When I think of an immersive MMORPG world and experience. One thing i feel that is overlooked is how active or alive the world is. Do the villages actually have villagers working and sustaining their way of life? Horse-drawn carriages moving from point a to point b? The NPC's taking actions to make them appear lively, if you will. Back in the day NPC's just mostly stood in one spot. Occasionally you'd see them patrol a static scripted route.
I was watching a beta access video of Black Desert Online and I realized how well they had pulled this off. Which made me think "what will VR do with this in regards to Pantheon?"
What is your input?
I think on the surface, the more "alive" a game is the more immersive it stands to be. NPC's strolling the city, vendors selling their wares, etc generally would be boons to this idea. This not only contributes graphically but manifests as a robust, believable world.
However, one of the things I think a game like EQ really did well (and I doubt this was intentional but rather a product of the day's technology) was to create a world in which each of us projected our own view and understanding of the world onto it. Many have proclaimed that the graphical quality of EQ was a negative but I have always asserted that it did more for true emergent gameplay than any other community driven element. In many ways that first iteration of Norrath was a blank canvas which allowed us all to influence and mold it in a way that actually increased immersion, rather than detract from it. In essence, it was more about what the world didn't say that made it immersive.
If you create a world in which a person's senses are stimulated at this basic level, in a way that forces a them to draw their own conclusions, actively connect the dots through imagination and RP, then you will have truly created an immersive experience. You will have created a living world.
It's important that it's alive, but as Nikademis said, something needs to remain for player's imagination. If everything is served for the eyes, then the mind has no need to be engaged at all, and that actually decreases immersion. If 70% is presented for the eyes, and people interpret the rest in their minds, they might be more engaged, more in-game and alive, overall.
A good book can give more immersion than the best movie.
Also, while the world being alive is important, I'd say the first priority is what the players will do, not what the world looks like. If you concentrate on what the world looks, you get... a movie. A hyper-realistic motion picture, with the audience sitting and watching without doing anything.
If I wanted that, I would have watched a movie.
I definitely prefer to have a few guards and NPCs that roam thru the cities and it would also be cool if various mobs did battle with each other which they have done in EQ and other games. Even though I didn't like EQ2 in general, one thing I did like about that game was often when you would walk by an NPC they would yell something at you, often humorous things.
There are also other reasons to give specific NPCs some life. For example, some NPCs such as the ones you hand work orders into for crafters it is often nice for them to roam and move about just to make it harder for people to gain crafting levels thru macros alone.
Dullahan said:
I really like day and night cycles where NPCs may work during the day, but be at the inn or tavern at night. Maybe they are hanging out at the docks fishing or even asleep at home.
I have to agree and things like Kith at night where things can change. Sigh this is gonna sound like I am repeating myself over and over lol buuuut a major element to the game feeling "alive" is the exclusion of in game maps and the difficulty of the game. We are forced to pay attention to all those little "details". Like what time of day is it, when you leave a roadway you pay attention to land marks to find your way back. If you are out exploring you may take note that there is an increasing amount of very large spider webs all over the trees as you move ahead. Lol the heightened senses there moving to the edge of my seat as I go hmm "Ok not good, this looks bad" That sense of immersion can make the game feel more alive to me more then anything else.
Jason said:
I definitely prefer to have a few guards and NPCs that roam thru the cities and it would also be cool if various mobs did battle with each other which they have done in EQ and other games. Even though I didn't like EQ2 in general, one thing I did like about that game was often when you would walk by an NPC they would yell something at you, often humorous things.
There are also other reasons to give specific NPCs some life. For example, some NPCs such as the ones you hand work orders into for crafters it is often nice for them to roam and move about just to make it harder for people to gain crafting levels thru macros alone.
Vanguard NPC's did similar things, for example some Dwarves would say to you if it ain't Dwarvish its crap! Oh and I will never forget Gnomish socials. Even after 7 years I would do /stomp with my gnome necro and laugh.
I believe the NPC's should be as lifelike as the dev team can make them. I understand Aethor's book vs movie analogy, and agree with it on some level, I also think that in a game like Pantheon or EverQuest the visuals have ALOT to do with it. I don't mean visuals in the basic sense of how shiny the graphics are, but in that the story is not only told to you it is also shown to you, and the way it is shown to you should be much more atmospheric than direct if that makes any sense.
I'll give an example, if there is a war going on between two factions or what have you, usually in a game some NPC will be triggered to walk up to you upon entering one of the factions' towns or something and being like "Hey you look special so I'm gonna take the time to explain this entire situation to you because obviously people do that!" (*cough* Elder Scrolls *cough*) which imo forces the narrative on you to the point that it doesn't feel natural and makes you feel more like the main character in a story rather than a person inhabiting a virtual world.
