Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback How to Enhance Immersion

I'm just throwing this thread out there to get the current ideas from forum-posters on ways Larian can still enhance immersion in BG3. Bring me your ideas, big and small! Stuff I've seen elsewhere and discussed elsewhere on this forum:

-Some way of keeping time, if not through a d/n cycle, another symbolic way that marks the days as different, distinct, and sequential. Maybe a day counter, maybe a clock. Perhaps randomized weather effects after a long rest. Maybe it rains in the camp sometimes and you need to put up a shelter over everything.
-Some way of conveying distance, if not through the overworld, then through the map, or dialogue, or NPC chatter. I know I want a more stylized fast travel map that looks like ink and parchment and has scribbles based on things we found, and maybe locations we can't go to but are irrelevant to us, to give an idea of scale (Google: Here be Dragons wikipedia).
-More banter between companions that is decision-dependent, location-dependent, longer, and a bit deeper in topics. Especially in camp when they're just standing around.
-Varied and context-dependent and decision-dependent NPC chatter that gets around the "medieval reenactment village" we are seeing.
-Being able to use all the clutter in the world for something. (i.e., being able to turn your trash into treasure in a problem-solving way, like shovels for digging, or ropes for climbing).
-More and varied ambient noises and effects that capture the feeling of the world around us.
-More, longer, and better item descriptions that express more lore and make items feel more special/unique (to avoid the generic feel).
-Maybe certain characters speak different languages and you need to learn those languages to know what they are saying (Language Proficiency).
-After you complete all relevant content in an area with fire or burning patches (Waukeen's Rest or the Nautilloid), PUT THE FIRES OUT. WOOD FIRES DON'T LAST FOR WEEKS.
-Utilizing race, class, or background to give custom characters a closer bond to the world. The background inspiration points are a start (give us tags for those too!), along with the race and class tags, but it would be nice if these three attributes had more to do with the story/world.
-If the story argues that something is hidden (like the grove), MAKE IT MORE HIDDEN.
-Food spoiling. Maybe fresh food spoils faster but offers better benefits when fresh, while cured/preserved/supply foods last longer?

Good stuff, mate!!!

"-If the story argues that something is hidden (like the grove), MAKE IT MORE HIDDEN." -> Hidding in plane sight , init?

But yeah, overall simple and to the point suggestions to make the world a bit more organic.

Focus more on dialogues ...
I can imagine it can be pain sometimes, but if our dialogues dont contain at least one option viable for Good character, at least one option viable for Evil character, and at least one option viable for Neutral character ... its not sufficient.

And please let us be harsh on our companions ... at least as harsh and snarky as they are on us, it is source of many frustration when your companions are mocking you with every word and all you can do is stand there and smile. -_-

Some hints are here: https://forums.larian.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=741085#Post741085

- Day/Night cycle
- Weather effect
- Fast travel through the worldmap
- Main camps located on the worldmap
- Mini camps in the world
- Unexpected encounters in mini camp
- Unexpected events in main camps
- Animals cannot climb ladders (a free auto retransformation into a human to climb and a free retransformation up/down the ladder also work)
- Rework VFX for jump/dash/shove (common actions)
- Remove buffing/healing surface (walkkng on liquid to benefit the effects of buffing/healing potions)
- Arrows trajectory
- Remove the chain system that leads to wierd party movements
- Less magical items and less gamey magical items
- Remove magical pockets during combats
- All weapons on our characters back/belt (nothing dissapear)
- Fully custom weapon slots (>< 1 melee + 1 range)
- Rework shove (distance, animation)
- Hide the grove (OP said it)
- Rework the main story so everyone understand that there's finally no urgency
- Less blood when someone die
- Remove dipping (or dipping require a ressource)
- Rework hide/sneak (hearing radius)
- remove the yellow ! upon companions head when they want to talk with you (eventually keep it on the Ui, i.e the portrait)

That's it for now.

