CootKeeper
Augur
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2011
- Messages
- 146
-
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Immersive Sims
- Thread starter toro
- Start date
toro
Arcane
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2009
- Messages
- 15,037
Yeah. It's stupid.
Cross
Arcane
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2017
- Messages
- 3,061
You're behind the times. The hip new thing is souls-like deck-building roguelikes with those wobbly PS1-style 3D graphics.
Spukrian
Savant
Can't find spikes to kick enemies into? Joke is on you, in this game you make the spikes with your magic!
Dark Otter of Grappling Hook and Air Ship
Yes, you can play as an otter. There is a grappling hook and you get an air ship that you steer manually.
Some gameplay:
Dark Otter of Grappling Hook and Air Ship
Yes, you can play as an otter. There is a grappling hook and you get an air ship that you steer manually.
Some gameplay:
I'm playing through a nice little indie game I once picked up in a Fanatical bundle, and it's quite the positive surprise: Intravenous. Also bought its sequel, Intravenous 2, which has even more involved mechanics.
I'd say they qualify as immersive sims. They are certainly inspired by them - the developer openly says so: Thief, Deus Ex, Dishonored, Splinter Cell, etc are major inspirations for the games.
They're top-down stealth action shooters. Think Hotline Miami but with more involved stealth systems.
For the pretty simple indie games that they are, there's a lot of mechanical depth.
You can adjust your walking speed with the mouse wheel, and the sound of your footsteps will adjust accordingly. The surface you're walking on also affects your footsteps' noise level. Pretty much exactly like Thief. Additionally, the equipment you carry can also increase noise level when moving.
Light and darkness also, like Thief, affects enemy detection. In total darkness, enemies can barely see you even in close range, while in the light you're easily spotted. You can turn off lights to create areas of darkness, or shoot them out but that obviously makes noise.
Once you start shooting, pretty much the entire map will go on alert (or, on larger maps, about half the map), because guns are loud. Unless you use silenced pistols, which have a much lower sound range - but still make an audible noise. Walls will block noise somewhat, so shooting someone with a silenced pistol indoors makes it unlikely that anyone outside will hear it.
The AI is also surprisingly good. It will react to everything - you can throw objects to distract them, or even shout something to attract their attention. When you kill an enemy and drag his body away, you leave a trail of blood which patrolling guards will notice and follow. When you leave a door open that's supposed to be closed, guards will investigate. When you turn a light off that's supposed to be on, likewise.
Can recommend.
I'd say they qualify as immersive sims. They are certainly inspired by them - the developer openly says so: Thief, Deus Ex, Dishonored, Splinter Cell, etc are major inspirations for the games.
They're top-down stealth action shooters. Think Hotline Miami but with more involved stealth systems.
For the pretty simple indie games that they are, there's a lot of mechanical depth.
You can adjust your walking speed with the mouse wheel, and the sound of your footsteps will adjust accordingly. The surface you're walking on also affects your footsteps' noise level. Pretty much exactly like Thief. Additionally, the equipment you carry can also increase noise level when moving.
Light and darkness also, like Thief, affects enemy detection. In total darkness, enemies can barely see you even in close range, while in the light you're easily spotted. You can turn off lights to create areas of darkness, or shoot them out but that obviously makes noise.
Once you start shooting, pretty much the entire map will go on alert (or, on larger maps, about half the map), because guns are loud. Unless you use silenced pistols, which have a much lower sound range - but still make an audible noise. Walls will block noise somewhat, so shooting someone with a silenced pistol indoors makes it unlikely that anyone outside will hear it.
The AI is also surprisingly good. It will react to everything - you can throw objects to distract them, or even shout something to attract their attention. When you kill an enemy and drag his body away, you leave a trail of blood which patrolling guards will notice and follow. When you leave a door open that's supposed to be closed, guards will investigate. When you turn a light off that's supposed to be on, likewise.
Can recommend.
- Joined
- Oct 1, 2018
- Messages
- 8,898
This is already more intelligent design than the vast majority of games.
Machocruz
Arcane
Intravenous was the one game I bought during the winter sale. Pretty much what JarlFrank says. Deceptively simple at first glance, and surprisingly hardcore stealth; the bad habits inculcated by other games of the past 15 years will be punished in these games. I mean you can recover and fight your way through if you are discovered, but it feels wrong when you've tried your best not to up until that point. And anyway, going loud is more satisfying when you've planned it from the beginning and prepared your loadout according, same goes for a hybrid approach.
I'm going loud for my first playthrough, aiming to get the all kills achievement. Usually I start out by picking off lone enemies with the silenced pistol or throwing knife, then look for a dark corner and fire a shot to attract enemy attention.
Enemy AI is surprisingly decent. While a lot of dudes will run into your line of fire, some of them will stay back and taunt you to come out and face them. Others will try to flank you if you're in a position that can be approached from multiple directions. They will rush to the place they heard the gunshot from, so if you reposition you can fall into their backs. Sound is a really powerful tool in this game. Also you can set ambushes with motion sensor mines, but be careful not to walk into them yourself lol.
Gonna go for a zero kill ghost playthrough after that.
