Originally Posted by chocolate
Originally Posted by Baardvark
I guess I just don't find D:OS is really all that much about immersion in the way that Skyrim or The Witcher 3 are. Sure, obviously I don't want it to feel like I'm just playing a game, but running around the world isn't going to be immersive like it is in first or even third-person games. It's just not the kind of game where the world feels huge and epic. Maybe later in the game I'll feel like I'm deep in the wilds or trapped in a dungeon, but it's hard to get that feeling when you can just move your camera over to civilization. I don't think run speed will affect that feeling, but I guess we'll just agree to disagree. I really want quite a modest change. Many people are going to be sad about always available rift travel being gone, though I think that's overall a good thing.

I think you'll find little support for the idea that non-combat healing should take resources. You don't even need to really invest in a healer since you could just Migo's Ring (even just equipping it out of combat). Or one point in hydrosophist and restoration isn't asking much, which will be plenty of healing out of combat. Again, D:OS isn't the kind of game where you're going extremely far into dungeons and wilds and need to be self-sufficient for long periods of time. It's more about density of interesting interactions than epic immersion, at least to me.

You don't feel D:OS is really about immersion because it's all done so poorly, but it is a game that should be immersive, don't let Larian's broken systems convince you that D:OS shouldn't be an immersive game. (It is literally a role playing game, and immersion is what puts you into a role and makes you play the game in that role.)

Please, don't use examples of broken things from the game to prove a point. Yes, Migo's ring eliminates the need for a dedicated healer, eliminates the cost and reward of having one, and shitty skill trees don't force a character to be a dedicated healer. That's because these are broken mechanics not doing what they should, it doesn't prove anything other than that immersion can be done wrong, and I've already stated this.

Almost every mechanic in Divinity created for immersion is done wrong, because Larian doesn't understand that these are immersion mechanics, and throws them in without thought. If you want to use examples to prove your points, then use complete games like D&D, not broken ones in alpha.

Sorry if this all comes off a little harsh. I'm not trying to be mean or anything, text just has a way of looking angry when you're stating points.


No offense taken. I guess I see two different kinds of immersion: Where I feel like I personally am in an incredible world, which is more about visceral wonder, awe, and cool factor, or where I feel like I'm immersed in an incredible story with characters that matter and interesting situations, which is more of a cerebral immersion. They're not mutually exclusive, but personally, a top down game is probably never going to elicit that former kind of immersion for me.

So any mechanics really focused on the kind of visceral immersion are going to be a hard sell for me. E.g., enjoying the wonder and vastness of the environment while running to the nearest waypoint to buy some skillbooks.

A big part of it is controlling multiple characters. It's just so hard to get involved with all 4 different characters, though I do enjoy their stories. Maybe 4-player multi-player where I only have to care about one person will be more immersive on all levels. But 4-character micromanaging gets tedious, nevermind something like healing each individual character and considering how to manage my potions post-combat (and why should a bedroll be consumed on use? That's not immersive). If you increase the investment of making a healer, and require resource based healing, you make a healer basically mandatory just for post-combat healing, which isn't really in the spirit of D:OS, where most combinations of builds can work.

I don't think comparing D:OS to a tabletop game is a fair comparison, at least until there's the GM mode. There's just so much room for imagination to create immersion than in a video game.