100 réponses à ce sujet

[PatDaRat]

This is what I'd do. Suppose you're some hero in a medieval fantasy world. When you talk to other people, you'd be inclined to sheath your sword and take your helmet off. To be fair, there would be times when you wouldn't want to do these things, e.g. when there's a sense of urgency.

If these magical auras are actual visual representations of our characters in the world, then I think it would make sense that the character 'deactivate' them at least during dialogue, or maybe even after the battle, at the same time as when the fighters sheath their swords.

Now I don't mean the game actually deactivates the sustainable so that you have to click them back on again. But in the same way that your character can sheath a sword. The sword is still in your inventory weapon slot, he/she just isn't holding it at the time. I think it should be the same as with these sustainable powers.

So in that sense, there would be two levels. the level that represents what abilities their character has officially enabled in the quick bar. The second level would be whether the character has that ability 'activated' and would depend on the in game situation.

In a cutscene before a battle I think it would work. Fighters draw their swords and mages 'activate' their sustainables either at the very beginning of the fight or during the dialogue cutscene.

This way most of your dialogue/cutscenes don't have the VFX hanging around but would still make sense from an in game perspective.

Modifié par PatDaRat, 01 octobre 2010 - 12:37 .

[Selene Moonsong]

Hmmm... I see the VFX from spells and weapons as instrusive at best, annoying most other times.



I would be happy if the weapons effects were were faint when in use (held) and off when sheathed, I would be happy. The most obtrusive and annoying situation is when they are supposed to be sheathed and emmiting flames, lightning, or frost (as examples) and thos with light emitters are so bright that they light through everything, such as the characters, which spoils the VFX.



As far as spell VFX, if, in the description, they are identified as producing visible auras and such, I don't mind them so much, although I find them a bit overdone for the most part in DAO.



Off for conversations is a good start, and diminished brilliance makes it better visually when actively being used. But the way it was done in DAO had me going through and removing buffs and swapping weapons just to remove the VFX prior to starting conversations because the cinematic coversations are supposed to be about the characters, not the gaudy displays of magic an object may be embued with.

[svendigo]

By consistency argument alone, health bars, portraits and action tooltips should all be visible during cutscenes.

No? That's ridiculous? So is this idea.

[the_one_54321]

svendigo wrote...
By consistency argument alone, health bars, portraits and action tooltips should all be visible during cutscenes.
No? That's ridiculous? So is this idea.

What you're suggesting is ridiculous because the issue is with regard to what the character sees, not what the player sees. The character never sees any of the stuff your talking about. If the character also never sees the VFX then they don't need to be there in the first place. A small colored indicator would do just fine.

Selene Moonsong wrote...
The most obtrusive and annoying situation is when they are supposed to be sheathed and emmiting flames, lightning, or frost (as examples) and thos with light emitters are so bright that they light through everything, such as the characters, which spoils the VFX.

I couldn't care less about the fire, ice, or lightning when the weapons are floating in mid air behind the characters back. That needs to be addressed long before any weapon VFX are changed.

Modifié par the_one_54321, 01 octobre 2010 - 02:21 .

[Sherbet Lemon]

My first inaugural post on the forums! Yay, I’m so excited!



While I certainly empathize with your point of view, I’m going to have to echo a few that maintain the opposite view. I remember the first time my female mage Warden had “the” romance scene with Alistair. A tender moment turned into hilarity because she still had the rock armor going on, and I didn’t know when that scene was coming up. It was my first play through! My husband and I both died laughing because she looked like pigpen with all of the rocks falling off of her. It was really ridiculous. After that day, my husband would always make jokes about how unclean my Warden was.



So, in short, I’m glad the VFX’s won’t be there during those sorts of scenes, sorry. *meeples*

[AtreiyaN7]

What the...no, please no. Sometimes aesthetics should really win out over logic. I'm sorry, but I didn't particularly enjoy my arcane warrior Warden looking like a Fade spirit when conversing with someone. As cancerbaby said, yeah, you kind of see your Warden's eyeballs - it was just very, very weird. It's a lot easier pretending that I turned off my abilities in a cutscene than having to put up with my longsword looking like a giant bug-zapper during a serious conversation (lightning rune & all).

[the_one_54321]

The lightning bothered you more than the fact that it was magically floating in mid air behind you? Seriously??
To be blunt, if they change weapon VFX but leave the weapons as disembodied floating objects that would be just.... well, really stupid.

Modifié par the_one_54321, 01 octobre 2010 - 02:36 .

[AtreiyaN7]

the_one_54321 wrote...

