78 réponses à ce sujet

[SimonTheFrog]

I forgot to mention:

 

"Story" is not just dialogs, cinematics and codex entries. Story can very well be told by environment itself. Also, the next cinematic you trigger may "feel" very different depending on what you did before that. If you just traversed a very dangerous and hostile area but came out on the other side alive, crawling on all four, the next cinematic should take that into account. Your gameplay is the story, not just the cutscenes.

 

At least that what it should feel like. In contemporary, good games, it does.

[Bacus]

I like to see everyone expressing their opinions in this matter.

 

Now, I would like to partake, and give you guys a general glimpse of my idea.

 

Exploration, should be directly linked to the “tech” we are supposed to have with our toon. For instance if we are on our space ship we could receive an SOS, go and check out a stranded ship (like on ME1) but with more goodies, different ambience, different styles, and different issues.

The other main idea, would be going to planets, this would be broader in scale compared to those that would happen in closed ships (you could open the ship parts a little with added spacewalk (Jos this is your area). On planets you could land and set up a base of operations, set up a beacon and start gathering data, get some Signals coming and going and you could go and check them out. No pick up quests though, and by the love of God, no “bring my space cow that ran away!”

The main thing to make this stuff work would be a good story and mystery for each “signal”. When you board a ship with an active SOS but find no one, you start collecting the evidence. Or going into a mining facility looking for clues, as to how the drill got sabotaged and all the asari died. To make it more immersive I would add more dialogue, and by dialogue I mean real dialogue with interrupt options –if need be-, good cameras and not that half-done dialogue that we came to know in DA:I.

Minigames are something cool for the firsts playthoughts, but they can be annoying when replaying the game again and again. Take ME2 for instance, the hacking. Starting up the game I LOVED it but now it feels annoying. The solution given on Me3, was ok with me.

To sum it all up:

·         Exploration is not just that, there should be a good story behind it

·         With a good story and good tools to tell that story, this could turn up to be awesome!

·         Dialogue options could only reinforce this side quests, like those on ME1 (the rachni experiments by Cerberus, the missing soldiers, the terrorists, and so forth)

·         Different envirnments would only add awesomeness to this idea. 

[Vortex13]

I like to see everyone expressing their opinions in this matter.

 

Now, I would like to partake, and give you guys a general glimpse of my idea.

 

Exploration, should be directly linked to the “tech” we are supposed to have with our toon. For instance if we are on our space ship we could receive an SOS, go and check out a stranded ship (like on ME1) but with more goodies, different ambience, different styles, and different issues.

The other main idea, would be going to planets, this would be broader in scale compared to those that would happen in closed ships (you could open the ship parts a little with added spacewalk (Jos this is your area). On planets you could land and set up a base of operations, set up a beacon and start gathering data, get some Signals coming and going and you could go and check them out. No pick up quests though, and by the love of God, no “bring my space cow that ran away!”

The main thing to make this stuff work would be a good story and mystery for each “signal”. When you board a ship with an active SOS but find no one, you start collecting the evidence. Or going into a mining facility looking for clues, as to how the drill got sabotaged and all the asari died. To make it more immersive I would add more dialogue, and by dialogue I mean real dialogue with interrupt options –if need be-, good cameras and not that half-done dialogue that we came to know in DA:I.

Minigames are something cool for the firsts playthoughts, but they can be annoying when replaying the game again and again. Take ME2 for instance, the hacking. Starting up the game I LOVED it but now it feels annoying. The solution given on Me3, was ok with me.

To sum it all up:

·         Exploration is not just that, there should be a good story behind it

·         With a good story and good tools to tell that story, this could turn up to be awesome!

·         Dialogue options could only reinforce this side quests, like those on ME1 (the rachni experiments by Cerberus, the missing soldiers, the terrorists, and so forth)

·         Different envirnments would only add awesomeness to this idea. 

 

 

Well if we're talking about specific environments I would like to see a "Zero G"/Spacewalk mechanic similar to Dead Space 3

 

 

 

 

It would be cool if we had an area that took place entirely in orbit, or outside of a derelict space station. Using the environment of such a scenario would make for good investigation quests. Maybe a derelict ship has been found and you have to work your way into the wreckage to find out what happened?

 

 

And even though I loath fetch quests as much as the next guy, at least in a situation like this, it would make slightly more sense. "Our life support is damaged and we have to work through this derelict to find a replacement oxygen supply." Things that help tie into the fact that space is huge, and you are very, very small and vulnerable floating in the black void. Running from one end of a debris field to another to gather components might not be the best thing in the world, but putting said debris field in space, and making so that those objects you are gathering are necessary for your continued survival would make it more tolerable, as well as bring the environment you are operating within to the forefront of your mind.

 

 

Gathering life sustaining supplies, while floating in the vacuum of space >>>>>>>> wandering around a valley, collecting flowers.

[SimonTheFrog]

So much hate for the Druffalo quest

 

I mean, yes, it takes longer than other quests and that stupid thing can't walk straight but i thought it was cute. I enjoyed doing it. And anyhow, if you think it's annoying don't do it, its absolutely non-essential.

