Re: [Official!] Project Horizons Comment Crew Chat thread.

[Guest]

Finished an interesting book called "Dark Lord of Derkholm." It's a clever sort of post-fantasy story about an eccentric wizard and his family. Hard to explain the plot. The prose is worth consideration - very spare, very unfeeling, which makes the characters hard to get a feel for sometimes and occasionally blunts parts that you'd think would be brutal to read. I think it was meant for younger audiences. It's still a pretty biting satire, though.

Also, have a Machine Head cover of "Our Darkest Days / Bleeding." Song is hardcore punk, but it's definitely on the more rock/metal end of the spectrum.

[Guest]

Random thoughts on health bars and things of that nature:

[OneMoreDaySK]

Numbers are the easiest indicator in any type of game, as it relays information quickly to the player. It's nice to have a more immersive game, but when coding, it's a whole lot easier to have a HUD for bullet count as opposed to coding in the ability to check your mag. Can't really have visual indicators in an FPS. I mean they do try with the black and white flashing and limp speed in L4D. Immersion and how 'real' a game is is going to be center of debate for the gaming community for a long time. If you're going to talk about the software aspects, you're gonna have to bring up hardware as well. Nintendo tried for a deeper immersion with it's Wiimotes, but as you can see, most gamers have been preferring the controllers. New tech is being developed, but at this stage it's going to try and have the gimmick as the selling point, and not anything about how deep an immersion game is going to get. Look at ARMA 2. They put a lot of effort into making those gun physics real, but not too many people play that, as opposed to say L4D2.  There is always going to be need for balancing the reality of a game to what people find fun.

My two cents on the mattter.

[Guest]

That's fair enough, though I don't think having an immersive game is exactly the same is having a realistic game.

That would make fantasy games, science fiction games and hell just games with a supernatural twist by default non immersive.

Generally speaking a lot of fantasy games are RPGs, strategy games or they have elements of one or the other. These games are impossible to remove numbers from, they usually involve a ton of them and the player needs access to them to make various choices in the game. These games get a pass, there's nothing that can be done.

And I can agree with the reasons from a budget standpoint. It' gotta be a lot cheaper then making a visual or audio clue to let the player get at his/her information.

However I'm going to bring up Bioshock. This game has a plasmid system as I'm sure a lot of you know. When Jack is low on eve the game let's you know in two ways. The first is the blue bar. It will be empty if you're out. The second is Jack's wrist goes limp, that bar is actually redundant.

Now L4D2 and Arma, honestly the reason people play L4D2 more is because their friends have it. Correct me if I'm wrong but Arma 2 is a multiplayer only game like L4D2 right? I definitely don't represent everybody, but buying a multiplayer game that none of my friends own is not something I'd do personally. Unless it was free. Immersion in my opinon isn't really a factor many people take into account when buying a game.

Though at the same time it's really strange to see companies turn off HUDs for game expos. The reality is they do this to make the game look as good as possible, but it always manages to get my hopes up.

[Scienza]

@Realism It depends on what you're trying to achieve. If you have an incredibly realistic military simulator with every single component of the firearm modeled and operating using real-world physics, sure, a health bar breaks immersion. On the other hand, if you have, say, an arcade shooter, not knowing how much health you have is pointless and possibly game-breaking. There are even games where, because of the setting or context, it's arguably more realistic to display a health bar (such as any game where the character has an actual HUD for their power armor). Games are a diverse buffet, and what amplifies immersion in one will undoubtedly break it in another.

Also, then there's Jurrasic Park: Tresspasser, one of the most hilariously broken attempt at game realism. It's Surgeon Simulator-esque hand controls made it nigh-impossible to actually do anything and the player literally has to stare down their own tits in order to check their health.

[Moodyman90]

My final is an hour and a half away, should I have a breakdown now or later?

[Guest]

My final is an hour and a half away, should I have a breakdown now or later?

worst joke:

[Moodyman90]

I'm usually fine up until an hour or so before something like a final starts, then I'm all "I can't have a breakdown now, I need to keep it together."