Enemy AI is surprisingly decent. While a lot of dudes will run into your line of fire, some of them will stay back and taunt you to come out and face them. Others will try to flank you if you're in a position that can be approached from multiple directions. They will rush to the place they heard the gunshot from, so if you reposition you can fall into their backs. Sound is a really powerful tool in this game. Also you can set ambushes with motion sensor mines, but be careful not to walk into them yourself lol.
Gonna go for a zero kill ghost playthrough after that.
Finished the first game, now playing the sequel.
It's just a straight upgrade in every way. Excellent game, I fully recommend it.
Played a side mission where I have to gather incriminating info in a criminal warehouse complex. Shut off the lights in one warehouse by lockpicking the breaker box, shot a couple guys with a loud gun to attract attention, then started killing them one by one with a throwing knife while my NVG was switched on. They couldn't see shit. Amazing ninja moment. When it got a little hotter and I couldn't keep darting in to retrieve my throwing knife (you only carry one), I opened fire in the darkness and it turned into a blind firefight - enemy AI will now shoot at the position they assume you're at, which made this really awesome. I fire off some shots, they see the muzzle flash. They start shooting, I duck behind cover and move to their flank while they keep shooting at my last known position. Really made me feel like a character in a ninja movie.
Enemy AI was already decent in the first game, but it's much more interesting now, with how they fire at the position they expect you to be at, or just to lay down suppressive fire.
Some enemies also have radios with which they communicate, so if you get spotted by one dude he can call for backup from elsewhere in the map.
Another cool change is how wooden doors can now be wrecked by gunfire or by repeatedly kicking them. In the first game you can just break the lock with bullets, now the entire door can shatter.
Mission types are more varied, as are the environments they take place in. There's a new protagonist, but you also meet the first game's protagonist and get to play as both of them during different missions. There's an achievement for not killing anyone with the new guy, and killing everyone with the old guy, so the game encourages different playstyles for each of them, which makes the missions feel even more varied. So with Steve I go in guns blazing while with Sean I try to ghost the levels.
Speaking of ghosting, there's also sometimes a choice between doing a level during the day or the night, and playing the daylight version has light social stealth elements, where you're allowed to be in some areas but not others. No Hitman style clothes changing, but it's a pretty cool addition nonetheless. There's also civilian characters now that won't fight you but will get panicked if they see you where you're not supposed to be.
It's basically the first game ++++++
It's just a straight upgrade in every way. Excellent game, I fully recommend it.
Played a side mission where I have to gather incriminating info in a criminal warehouse complex. Shut off the lights in one warehouse by lockpicking the breaker box, shot a couple guys with a loud gun to attract attention, then started killing them one by one with a throwing knife while my NVG was switched on. They couldn't see shit. Amazing ninja moment. When it got a little hotter and I couldn't keep darting in to retrieve my throwing knife (you only carry one), I opened fire in the darkness and it turned into a blind firefight - enemy AI will now shoot at the position they assume you're at, which made this really awesome. I fire off some shots, they see the muzzle flash. They start shooting, I duck behind cover and move to their flank while they keep shooting at my last known position. Really made me feel like a character in a ninja movie.
Enemy AI was already decent in the first game, but it's much more interesting now, with how they fire at the position they expect you to be at, or just to lay down suppressive fire.
Some enemies also have radios with which they communicate, so if you get spotted by one dude he can call for backup from elsewhere in the map.
Another cool change is how wooden doors can now be wrecked by gunfire or by repeatedly kicking them. In the first game you can just break the lock with bullets, now the entire door can shatter.
Mission types are more varied, as are the environments they take place in. There's a new protagonist, but you also meet the first game's protagonist and get to play as both of them during different missions. There's an achievement for not killing anyone with the new guy, and killing everyone with the old guy, so the game encourages different playstyles for each of them, which makes the missions feel even more varied. So with Steve I go in guns blazing while with Sean I try to ghost the levels.
Speaking of ghosting, there's also sometimes a choice between doing a level during the day or the night, and playing the daylight version has light social stealth elements, where you're allowed to be in some areas but not others. No Hitman style clothes changing, but it's a pretty cool addition nonetheless. There's also civilian characters now that won't fight you but will get panicked if they see you where you're not supposed to be.
It's basically the first game ++++++
Dunno if this was posted yet but it looks so fun
Spukrian
Savant
The name change was a very good decision in that case.
- Joined
- Oct 1, 2018
- Messages
- 8,898
As much as it makes anyone over the age of 20 cringe, "Don't be sus" has viral marketing potential. It wouldn't even matter what the gameplay is. Kids would line up to watch streamers play that.
Watched the video, the dev has an Eastern European accent, so it's bound to be good.
EDIT:
On second thought, it might be French.
EDIT:
On second thought, it might be French.
Last edited:
TheCumGuzzler
Educated
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2023
- Messages
- 133
Premise sounds kinda similar to Obenseuer which is in my opinion a great game, not sure if it's considered an immersive sim but you do have a lot of choice on how to get money and each playthrough can be different.
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2018
- Messages
- 1,912
Looks pretty immersive to me and it has some sim aspects, don't see why it shouldn't count as one.
As for Schedule I, i tried the free sample and it was...
More about managing your drug business rather than the usual ImSim elements. Wishlisted it.
I played a bit of Obenseuer and it absolutely qualifies as an imsim imo.
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