You can wash yourself with it.
You can throw it at other people!
You can submerge into it.
It's a lot of fun.
And yet in MMORPGs it is lacking. Why? Because all the designers can think about is what you just saw on these pictures. It's what governs their use of water in a fantasy world. But that's not the only thing water is like.
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Water is also like this:
And like this:
Maybe like this:
Careful:
Remember, we talk about a fantasy world.
But, actually, the real world is often wonderful enough:
Especially during winter:
Or with fog:
Lighthouses are a classic:
That's called an experience:
But any storm is impressive at sea:
And there's no way to cross a major river:
Actually, I'd like to see how you cross even that river:
Most importantly water can be huge:
When I look at water in MMORPGs I despair. I know that you can't reproduce the pictures from above just yet. But the designers don't even try to capture the feeling, the experience.
Every real life walk along the shore during a stormy winter night is more fantastic than swimming at supersonic speed in Vashj'ir. It feels more dangerous, it feels more uncontrollable, it feels more overwhelming and super natural. And yet this walk is actually completely harmless!
It is not impossible to recreate this experience in computer games! I remember watching the shore in The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind. Since then games actually became worse!
When my warrior in heavy plate mail willingly jumps into the perfectly transparent warm sea to one-hit evil snakes ten meters beneath the water's surface, I don't feel fantastic. I rather feel like Vashj'ir is too small for me. I feel like this.
I've never liked the implementation of water in games. It's just so... boring and pointless most of the time, and when it does make a difference it tends to just be frustrating.
ReplyDeleteReal water can be so awesome though... Someday.
Your first post with lolcats? You are defineteley going for more mainstream :)
ReplyDeleteNot every cat on the internet is a lolcat. Damn you, Max. ;)
ReplyDeleteI've been saying for years that rivers in mmos should push you downstream. Obviously we're a long long way from the amazing pictures you provided, but it does seem that implementing river current wouldn't be that difficult.
ReplyDeleteIt would make fording a river upstream from a waterfall a bit more exciting at least.
Sadly, I don't think we're headed in the right direction at all. When the majority of people seem to want nothing more than to sit in town showing off the latest sparkle-pony they purchased from the cash shop, what incentive is there to make water better?
John
Actually, John, Minecraft rivers push you downstream. Which supports my point that you don't need great graphics to deliver an epic experience. Mechanics are much more important.
ReplyDeleteShould WoW in some miracle patch introduce the graphics you see on these pictures, you could probably still just walk through the waves as if they were made of air.
Excellent post from on a very unusual and creative topic. As with apparently everyone else, I never really liked the water effects in games, but I did like the "new" WoW water better than the old.
ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely right about weather being able to play an antagonist in a game. In my D&D games (or whatever other system was running), I've frequently used fires, floods, earthquakes, and the like as challenges for my players. There's no reason an MMO couldn't have you stuck in a lighthouse (the Westfall one, perhaps,) as the water rises and you're having to plug up the windows or whatever. There's a lot they could do with it.
To answer your question of how to et across that river;
ReplyDeleteIf crossing from river right to river left, you can wade out over the stones until you get to the main current. Then you jump in from a high point with the eddy that you want to catch about 40 meters down stream. Quick swimming with correct upstream angle and you'll be straight across. Feet held high to avoid foot entrapments. If a bunch of you are crossing the first swimmer can carry a rope and point-swing the others across.
Obviously you'll get wet doing this. And I wouldn't want to be wearing heavy armour.
Anyway, great post.
It's worse than you seem to think. When was the last time we drank water for physical replenishment rather than to compensate for a lack of regen? How about washing? We don't have many water fights either. As for submersion, sure we are "in the water", but when Vashjir gives us faster movement and an underwater mount, are we really in water, or just inconvenient air?
ReplyDeletethenoisyrogue, great that you worried about getting wet.
ReplyDeleteIn MMORPG you can't get wet. Not only do you jump in with all your clothes on, but you actually jump out again with all your clothes and pretend that nothing happend. And I'm not even talking about the non-existent backpack.
Even during a hot summer it's quite inconvenient to run around in completely wet clothes. If it's cooler or even winter it's a terrible problem. And this has gameplay value. It can challenge the player with interesting decisions. It can give bridges a meaning!
It allows the designer to show you something that you can't reach - or only if you accept to get really wet.
Imagine if you could build your own bridges, the payment and battle possibilities.
ReplyDeleteMy wife has hydrophobia, stemming from a drowning-related childhood incident. She always had to ask for a summon to Coilfang instances, because she couldn't handle that underwater tunnel without a panic attack.
ReplyDeleteSo some aspects of water are simulated realistically enough, even in WoW.
My condolences for your wife, Ephemeron. But I don't think the number of players with massiv hydrophbia is large enough to justify preventing the rest of the world from experiencing engaging water-based scenarios.
ReplyDelete