Concerns about fast travel

[GuyNwah]

Also, I don't see anyone taking on a tone here that could be considered impertinent.

Starting with the OP. "That's exactly why you have games like Skyrim that forces you to travel huge distances for the most trivial bullshit ("deliver this wooden spoon to the toothless granny on the other side of this continent"), because they take fast travel for granted so they don't bother giving content a decent distribution in space or a good pacing."

That is exactly what I believe to be a disparaging and destructive tone. Sorry for resurrecting an old post. But it's the point of many posters in this thread and the reason I am against it.

 

[username_2064020]

And oh... OP already had one good reply but he decided to ignore it. Quoting

Because it isn't good.
In fact, it isn't even remotely competent and it doesn't show any trace of awareness of the issue.

Beside, I didn't even ignore it. Hell, the reply next to the post you quoted was mine and it was a direct answer to it.

 

[cmdr_silverbolt]

The inclusion or omission of fast travel is neither a necessary obstacle or boon to this, respectively.

Honestly I didn't think too much about the effects of fast travel inclusion in a game, but in hindsight games which have used it inefficiently, including Far Cry 3, AC3, and Skyrim, all could have done better without it.

GTAIV, Sleeping Dogs, and TW(!) are games in which fast travel happened in a way which was appropriate to the world, and also provided convenience for the player. I know people liked the RDR fast travel manner, but camping to travel never made sense to me.

Since this game world is going to be bigger than that in Skyrim, it would make sense to not make traveling in the world monotonous or inconvenient, or burdensome on other aspects of game play.

I think teleportation devices is the way to go here. There could be other travel options, like someone going along the road with an extra horse to sell, or a carriage Geralt could hail in need. If we combine such aspects with teleportation devices, traveling will be convenient, and also won't affect other aspects of game play.

 

[secondchildren]

Sorry, IT version ahead (wanted to talk with a mate of mine):

@Tuco Benedicto
E tu come fai a sapere quanto è competente e cosciente di quello che stai dicendo?
Può darsi che sia una questione di linguaggio (cioè di lingua). Il concetto è che se parti dal presupposto che CDP far

 

[KnightofPhoenix]

Honestly I didn't think too much about the effects of fast travel inclusion in a game, but in hindsight games which have used it inefficiently, including Far Cry 3, AC3, and Skyrim, all could have done better without it.

Can you elaborate why you think AC3 did it poorly please?
It's the only example that I have experienced, and I didn't find it inefficient at all. If anything, I would have liked more fast travel in that game.

 

[Kaldurenik]

Um, if a person has a map, then they should know where everything is supposed to be located. It's not necessary, of course, for one's map to include every POI, that's why I appreciated when characters would update your map in TW2. The 5000 year old ruins would definitely be located on a map, but that's besides the point />

read it again... The ruins have been long lost and no one have been there for 5000 years. And you just have a map with a nice arrow saying ">>>>> Lost ruins

 

[username_2064020]

Sorry, IT version ahead (wanted to talk with a mate of mine):

@Tuco Benedicto
E tu come fai a sapere quanto è competente e cosciente di quello che stai dicendo? />/>
Può darsi che sia una questione di linguaggio (cioè di lingua). Il concetto è che se parti dal presupposto che CDP far

 

[Agent_Blue]

read it again... The ruins have been long lost and no one have been there for 5000 years. And you just have a map with a nice arrow saying ">>>>> Lost ruins

 

[cmdr_silverbolt]

Can you elaborate why you think AC3 did it poorly please?
It's the only example that I have experienced, and I didn't find it inefficient at all. If anything, I would have liked more fast travel in that game.

To be fair, there were aspects I liked from AC3 travel mechanics- the network, opening new locations as the game progressed. What I didn't like was that sometimes it felt like you were exploring simply in order to open new locations. This is the same feeling one gets from Skyrim- I'll travel some more to that marker over yonder, it will open up a new location.

 

[merttol]

Like I said before, I'm not against the fast-travel but especially in RPG games, must be reasonable.

It must cost something, like a real life. In-game time needs to be adjusted, if you're going from Egremont to Asheberg you shouldn't be feel like "like I never left here" after your return to Egremont. In my opinion, could be different types of FT regulations. Especially for the long distances. We're talking about true-RPG game aren't we? So; I would like to see some logical explanations, effects of my all actions, activities as a game character. If you're thinking; playing a RPG game while travel 1000km with horse, ship whatever instantly and nothing changes around your world... Well, you're playing Star Trek RPG and using transporters for fast-travel. Transporters convert a person or object into an energy pattern (a process called dematerialization), then "beam" it to a target, where it is reconverted into matter (rematerialization). Even in Star Trek, transporter can fail and person or object may not be rematerialize correctly.

Last of all, it would be really great if I can feel my game character with logical explanations of his actions in whole game and yeah even in fast travels... Why not?

