A few gameplay/visual suggestions

[Jellybeans]

First off i just want to say that the game is amazing. Well worth the wait. The level of detail, animation and atmosphere are all incredible. I also wanted to thank you guys for putting the options in to disable ca/dof/motion blur. With all of those off, it made the game much more visually enjoyable.

- Id love to have a way to zoom in to admire all the little details better. I found myself pressing into everything as much as i could just to get better look, but i still couldnt get close enough usually.

- A way to toggle all of the hud off, including speech bubbles, interactive items and rat sneaking meter. I think it would make the immersion of the game even better for those of us that like to play like that. Imagine having to watch The secret of nimh with a health gauge and pop ups all over it.

- A brightness/gamma setting.

- A way to turn the graphics up even higher and/or more graphical options. Im only using 60-75% of my 980ti at 3840x2160 with all setting maxed out. For instance, it would be nice to extend the lighting even farther. I noticed as i walk down a short tunnel that lighting gets dimmer or brighter depending on how far i am from a light source.

- Crouching (without engaging sneak mode). Even though its not really necessary, it feels kinda weird that its missing when you can do pretty much everything else.

- Fov adjustment

- More resolutions like 3200 x1800 and 5120 x 2880

[fakenina]

Hi! First of all, thanks for your feedback, and for supporting the game. These are all good suggestions!
-The gamma/brightness setting has been requested a few times now, and Seith's looking into implementing it.
-The only issue with turning off the HUD items is that it would be impossible to know what state the enemies are in, whether you've been seen etc. But it has been requested by a few other players. Perhaps we could make it so you can toggle different parts of the HUD on/off. We'll definitely look into it.
-Can you explain a little more what you mean by crouching without engaging sneak mode? Do you mean turning off the automatic FOV/colour change?

Thanks again, and we'll definitely look into all your suggestions.

FN

[Jellybeans]

Thank you guys for the amazing game and for listening to the ideas and suggestions different players have. It means a lot.

- As ive been playing more of it, im even more convinced a way to zoom/magnify the camera would be really helpful. I cant tell you how many times ive wanted to zoom down a hallway to see what the guards were doing, or zoom across the courtyard looking for items/guards.

- A complete hud turn off would be awesome for taking screenshots (and if there was ever a game that deserved those, it would be this one!) so the gameplay downside (not knowing if the rats saw you) wouldnt matter too much in that regard. I do understand what youre saying though for normal gameplay. Too bad there isnt a way to have some kind of item or something on Tilo that would glow or change the more you got noticed, as opposed to a hud overlay. It would seem more natural and blend in better with the games aesthetics that way, i think.

- The fov and crouching thing were two different, non related suggestions. Sorry for not making that clearer. For crouching i just meant being able to do it with out the fov/color change, just like you mentioned.

- The fov suggestion meant having a fov slider in the menu (maybe something like 50-110) so a player could alter it to their preference.

A couple ofther things i thought of while playing some more.

- The idea of being able to lean/peer around corners or objects. While its probably less important in a 3rd person game where the cameras pulled back and you can see more already, it seems like being able to do that/see an animation of that (leaning), would be something natural and fitting in a game about sneaking.

- The way the game goes into a letterbox (black bars on the top and bottom, or on the sides) effect when youre hiding is cool, but i feel it cuts a bit too much of the screen off. Personally, if i had the choice i would turn that effect totally off, but just having it dialed back a bit would be nice.

- Finally, a way to disable the ai hunting/looking for you. Like all the enemies would be friendly and you could freely explore without being attacked. Maybe a friendly mode (a rat disguise maybe? or a special item that makes you invisible?), that unlocks after the game is beaten? You guys have made such a beautifully detailed world, i think a lot of players would enjoy just being able to explore and look and look at everything, stress free. For instance, being able to just run around in the courtyard and watch the dynamic day and night cycle without getting killed would be awesome.

- Best of all would be a screenshot mode, where you could fly around and explore, turn off the hud completely, stop time (freeze everything besides the camera) and alter the fov. This would truly allow you to soak in every tiny detail. I mentioned this to Seith some time ago in an email, but i figured id mention it again here too. I think a lot of players would enjoy this.

Thanks again for reading and considering all of this!

[Rhumba]

Currently you can't cycle through the quick inventory while moving, so doing something like equipping a bottle or grease to hinder perusing guards while being chased isn't possible.

[Lord Ethcaz]

Originally posted by digital-frontiers:

- Finally, a way to disable the ai hunting/looking for you. Like all the enemies would be friendly and you could freely explore without being attacked. Maybe a friendly mode (a rat disguise maybe? or a special item that makes you invisible?), that unlocks after the game is beaten? You guys have made such a beautifully detailed world, i think a lot of players would enjoy just being able to explore and look and look at everything, stress free. For instance, being able to just run around in the courtyard and watch the dynamic day and night cycle without getting killed would be awesome.

