Question for the 2013 early backers

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by warxnox, May 19, 2016.

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  1. warxnox

    warxnox Avatar

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    Hi everyone,

    Just saw on one of Time Lords post this video :



    I would like to know :
    • Why this OW map with "fog of war" was abandoned ? I find it really nice and it would perfectly fit for the SP mode, what do you think about it ?
    • The Lunar Rift in the video gives an "insight" of the destination. Is it a video setting I could change today to have such effect or is it an abandoned feature ? If yes, why ?
    Thanks,
     
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  2. DepGames

    DepGames Avatar

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    When I first saw the video I was thinking, "Really cool game. Where can I ge..."

    Then I realized it was an older iteration of SotA and my heart sank.

    I guess wine still has a leg up on the age market.
     
  3. Browncoat Jayson

    Browncoat Jayson Legend of the Hearth

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    The Overworld Map has gone through a couple of adjustments since Kickstarter. One to change the style from a 2D popup "map" to a playable area like it is today. Fog of War was one of the things that was abandoned with this change. It really doesn't add much for exploration, assuming the visibility radius of location banners is reduced (currently you can see those beyond mountain barriers, which seems incorrect).

    The Lunar Rift was a concept at that point, but the preview of the destination is something that is still being planned. there was an entry recently in the standup notes on it. So, not yet, but soon.
     
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  4. Gix

    Gix Avatar

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    Although I'm sure it wouldn't look like what you see in the video, I'm not entirely convinced that they've abandoned the fog of war.
     
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  5. Korim Rackham

    Korim Rackham Avatar

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    Yeah the new fog of war is the new targeting system. Mind as well be blind.
     
  6. Matheryn

    Matheryn Avatar

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    I believe it was abandoned because a lot of people were whining about the 2d concept and wanted something more 3d like UO or rather 3dish and now they got something inbetween that both side of the table seem to be finding flaws with and now have to live with it but don't quote me on that its only an assumption based on things ive read
     
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  7. warxnox

    warxnox Avatar

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    I don't think we speak about the same OW map, since the one on the video is in 3d, like the R29 OW map, but with Fog of war.
     
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  8. Rufus D`Asperdi

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    And that video was one of the main drivers of the change from the "Paper" map that was in the game for the earlier releases (Which I liked) to the 3D map we have now. That video set expectations, and there was a large vocal contingent that clamored long and loudly to get Portalatium to change to something approximating what they saw in that video.
     
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  9. warxnox

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    Hmm not sure to understand the timeline, was it :

    1. 2D map on early release
    2. 3D map with fog of war during a "special version" of the game within the video ? if yes was it a release or some kind of developpers video ? If not, which release was the video taken from ?
    3. 3D map like today

    ??
     
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  10. Rufus D`Asperdi

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    No, the 3D map with Fog of War that was featured in the video was a "Pre-Production" version that was never in the actual product. (Pre-Kickstarter)
    The 2D "Paper" map was overland in the early releases of the actual product. (Post-Kickstarter)
    There was much hue and cry from people who expected to see the "Pre-Production" map in the product from the expectation set by the video.
    The team granted their wish, took a left turn, and developed the 3D map you see currently in game.
     
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  11. smack

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    I would have been fine with a pure, flat 2D map (w/ fog of war even), just not the pop-up look / style. Seriously, I would take even this:

    [​IMG]

    ...than the pop-up style they tried. I'd even take that over the 3D overworld map we have now if it meant zero load time between scenes.
     
  12. Mugly Wumple

    Mugly Wumple Avatar

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    One unanticipated advantage of the new OW is that it can share animations and models with the instances.
     
  13. SmokerKGB

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    I'm not sure "why" they never gave us the "fog of war", but many ppl wanted 1st person view, and I don't see any way they could use FOW in 1st person view...

    But I liked the idea of FOW, and wish they had abandoned 1st person view... Great video BTW... I hope the lunar rifts are finished soon, the boats were just supposed to be placeholders... They were talking about some kind of mechanism to change the destination, like focusing a mirror on a different moon by turning a wheel...
     
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  14. Berek

    Berek Portalarian Emeritus Dev Emeritus

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    This whole concept and the FoW idea was from a very early prototype that wasn't realistic to implement when the rubber met the road. These are super old concepts. Super old...
     
  15. Gix

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    More like:
    1. 3D map with fog of war used to pitch game.
    2. 2D map on early release.
    3. 3D map like today.
     
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  16. Rufus D`Asperdi

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    I don't understand the attraction of Fog of War in a game like S0tA. I would find it simply an annoyance. The game has been in development for 3 years now, with backers playing the whole time, producing resources for other Avatars like sotamap.com. One of the most common requests is for more maps in game, and a map of the whole continent in game.

    Why do so many people want Fog of War, and what positive benefit would it bring to the game?
     
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  17. redfish

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    A fog of war doesn't make much sense; its not a strategy game.

    What makes more sense is that what we see on the overworld is limited to a field of vision, that when it becomes darker, it becomes harder to see in the distance, that mountains block our field of vision so that we can't see past them, that dense forests don't allow us to see through them. Like how it worked in the Ultima games,
    [​IMG]

    Once we get roving encounters on the map, even with the current field of vision, I think it makes sense for them to only appear once they get close enough to our avatar; and for this to depend on the size of the monster. So, for example, if its a group of spiders, you'd have to get pretty close, but you'd be able to see a dragon from way afar.
     
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  18. redfish

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    We should have clouds on the overworld map, though, to show regional weather ;)

    And real fog, where fog is occurring ;)
     
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  19. smack

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    Fog of war is implemented in plenty of single player RPG games, like the Elder Scrolls series. Not on the global map, but the local map view. Even modern RPGs and some MMOs don't reveal everything on their global maps, like POIs, until you discover them. Here? Everything is already discovered and marked for you, even with glaring big banners that hover in the sky for reasons.
     
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  20. Cinder Sear

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    I like fog of war, but just because fog looks cool :) I see no good reason for it in this game other than visual effect.
     
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