Blood & Gore

also if reaction based combat would not be possible ala mount and blade. some elements from age of conan pvp was great with the combos using up to 6 different keys you have to click at the right moment

also some spells from the witcher are not bad was a singleplayer game but liked it especially the stun you can place on the floor if someone walk in

 

Maybe if you had experienced real blood and gore, had your life affected by truly cruel and evil people you'd change your tune. The visceral thrill of playtime savagery loses its appeal once you've experienced the real thing. Be happy you haven't. Wishes for more "reality" are usually from people who know little of the true reality.

 

If you're in a fight with a 40lb halberd, you probably expect to see more than "a little blood".

 

Actually I beg to differ. For I have no intention of being hit with a 40lb halberd and for that matter halberds aren't 40lbs anyway but that's not really the point. If you're putting in blood sprays and gore for its own sake then you're doing it for the wrong reasons and it won't improve the game any.

 

The violence in Conan is to be expected because that is what it known for. However, in my opinion the combat violence in Age of Conan is too much for SotA. I am fine with the amount of blood/gore exhibited in SotA so far. Some blood is to be expected during combat, but having bodies explode from being hit by a sword or even a bludgeon weapon is too much. The only time bodies explode is from explosions. I really don't want to see decapitations, dismemberment or disembowelment during combat, I just don't think it fits with SotA. Since combat is going to be a big part of SotA, I don't want it to be over the time with blood and gore. I have read that whole families will be playing SotA, too explicit violence could turn away some of those people.

SotA will have the ability to harvest meat and skins from animals and possibly even from humanoids. I think that when a corpse is harvest, there shouldn't be a graphic model of the corpse harvested. It should be like UO, which simply showed the intact corpse with a large pool of blood underneath it, indicating that it was harvested. I know in UO that there were body parts that you could collect, but they looked like they were from a zombie, which some how made it seem okay. lol. I am torn on how body parts should be handled in SotA.

The Ultima series have had scenes of explicit violence, I would be okay with that is SotA as long as they were rare. Personally, I don't want a constant barrage of explicit violence in SotA.

 

I'm not saying they sell because of their ratings, AND I'm not asking for ridiculous blood & gore. There are many games with a realistic amount you know. And one reason M-rated titles sell is because they are mature and not meant for kids. A little blood is all I ask for gods sake. I mean what do you expect when you slash a guy with a greatsword or slam a guy in the skull with a warhammer? Typical T-rated dust cloud?

 

Speak for yourself. I have seen some gnarly stuff and I will go into detail if you insist. But this is a video game. Lighten up. Also if it is that traumatic to you, then video games with violence in them probably aren't for you.

 

While this would ring true for SotA, lets not remember there have been games that made their success off of blood and gore alone. Mortal Kombat anyone? If it wasn't for the blood/gore and fatalities, that franchise wouldn't have went anywhere! Now, I'm certainly not comparing SotA to Mortal Kombat, but am just making a point

 

And what is that point? SOTA has alot more going for it. And while we are on the topic, here is perfect example how blood & gore doesn't hinder sales and might actually work for the better.

 

lol, you just answered your own question. Also reread my post, I made it a point to say I was not comparing SotA to MK. I was simply making a reference.

 

Exactly right. Video games with excessive violence and gore are NOT for me. That is why I am opposed to these efforts to insert gratuitous gore into this game.

As for details, you can keep them to yourself. I've enough of my own already.

 

^ It doesn't have to be "gratuitous". Just make it relevant to what is happening in the game. If I slash at someones throat, lets see some blood you know? We're talking realism here, not b-list actor low budget horror film gore! Realistic is the key. Cutting or shooting someone with no blood is not realistic, and is a turn-off for me in modern gaming. I voted option #2

 

Same here. My vote is "None of the Above."

 

If you're not asking for gratuitous levels of blood etc.. then why go out of your way to ask for blood, gore and the ability to mutilate other players? Especially that last one. No one has said SotA wasn't going to have a bit of blood.

I beg to differ that games sell because they're "mature".. but I'm nitpicking definitions here.

Are you suggesting MK gameplay is simply bad and its players only care about the gore? While I'm not into fighting games and I was always under the impression they had to be fun to be successful. If I was into fighting games and I had to make a choice between MK and one without so much gore.. I'd pick the latter. I don't buy the "it can't hurt sales" angle.

 

The original MK had good game play as well, but if you compared it to the game play of other fighters at the time like the Fatal Furys and Street Fighter 2, it was clearly not as good. What made it stand out was the blood/gore factor, because there really was nothing quite like it at the time. Case in point, they ported MK to the SNES with Nintendo's "family policy" at the time, removing all blood and gore. The games sales were dismal and it was a total failure on that console vs the Sega Genesis port and Arcade versions.

Granted, times have changed and were talking about a completely different beast in an RPG. Some blood in a video game isn't really a selling point anymore. That being said, minimal blood etc can add to realism and make battle more "believable". Like I mentioned above, I'm not talking about B-list horror gore, just a touch of realism.

 

Quite.

If we are to believe in Richard's vision, his thoughts were that instead of a hitpoint bar, one would gauge your combat progress based on the amount of violence displayed on your opponent's in-game character.

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That being said: Not really certain how viable that approach is really going to be to implement. Personally it feels a little beyond the range of the game's budget, but one can always hope.

*But*: The developers mindset does appear to include a fair amount of violent imagery.

 

I remember when Richard first brought up that idea. From what I envisions I was all for that idea. I do remember having some doubts about the budget myself at that time.

It would require swapping textures and some animations which in itself doesn't sound like a lot until you add in every type of creature in-game. There is also perhaps a smaller concern as to how the players would adapt to the change in visual information.. from being used to seeing health bars to having to recognize degrees of damage.

 

I like the idea of having more blood & gore, regulated through a filter.

The killcams in Skyrim were always pretty gratifying (and also a good opportunity for taking a sip of tea, or a bite of pizza).

So, yes, MAKE IT RAIN!!!

 

Thank you somebody that understands that all violence isn't gratuitous!!

 

Nobody is arguing against a measure of violence or saying it's ALL gratuitous. We're saying we don't want it at gratuitous levels.

To be perfectly honest I was pretty disturbed by the Skyrim kills.. at least in scenarios where a male killed a woman. Now I realize given the typical scenarios that gender should be irrelevant but I had to either disable them or not play a male character. Color me old fashioned I guess.

Now I'm thinking there's some misunderstanding here we should clear up. Those of us familiar with Richard's work I think fully expect a certain amount of violence in SotA. So when someone comes in asking for blood, gore and especially bodily mutilation of other players, it's a natural assumption that what you're asking for is gratuitous.

We are fine with a certain level (ie not gratuitous) of blood and gore. Not one person in here yet has said otherwise.