I've noticed NPC that you may encounter are always stationary. I've searched the forums and am sure this has been discussed, but just can't find it. Is this a development issue or a design choice? Similar games wherein you talk to a stranger to initiate a side quest move around. Heck they also have just random, non-story characters walking around too (e.g. Red Dead). Just curious and you guys know more about game development than I do. Thanks.
Why do people just stand still in ME universe?
Débuté par
stonbw1
, août 23 2011 03:18
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#2
Guest_The PLC_*
Posté 23 août 2011 - 03:20
Guest_The PLC_*
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NPCs moving around was something Bioware had to cut in ME2 because they had to make room for more romances. No word on ME3 yet.
#3
Posté 23 août 2011 - 03:28
ThePwener
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What? A lot of NPCs move in ME2. Pay attention. And if they didn't, why care? They're NPCs.
#4
Posté 23 août 2011 - 03:29
LilyasAvalon
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In ME1, it was most likely due to data limits and cost limits. I can't say what the reason for ME2 was, then again...
#5
Guest_The PLC_*
Posté 23 août 2011 - 03:29
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because it adds to the IMMURSION!!!!ThePwener wrote...
What? A lot of NPCs move in ME2. Pay attention. And if they didn't, why care? They're NPCs.
#7
Posté 23 août 2011 - 03:33
Rahmiel
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Did anyone ever play a voxel game called Outcast? It had a system in which npcs wandered around so you could ask any npc in the game, where so and so was. If the npc you were looking for is far away, the npc you're asking would likely be wrong, but have the general direction right. Their replies would be something on the order of.. "Oh yeah, he's working in the rice fields many steps to the north" or "yeah, he's right there" and point at the npc you're looking for.
It was fantastic. I was hoping more games would incorporate more of this. Being able to talk to any npc in the game, and asking them for directions was really awesome. I guess the only issue would be all the VO a big game like Mass Effect would require, given all the different aliens, and also all the people on the boards wanting unique voices for all the people talking. I can't remember too well in Outcast, but since you were on an alien world, I think all the aliens had a very similar or exactly the same voice.
It doesn't matter.. I loved that game, and I loved that system. Talk to any npc, and they'd give you directions, sometimes correctly, sometimes incorrectly. And all npcs moved around doing a job, it really made the world feel alive.
It was fantastic. I was hoping more games would incorporate more of this. Being able to talk to any npc in the game, and asking them for directions was really awesome. I guess the only issue would be all the VO a big game like Mass Effect would require, given all the different aliens, and also all the people on the boards wanting unique voices for all the people talking. I can't remember too well in Outcast, but since you were on an alien world, I think all the aliens had a very similar or exactly the same voice.
It doesn't matter.. I loved that game, and I loved that system. Talk to any npc, and they'd give you directions, sometimes correctly, sometimes incorrectly. And all npcs moved around doing a job, it really made the world feel alive.
Modifié par Memmahkth, 23 août 2011 - 03:34 .
#8
Posté 23 août 2011 - 03:34
ThePwener
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It's a waste of data. No matter how small the data is. Like we even noticed on the first playthrough.
#9
Posté 23 août 2011 - 03:36
Aaleel
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Living worlds have never been a strong suit of Bioware games.
#10
Posté 23 août 2011 - 03:37
Chewin
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Aaleel wrote...
Living worlds have never been a strong suit of Bioware games.
Yup.
#12
Guest_The PLC_*
Posté 23 août 2011 - 03:44
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Whoa there. Looks like someone forgot to leave their commom sense at the door! Shame on you!wetnasty wrote...
Because its a f****** video game.
#13
Posté 23 août 2011 - 03:46
Someone With Mass
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Meh. Never gave a rat's ass about the NPCs, anyway.
#14
Posté 23 août 2011 - 03:53
Catsith
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Because it's not important to Bioware, and it never has been. They do it in the Fable games.. and the Witcher games, all of Bethesda's games, and pretty much every other RPG series I can think of, but apparently Bioware just don't know how to do it or could care less about it.
#15
Posté 23 août 2011 - 03:57
wetnasty
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Catsith wrote...
Because it's not important to Bioware, and it never has been. They do it in the Fable games.. and the Witcher games, all of Bethesda's games, and pretty much every other RPG series I can think of, but apparently Bioware just don't know how to do it or could care less about it.
