2.5D RPGs: Do you prefer a roof over your head?

[28.8bps Modem]

I'm not sure I remember when I last played a traditional 2.5D RPG that actually bothered putting roofs on its buildings. The Spiderweb games, Eschalon, even this years weird janky stuff like Balrum, all just have head high walls representing their buildings.

Yet, when I think back to the classic 2.5D games, your Ultimas and your Fallouts, having a roof was more or less standard issue:

And of course 3D rendered games don't seem to even think being roofless is an option. Do people actually prefer their 2.5D games sans roofs, or is this just a case of people who can't be bothered to put a few extra occlusion checks in their code?

 

[stray]

I guess I prefer? Unless it's a bunch of dungeon crawls obviously.

 

[Courtier]

Semi-recent isometric games with roofs that come to mind are Wasteland 2, PoE, Dead State, AoD, SiTS and AntharioN, and I think that only having it see-through when you've actually entered the building is indeed the way to go. And there's no need to say, make all entrances face the same way on account of that either. Players can figure out where doorways are. Maybe it's just convenient for some devs to leave that stuff out, but having actual buildings to look at adds to the experience. I don't think the workload should be an excuse though, recent games have had tiny teams with a handful of devs create entire roofed cities (e.g. SiTS ranging from ramshackle settler huts to large impressively domed Consil buildings).

 

[tindrli]

nahh.. no roof

 

[Excidium II]

Roof, of course.

 

[Neanderthal]

Roof, with the proviso that it and any upper levels disappear when you're underneath them, having a whale of a time in the Black Gate right now but that obscured view on north and west can be a pain in arse sometimes. Thought Fallout did it just about right.

 

[Excidium II]

Roof, with the proviso that it and any upper levels disappear when you're underneath them

Or near a window/open doorway.

 

[Neanderthal]

Yeah, cheap way to get in Selwyn's Tower, wi Telekinesis.

 

[Monkeyfinger]

don't care

 

[Mustawd]

Can't wait to discuss the lack of toilets in RPGs...

 

[pippin]

Can't wait to discuss the lack of toilets in RPGs...

Again, the Fallout series has toilets everywhere. Even 3.
Turns out the real question is not "what do they eat?", it's "where do they shit?"

 

[Unkillable Cat]

Roof, with the proviso that it and any upper levels disappear when you're underneath them, having a whale of a time in the Black Gate right now but that obscured view on north and west can be a pain in arse sometimes.

There's a readable in U7 (that can be found in Minoc at least) that "explains" the slant of houses somewhat with some pseudo-fantasy mumbo jumbo.

 

[Neanderthal]

Can't wait to discuss the lack of toilets in RPGs...

I thought shitters were an accepted part of RPG design, we're always going down sewers so I always mapped out bogs an all. One of my Thief characters loved to drink in guard pubs, dose their ale with a laxative and take advantage of their nipping to loo rob the place blind, good strategy really.

There's a readable in U7 (that can be found in Minoc at least) that "explains" the slant of houses somewhat with some pseudo-fantasy mumbo jumbo.

Yeah I were halfway through reading that before I realised that devs were taking piss out of emselves and engine, had a chuckle got to admit. When played as a kid I never got that, then again I think I missed half of the content until now. And there's a lot of fucking content, don't know how they squeezed this down to a few megabytes, especially considering how much bigger, alive and more reactive it is than most modern RPGs.

 

[Nekot-The-Brave]

Something like what they did with Divine Divinity/Fallout games.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

You want content? Use a gavel on a parrot.

 

[Neanderthal]

Got that treasure other day, fucking nice.

 

[:Flash:]

Something like what they did with Divine Divinity/Fallout games.

Divinity actually didn't have roofs until shortly before release, but the community pushed very hard for roofs, so they put them in.

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[Mustawd]

Again, the Fallout series has toilets everywhere. Even 3.
Turns out the real question is not "what do they eat?", it's "where do they shit?"

Of course the modern (Deus Ex) and apocalyptic (Fallout) games have them. with fantasy you can always hand wave it away.."Meh, they shit in the woods. It's medieval type times"

Does shadowrun have them?

 

[pippin]

Dragonfall has toilet rooms. Haven't played Hong Kong yet.

 

[Mustawd]

Dragonfall has toilet rooms. Haven't played Hong Kong yet.

 

[Elhoim]

Roofs, of course. I'm kinda torn actually on hiding walls that obscure the characters/face the camera, though.

 

[Jaesun]

You want content? Use a gavel on a parrot.

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[Excidium II]

Now... I dont recall anything in Witcher 3... I need to lower my personal rating of that game... Or maybe there is a mod for that?

Witcher 3 does have toilets. Well, outhouses. There's even a funny event at the baron's place.