Editorial Immersion in Fallout: New Vegas

[VentilatorOfDoom]

Tags: Fallout: New Vegas; Obsidian Entertainment

<p>Reading <a href="http://glitchytasty.com/blogs/103-editorial/422-immersion-in-fallout-new-vegas" target="_blank">this editorial</a> over at Glitchy Tasty you can learn how Fallout: New Vegas succeeded in achieving a lot of immersion.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The second major way New Vegas covers agency is through its quest and reputation systems. A large variety of the quests throughout the game are multi-linear, and can end in multiple ways. The choices made by the player involving how to go about each quest will directly result in how various factions react toward your character. This means that you can entirely change the games ending, as well as the course leading up to it depending on how you want it to go. For instance, you may be doing a quest to wipe out a large gang, but rather than eliminating the gang, you could have the option of instead joining them and attacking the militia instead. By joining the gang, you will ruin your reputation with that militia, forever changing how they act towards you for the remainder of the game. This gameplay mechanic was certainly present in Fallout 3, though it has really been taken to the next level with New Vegas, offering considerably more branching opportunities.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Spotted at: <a href="http://www.gamebanshee.com/news/101061-immersion-in-fallout-new-vegas.html">Gamebanshee</a></p>

 

[shihonage]

The last part of immersion is urgency, or the sense that there are problems that need solving and goals to be achieved. The quest system of New Vegas is branched into three areas: main quests, side quests, and free quests. Main quests are mandatory to the progression of the story, whereas side quests simply aid the player in controlling the fate of the game, and free quests are like mini objectives hidden throughout the New Vegas. All of these types of quests help determine relationships with various factions as well as to create branching opportunities in the main story. By completing side quests and free quests in addition to the main quests, the story changes to fit the players actions, and the agency factor is increased. The reason urgency is such a vital part of immersion is that it creates the players purpose and allows the opportunity to reward the player with things such as items, equipment, and experience in return for successfully solving problems and achieving goals.

It's like he's talking, but nothing is coming out.

 

[Admiral jimbob]

THERE IS NO IMMERSION

THERE IS

ONLY

HATE

 

[Obsidian Squid]

NV was certainly more immersive than 3.

Also, this dude has way too much time on his hands.

 

[Serious_Business]

New Vegas is so immersive, everytime I hear about it I feel the need to bitch and complain

 

[oldmanpaco]

New Vegas is so immersive, everytime I hear about it I feel the need to bitch and complain

You are not 8364.

 

[CrunchyHemorrhoids]

Meanwhile an AP cocksucker says lack of immersion is what made the game flop:

Alpha Protocol is not immersive. In this post-Matrix World of Warcraft era, that's a big no-no. A lot of gamers expect they will sink into almost fully realized worlds instead of mere games. But Alpha Protocol can't be bothered. It has no day/night cycle. Pedestrians or bystanders or shop vendor NPCs do not mill about. There are no side quests or minigames or man dates or radio stations. You are never just out and about in the city.

http://www.gameroni.com/posts/481.html

 

[oldmanpaco]

Man dates?

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

Alpha Protocol is not immersive. In this post-Matrix World of Warcraft era, that's a big no-no. A lot of gamers expect they will sink into almost fully realized worlds instead of mere games. But Alpha Protocol can't be bothered. It has no day/night cycle. Pedestrians or bystanders or shop vendor NPCs do not mill about. There are no side quests or minigames or man dates or radio stations. You are never just out and about in the city.

 

[chzr]

 

[Drakron]

Problems AP cocksuckers?

When they said there would be no hubs, only safehouse and missions areas I realized the game would not be much of a RPG.

 

[Andyman Messiah]

Man dates?

I had plenty of man dates in AP, though I usually just grappled them from behind and skipped the talk.

edit after reading the article: Tom Chick is apparently stupid. Who knew?

Also, funny thing about Alpha Protocol. Even though it's not a RPG, it's actually still more RPG than most RPGs.

 

[Angthoron]

Weird, I read that statement as an enormous pile of sarcasm directed towards the "cinematic experiences" of GTA4, "man dates" and "radio stations" seem to hint at it. It looked like a general statement against the current staples of gaming, which are by and large a lot of pointless fluff.

 

[SimpleComplexity]

Sup guyz, hope you enjoy my game!

-Sawyerk

 

[sah]

Meanwhile an AP cocksucker says lack of immersion is what made the game flop:

Alpha Protocol is not immersive. In this post-Matrix World of Warcraft era, that's a big no-no. A lot of gamers expect they will sink into almost fully realized worlds instead of mere games. But Alpha Protocol can't be bothered. It has no day/night cycle. Pedestrians or bystanders or shop vendor NPCs do not mill about. There are no side quests or minigames or man dates or radio stations. You are never just out and about in the city.

http://www.gameroni.com/posts/481.html

So that's what "attention to detail" is called these days - immersion. I believe in designing detailed worlds that appeal to real-life experiences of players, but do I need a newspeak term for that? It can be so easily abused.

 

[Sad He-Man]

Man dates? Christ.
Although AP would definitely benefit from other things listed by this Tom Chick guy. If they were well implemented of course.
Then again, all RPGs or RPG-likes would benefit from them.

 

[Shannow]

The second major way New Vegas covers agency is through its quest and reputation systems. A large variety of the quests throughout the game are multi-linear, and can end in multiple ways. The choices made by the player involving how to go about each quest will directly result in how various factions react toward your character. This means that you can entirely change the games ending, as well as the course leading up to it depending on how you want it to go. For instance, you may be doing a quest to wipe out a large gang, but rather than eliminating the gang, you could have the option of instead joining them and attacking the militia instead. By joining the gang, you will ruin your reputation with that militia, forever changing how they act towards you for the remainder of the game. This gameplay mechanic was certainly present in Fallout 3, though it has really been taken to the next level with New Vegas, offering considerably more branching opportunities.

Editorial, uhuh...
Not to mention, that your reputation with NCR won't be ruined forever for the remainder of the game if you help the Powdergangers.

 

[circ]

Andyman really loves AP. I can't grasp why. I played through it twice just to get the recruit experience or whatever it was. And it didn't matter if I run and gunned or sneaked. It all ended with boss fights and a final boatride into the sunset. OH THE CHINK WAS A TRIPLE AGENT WHO KNEW AND SCAERLETT WAS AN ASSASSIN HOLY FUCK IT DOESNT MATTER WHO I FUCK OVER AND KILL OR LET LIVE BECAUSE IT ENDS THE SAME PRETTY MUCH. OH IM ON THE BOAT SOLO THIS TIME. OH WELL.

 

[Andyman Messiah]

It's a pretty cool boat.

 

[Xor]

I liked AP, but I recognize that it's a flawed and polarizing game. Obsidian tried to do something a bit different than their usual game, and it kind of worked. Sort of.

 

[Phelot]

F:NV has roughly 3 Immershuns that is 2 more then AP SUCK IT DOWN OBSIDIANTARDS!