 

[cmdr_silverbolt]

read it again... The ruins have been long lost and no one have been there for 5000 years. And you just have a map with a nice arrow saying ">>>>> Lost ruins

 

[KnightofPhoenix]

To be fair, there were aspects I liked from AC3 travel mechanics- the network, opening new locations as the game progressed. What I didn't like was that sometimes it felt like you were exploring simply in order to open new locations. This is the same feeling one gets from Skyrim- I'll travel some more to that marker over yonder, it will open up a new location.

I don't really see what's wrong with that.
I mean there are side quests, collectibles, forts, animals to hunt, randomized convoys sometimes and if what CDPR says is true, then we will have much more stuff to do in TW3. If they spread them out well across the landscape, it could avoid "empty spaces" so to speak.

 

[Agent_Blue]

Like I said before, I'm not against the fast-travel but especially in RPG games, must be reasonable.

It must cost something, like a real life. In-game time needs to be adjusted, if you're going from Egremont to Asheberg you shouldn't be feel like "like I never left here" after your return to Egremont. In my opinion, could be different types of FT regulations. Especially for the long distances. We're talking about true-RPG game aren't we? So; I would like to see some logical explanations, effects of my all actions, activities as a game character. If you're thinking; playing a RPG game while travel 1000km with horse, ship whatever instantly and nothing changes around your world... Well, you're playing Star Trek RPG and using transporters for fast-travel. Transporters convert a person or object into an energy pattern (a process called dematerialization), then "beam" it to a target, where it is reconverted into matter (rematerialization). Even in Star Trek, transporter can fail and person or object may not be rematerialize correctly.

Last of all, it would be really great if I can feel my game character with logical explanations of his actions in whole game and yeah even in fast travels... Why not?

For a minute there I expected something in Italian...
I'm disappointed.

Portals address all of your concerns.

 

[KnightofPhoenix]

We're talking about true-RPG game aren't we? So; I would like to see some logical explanations, effects of my all actions, activities as a game character.

No one seems to want a logical explanation for how Geralt can carry dozens of swords, hundreds of alchemical ingredients, potions, runes, junk...etc

Realism can be sacrificed for convenience.

 

[Agent_Blue]

I don't really see what's wrong with that.
I mean there are side quests, collectibles, forts, animals to hunt, randomized convoys sometimes and if what CDPR says is true, then we will have much more stuff to do in TW3. If they spread them out well across the landscape, it could avoid "empty spaces" so to speak.

White space is vital. In SKyrim you can't walk a yard without bumping into another ruin. That's why the world feels oversaturated, its scale warped by a Black Hole.

 

[Agent_Blue]

No one seems to want a logical explanation for how Geralt can carry dozens of swords, hundreds of alchemical ingredients, potions, runes, junk...etc

Realism can be sacrificed for convenience.

Well, I certainly don't care for an explanation.
But I do want a realistic inventory, that's for sure.

 

[cmdr_silverbolt]

If you're thinking; playing a RPG game while travel 1000km with horse, ship whatever instantly and nothing changes around your world... Well, you're playing Star Trek RPG and using transporters for fast-travel. Transporters convert a person or object into an energy pattern (a process called dematerialization), then "beam" it to a target, where it is reconverted into matter (rematerialization). Even in Star Trek, transporter can fail and person or object may not be rematerialize correctly.

Thanks for bringing this up. The player does get to miss out on the mutability of the environment when insta fast travel is used. One way to explain missing out on these changes would be to use magical teleportation devices, like the ones used in The Witcher, or to allow the player to use a transportation network, like carriages in Skyrim.

Realism can be sacrificed for convenience.

I agree with this to a point. In this case the realism is (allegedly) affecting game play dynamics in a more serious way. If I can't carry 15 swords at once, I lose out on some money. But if the fast travel mechanic prevents me from experiencing an interesting journey or quest aspect, I lose out on a lot more.

 

[merttol]

For a minute there I expected something in Italian...
I'm disappointed.

Portals address all of your concerns.

Yeah, I thought three Italians are too much for one page, you can't handle it

About portals, if I can see that explanation during the game and fits in logic, of course.

 

[KnightofPhoenix]

White space is vital. In SKyrim you can't walk a yard without bumping into another ruin. That's why the world feels oversaturated, its scale warped as though by a Black Hole.

I do agree. By "empty spaces" I mean there's literally nothing. There could be some areas with monsters or some loot or whatever. But absolutely it shouldn't be over-saturated either.

 

[Garrison72]

Fast Travel will be optional so you won't have to use it if don't feel like breaking the immersion of the game. The means of travel we are going to introduce in The Witcher 3 will be really exciting so I'm pretty sure that a lot of people won't be using fast travel at all but rather will choose to immerse themselves while horse riding or sailing

I'm looking forward to sailing myself. The ice cold wind, the call of whales, seagulls overhead. Sounds fun to me. Just let us use a spyglass to scour the coast before we make landfall.

.