Seasonal and climatic preferences in RPGs

[0sacred]

Perhaps some of you have been switching between games as it's getting hotter. I certainly do. When it's sweltering outside, I like to play some Dark Sun or Storm of Zehir. I just can't suspend my disbelief enough to get immersed battling Frost Giants when I'm sweating in my pants. OTOH, I'll pick up my latest playthrough of Icewind Dale again as soon as there's snow outside. Maybe some of you have similar habits? What are your favorite games for each season?

On a broader note, is there some climate that you prefer for games to be set in? Does it extend to vegetation/ culture or just a range of temperatures?

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

Patrolling during winter makes me almost wish for nuked out Fallout desert.

 

[Butter]

A range of climates is nice, but the snow/ice areas are always the best.

 

[CyberWhale]

Best to match it with the current season/climate TBH to enhance the atmosphere and immersion. Although, doing the totally opposite for novelty reasons works as well, I guess.

 

[Kruyurk]

The snow in Icewind Dale is too bright and hurt my eyes.

 

[Humanophage]

I guess my vanilla preference is light snow. The entirely snowy parts of IWD don't look as good. It has to be mossy.

However, it is interesting to have some variation. Boreal swamps are good, especially since they look lovely but have too many mosquitos in real life. Birchy areas are also nice.

 

[FriendlyMerchant]

The best climate for an rpg is a gigantic dungeon with a stock market in the center.

 

[Viata]

The best climate for an rpg is a gigantic dungeon with a stock market in the center.

Based. We need more single gigantic dungeon games.

 

[FriendlyMerchant]

The best climate for an rpg is a gigantic dungeon with a stock market in the center.

Based. We need more single gigantic dungeon games.

With goblin and deep gnome cities propped up in convenient places in the dungeon.

 

[Daingerous]

Snow. I really wish for a Thing like rpg so badly, and one that isn't some jrpg weeb shit or a generic shoot'em up.

 

[Faarbaute]

I enjoy most climates and seasonal settings as long as there's some contrast involved. Like an actual colorful medieval society as opposed to the bland brown shit you'd see in a tv show about vikings or medieval society in general. Even just the clever use of greens and blues and browns and reds, in contrast with the white of snow makes a huge difference. Perhaps with some dramatic features that break up the landscape aswell.

Not surprisingly, my least favorite setting is late autum, for the same reasons really. It's the blandest of all seasons, just shades of brown, mostly. The exception I make is if the blandness of the scenery is specifically meant to convey or signify something like dread or death and decay by for example portraying trampled whilted fields, burnt out villages and forests or rotting vegetation, then it's okay but this had better not be the entire game.

 

[Trashos]

When it is very hot, I prefer games that are not going to heat my GPU too much.

Cool question though. I 'd rather have the climate and maps fit the themes of the game.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

snow is superior

 

[KörangarTheMighty]

Late Autumn/Early winter just after the first light dusting of snow. Damp cold afternoons when the sun is almost set, where your nose burns from the crispness of the air and all you can smell is wood smoke from the fire.
A time of year and climate that an adventurer might conceivably still be out trying to make end's meet in. The time of year and climate where the last battle of a campaign might be fought before the armies pack it in for winter and return home.

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

[Pink Eye]

All this makes me realize is how much I hate the climate in Florida.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

I've had a soft spot for winter in RPGs ever since playing Daggerfall, which begins in the winter season and where a playthrough can easily last for years of game time:

 

[Stella Brando]

It's funny you should bring this up, as I've honestly avoided some movies and games because I don't like cold weather.

I was disappointed that Red Dead Redemption 2 lacks US desert and Mexican areas like the first game, and I still haven't played it.

I also seem to have lost my interest in Vikings that I had as a kid. Pirates have it much better, they get to hang out in the Caribbean.

 

[Lucumo]

I have no preference and like every season as long as it's well portrayed. Of course, some seasons fit better with the tone of a game.

 

[Late Bloomer]

I like it to rain. Rain in the swamps, a desert rainstorm, rain outside while inside a structure, rain and lots of it. Otherwise, I just like seasons in general. The very bright white of snow can make a headache worse if I already have one though.

 

[Cryomancer]

I hate hot weather IRL or in video games. Maybe this is why I liked more Ravenloft : Strahd possession over Stone prophet...

 

[Lord_Potato]

Snow. I really wish for a Thing like rpg so badly, and one that isn't some jrpg weeb shit or a generic shoot'em up.

I'm sure the Thing could work as a (survival) horror. But how would it work as a rpg? Alien infestation of everyone in the polar base lasts a day or two. After that either all people get killed or the alien creature gets toasted. Such timeframe does not leave a lot of place for character development.

 

[Lord_Potato]

Desert is great if devs can depict its variety. Dark Sun is a good example, but there is also ancient Egypt in Assassin's Creed: Origins. Although the map is 80% desert they managed to show many variations of it: yellow sand dunes, red rocky canyons, white salt pans. It's a joy to explore.

However in an open world game I like when it presents several biomes. Just make the transition gradual enough so it won't be jarring when one second you walk through sunny green field and another you struggle through icy hail in the middle of a frozen wasteland.

 

[Nifft Batuff]

I still have not completed the game (I am playing it in these days), but Wasteland 3 looks like as a missed opportunity to do a snowy post apocalyptic setting well. The game don't use the setting at all, as far as the gameplay goes, it could be have been set in a desert. From the visual point of view Colorado Spring looks like, well, in spring.

 

[Darth Canoli]

Anything as long as there is no rain/snow/storms of any kind, because fuck weather effects!

So I vote for Dark Sun/Fallout.

 

[wishbonetail]

Always loved sand, stony deserts, dunno why. So Gothic 3 and Fallout NV are right up my alley. Usually I dedicate my summers to Fallout franchise. Except Fallout 4, that's late october obviously.