I mean WTF? Whats up with nearly everyone getting mixed up with IMMERSION = REALISM ??? Nobody is saying that. You dont need an Earthly <realistic> world to be immersed in a fantasy game environment. Its all about how your game world lore and fantasy atmosphere is integrated within the game, making you feel your actually there adventuring within these fantasy rules.
Simple Day/night timer cycles with random weather and various fantasy sounds based on your zone is immersive. 24 hour day night cycles with moon cycles, weather patterns based on the planets movements, humidity levels, clouds, variable wind direction on trees, flora growing etc... goes beyond immersion, its REALISTIC.
Right now Larian is giving us very little in terms of common RPG immersion elements. Time is still. No day night. Not much weather effects. Environmental sounds lacking. Not much banter/comments based on area. Stuff/areas is way too close to each other. Camping implementation is still silly. Lots of gear does not fit the world lore, the UI isn't the slightest integrated with the world (spellbooks not looking like spellbooks but like a smartphone app...)...
I think gamers (and devs..) as changed to a point that they just dont care to be immersed anymore; and have no idea what that means. I mean would ANY RPG gamer say "who needs day/night, its just cosmetics?" in the late 90s early 2000s??? Lets get rid of day/night for BG2! People hated it in the first game right ?!
Yet thats exactly whats going on here now. People care now for just <the meat> of things. 6 character parties? Too much. 300 spells/30 classes? Too much. 20 playable NPCs? Too much.
Mainstream RPGs now : Give me the encounter. Give me the loot. Give me the sex. NEXT.