Then.. go play those games instead. Problem solved.
Next question?
#17
Posté 23 août 2011 - 04:02
Arkitekt
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Nothing to do with "game engine" or "processor power", obviously this is bollocks.
It all has to do with cinematics. Everytime you speak with someone you get a cinematic approach: the camera angles, the lighting, the position. If you are allowed to have these conversations in other "points" in the map, the camera may be completely off (inside walls, or other NPCs), the lighting completely atrocious, the movements incompatible with the surroundings. They plan each "talk" with all these things in mind, so of course you can't **** with this by having these NPCs wander in the game.
Besides, it doesn't break the immersion. Not for me at least.
It all has to do with cinematics. Everytime you speak with someone you get a cinematic approach: the camera angles, the lighting, the position. If you are allowed to have these conversations in other "points" in the map, the camera may be completely off (inside walls, or other NPCs), the lighting completely atrocious, the movements incompatible with the surroundings. They plan each "talk" with all these things in mind, so of course you can't **** with this by having these NPCs wander in the game.
Besides, it doesn't break the immersion. Not for me at least.
#18
Posté 23 août 2011 - 04:15
marshalleck
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This is correct. Bioware could do it if they felt it important to the experience, but they don't see it that way so they don't bother.Catsith wrote...
Because it's not important to Bioware, and it never has been. They do it in the Fable games.. and the Witcher games, all of Bethesda's games, and pretty much every other RPG series I can think of, but apparently Bioware just don't know how to do it or could care less about it.
Modifié par marshalleck, 23 août 2011 - 04:16 .
#19
Posté 23 août 2011 - 04:18
Someone With Mass
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Arkitekt wrote...
Nothing to do with "game engine" or "processor power", obviously this is bollocks.
It all has to do with cinematics. Everytime you speak with someone you get a cinematic approach: the camera angles, the lighting, the position. If you are allowed to have these conversations in other "points" in the map, the camera may be completely off (inside walls, or other NPCs), the lighting completely atrocious, the movements incompatible with the surroundings. They plan each "talk" with all these things in mind, so of course you can't **** with this by having these NPCs wander in the game.
Besides, it doesn't break the immersion. Not for me at least.
I'm never feeling like I'm immersed in a game, anyway. I'm not that gullible.
By the way, the squadmates will be walking around on the ship and gather in certain places in ME3. Taa-daa. Wish fulfilled.
Modifié par Someone With Mass, 23 août 2011 - 04:20 .
#20
Posté 23 août 2011 - 04:21
Arkitekt
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Oh so you actually believe that mass effect isn't your real life?
#21
Posté 23 août 2011 - 04:35
vehzeel
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A little movement is ok, but it sucks when important NPCs walk all over the place so it is hard to find them.
#22
Posté 23 août 2011 - 04:38
Naltair
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Probably for the benefit of players so you can quickly find who you need to talk to. Most games only emulate a living world as is, and NPC movement tends to be pretty basic as is. Overall it just gets annoying if you have to hunt down important character X because they decided to go wander the forest.
Basically player experience. sure some players love moving NPCs but many just want to advance the story and move on.
Basically player experience. sure some players love moving NPCs but many just want to advance the story and move on.
#23
Posté 23 août 2011 - 04:41
lazuli
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It's easier to animate NPC interactions with their environment, leading to more realistic dialogue and cutscenes, when the developers know where the NPC's will be. This is why all dialogue (if it can even be called that) in, say, Oblivion, is rather static and bland.
#24
Posté 23 août 2011 - 04:43
Cornughon
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Catsith wrote...
Because it's not important to Bioware, and it never has been. They do it in the Fable games.. and the Witcher games, all of Bethesda's games, and pretty much every other RPG series I can think of, but apparently Bioware just don't know how to do it or could care less about it.
Actually Morrowind just had stationary npc's, aside from the one who runs up to you and that one out-of-his-mind Khajit who ran away.
#25
Posté 23 août 2011 - 04:45
Naltair
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lazuli wrote...
It's easier to animate NPC interactions with their environment, leading to more realistic dialogue and cutscenes, when the developers know where the NPC's will be. This is why all dialogue (if it can even be called that) in, say, Oblivion, is rather static and bland.
Face zoom and the world freezes while talking always kind of bugged me.