[Vortex13]

So much hate for the Druffalo quest

 

I mean, yes, it takes longer than other quests and that stupid thing can't walk straight but i thought it was cute. I enjoyed doing it. And anyhow, if you think it's annoying don't do it, its absolutely non-essential.

 

 

The completionist in me can't let a quest sit there undone. 

[SimonTheFrog]

I understand that... but if you do every quest than some of them will be similar or not to your taste in pacing or overall gameplay. It shouldn't be a big deal.

 

I think its better to have variety with the risk that there are some objectives that i don't particular like rather than only one type of mission. Especially for a sprawling RPG world.

[Bacus]

Vortex, that Deadspace 3 part, was by far the best part of the game, the rest went south. i enjoyed everything there

[NM_Che56]

1) I only consider missions to be filler if one does not take the time to read or listen to why these are relevant.

2) "Fetch quests" are intrinsic to open world games. Lots of space that needs to be filled and they can't all be tied to the main story.

 

 

To that end, they'll need to have side missions that force you to explore different areas and reward you for doing so by :

a) advancing/changing the story

b ) expanding the lore

c) getting cool loot/gear/decorations

d) getting "real world" digital collectibles  (e.g. like unlocking new wallpaper for your Xbox One like Shadow of Mordor)

e) seeing a variance in the ending scenes 

[NM_Che56]

The completionist in me can't let a quest sit there undone. 

Then that's what is medically considered a "personal problem". LOL   

[Diefenbaker]

Cities. Cities. For the love of god please add vast, sprawling cities to explore. DAI is big, but it's filled with empty fields.

Val Royeaux, the only real build up area other than Haven, was smaller than Amaranthine (which we got as DLC content...)

 

By all means it will be great to run/drive around various planets but seeing them as empty wastelands with no population hub anywhere (or a city that's only the size that ME3's Citadel was) would be disappointing again.

 

Starting to worry that the frostbite engine has problems with city structures and favors open land or something...

[pdusen]

Starting to worry that the frostbite engine has problems with city structures and favors open land or something...

 

Look at any recent Battlefield game.

[KaiserShep]

I think that for the most part, ME1 did a lot of things right with the little things you can discover and venture out to investigate, like the Exogeni scientists, the outposts and so forth. I thought it was awesome that Shepard got lured into a trap by Elanos Haliat. The only thing that was really lacking was the more interesting environments and improved combat. I have no doubt that if these same things were done with ME3's level of gameplay it would have been vastly more enjoyable.

[Han Shot First]

Cities. Cities. For the love of god please add vast, sprawling cities to explore. DAI is big, but it's filled with empty fields.

Val Royeaux, the only real build up area other than Haven, was smaller than Amaranthine (which we got as DLC content...)

 

By all means it will be great to run/drive around various planets but seeing them as empty wastelands with no population hub anywhere (or a city that's only the size that ME3's Citadel was) would be disappointing again.

 

Starting to worry that the frostbite engine has problems with city structures and favors open land or something...

 

This.

 

I'm hoping we at least get one large urban hub.

[goishen]

I'm not completely against exploration.   What I am against is the kind'a grind-ish exploration that DA:I made you do.  "Hey, can't go over the mountain, guess I'll go around the mountain and meet X, Y, Z, A, B, C, D along the way."

 

Well, that's great, but that just took me an hour JUST TO GET AROUND THE MOUNTAIN and have to go across the map for the next cut scene which will be all of two seconds.

[Mcfly616]

This.

 

I'm hoping we at least get one large urban hub.

 Wouldn't mind for a couple planets to have mini-hubs along with a certain type of wilderness to explore.

 

 

 

For example, a desert planet with a trading port akin to Mos Eisley, complete with shops and cantina's. Or an ice planet with a domed habitat. Those along with planets that are completely desolate, are some of the approaches I hope to see in the next game.

[Han Shot First]

I'd love to see a city like this one:

 

 

Kind of has a Nar Shadda vibe to it (a city in SWTOR)

[NM_Che56]

Well if we're exploring a new region of space, then I want to FEEL like I'm discovering something cool.  But more importantly, that discovery needs to mean something in the context of the story.  What does all of my poking around get me besides an entry of codex?  

 

I should be looking for SOMETHING pertinent to the story.  Now, along the way maybe I encounter a shiny in the horizon.  That's fine.  But at least have me discover it organically as opposed to it being as a result of me not wanting to have 20/21 regions unlocked, so I try to get all of the black areas filled in LOL.  I should be able to remember the reason why I moved over "there" in the first place.

[Vortex13]

Well if we're exploring a new region of space, then I want to FEEL like I'm discovering something cool.  But more importantly, that discovery needs to mean something in the context of the story.  What does all of my poking around get me besides an entry of codex?  

 

I should be looking for SOMETHING pertinent to the story.  Now, along the way maybe I encounter a shiny in the horizon.  That's fine.  But at least have me discover it organically as opposed to it being as a result of me not wanting to have 20/21 regions unlocked, so I try to get all of the black areas filled in LOL.  I should be able to remember the reason why I moved over "there" in the first place.

