Getting to know your crew

[Letum]

Human (AI) interaction in computer games these days hasn't advanced much
beyond the days of the interactive novel. you select some options and
get a predictable out come. It's a little like interacting with an automatic
call center.

That is not to say that it can't add a lot to a game; it can, but immersion
isn't one of the things it adds.
Immersion happens when you stop being fully aware that your in the
game and just feel like you are 'there'. That isn't going to happen with
a dialogue menu in front of you.

[IanC]

Originally Posted by Letum

<snip>
That is not to say that it can't add a lot to a game; it can, but immersion
isn't one of the things it adds.
Immersion happens when you stop being fully aware that your in the
game and just feel like you are 'there'. That isn't going to happen with
a dialogue menu in front of you.

But we all played many RPG's that made us feel like we were there. You need a little help from your imagination sure, a little effort to put yourself 'there' but it's like with everything else. Heck, reading a book is nothing but a big dialogue menu no?

[Letum]

Originally Posted by IanC

But we all played many RPG's that made us feel like we were there. You need a little help from your imagination sure, a little effort to put yourself 'there' but it's like with everything else. Heck, reading a book is nothing but a big dialogue menu no?

A better analogy might be a book written from the point of view of
someone who keeps having menus pop up when he talks to anyone.

It may no be impossible to imagine you are that person, but the menus
don't make it easier to be that person.

Don't get me wrong, I do think dialogue menus have a place in many
games, subsims included. They are a useful device and you can get
high levels of immersion in a game that has them. They just don't
add to the natural feeling of being a person.

[ryanglavin]

I have a feeling I'll be one of those people that cries when "little Johann" gets his brains blown out by a kingfisher. (Sadly, thats happened to me in 1939 in SH 3... bit hilarious)

[THE_MASK]

Why is it that in so many games you have a little program to change facial features of people yet sh3/4 never had one ? Maybe we will get something like this in sh5 .

[Kapitanleutnant]

Originally Posted by ryanglavin

I have a feeling I'll be one of those people that cries when "little Johann" gets his brains blown out by a kingfisher.

This assumes that the crew can be killed, which I'm seriously starting to doubt.
The devs have said that each crew member has their own little plot to follow - the crew are also visually distinct from one another. What happens if one of them is killed halfway through his "plot"? Obviously that may not be a big deal, but who replaces him? Have the devs created 20 unique "backup" models to replace dead crew? I doubt it. I doubt even more that they've created 20 backup plots.
This leaves the possibility that ubi's flagship "innovation" for the game - the interactive crew - could be missed by any player unlucky enough to get his watch crew shot to death on Patrol 1. You think they'll let that happen?

I'm calling it now - it'll be impossible for any crew to die in SH5 unless the entire boat is sunk.

[THE_MASK]

Originally Posted by Kapitanleutnant

This assumes that the crew can be killed, which I'm seriously starting to doubt.
The devs have said that each crew member has their own little plot to follow - the crew are also visually distinct from one another. What happens if one of them is killed halfway through his "plot"? Obviously that may not be a big deal, but who replaces him? Have the devs created 20 unique "backup" models to replace dead crew? I doubt it. I doubt even more that they've created 20 backup plots.
This leaves the possibility that ubi's flagship "innovation" for the game - the interactive crew - could be missed by any player unlucky enough to get his watch crew shot to death on Patrol 1. You think they'll let that happen?

I'm calling it now - it'll be impossible for any crew to die in SH5 unless the entire boat is sunk.

In australia its classified as PG
Consumer Advice
Mild violence and coarse language; Gaming experience may change online
Category
Computer Games
I dont think death scenes are allowed under this classification .

[walsh2509]

Take it you can only talk with those named in the Ubi site , not all the crew ?

[IanC]

Originally Posted by Kapitanleutnant

I'm calling it now - it'll be impossible for any crew to die in SH5 unless the entire boat is sunk.

Yeah unfortunately that sounds more likely.

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by Kapitanleutnant

I'm calling it now - it'll be impossible for any crew to die in SH5 unless the entire boat is sunk.

Bah! Evidently you have not heard of a Resurrection spell.

In SH5, when one of your crew members dies, you need to find a level 9 cleric..uh.. I mean medic. You may have to complete some quests.. uh I mean special patrols first. In any case, the Resurrection spell. damn it! I mean, medical care will cost you 10,000 renown points.

Dead crewman is resurrected with full hit points but will suffer a 15% experience point penalty.

Of course you will have to give back all his equipment you looted from his dead body.

[Nisgeis]

Originally Posted by Platapus

Bah! Evidently you have not heard of a Resurrection spell.

In SH5, when one of your crew members dies, you need to find a level 9 cleric..uh.. I mean medic. You may have to complete some quests.. uh I mean special patrols first. In any case, the Resurrection spell. damn it! I mean, medical care will cost you 10,000 renown points.

Dead crewman is resurrected with full hit points but will suffer a 15% experience point penalty.

Of course you will have to give back all his equipment you looted from his dead body.

That's a 'No, it won't add to immersion' for you then?

Why would crew skills cost you renown though? It did seem a seperate points system. What evidence do you have for it being a tonnage system? It did seem as though there were two seperate points systems, crew and hardward upgrades.

This concept of 'upgrade points' though - it's no different to SH3's renown. That's in place now and people play it. The more tonnage you sink, the more renown you get, enabling you to get better EQ. That makes sense. The better a commander you were, the more influence you'd have on getting the best EQ. In what way was SH3 an RPG Epic Fail though? All this criticism... did people hate SH3's renown system that much? Or is it just cool to bash something different in SH5?

EDIT: You even buy more experienced crew with renown.. so what's actually different?

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Platapus

Bah! Evidently you have not heard of a Resurrection spell.

In SH5, when one of your crew members dies, you need to find a level 9 cleric..uh.. I mean medic. You may have to complete some quests.. uh I mean special patrols first. In any case, the Resurrection spell. damn it! I mean, medical care will cost you 10,000 renown points.

Dead crewman is resurrected with full hit points but will suffer a 15% experience point penalty.

Of course you will have to give back all his equipment you looted from his dead body.

LOL

[Hartmann]

Originally Posted by Kapitanleutnant

This assumes that the crew can be killed, which I'm seriously starting to doubt.
The devs have said that each crew member has their own little plot to follow - the crew are also visually distinct from one another. What happens if one of them is killed halfway through his "plot"? Obviously that may not be a big deal, but who replaces him? Have the devs created 20 unique "backup" models to replace dead crew? I doubt it. I doubt even more that they've created 20 backup plots.
This leaves the possibility that ubi's flagship "innovation" for the game - the interactive crew - could be missed by any player unlucky enough to get his watch crew shot to death on Patrol 1. You think they'll let that happen?

I'm calling it now - it'll be impossible for any crew to die in SH5 unless the entire boat is sunk.

scary words

it means an scripted plot for the crew ? it´s included in the plot missions in the campaign ?

i think that this elements could be cool for some people the firsts times but very low replay value, the same words and history again and again like in another 3d arcade games

[IanC]

Originally Posted by Letum

It may no be impossible to imagine you are that person, but the menus
don't make it easier to be that person.

I hear ya. Maybe there can be a more natural/immersive way to communicate with NPC's...

[Letum]

Originally Posted by IanC

I hear ya. Maybe there can be a more natural/immersive way to communicate with NPC's...

There have been attempts in the past. (LINK)
However, they do not work much better and I doubt anything will cut the mustard for a long time.

At least dialogue menus are intuitive and that helps, even if they little resemble real human communication.