Feedback talk:User/I approve this pwn/Realism

Support. Also:

1) Add water vapor condensing in the air when characters are exhaling in cold climates (except for the Sylvari since they're cold-blooded)

2) The occassional involuntary shiver when standing still in snow (except for the Norn, perhaps)

3) Crystal clear skies and extremely bright, over-exposed ligthing in snow and ice covered regions (or white-out conditions when a storm blows through)

4) Dust and sand kicked up into the atmosphere by desert winds, blurring the sky and turning the sun a deep orange

5) Fog in temperate low-land valleys

6) Seasonal changes so that when it's Winter in the real world, it's Winter in the game world, etc.

7) If it's raining, show raindrops sliding down the player's screen similar to how water droplets collect on the screen temporarily when exiting the water.

I'm sure there's a lot more ideas people can think of. Guild Wars 3 perhaps 03:24, 16 September 2011 (UTC)

I by far support this extremely! I'm someone with an eye for these details and I LO-LO-LOVE them.. 1000% support in this case Tomoko 11:00, 16 September 2011 (UTC)

Details can make or break a game sometimes. The little things get noticed. Like stillness with wind. Not everything needs music. Sometimes ambiance is best. BUT, Sylvari would still have water vapor breath. Because it is going from a gas to a liquid because of pressure change as well as temp. Plus, Sylvari would probably be slightly warm-blooded. A byproduct of a higher metabolism needed for movement. Wazwolf 20:18, 16 September 2011 (UTC)

Dunno, Anet has said that Sylvari are cold...well they don't really have blood either. Since they are a sentient plant race, something that doesn't exist in real life, I think we can throw out normal biological physics. I can totally see Anet having already put in things like the blurring for hot areas. I think a similar effect is seen in some areas of EotN. And Anet seems to be already working on ambiance. However, I'm pretty sure seasons are going to stay mostly fixed for Tyria. Ascalon seems like its the only place that have them, and who knows what the searing did to its weather patterns.

Perhaps I should have said cold-sapped instead of cold-blooded for the Sylvari. But originally for Sylvari Week they were written on the official page as being cold-blooded. However, since GamesCom or Pax Prime 2011, that line has been changed and it has been archived on GW2 wiki as well. So perhaps the developers have now decided to take Sylvari physiology in a different direction. Guild Wars 3 perhaps 21:51, 19 September 2011 (UTC)

I support this idea as well. With the world being very open, with different monsters and enemies, it would be a step in that "refreshing, new direction" they are looking to take the game. It just makes sense that the weather also changes and fluctuates, giving an element of helplessness or "not in control-ness" to the game. It also fits in another feedback space I just read about using waypoint travel more than adventuring to your destination. Sure, you've seen this area several times, but have you ever seen it during a thunderstorm? Does the weather bring out different creatures? Are bandits more likely to attack when you are more concerned with the snow? etc. FleshAndFaith 03:29, 21 September 2011 (UTC)

Nice suggestions, FleshandFaith. It would keep the environments fresh if the weather and seasons give them a different look. Beyond even just changing the look of an area, go a step further and make the environment interactive. For example, after a particulary heavy snowfall in the Shiverpeaks, players might get caught in an avalanche. In a more temperate climate, a heavy rain could run the risk of mudslides. Changing seasons, winds, and weather patterns could change a formerly tranquil beach into in a raging, roiling, surf-pounded danger zone. Beyond even the weather, we could have natural disasters crop up from time-to-time. Perhaps a volcano erupts and turns a lush forest into a blasted wasteland of lava.

I also like the idea of weather affecting the creatures that inhabit an area. A heavy rain in a forest or swamp may lead to greater activity on the part of the Hylek. During the height of Summer heat at mid-day, monsters in the desert will burrow under the sand to stay cool; reducing the likelyhood of encountering them at that time. But woe to the adventurer who fails to cross the desert before sunset when those creatures then become more active. Lots of possibilities. Great idea. Guild Wars 3 perhaps 17:26, 21 September 2011 (UTC)