RPG Mechanic: perception and eyesight.
by Kyrah Abattoir · in Game Design and Creative Issues · 04/16/2013 (2:40 am) · 10 replies
This is a little thing i thought about the other day about RPG mechanics in FPS games: What if, your character's perception was tied to how far you can see?
Example:
Lets say character stats go from 0 to 200, 100 being considered "normal average". A character with a sub 100 perception basically has bad eyes and cannot see far away.
I recall there was a resource for setting view distance per player so technically it is somewhat possible.
So a player with a perception of 0 would be nearly blind, seeing only maybe 10-20 meters in front of him, everything else being basically in a "fog of war" (fog being better than using depth of field, considering depth of field is kind of tiring to look at)
Players with low perception could find glasses which would bring back their vision to the 100 average, of course prescription glasses are usually tailored to their specific owner:
The preception that the glasses give is 100 minus minus the difference between the glasses perception and the player's.
The result:
-A 30 perception player wearing a 30 perception pair of glasses will get a perception of 100.
-A 60 perception player wearing a 30 perception pair of glasses will get a perception of 70.
This would create an interesting dynamic where a player can use a low perception as a dump stat in order to raise his other characteristics, at a price.
Example:
Lets say character stats go from 0 to 200, 100 being considered "normal average". A character with a sub 100 perception basically has bad eyes and cannot see far away.
I recall there was a resource for setting view distance per player so technically it is somewhat possible.
So a player with a perception of 0 would be nearly blind, seeing only maybe 10-20 meters in front of him, everything else being basically in a "fog of war" (fog being better than using depth of field, considering depth of field is kind of tiring to look at)
Players with low perception could find glasses which would bring back their vision to the 100 average, of course prescription glasses are usually tailored to their specific owner:
The preception that the glasses give is 100 minus minus the difference between the glasses perception and the player's.
The result:
-A 30 perception player wearing a 30 perception pair of glasses will get a perception of 100.
-A 60 perception player wearing a 30 perception pair of glasses will get a perception of 70.
This would create an interesting dynamic where a player can use a low perception as a dump stat in order to raise his other characteristics, at a price.
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3D artist, programmer, game designer, jack of all trades, master of none.
#2
04/17/2013 (2:26 am)
You could probably do this through a shader with a setting tied to a character attribute. I think the shader that does distance blur would be one way to do this.
#3
Also if you blur things you still have to show them, which means that the server isn't actively enforcing the restricted view distance.
04/17/2013 (3:46 am)
Yeah .. but blur kinda strain the eye as i said...Also if you blur things you still have to show them, which means that the server isn't actively enforcing the restricted view distance.
#4
Most games to date just use this sort of thing to determine when an enemy gets put on the radar or when the player is notified via some other mechanic. Basically, it becomes a measure of how far out a player can "track" enemies and friendlies. Some games remove the enemy from the radar when they go out of LOS, too.
04/17/2013 (9:47 am)
Find a way to set the transparency on your entities - the farther away they are the more transparent they become (thus harder to see). I think this would be better than having them just "pop" into existence when you notice them. Also, increase visibility based on how directly a player is looking at something - aiming directly at an object should make it more apparent, things on your periphery should be harder to notice.Most games to date just use this sort of thing to determine when an enemy gets put on the radar or when the player is notified via some other mechanic. Basically, it becomes a measure of how far out a player can "track" enemies and friendlies. Some games remove the enemy from the radar when they go out of LOS, too.
#5
This is a neat idea and could be expanded to more than just eyesight. For instance some games have the idea that someone is magic adept and detect magical items/effects. See invisible is another one. Like a shaman type character may be able to detect entities from the other side. That could also be skill based and distance could affect the awareness.
04/17/2013 (12:09 pm)
The background would be able to conceal things that start looking like blobs or shadows. I also like what Richard is thinking on the fade out.This is a neat idea and could be expanded to more than just eyesight. For instance some games have the idea that someone is magic adept and detect magical items/effects. See invisible is another one. Like a shaman type character may be able to detect entities from the other side. That could also be skill based and distance could affect the awareness.
#6
04/17/2013 (2:19 pm)
I remember in DDO that the Spot skill determined how far away you could see the badguys, and right at the range where they start showing up they faded in. Might have been the same skill but you could "hear" things too, which was indicated by a red ring-like flash at their feet.
#7
04/18/2013 (8:29 am)
Yeah, Michael - I think you had "spot" and "listen" skills. Spot was also used for secret door detection (that "you feel a draft" message). Search was used for active detection of concealed objects (like an active search for that secret door that your spot skill alerted you to). The new Pathfinder rules combined listen and spot into a "perception" skill. They also combined intimidate, bluff and persuade into a single "diplomacy" skill. 
#8
Having bad eyesight would not stop you from shooting somebody or even impair the ability unless the person was almost literally blind, so i believe you are confusing eyesight with perception.
The DoF effect is the single best mechanic you have for the system you describe, the only other feasible option is to literally black out everything (including environment) at the specified distance, you cant just 'hide' an elephant yet see the tree behind where the elephant is.
Perhaps the alternative would be to add a perception check to various parts of the mechanics... increase weapon spread, add extra sway, reduce hitboxes and so forth
04/19/2013 (1:13 pm)
The problem here seems to be that you want your cake and eat it, as well as a certain amount of confusion about what bad eyesight consist of :pHaving bad eyesight would not stop you from shooting somebody or even impair the ability unless the person was almost literally blind, so i believe you are confusing eyesight with perception.
The DoF effect is the single best mechanic you have for the system you describe, the only other feasible option is to literally black out everything (including environment) at the specified distance, you cant just 'hide' an elephant yet see the tree behind where the elephant is.
Perhaps the alternative would be to add a perception check to various parts of the mechanics... increase weapon spread, add extra sway, reduce hitboxes and so forth
#9
I cannot read anything further than 2 meters away from me without my glasses, i don't think aiming at anyone would magically correct that, at medium range all i see are fuzzy faceless blobs, and at long range it simply drowns in the background.
DOF being clientside, having such an important mechanic tied to it is begging for hacks.
good idea for affecting weapon precision tho.
04/20/2013 (7:25 am)
I'm actually near sighted, i have a pretty good idea about what is going on with my eyes blood, thanks for the concern tho.I cannot read anything further than 2 meters away from me without my glasses, i don't think aiming at anyone would magically correct that, at medium range all i see are fuzzy faceless blobs, and at long range it simply drowns in the background.
DOF being clientside, having such an important mechanic tied to it is begging for hacks.
good idea for affecting weapon precision tho.
#10
+DARK SOULS
+MATRIX
+CARGO LOCK 5
04/24/2013 (11:16 am)
I'd be careful with gamer pov, but weapon pov is intriguing definitely!+DARK SOULS
+MATRIX
+CARGO LOCK 5
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