Thoughts on invisible walls?

[0Beechlgz]

Though I haven't played much Oblivion, from what I have played I don't remember there being invisible walls, nor in Morowind or Skyrim. However I have found a lot of invisible walls in Nehrim.

Do you think it was a good or bad move? I realise invisible walls are sometimes necessary in games, but they do remove some of the immersion too. Depends on the style I guess if it's a more linear game it probably works. I haven't seen enough of Nehrim yet to tell if it is a more linear game or not.

When I play open-world games I don't always do quests the way they're instructed to be done. For example at the start where the guards won't fetch the soap for you, you have to cause a commotion to get the soap knocked off the platform. I looked around for a while and realised there is an easy way to get onto the platform myself so I wouldn't cause any disturbance for anyone. But just before I got to the platform I hit an invisible wall. This, in my opinion, was a bit jarring and took some of the fun out of it.

But that's just how I feel, and maybe is just my play style. Others might feel differently, so what do you think of the invisible walls?

[Tealor Arantheal]

I know that feel bro...

I needed to use TCL to reach 2 deer which I shot with my bow.
They were located behind a invisible wall and I didn't want to have shot those animals needlessly (Good flesh for my char with the experimental hunger mod I use )

It seems that the starting area is protected by invisible walls since the player should move out like it is intended to.

After this I didn't realize such bad invisible walls anymore.
So just count this to the tutorial...
After the attack of the mages and leaving the complex with the mines the game is really starting.

[Daniel]

There are very, very few invisible walls in the game and those that are there are there for a good reason actually. Sure, this could have actually been better off without the wall at that point but then you wouldn't advance the story, you know?

There were invisible walls at EVERY border in Oblivion and also Skyrim when trying to get into an area (another province of Tamriel) where you're not supposed to go. Some places just had locks too or weren't reachable. I got my brother to start playing Nehrim again yesterday and he didn't notice a single one. He previously quit because the DOF was terrible but I had forgotten to tell him how to turn it off.

[Tealor Arantheal]

There were invisible walls at EVERY border in Oblivion and also Skyrim when trying to get into an area (another province of Tamriel)

Yeah but there appeared a message which informs the player that he isn't allowed to got there.
By the way:

Code: Alles auswählen

bBorderRegionsEnabled = 0

This INI setting turned off those borders in Oblivion

So it is possible to move totally free around even in regions which aren't supposed to be visited.
Looking quite awful but it is possible ^^

The DoF effect isn't that bad as I think.
But I rather use the dynamic one which OBGE provides so I have to turn it off too

@0Beechlgz
This INI setting DON'T work for the insivible walls in Nehrim.
But Daniel is right there are very very few.
Not quite disturbing except if you kill an animal and want to loot it but such a wall is in the way.

[Daniel]

There were invisible walls at EVERY border in Oblivion and also Skyrim when trying to get into an area (another province of Tamriel)

@0Beechlgz
This INI setting DON'T work for the insivible walls in Nehrim.
But Daniel is right there are very very few.
Not quite disturbing except if you kill an animal and want to loot it but such a wall is in the way.

etc - cut for space saving

Indeed. I think there is a mod to disable the invisible walls in Nehrim? Not sure, but I recall vaguely seeing one of those around here somewhere. Might just be me though. I remember going into Treomar before it was opened, and it was fun to see a WIP and then what happened with the place after the patch with the finished version came out. That was just awesome, I had NO idea it would turn out like that in the end, but the place looked magnificent already in the "alpha"/incomplete version. There are so many hidden things in the game that it's just unbelievable and so great. I wish for more people to stumble upon Nehrim so they can experience something really great. I hated the DOF in Nehrim - not SureAIs fault but that's just not the way it feels in real life. Sure, it's a little blurry but come on, let it be a little gamey. Which is why they put the option to turn it off in the game, which is awesome. The DOF already present in the early footage videos of Enderal is annoying though for I cannot look at all the dazzling new content in HD because of all that blur!

[Hazzmat]

At least the world map isn't surrounded by force fields from Half-Life 2. The sea as a border is much better.

[badgesareus]

I don't mind invisible borders, with a message like "turn back." There must be a limit to the land mass in the game, so what alternatives are there? Having the entire area (i.e., Enderal) surrounded by high unclimbable cliffs? I have ventured past the invisible walls in both Oblivion and Nehrim, and it is quite boring. No treasure, no alchemical plants, no animals, no enemies, no caves or dungeons -- so what is the point?
I recall one game, not sure which one (Gothic 3 maybe?) where if you swam out to sea too far a large sea monster ate you and the game reset to your last save. There must be something to limit the borders of the land mass so why not invisible walls?

As for invisible walls internally (such as those in Nehrim blocking off Southrealm), they were incomplete and with persistence one could find a way over the mountains into Southrealm before the main quest opened it up. So I can live with such internal invisible walls, as long as there is a possibility of circumventing them, without using a "cheat" code or console command. Challenging is good, impossible is bad.

[Daniel]

I don't mind invisible borders, with a message like "turn back." There must be a limit to the land mass in the game, so what alternatives are there? Having the entire area (i.e., Enderal) surrounded by high unclimbable cliffs? I have ventured past the invisible walls in both Oblivion and Nehrim, and it is quite boring. No treasure, no alchemical plants, no animals, no enemies, no caves or dungeons -- so what is the point?
I recall one game, not sure which one (Gothic 3 maybe?) where if you swam out to sea too far a large sea monster ate you and the game reset to your last save. There must be something to limit the borders of the land mass so why not invisible walls?

As for invisible walls internally (such as those in Nehrim blocking off Southrealm), they were incomplete and with persistence one could find a way over the mountains into Southrealm before the main quest opened it up. So I can live with such internal invisible walls, as long as there is a possibility of circumventing them, without using a "cheat" code or console command. Challenging is good, impossible is bad.

Indeed. I remember jumping a LOT at that steep wall with a lot of stones near the locked mine that went through to the Southrealm (if I remember correctly). I think they will do the same in Enderal and that will be great, since like you said, there's rarely any content behind those walls (surrounding the world) anyway. I need to play Gothic 3! Seems like there are many influences from that game in Nehrim and that a lot of people enjoyed it.

[badgesareus]

I remember jumping a LOT at that steep wall with a lot of stones near the locked mine that went through to the Southrealm (if I remember correctly).

I was successful (with acrobatic skill 25+) in the pass east of the Sanctum, where kobolds are roasting a rat.
Gothic 3 is one of my all-time favorites, but if you try it, be sure to install the "community" patch, which fixes many bugs.

[Tealor Arantheal]

For example at the start where the guards won't fetch the soap for you, you have to cause a commotion to get the soap knocked off the platform. I looked around for a while and realised there is an easy way to get onto the platform myself so I wouldn't cause any disturbance for anyone. But just before I got to the platform I hit an invisible wall. This, in my opinion, was a bit jarring and took some of the fun out of it.

Just some addition...
I was right with my thought of this wall is part of the tutorial quests in the mine.

After I completed the quests (also bring the 2 shovels to the guard after the attack of the mages) I got to Tirin and handed in the letter.

Well then I start hunting on the mountains above the mine and got back to the mine in my motivation of hunting. (Since my Hunger Mod optimization make the need of food essential)
And ALL invisible walls seems gone now. I can even jump on top of the platform with the soap. There are lying new soaps by the way.
Seems they're respawning.

So this walls are just there to lock the player into the tutorial area. After he finished those quests he is free to move around

So hunting those deer behind the walls can be done after the tutorial quests are completed without the use of TLC.