 

 

Agree 100%

 

I never really felt like I was exploring the maps in DA:I. I was trying to fill a grocery list of objectives; one of which was to make sure that all the black areas of the map were revealed. 

 

 

It's sad, but I actually dreaded going into a new handcrafted region towards the end of my play through. There was no thrill of excitement as I loaded into the level just the thought that: "I really hope that this map is small and all the objectives are really close together."

[NM_Che56]

Agree 100%

 

I never really felt like I was exploring the maps in DA:I. I was trying to fill a grocery list of objectives; one of which was to make sure that all the black areas of the map were revealed. 

 

 

It's sad, but I actually dreaded going into a new handcrafted region towards the end of my play through. There was no thrill of excitement as I loaded into the level just the thought that: "I really hope that this map is small and all the objectives are really close together."

 

Once I got into a region, I was ok.  And even in my second playthru I don't really mind it.

 

But I really felt like the reason for me going into Emprise Du Lion, for instance, should have been for something directly related to the main story and not just "loyalty mission" stuff.  Some of those maps are HUGE! The reason for why I'm there should be too. The Forbidden Oasis? No reason to go there except to use shards to unlock those doors to get buffs.  BIG space. Little reason to explore besides compulsion.   When I step back and look at it, it really didn't matter.

 

The  only reason that I can think of for why you needed to explore is that you needed Power to unlock story missions and you needed to do little side quests in order to get more power.  You needed to do quests to gain influence too so that you could get perks.  But if that's all there is to it, then that just reduces what I'm doing down to "because video game".  

 

Sure, you found cool mini-stories along the way.  The environments were cool and doing loyalty missions for your companions had a payoff, but it just felt like the spaces were underutilized. 

[pdusen]

Agree 100%

 

I never really felt like I was exploring the maps in DA:I. I was trying to fill a grocery list of objectives; one of which was to make sure that all the black areas of the map were revealed. 

 

 

It's sad, but I actually dreaded going into a new handcrafted region towards the end of my play through. There was no thrill of excitement as I loaded into the level just the thought that: "I really hope that this map is small and all the objectives are really close together."

 

I don't understand this. If you didn't want to explore all of the areas on the map, then why do it?

[NM_Che56]

I don't understand this. If you didn't want to explore all of the areas on the map, then why do it?

Read what I wrote.

[Linkenski]

How can it be different from exploration in DA:I? They'll give you large maps and you'll explore them, just like in DA:I.

I for one, disagree. ME1 even feels largely different even if it was, too, just large maps with generic objectives like scanning debris and mineral surveys (and that generic side quest station with "enemies everywhere!" inside)

I'm replaying ME1 again right now, and one thing I realized that I love, adore and crave for ME4 to have is actually these rather barren and empty over worlds.

I'm not kidding! I LOVE driving around those planets. It feels immersive. Why? Because it's how I imagine real uninhabited planets to feel like; not littered with objectives as infinitum on the radar and not full of enemies and NPCs.

I hope ME4 has some areas like Inquisition but that it mainly keeps its main quest parts somewhat constrained, without making a main quest - side quest segregation of 30/70 like Inquisiton (30% main mission and squad talks, 70% optional and depthless fetch questing)

But mostly I hope at least a dozen very basic and plain, barren planet's remain. Just for immersion and creating a believable space exploration aspect.

[Vortex13]

I for one, disagree. ME1 even feels largely different even if it was, too, just large maps with generic objectives like scanning debris and mineral surveys (and that generic side quest station with "enemies everywhere!" inside)

I'm replaying ME1 again right now, and one thing I realized that I love, adore and crave for ME4 to have is actually these rather barren and empty over worlds.

I'm not kidding! I LOVE driving around those planets. It feels immersive. Why? Because it's how I imagine real uninhabited planets to feel like; not littered with objectives as infinitum on the radar and not full of enemies and NPCs.

I hope ME4 has some areas like Inquisition but that it mainly keeps its main quest parts somewhat constrained, without making a main quest - side quest segregation of 30/70 like Inquisiton (30% main mission and squad talks, 70% optional and depthless fetch questing)

But mostly I hope at least a dozen very basic and plain, barren planet's remain. Just for immersion and creating a believable space exploration aspect.

 

 

Agreed. I also hope that BioWare keeps the 'Hazard Level' mechanic for certain planets. It really helped drive home the dangerous aspects of space exploration, when the planet you were on was so hot because of the massive Red Giant star it orbited that you could only wander the surface on foot for a limited time.

[KrrKs]

This!

But please no poisonous pollen or icy-temperatures as hazards, those just don't cut it, if the PC wears a sealed space-suit.

What would work are high temperatures, acidic atmospheres and/or rain and something like active volcanoes or unstable ground, with a certain 'chance' to trigger.

[SNascimento]

I've said many times that for me ME1's exploration had this amazing thing that was landing on an clearly alien planet and just enjoy the view. There were some amazing planets in that game. One thing that I always wanted was to be on a planet with a ring and look up to see it, and ME1 finally made that happen (ME2 too). And I'll always love ME1 for it  (and for many other things). 

But it's also important not to forget the so many things utterly wrong with ME1 exploration, and that was everything else.