There is a disguise in the E.A. that lets you walk around freely already ;) It looks pretty cool too :)

[Charlie B. Barkin]

I think for the zoom in, it would be cool to have an item like silas' spyglass that lets you "zoom in" and would help you in planning your route past the guards.

[Jellybeans]

Ah, thats really cool about the disguise. I didnt know that. :)

[Jellybeans]

The spy glass is a cool idea, i just wouldnt want it to distort the image at all while zooming (like trying to replicate looking through a glass lens, or making most of the screen all black except a tiny circular hole thats magnified).

For me at least, i just want to clearly see all the wonderfully detailed things in the game, up close (and sometimes view enemies/items from a distance). For instance, id like to push in a thumbstick and just have the whole screen zoom in, essentially replicating a super low fov.

[Lord Ethcaz]

Originally posted by digital-frontiers:

The spy glass is a cool idea, i just wouldnt want it to distort the image at all while zooming (like trying to replicate looking through a glass lens, or making most of the screen all black except a tiny circular hole thats magnified).

For me at least, i just want to clearly see all the wonderfully detailed things in the game, up close (and sometimes view enemies/items from a distance). For instance, id like to push in a thumbstick and just have the whole screen zoom in, essentially replicating a super low fov.

I kind of understand what you're saying, but gameplay wise, I do think a slightly distorted vision (replicating a dirty lense) would be very cool. Same with the hiding spot black-border thingie. I too think it might be a little too much, but gameplay wise it works and helps for immersion.
I'd suggest a photo-mode for your 'zooming without limitations' which gets unlocked after completing the game, but definitely not as part of the standard gameplay. Part of a good stealth-game is the challenge of scouting without being spotted. Being allowed to just zoom in without limitations is like god-mode in a stealth-game.

This stealth-game idea I have about this game, also makes me feel like the sneaking color change is perfect, because you would be limited in your awareness outside of your focus in real life too (I'd imagine). It might need to be dialed back a little, or make certain objects (like interactables and guards) get a slight highlight/sharpened effect (not the aura thingie, but more like an outline or brighter/sharper colors/edges), since you'd be focusing on them anyway.
I would, however, love some kind of 'cover' mechanic, where Tilo sticks to a wall and is harder to spot (line of sight thing), this would also allow for some 'peaking around a corner'-animation.

[Jellybeans]

All good points. I think one of my favorite things to do, in any game, is to look at every single thing up close, and with clarity. Which is why im not fan of anything that distorts the game image. I do understand that some people like it though (and like you said, done right, it can add to the immersion), so id never want it removed from the game. Just having the option to turn things like that off though, would be nice.

Zoom wise, i see what youre saying as well. An unlimited zoom could be too much for some people. With stealthy type games like thief (where you could use the bow to zoom in, if i remember correctly) or even dishonored (the mask had a zoom lens), having that option was a nice addition imo. But both games did have a limit on the zoom, so maybe something like that would work.

[Dread Arkive]

Originally posted by digital-frontiers:

- A way to toggle all of the hud off, including speech bubbles, interactive items and rat sneaking meter. I think it would make the immersion of the game even better for those of us that like to play like that. Imagine having to watch The secret of nimh with a health gauge and pop ups all over it.

"Mrs. Brisby (Frisby), you're low on mana...the amulet wont work anymore!"

[fakenina]

Thanks for all the suggestions in this thread, I'm just posting to let you know I'm looking at them all, compiling them into a list and sharing it with Seith, so he can keep working :)

@ digital-frontiers, I talked with him about the idea of zooming in to see objects in more detail, and he said that the resolution of the objects/textures, while very good, is not enough to stand up to really close scrutiny. We have discussed the idea of using something like Silas' spyglass in the past, so there might be something interesting there.

[Jellybeans]

Haha hes too modest! I take screenshots at 5-6k and zoom in like crazy with those and everything still looks amazing! :) But i understand where hes coming from. Appreciate you guys looking into everyones different ideas!

Another idea after playing some more.

- Maybe a little wooden slingshot that you can shoot nuts/rocks at guards with? Like an alternative to sticks and bottles. Those both seem to be a little clunky control wise and maybe something like a slingshot would offer more precision?

[])arth ]{arki]

I would definitely like an option to make all enemies friendly once you beat the game, so you can explore at ease :D

I'm aware the armor does this, but it's incredibly slow to walk in, and I want to be able to play with any costume.

[fakenina]

Originally posted by )arth {arki:

I would definitely like an option to make all enemies friendly once you beat the game, so you can explore at ease :D

I'm aware the armor does this, but it's incredibly slow to walk in, and I want to be able to play with any costume.

Okay, good to know. Thanks!

[fakenina]

Originally posted by digital-frontiers:

Maybe a little wooden slingshot that you can shoot nuts/rocks at guards with? Like an alternative to sticks and bottles. Those both seem to be a little clunky control wise and maybe something like a slingshot would offer more precision?

Interesting.... :)