[Guest]

Also, then there's Jurrasic Park: Tresspasser, one of the most hilariously broken attempt at game realism. It's Surgeon Simulator-esque hand controls made it nigh-impossible to actually do anything and the player literally has to stare down their own tits in order to check their health.

I need to see this game in action.

[Moodyman90]

Its a sight to behold Last. The games melee weapons do no damage because they had a problem with people killing themselves because when it not being used its on your back and hits you.

Firearms are limited and crap as well, and everything is trying to kill you because it was the only way to get the dinosaur to do anything and not freeze up.

[Guest]

Also, then there's Jurrasic Park: Tresspasser, one of the most hilariously broken attempt at game realism. It's Surgeon Simulator-esque hand controls made it nigh-impossible to actually do anything and the player literally has to stare down their own tits in order to check their health.

I need to see this game in action.

Here ya go bud.

[Harmony Ltd.]

Let's imagine I wanted to taste Iron Maiden

Where should I begin? What would be a good introduction to their work?

[Ironmonger]

@Harmony

You could start with their album "Piece of Mind". One of their more popular songs known as "The Trooper" is from that album.

[Harmony Ltd.]

Tanks.

Lots of them.

Kekekeke

[Valikdu]

Also, then there's Jurrasic Park: Tresspasser, one of the most hilariously broken attempt at game realism. It's Surgeon Simulator-esque hand controls made it nigh-impossible to actually do anything and the player literally has to stare down their own tits in order to check their health.

I need to see this game in action.

Here. Full LP playlist.

...Oh, yes. It was to be the visual Crysis of its time, coupled with the awesome "V-Life" mechanics to rival Oblivion Lost. What a shame.

Let's imagine I wanted to taste Iron Maiden

Where should I begin? What would be a good introduction to their work?

Either at the beginning (I did that), or with The Number Of The Beast (when the current and most definitive vocalist joined the band). I think.

Or you can be a deviant and start at The X Factor.

[Katarn]

Apparently Chinese is sexual orientation...

Spoiler:

[Guest]

@Tresspasser

Oh my god. It's glorious, how have I not heard of this before?

[Guest]

I don't know why but yes it's great.

[Guest]

@Iron Maiden
The Number of the Beast has a lot of classic songs on it and is in general a great album. Their newer stuff is probably more accessible - I've heard it likened to prog rock, and it's not a bad description - so, if you're into that, I'd say go with Brave New World.

[Moodyman90]

Well thats my final out of the way. Got a decent price for my book and sometime next week I should get my degree in the mail. Been going to this " two year" college since fall of '08 so its about time I got something from it. Most of my friends already left or went to other places and it'll soon be to the point were it would just be creepy making friends with the new students.

[Guest]

@swicked
Wish I could offer some advice, but I'm still in college for a few weeks yet and am not in any case very good at getting out there and making friends and all that. It sounds like a shitty situation. If you're into theater, you might see about local community theaters in your area - seems like they're always looking for actors and whatnot.

[Moodyman90]

Well thats my final out of the way. Got a decent price for my book and sometime next week I should get my degree in the mail. Been going to this " two year" college since fall of '08 so its about time I got something from it. Most of my friends already left or went to other places and it'll soon be to the point were it would just be creepy making friends with the new students.

It took you six years to get a degree? Did you change majors?

Eeyups, three times in fact. Also not helping was that I wasn't a full time student for three semesters, only taking one class during the fall for three years instead of the minimum of four to be considered a full time student.

[RoboRed]

For the record, I would like to state that it is difficult to concentrate on an exam when your bladder decides to fill up halfway though taking it.  

Thankfully, the professor let me go.

lastbait:

[Guest]

For the record, I would like to state that it is difficult to concentrate on an exam when your bladder decides to fill up halfway though taking it.  

Thankfully, the professor let me go.

lastbait:

Ooo I like that Crysie

[Guest]

[Tytan]

Lastbait:

[Scyto Harmony]

Ironlulz?:

[O. Hinds]

pity-party:

Sorry, swicked.

[Scienza]

This is hilarious in almost every possible way.

[Scienza]

This is hilarious.

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