The lightning bothered you more than the fact that it was magically floating in mid air behind you? Seriously??
To be blunt, if they change weapon VFX but leave the weapons as disembodied floating objects that would be just.... well, really stupid.

Well, the lightning sword bug-zapper was on my DW warrior actually. As far as I could tell, the sword on my back didn't look like it was floating around, but perhaps all the VFX were so distracting that I never noticed with all the auras, flames, sparkles, etc.

Modifié par AtreiyaN7, 01 octobre 2010 - 02:39 .

[the_one_54321]

I just think it's interesting that the term "supposed to be sheathed" has been thrown around when there were no sheaths for any weapons at all. There were just two things that I absolutely could not stop staring at when in conversation:

Floating weapons

Clipping armor



(seriously there was sooooooooo much clipping in the armor that I would feel forced to just stare at it during every conversation, they better have fixed that before looking at any VFX)

[AtreiyaN7]

the_one_54321 wrote...

I just think it's interesting that the term "supposed to be sheathed" has been thrown around when there were no sheaths for any weapons at all. There were just two things that I absolutely could not stop staring at when in conversation:
Floating weapons
Clipping armor

(seriously there was sooooooooo much clipping in the armor that I would feel forced to just stare at it during every conversation, they better have fixed that before looking at any VFX)

Ah, you meant the lack of sheaths. I didn't consider that a huge problem. My weapons could have been strapped to my back with monofilament fishing lines for all that I care about that issue. It would be nice to have a sword sheath or scabbard, but I don't consider naked semi-floating blades nearly as visually disruptive as your character being sparkly or see-through with floating eyeballs, etc.

This thread is not about the MIA sheaths or armor clipping, although the clipping issue is something that I have noticed (especially unfortunate in the kissing scene with Alistair).  This is supposed to be focused on the debate over keeping VFX in the cinematic scenes. Anyhow, I'm still in the "please leave the VFX out during conversations" camp of course, heh.

[pizoxuat]

the_one_54321 wrote...

I just think it's interesting that the term "supposed to be sheathed" has been thrown around when there were no sheaths for any weapons at all. There were just two things that I absolutely could not stop staring at when in conversation:
Floating weapons
Clipping armor

(seriously there was sooooooooo much clipping in the armor that I would feel forced to just stare at it during every conversation, they better have fixed that before looking at any VFX)

Get used to clipping armor.  Every game company has to make a choice on how much clipping is acceptable because unless you have  a single character who never changes their outfit, it is unavoidable.  And a certain level of clipping is usually accepted even in that case.

[the_one_54321]

A certain level of clipping I can ignore. But this was a HUUUUUUUGGGEEE problem. It was #2 on a very short list of things I flat out disliked about this game. Sometimes things will, clip? Fine. Armor pieces that cut well inside the actual bodies of every dwarf that wears them? And plate armor that looks like it was deliberately designed for the shoulders to clip? Too much. Much too much. I simply could not drag my eyes away from it.

[ProfessionalPirate]

well this might make others mad but i think all that is necessaryare the little unobtrusive icons down at the right part of the screen. for me that is enough. however i would like the VFX appearing once for a few second befor fading away to let you know that you have just activated a sustained ability

[ShrinkingFish]

Just for a quick word in edgewise. I fully support the move to completely turn off VFX during conversations. I always hated them in the first place and I especially hated them when people were talking to one another.



I couldn't help but think my character would have to stop and say "Please ignore all the shiny sparkles that keep floating around me. My bard is just singing a song right now and... well, you know how it is..."



I would also like to see them generally toned down throughout regular game play. I found myself often not using many of my more powerful abilities because the effects were so distracting.

[ShrinkingFish]

PatDaRat wrote...

This is what I'd do. Suppose you're some hero in a medieval fantasy world. When you talk to other people, you'd be inclined to sheath your sword and take your helmet off. To be fair, there would be times when you wouldn't want to do these things, e.g. when there's a sense of urgency.

If these magical auras are actual visual representations of our characters in the world, then I think it would make sense that the character 'deactivate' them at least during dialogue, or maybe even after the battle, at the same time as when the fighters sheath their swords.

Now I don't mean the game actually deactivates the sustainable so that you have to click them back on again. But in the same way that your character can sheath a sword. The sword is still in your inventory weapon slot, he/she just isn't holding it at the time. I think it should be the same as with these sustainable powers.

So in that sense, there would be two levels. the level that represents what abilities their character has officially enabled in the quick bar. The second level would be whether the character has that ability 'activated' and would depend on the in game situation.

In a cutscene before a battle I think it would work. Fighters draw their swords and mages 'activate' their sustainables either at the very beginning of the fight or during the dialogue cutscene.