I think instead when you enter the town you should hear(or read) the NPCs discussing it with eachother, protesting it and enlisting new recruits to join the fight amongst other things. This coupled with perhaps having clashes between the two forces randomly in the field or maybe even mounting attacks on each others settlements would create a very immersive and lifelike world that has a story you can actually experience going on around you.
I believe that this is pretty important, because at the end of the day a world that appears to be living, moving, and vibrant with life is always more believable than this person has been standing here for 12 years straight.
I personally believe that having npcs roam around their town, and having miscellaneous caravans roaming between the towns add a sense of life to the world as if it is actually living. You may not always have a bustling player population in an area, and when that happens things tend to be dead and feel alone and boring. While having the world still moving around you it doesn't feel to dead.
Also if a village or outpost is always having problems with orcs they will probably be talking about orcs, and it would be easy for a player to hear an npcs say while standing by them say the orcs keep mounting offensives from the north east, but they never seem to be in the north west. This gives you 3 things to look into.
Town defense
Orc camp assault
Why dont they orcs expand to the west?
Just simple living world things like that make a difference. Also if people roam around it can add a sense of preporation to say an oncoming orc attack rather than "hey super hero 3456776 come and do my bidding we are all lazy and will die if you dont"
I think there are lots of little things that help the world feel alive. Attention to detail is a big one for me. It's the little things placed around the city or inside houses, little things the npc's say or do, when they are there (or not) etc... I think it would be funny if vendors took a sick day every once in a while =) It almost feels more realistic if the npc's stay in one general area instead of roaming. When they move along the same scripted route day after day... that's weird and makes it feel less real.
Having PC's engaged in activities around town makes a huge difference too. I played Archeage for a little while and while it left a lot to be desired one thing I always liked was how players were often hauling stuff from one city to another along trade routes. You could craft items in one area and deliver it to another, the fewer people who were delivering that particular good there the more it was worth when you turned it in. There was always traffic on the roads with people carrying packs either on their backs or in carts. I always thought that went a long way toward making the world feel more real.
I always enjoy seeing a world that's alive or "feels" alive, like a sense of purpose for NPCs.
I'll cherry pick some thoughts from some past games I've played that stand out in this regard..
I think one thing that Vanguard did that was pretty innovative that I enjoyed was their Diplomacy sphere. It made more or less every NPC have a sort of "purpose". You could talk to almost any NPC and engage with them even if they didn't offer quests.
There were some days where I may be partially distracted RL, but wanted to play, the diplomacy sphere allowed for some casual play as well as something to work on long-term (diplomacy gear, cards, tactic/decks, etc). Eventually they made it useful for buffs also. Outside fighting in most games, I'm not huge into crafting personally (thankful others are), but I enjoyed Diplomacy in addition to PVE (or PVP depending on the game).
A lot of games tend to have NPCs that just stand around, but they're not engaged in anything around them, may not offer quests or story, they just "exist" without "purpose". Having them walking around town, taking a carriage, maybe go into a building and re-merge later, etc just adds depth.
Imagine watching a movie where there's no extras in city scenes and only the main characters exist that have speaking lines how strange it'd be. What if there were extras and all they did was stand in one place staring off blankly doing nothing how weird that'd be also.
Just as music and sound adds depth, so does creating at minimal an illusion of a world (be it a movie or game). The same movie with extras, without music or sound (only closed captions) wouldn't likely have the same impact (unless you're deaf) as having all layers applied to the story itself.
Some of these things work in a book because the book isn't visual and allows the reader to entirely visualize everything (or provided by the author in vivid details), but in a visual media format (games/moves/etc), missing some of the layers causes for a strange/lacking experience. There can be gaps in layers like EQ1 where they give you "just enough", but too few layers of immersion and things get weird (ie: The movie without extras dilemma). In a book, when you visualize it, you probably don't think in your head about people just standing still staring blankly off in the background.
I even enjoy when walking past NPCs that they may reference something I've done. For example, in ESO when you walk past certain NPCs they may say (be it in text or audio) something like "Oh you're the one that saved (insert town) from the assault, my family is thankful" etc. You can make your accomplishments in game referenced by town people even just as ambiance. It's little touches that make the world feel like you're part of it's overall story and that what you do is somehow noticed.
Another thing may be factions/race/class in how NPCs talk to you or react, even if it's just cosmetic (or more in-depth) it makes the world feel more "aware" or "alive" in that it recognizes you for what you are or aren't. This is where I took an issue with ESO, I was a vampire with glowing red eyes and veiny skin, the NPCs didn't even acknowledge this in any way. It felt like they were lifeless, unaware, unalive, or disconnected from what players are doing in this regard (the same game where they acknowledge some accolade you did or witness you stealing). Whereas in EQ1, many hated my Ogre just visually and would either attack me or not engage in much talk until trust was gained (faction).
