will know to move during the wind gusts to cover their noise.

Might even be possible to reduce the chance of being heard during wind gusts.

[UBIK]

Rich it was your "over icq" programming buddy.........which would be me, who brought up the unfair advantage with some camera angles and such

[BelDragos]

Would you have to disable your sound if you had a deaf character?

[Urborg]

I like the first person views in EQ for actual fighting and stuff. But i did like 3rd person views for goofing around and taking screenshots. I believe it was Shadowbane that i saw, where the characters were all in 3rd person and they were just so tiny that it didn't matter what you wore everything looked the same. "Hey Bill. Oh, sorry, Jill". I like my characters up close and personal.

As for sound, wouldn't small noises randomly caused by creatures and objects be kinda difficult to do? I'm no programmer, but that just seems like too much fluff. I kinda liked jumping out of my chair at 3am while running through a zone in EQ and then hearing "RARR!" as a Hill Giant crushes my skull. Sure it's not realistic, but it adds the same horror effect that Resident Evil does. The same kind where watching someone play is almost as much fun as playing it yourself.

If your character were blind, would you have to turn off your monitor? =)

[freejack]

I haven't seen this in any of the messages or in the FAQ section but can your character suffer a permanent injury? Let's say you get hacked in the arm, is there a possibility of you losing that arm? Inquiring mind(s) wants to know!

[Kymeri mac An Iolar]

I haven't seen any thing to that effect Freejack, I don't believe that there will be permanent injury

[fredrick]

I think permanent injury would be kind of cool (anyone else reminded of Battle Tech? :-).. though let's face it: A) noone wants to be walking around with 1 arm, 1 leg, no eyes, and 3 teeth once they reach lvl 15; so I don't think 'Permanent' can be.

On the other hand, this is a fantasy setting.. so I could see permanent injury which sticks with you until you raise the funds to go to a particularly powerful healer with the "regenerate" spell. (i.e. that regenerates as it's cast, and not over time)
Chances are just living in this mystic realm will give us some special regenerative abilities, and so given enough time we might restore those limbs anyway. (Maybe have a regenerate stat.. have it be race tied.)
It would definitly be cool though if we had a battle-tech style damage system.. take out their leg so they can't run as fast; an arm so they stop whacking on you.. etc.

Then again, that's a lot of extra programing, and it requires a totaly different battle engine than what is likely already developed. (Or at least what other online RPGs use) That would require a battle engine more like thief I think.

Well, it would be cool... but we'll have to see. Battle's only one aspect of a RPG, though in many people's opinions one of the more important ones AFA the interface is concerned.

[Kymeri mac An Iolar]

Aye, Fredrick, I think that would be way to complicated to do and would end up having a player who is affected with alot of down time. That is one of the things the brickhouse boys are trying to solve, so we don't have so much down time. We need to balance reality vs fun.

[BelDragos]

I agree it wouldn't be fun if you were that poor fighter who lost his sword arm unable to raise the cash to grow one back.