This way most of your dialogue/cutscenes don't have the VFX hanging around but would still make sense from an in game perspective.

I like this idea. Good concept. Applies to aesthetics and the reality of the setting.

Modifié par ShrinkingFish, 01 octobre 2010 - 06:51 .

[J-Reyno]

Selene Moonsong wrote...

Off for conversations is a good start, and diminished brilliance makes it better visually when actively being used. But the way it was done in DAO had me going through and removing buffs and swapping weapons just to remove the VFX prior to starting conversations because the cinematic coversations are supposed to be about the characters, not the gaudy displays of magic an object may be embued with.

Aha, I wonder how many other people did this.

I would remove all of the buffs that had VFX before each and every little conversation, pausing to rotate through all of the characters and remove them just before I defeated the final enemy during a battle.  I remember doing this a lot in Awakening, especially.  And I could never stand to use weapons that were constantly alight with fire or lightning... or frost. -sigh-  Darn my roleplaying idiosyncrasy.

Side note: I hope that in DA2 the mages get a staff or two that surge with electricity or are alight with fire.  Now that I'm down with, perhaps even during cutscenes.

[Amioran]

Sylvius the Mad wrote...

Sure.  But given that, does that UI element need to be so big and distracting?  The VFX obscure large portions of the game window.  No other UI element would do that, so why do the VFX?

Considering what devs have said about it (David just moments ago) and for all the complaints that have come in the past about the issue, I think they are working on making the VFX less obtrusive. But this has no much to do with your thread, or only in part. Have you said only this then your concern could have been logical, the rest not so much.

[Akka le Vil]

David Gaider wrote...

In this case, while I get your pedantic desire to make everything consistent no matter how bizarre it might look

Consistency making things bizarre ?
Hu, isn't it the other way around ?

That's probably the first time I've heard that keeping things logical make them bizarre.

(note that I'm completely neutral on the VFX point, I just feel this statement absurd)

[Wittand25]

I see the whole glittering effects just as information for us players and not as something tha characters in the world even see.The moment that you leave battle and you don´t need to know who is taunting or who as extra defenses up etc the whole effects should be turned off. In combat when it is vital to know who generates hate and what kind of damage is caused I can accept the whole glittering mess but outside of combat it is just an annoyance and unnecessary.

[Sylvius the Mad]

the_one_54321 wrote...

That's just silly from a tactical standpoint, and I'm even talking role playing here. My sustainables were always set to autocast in my tactics. Even in towns.

My sustainables only autocast when my stamina/mana fell below a certain threshhold.

That way I didn't lose access to that stamina/mana.

Suppose Threaten reserves 20 stamina, and Shield Pummel uses 30 stamina, and your max stamina is 100...

If you have Threaten up at the start of the fight, that leaves you with 80 stamina.  Using Shield Pummel then drops you to 50

But, if you don't have Threaten up, you start with 100 stamina.  Shield Pummel then reduces you to 70, and then threaten reserves 20, but still leaves you with 70 stamina.

Having sustainables up at the start of combat is an inefficient use of resources.

[Sylvius the Mad]

distinguetraces wrote...

Sylvius the Mad: perversely contrarian since 2010!

David might say "since 1999".

[NKKKK]

Sylvius, stop taking the game too seriously.

[KLUME777]

Dave of Canada wrote...

My problem with the VFX was say... the Mage spell that made you a ghost. You'd be a ghost during the cutscene too, you'd be talking with people and you'd be see-through while doing it. Imagine the romance scene with ghost-Warden and Morrigan being set on fire (casting fireball on NPCs and talking with them lead to the fire persisting through the conversation)?

This happened to me literally. When i fought Zathrian in the werewolf lair, i set him on fire and the cutscene initiated, and during that big long cutscene where zathrian and the lady of the forest merge (or whatever), Zathrian was on fire.

[nightcobra]

KLUME777 wrote...

Dave of Canada wrote...

My problem with the VFX was say... the Mage spell that made you a ghost. You'd be a ghost during the cutscene too, you'd be talking with people and you'd be see-through while doing it. Imagine the romance scene with ghost-Warden and Morrigan being set on fire (casting fireball on NPCs and talking with them lead to the fire persisting through the conversation)?

This happened to me literally. When i fought Zathrian in the werewolf lair, i set him on fire and the cutscene initiated, and during that big long cutscene where zathrian and the lady of the forest merge (or whatever), Zathrian was on fire.

i have to admit though, seeing my dog with the fire enchantment made me laugh...hehe hotdog hehe:P

Modifié par nightcobra8928, 01 octobre 2010 - 03:39 .