An example of NPC awareness (although may not be applicable to Pantheon) is an NPC witnessing something taking place. For example, in ESO when you steal something, an NPC right near by may see you and attack or alert the guards. In Pantheon it may be something else, but another layer of awareness none-the-less that can be done. You would be cautious of NPCs "watching" what you do. It makes them feel more alive in a sense in that they're aware of their surroundings.
I'm more accustomed to games like EQ where when I first played, it was an Ogre warrior (sorry for being that fat SOB blocking lower Guk or Sol back in the day), where I had to be really careful where I went and had to work to gain trust of the NPCs of some areas. It made the world again feel more "alive".
Another example was the EQ1 languages. This again added another layer of depth to the world. It led me to wonder what they're saying or could offer if I understood them. It also made me jump when they chased my ogre yelling something that I don't understand. Having language was a way to make the NPCs feel like they had culture, depth, etc.
Other games have NPCs where there's a sort of multiple options possible to their quest. What comes to mind is Star Wars Old Republic when given a task. You could choose to help the NPC, cause them harm, choose a greed option, etc. This is sort of like raising faction, but instead gives the players a "moral" decision on what to do. In some cases, although you're talking to a fictional NPC that has no real feelings (it's a character in a game), you almost could feel compelled to help them. Other times you may feel they're using you and rather take what they sent you to retrieve for yourself. This sort of "moral" decision can bring NPCs a little more alive when you choose their fate.
Maybe make NPCs aware of day/night cycles (be it text or placement). I played a few games (I think The Repopulation being most recent) where shops close after certain hours and NPCs are in different places. Not to say Pantheon needs to go to that extent, but again, NPCs having some sort of time awareness just adds another layer of depth. Maybe their text would just simply mention the time of day during the dialog or anything. In another case, it could make sense for a dark ritual, a bonfire, or the like to be taking place during night cycle. You could take this a step further and maybe have a blacksmith one cycle be in the tavern at night and in a different night cycle they're in their house, working late, or visiting somebody at their house.
One thing that always seemed weird in nearly every game is when the weather changes to rain or snow and the NPCs just seem completely unaware. This is something that could be improved on even at a basic level (text dialog change/metion at minimal). In some cases, it causes almost funny moments. For example, having an NPC animation of putting Laundry on the line at what would probably be 2am while it's raining would be silly in the same way another sitting at a table at 2am in the rain/snow eating a pie is (although it could be a delicious pie and the urge to consume pie overcame them at 2am).
Some games have NPCs turn their heads towards you as you or other NPCs walk by or talk to them. It's a small thing, but it gives at least the feel that they're paying attention to their surroundings.
All of these pieces separately are nice, but it's when they're layered where they'd feel really "alive".
Context awareness can go a long ways in making a world feel alive.
Alive can mean "world alive" as well. For example, remember the first time you experienced day/night change or weather changing in a game? It for me was EQ1. I was amazed at watching it. When running at night through Kithikor, I remember being terrified of werewolves roaming around. Running my barbarian from snowy areas to desert areas where structures looked different, NPCs were dressed different, etc really made the world feel like a world and how far from home I am.
This brings me to another "NPC alive" layer which is clothing, building design/theme, mounts NPCs may be riding. It makes little sense for an NPC to be sitting on a bear in the dessert, but it does maybe on a Camel. It also doesn't make sense for them to be sitting in a heavy fur coat in the dessert, but would in a snowly area of the world. The buildings should also go in context of location. Elves don't generally live in mud/stone huts, but maybe Ogres or nomads would.
If a town has a bard playing an instrument, the instrument type should make sense in context. An ogre playing a harp would be almost comical, but maybe an elf may make more sense. Maybe in the same example, an Ogre would be playing something less complex on something more like a war drum, while an elf may be playing a song that is more complex.
There could be "town alive" as well. Perhaps some sort of day/time trigger of an event. Maybe once a week or once a month some town hosts a festival. Add some extra NPCs and booths during that time. Maybe some sort of mini-quests that open up (like spread the world of the festival, we're running low on something and need more, etc). Toss some jugglers or something in or something also.
Perhaps another "town alive" event may be a music festival where NPC musicians come to show off or play together, while another could have a weapon contest such as archery, jousting, etc).
The goal is to have something that makes the town unique, where when you come to that town at another point in time you remember the festival last time you were there and look forward to the next one. It's something also you tell your friends about or maybe a guild gets together and hangs out at when it's happening as a social event.
"World Alive" could be akin to Sleeper event of EQ1, but not sure how applicable or desirable that would be in Pantheon. When this event (of whatever type) occurs, it's felt world-wide (across all races/factions/etc). Another "World Alive" in a lore context could simply be referencing the general creation of the world/universe according to their lore passed down across all of the different races of an event long passed versus one that just happened.
