Lunchtime Discussion: Scenery
Ooh... pretty.Published: 12:00, 14/07/2010 by Blair [mynameisblair].
44Have you ever tried to glitch out of a map to see what the scenery is like? Were you disappointed as you hit a 2D wall with some trees on it? If the game looks good enough, we shouldn’t be paying too much attention to the scenery behind the game environments, but if you were to catch a glimpse of it, and then realise it’s ugly, would this affect your view on the game?
Sometimes the 2D scenery over in the hills beyond the gameplay area can actually look quite good, with it giving the effect of a 3D object being there. Sometimes it can look like someone’s taken an in-game object, flattened it and stuck it to a wall.
Since modern games are allowing for more exploration and camera control than ever, we’re more likely to notice this scenery. This can be good, if it’s done right, as we’ll end up noticing the detail the developers have put in their game. As you play through God of War 3, you’ll notice the dynamic scenery with Titans clambering up Mount Olympus, but does this add to the gameplay experience? Does seeing other battles happening outside of the map, in an online shooter for example, add to the experience and make it feel like an actual war, or does it just distract you from the game area?
Some games just use mountains and cliffs at the edge of game areas to get a quick way around this, but this can become boring and repetitive. Would this make the environment feel less like a real, living word? All games have to have an edge of a map, so would you rather they put this to use and made an interesting piece of scenery behind this, or would you just prefer them to get the game area to look as good as possible?
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14/07/2010 at 12:04
Member since: Nov 2008
I think the interactive(i think thats the right word)enviroments that you see in some games do add a lot to the realism. Stand alone ones can sometimes take your breath away too.
To be honest I dont sit and stare at the scenery too much. Maybe this is a sign that they are doing it right.
14/07/2010 at 12:17
Member since: Aug 2008
“When you do things right, people won’t be sure you’ve done anything at all” – God (in Futurama)
14/07/2010 at 13:34
Member since: Aug 2008
haha, love that episode!
As for me, i love stuff going on in the background, makes the game more realistic. GOW3 is a great example of this, but it let its self down BIG time with invisible walls! Places i can see and walk over to, just stops Kratos dead. It ruined the immersion for me.
15/07/2010 at 14:16
Member since: Dec 2008
that seems probable.
14/07/2010 at 12:07
Member since: Jun 2009
You cant help but stand still and admire the background in Red Dead Repemption
14/07/2010 at 12:08
Member since: Jun 2009
ooops Redemption even
14/07/2010 at 12:09
Member since: Aug 2009
i tried to glitch out ratchet an clank… there were some ledges an i just jumped threw them an died :( would be cool just to jump around an happen to find something..but it never happened
14/07/2010 at 12:09
Member since: Aug 2008
I think, if done well, it can really impress and bring the game world to life which in turn improves the feeling of immersion. Uncharted 2 and GoW3 immediately spring to mind. These are games where immersion in the story and the world is important.
On the other hand, things like driving games really don’t need much detail further than a few dozen yards outside the ‘proper’ game area because your focus is always on that game area and you’ll generally only see the rest out of your peripheral vision.
It can go the other way, remember the jungle level in Goldeneye? That was a very narrow ‘tunnel’ which actually felt quite claustrophobic because of the obvious 2D ‘walls’ of jungle
.
If I did end up glitched outside the game area and found it to be fully rendered 3D for miles, I’d wonder why they wasted time and processing power on it!
14/07/2010 at 12:33
Member since: May 2009
I remember glitching out of Shipment on Call of Duty 4, to find a map the size of Overgrown, complete with a shipyard, warehouses and everything. Seemed like they had completely wasted time on it, but some of the killcams (airstrikes) show the outside of the map, so I could understand why this was done.
14/07/2010 at 12:11
Member since: May 2009
There was always quality out-of-bounds scenery in BC1, it’s slightly worse in BC2 IMO.
I really like the scenery in Assassin’s Creed 2, off-map or otherwise. The music, NPCs and architecture combine to create a wonderfully atmospheric experience.
A series that never fails to please in off-map scenery is Ratchet And Clank. Even if you do manage to glitch to somewhere you shouldn’t be, it’s still relatively polished
14/07/2010 at 12:13
Member since: Forever
Some scenery is great to look at, like Uncharted2 but you can’t get anywhere near it to see what its made of, and as you go through the cities and jungles you’re hampered by the usual invisible walls.
In fully open world games like AC2 etc there is the usual invisible walls.
Battles in the background help with immersion, like in Dante’s Inferno when you come around the corner and see Charon counting souls on to the Ferry to the underworld, or King Minos sorting the damned into the different circles of hell
14/07/2010 at 12:37
Member since: May 2009
Remember the background battles in LOTR: Conquest? *shudder* Total pixel barf. They were really easy to glitch to as well.
Like Uncharted, the stock Home apartment had a nice, but unexplorable view. At least, that’s what I thought until I discovered the Sofa UFO! :D
14/07/2010 at 12:14
Member since: Jul 2009
This reminds me of this picture I was looking at the other day of Rome in GT5. While it will of course look perfect as you’re driving round, seeing it from above with all the flat landscape around it breaks my heart. The level is now ruined for me before the game is even out!
http://www.gtpla.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/gran-turismo-5-rome-6.jpg
14/07/2010 at 12:26
Member since: May 2009
Sorry, but what? You realise that view point is miles above the highest point you’ll actually see whilst playing the game… When you’re driving and watching replays, you’ll never see it.
Scenery is vital. UC2 at times felt like a massive sprawling city rather than a simple predetermined route. Just getting to the top of the hotel and looking down on the city was a sight to behold. So beautiful and believable, as long as you’re not trying to push the boundaries of where to go.
So yes, you always need a convincing background to the world.
14/07/2010 at 12:43
Member since: Jul 2009
Yes, I know, as I said it will look perfect as you’re driving round. I was exaggerating slightly, but the thought will always be in my mind that I’m surrounded by a flat landscape. And yes, while that’s true for nearly all games, you don’t know about it with most of them. Just seeing it ruins the illusion for me.
14/07/2010 at 12:29
Member since: Forever
Odd course, 99% of Rome is actually behind the camera in that photo
14/07/2010 at 14:29
Member since: Dec 2009
GOW3, UC2, Infamous and KZ2 are high in this area…
They have got the surrounding SPOT ON and so much so nothing feels hemmed in.
Loved a good setting….
14/07/2010 at 15:46
Member since: Jan 2010
It was on Need for speed: undercover that the online races were small sectioned off areas in the big city. You’d think with the short loading times and all, that the scenery around this track was just a part of the sandbox city they left in to make it seem real. No, it’s not. I broke out of the race area abd found you could travel the whole way round the entire city. Considering it was exactly as it as is in-game, and with no loading times basically, this was amazing. Made me feel that even though you could only see a small part, there really was a whole city out there. Shame the game is poor.