game ambience

[Bellator Pius Gratus]

Oh, how I love immersion because of atmosphere and ambience. But yeah @RivenII said it, it's subjective.

To me, this is spooky:

I immediately thought of this image when I saw the title of this thread. Just look at the window and the light you can see there. What goes on up there? Eerie as hell. In my mind I've written a background story to this already, and that is always a good thing. Just by seeing a picture I mean.

I wonder if we're allowed to enter the house. Allowed by the devs that is, the wraiths are probably going to tell us to f*** off.

 

[Mohasz]

I immediately thought of this image when I saw the title of this thread. Just look at the window and the light you can see there. What goes on up there? Eerie as hell. In my mind I've written a background story to this already, and that is always a good thing just by seeing a picture.

Yeah, the window did it for me as well... and it isn't even nighttime, judging by skybox.

 

[1337Smithy]

http://i.imgur.com/x3ildPX.jpg

Another potentially creepy scene. Guess these are the sewers under Novigrad?

I wonder if we're allowed to enter the house. Allowed by the devs that is, the wraiths are probably going to tell us to f*** off.

Yeah, I noticed that too. It looks like another wraith up there. It'll definitely be open for us.

 

[Bellator Pius Gratus]

Yeah, the window did it for me as well... and it isn't even nighttime, judging by skybox.

No it's not pitch black, but not midday either. Dawning possibly, but I do wonder if you're right. Will they be there during daytime, or only haunt at night? Sure, it's still eerie but would the picture(and ambience) have the same effect under scorching sun?

Oh wait, shit, I just remembered:

Spoiler

But that's a noonwraith, so I'm guessing these are nightwraiths.

 

[1337Smithy]

But that's a noonwraith, so I'm guessing these are nightwraiths.

Think they may just be called 'wraiths'. They look like the ones in the beginning of the Jan footage

 

[Kinley]

Yep, they're just your ordinary wraiths.

 

[Bellator Pius Gratus]

Think they may just be called 'wraiths'. They look like the ones in the beginning of the Jan footage

Yeah, well they do remind me of the Witcher 2 wraiths rather than Witcher 1 nightwraiths. Witcher 1 wraiths also looked different. But one can hope. Monster diversity and all. What if we do get three different kinds of wraith again! ^_^

 

[Mohasz]

No it's not pitch black, but not midday either. Dawning possibly, but I do wonder if you're right. Will they be there during daytime, or only haunt at night? Sure, it's still eerie but would the picture(and ambience) have the same effect under scorching sun?

I don't know, maybe it's a 'corrupted' area that looks haunted regardless of the weather / daytime. Something like this:

View attachment 12421

 

[dragonbird]

View attachment 12421

That picture reminded me of the one time I did jump in TW2 - the ghost or whatever it was that suddenly appears near the hanging tree in the forest outside Flotsam - the area that you have to cross the river to get to? I didn't expect that one to appear.

 

[1337Smithy]

I don't know, maybe it's a 'corrupted' area that looks haunted regardless of the weather / daytime. Something like this:

View attachment 12421

Yeah, definitely could be. I always loved these shots the most. From what I remember, this is the forest that houses the Leshen (if you look at the map of Ard Skellig from the Jan footage, it's the large woodland bordering the villages Sund and Fayrlund, based on articles from 2013).

We see a Leshen and a forest very similar to that in the new gameplay trailer, but it's in broad daylight, so perhaps the weather isn't persistent? Not sure. But I'll likely do it at night anyway.

 

[Bellator Pius Gratus]

I don't know, maybe it's a 'corrupted' area that looks haunted regardless of the weather / daytime. Something like this:

Good call! Like the forest in 35 minute gameplay video. Then we'll have to lift a curse and remove the corrupting force from the area. And then little birdies and bunnies can move into the area again. :happy: Ehm, yeah, I'm currently riding the hypetrain.

 

[dragonbird]

And then little birdies and bunnies can move into the area again. :happy:

And you can trap them and sell them at the local market for lots of orens. YES!
Sorry

 

[Bellator Pius Gratus]

the villages Sund and Fayrlund

Too bad devs didn't consult someone knowing a little Scandinavian before naming these places though. Sund ought not be a name for a village but a strait, and I'm not going to reveal what Blandare might mean. Maybe it'll be an immersion breaker for you as it will be for me. :ermm:
Oh well, I still love the devs. Sorry to digress. Good call about Leshen! :happy:

---------- Updated at 05:52 PM ----------

Too bad devs didn't consult someone knowing a little Scandinavian before naming these places though. Sund ought not be a name for a village but a strait, and I'm not going to reveal what Blandare might mean. Maybe it'll be an immersion breaker for you as it will be for me. :ermm:
Oh well, I still love the devs. Sorry to digress. Good call about Leshen! :happy:

EDIT:

And you can trap them and sell them at the local market for lots of orens. YES!
Sorry

Don't be, I had written something similar, involving a crossbow instead, but I deleted it before posting. ^_^

You know @Dragonbird, in the world of the Witcher...you'll never know.

 

[BlackWolf500.298]

Well, considering Geralt is a professional monster slayer and generally knows how to deal with Ghosts and Spectres and Necophages and all kinds of monsters I do not think it would make sense for the player to be in a state of vulnerability and being actively afraid of a ghost. I mean it's his job, he deals with monsters on a daily basis, so he is probably almost never afraid. Which is why this can't have a real horror ambiance.

 

[Riven-Twain]

There's an Old Icelandic saga about a ghost-fighter and monster-slayer, who's afraid of the dark, and being alone . . . but that was on account of a curse.

 

[hamilcarBarca.196]

not necessarily in a state of vulnerability...
I am more talking about scary ambience,am aware that the witcher isn't a horror game (more than that at least)...I am more talking about highlighting the scarry parts of the game
I want it to be more than "go there and slay these ghosts" and then you go and slay them like a regular job...I want it to make you feel that when you enter the place,you are going to be afraid by what you might find,that you feel you are going to fight something really really nasty

 

[Riven-Twain]

There seems a rather hazy division developing in this thread: on one side, the desire for immersion as the character Geralt, experiencing things through his eyes; and on the other, the visual experience of the spectator, the player, separate from Geralt's professional detachment.

Merely an observation.

 

[moonknightgog]

Well, considering Geralt is a professional monster slayer and generally knows how to deal with Ghosts and Spectres and Necophages and all kinds of monsters I do not think it would make sense for the player to be in a state of vulnerability and being actively afraid of a ghost. I mean it's his job, he deals with monsters on a daily basis, so he is probably almost never afraid. Which is why this can't have a real horror ambiance.

A soldier in war is not "Stone cold". Yet, it is his job.

 

[Bellator Pius Gratus]

Geralt may feel whatever, and comment upon this as he goes along his path, but when I use words such as 'immersion' and 'eerie' and what have you I am of course talking about myself and my reaction to the eeriness and ambience. This of course need not to be Geralt's experience.

But sure, it would be nice to hear comments from Geralt about the mood of a place that resemble my own experience. I'm sure devs will do great in setting the eerie mood and making Geralt comment his surroundings. Go devs! ^_^

 

[BlackWolf500.298]

A soldier in war is not "Stone cold". Yet, it is his job.

Completely different scenario.

Geralt is not cold, he is calculating and focused, maybe even exhausted or stressed in some situations, but he is never scared as far as I can tell.