-Providing multiple uses for spells and abilities. Right now, some work for combat, some for dialogue, some for traversal, some for stealth. Give us reasons to use our spells and abilities in new ways. Maybe there's a location that is based around water and we need to raise or lower water levels at different points using create/destroy water. On the matter of languages, Comprehend Languages is a Dnd spell. Ultimately, using clutter and spells/abilities in new and interesting ways would simulate asking a DM if you can do X with Y. Be the cool DM that says yes. Maybe certain abilities reveal certain things in the world, or on the map. About the water, just give us puzzles that require certain abilities or items and some thought.
-If no d/n cycle, can we at least have night? Camp is at night, so maybe we can have night mode or something. Or after we use all our short rests, night mode can kick in. Or after all spell slots and superiority dies are used and short rests expended.
-Crafting new items using trash we find. I didn't make use of the crafting system that much in DOS2 (outside of a few hard-to-get items/skills), and it would be nice if there were certain desirable items that could be made from combining other items. Right now, it's mostly unique weapons, and that's great, but it could be better. Maybe certain items that can be used in or on the world are primarily made via combining certain commonplace items.
-I think a good Easter Egg would be if you use mostly alcoholic beverages to satisfy the supply requirement to rest, your party wakes up with a hangover. Or if you use supply packs several long rests in a row, someone should comment about having rations again. Or if you use the same items over and over, maybe someone mentions something.

+100 to suggestions.

Right now for Larian...Immersion = Cinematic dialogues. They have skipped over some much essential stuff it feels.

-NPC barks should happen exactly once. (Especially if they’re standing right next to a vendor).
-NPCs should walk around more, and not just pacing back and forth. Make me believe they have places to be rather than just waiting to deliver their lines.
-Add wildlife to the wild. It’s okay if they don’t have much to say. It would be at least something whose existence was completely player independant.
-Remove the outline of walkable terrain from the minimap. I’d rather look at the world to find things than be told in advance “you’re entering an encounter arena”.
-Stop Wizards from scribing any spells, letting them bestow agnostic blessings and unnatural natural perks.
-Give me the illusion camp dwellers do anything all day besides wait for me to solve their brain parasite problem.

Was it mentioned? No more "I care about our lives. Our futures!"

Ugh!

I’m not sure what you’re refering to.

The three tieflings in the Grove. The mage constantly repeats, over and over and over again, "I care about our lives. Our futures!". He does this after you first meet him closer to Around the halfling merchant. He and his companions wander down by Ethel and he just never stops saying it - unless you kill him. 👹

Ah, the wizard-wannabe who HAS to make it to Baldur's Gate. I wonder if he shows up in later chapters....

Also I'd like for companions to say something during combat, whrn you crit or miss or etc. Silent combat breaks immersion a little for me. (this thread https://forums.larian.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=817770#Post817770)

Yes. I'd prefer ambient background noise instead of repeated conversations that never die.

+ 1 million

For me, the lack of day/night is the most immersion breaking thing. I hate the fact that there is never night time in the world. Night time is when a lot of interesting / shady / dangerous / stealthy / undead stuff happens. Night time completely changes the atmosphere of places that feel safe during daytime. It's such an integral part of any world, and the dynamic of day/night, light and dark, adds so much to any game. This is a baffling omission from Larian, a company that claims their game is big and complex with a focus on player agency. Well, I want to wait for night time before I go stealing an Idol of Silvanus, like any sane person would. Darkness is not just atmospheric. It has interesting mechanical implications as well, especially when players can play a Drow or a Vampire. Having a Vampire PC and vampire storyline in a game world where it's always daytime is ridiculous.

A close second would the the campsite that doesn't exist in the game world. I can't shake the feeling it's completely off the map and 100% safe outside scripted events. Looks like it's only getting more ridiculous as your entourage of skeletons and volos grows and follows you to the Underdark or where ever you might decide to go. A campsite like BG3's would work if it was only accessible through an overland map, but a magical teleport from Grymforge to Grymforge pocket dimension campsite doesn't. It just feels completely unnecessary and confusing.

Then there's the gameplay itself - the exaggerated superhero shoving and jumping, puzzle-like combat encounters with extreme resistances and battlefield factors. BG3 doesn't feel enough like D&D or previous D&D CRPG's that are well grounded in real world physics even if there is magic to bend that. There's a clear distinction between ordinary and magical, but BG3 blends those too much just to have flashy videogamey combat. Even Dragon Age: Inquisition feels more grounded in real world physics even though it has a lot hollow pizzazz. BG3 gameplay feels far too cartoony for a game with a serious, even dark story and photorealistic visuals. It's like they want to be Dark Souls and Super Mario at the same time, and obviously that doesn't work.

Yes please

Maybe some more unimportant flavor NPCs to fill in the space.


...and a "Super Noober"

Heya!

Instead of an NPC that triggers in a specific location...they kinda of pop up anywhere (based on another trigger entirely).

An "Are we there yet" mechanic.

Great suggestions. Love pretty much all of them!

This!

2nd

Footnote: on the whole "Can't do languages, because that would complicate our huge dialogue tree" issue, languages need to be implemented for the specific application of "puzzles"; such as the documents on the desk or the writing on the wall.