Forums » General Pantheon Discussion

Bird's eye view of corpse upon death

    • 316 posts
    November 14, 2017 4:46 PM PST

    Was playing P99 yesterday, and I realized how effective this subtle perspective change is in instilling a sort of morbid dread, despair, and confusion in us in those last few moments before and after death! The totally abrupt camera change to bird's eye view just 15 or so feet above our character is jarring. It's a subtle choice, but an important one, I think, that conditioned us to fear death. Of course the exp loss and corpse run - but the little nuances like the camera shift also play their important roles.

    What do you all think? Should the camera shift from EQ be brought into Pantheon, or perhaps some camera shift employed during the unconcious few moments before death? If there even will be those unconscious few moments..?


    This post was edited by Alexander at November 14, 2017 4:57 PM PST
    • 2752 posts
    November 14, 2017 5:00 PM PST

    I wouldn't be against it. I'd like to see the unconsciousness state returned more than anything, complete with bleeding out. It would be a very fun mechanic that could surely be used in many ways, namely bosses putting players into a downed state instead of strict 1-shot mechanics. 

    • 2419 posts
    November 14, 2017 5:12 PM PST

    Past the early levels I do not remember ever having any 'moments of unconsciousness' before death. It was 'I'm alive' then 'Opps, dead', with nothing in between.  Mobs quickly began hitting so hard that that miniscule buffer between 0hp and -10hp, the point where you actually died, wasn't even a miniscule blip, not when getting hammered for hundreds of points of damage multiple times a second.

    I liked EQ1 release mechanic where you could stay 'hovering' over your body for some time but then could type /release and appear back at your bind point.  It was sufficient enough of a mechanic that you could watch the recovery process if you wanted or just watch and laugh as everyonen else dies around you.

    Where I did not like that camera staying with your body was on PVP servers.  When you kill someone, you want them out of the picture completely.  Dead people shouldn't be able to continue watching, passing along information about the attackers to friends/guildies.  Dead men tell no tales.

    • 2130 posts
    November 14, 2017 5:14 PM PST

    Good point about PvP. Could definitely provide an advantage if you can pan around while dead. I wouldn't mind it if your screen just went black if you died in PvP.

    Hoving above the corpse is nice because it means you don't have to zone twice (or even once) for every death provided there's a rez available.

     


    This post was edited by Liav at November 14, 2017 5:15 PM PST
    • 70 posts
    November 14, 2017 8:07 PM PST

    I like the idea of going into a ghost form that can't do anything.  That way you can watch your teammates fight.  You shouldn't be able to move around though so as to aid in battle... Or maybe inactivate the ability to chat... I dunno.  Just a thought.

    • 80 posts
    November 14, 2017 8:16 PM PST

    "Or maybe inactivate the ability to chat"

    This will not work with all the voice programs such as discord that are available and used.

    • 753 posts
    November 14, 2017 8:28 PM PST

    Vandraad said:

    Past the early levels I do not remember ever having any 'moments of unconsciousness' before death. It was 'I'm alive' then 'Opps, dead', with nothing in between.  

    Heh - I was in the purple club a few times (for those who didn't play EQ, when you were in that space between being alive and being dead, your health bar was purple).  On the very rare occasions where it happened, it was pretty cool because you were on the very edge of death (your avatar fell to the ground just like you were dead) but you were not yet dead.  If you didn't get hit anymore, you would gain health each tick and live.

    The times I can remember being purple were generally one of two scenarios:

    1) You are in a group, you take a hit that doesn't quite kill you (turns your health bar purple), and the healer hits you with a very timely heal.

    2) You are soloing and - rarest of rare occasions - the mob dies after one of it's attacks turns you purple but doesn't kill you.  I had this happen twice that I can recall.

    • 2752 posts
    November 14, 2017 8:42 PM PST

    Wandidar said:

    Heh - I was in the purple club a few times (for those who didn't play EQ, when you were in that space between being alive and being dead, your health bar was purple).  On the very rare occasions where it happened, it was pretty cool because you were on the very edge of death (your avatar fell to the ground just like you were dead) but you were not yet dead.  If you didn't get hit anymore, you would gain health each tick and live.

    The times I can remember being purple were generally one of two scenarios:

    1) You are in a group, you take a hit that doesn't quite kill you (turns your health bar purple), and the healer hits you with a very timely heal.

    2) You are soloing and - rarest of rare occasions - the mob dies after one of it's attacks turns you purple but doesn't kill you.  I had this happen twice that I can recall.

    Yeah it was pretty rare but boy when it happened and you ended up not dying it felt amazing. I'd love to see this come back and be expanded upon a bit, perhaps more than just a 10 hp buffer or have it tie into a players constitution stat. 

    • 1399 posts
    November 14, 2017 9:01 PM PST

    Yes I joined the purple club a time or two. It was a great effect. I would live to see this brought back and improved, maybe instead of 10hp it could be a percentage so it would still be valid with higher levels. 1% or some such number.

    • 281 posts
    November 14, 2017 9:05 PM PST

    Yes, bring back the purple stick.

     

    And keep it viable in the late game.  There were AAs in EQ1 that gave it some extended life, but not much.


    This post was edited by DragonFist at November 14, 2017 9:12 PM PST
    • 26 posts
    November 15, 2017 11:17 AM PST

    Nothing more painful that the slowly regressing camera shot of YOU laying there in the fetal postion with the ominous writing on the screen.

    YOU HAVE DIED.

    If you were unfortunate enough, the infamous UNDING and writing would be there laughing at you in the chat window of your system messages.

    • 3016 posts
    November 15, 2017 11:22 AM PST

    Iksar said:

    I wouldn't be against it. I'd like to see the unconsciousness state returned more than anything, complete with bleeding out. It would be a very fun mechanic that could surely be used in many ways, namely bosses putting players into a downed state instead of strict 1-shot mechanics. 

     

    Watching your life ebbing away and hoping the mob had forgotten you..as you lay unconscious,  and then it running up to you and giving you that one last vicious smack that ends your life.   Ahhhhhhhh!!   hehehe   I wonder if that would be too rough an effect for those that aren't used to that kind of realism in their games.    At any rate, hope VR keeps this mechanic.

     

    Cana


    This post was edited by CanadinaXegony at November 15, 2017 11:24 AM PST
    • 2886 posts
    November 16, 2017 7:53 AM PST

    I would like that. I haven't seen any other game that does that, so it would be a nice callback to EQ. But regardless, I agree with the OP that the abrupt forced change of perspective adds to the shock of dying. It's memorable and very effective at giving you that sinking feeling. I agree there are other reasons such as limiting your ability to contribute by looking around while dead. But for me, the main thing is giving you that morbid out-of-body experience.

    • 319 posts
    November 17, 2017 11:20 AM PST

    I also have been a member of the purple stick club. Quite a few times in fact. There was always a moment of suspense waiting to see if the mob would finish you off or walk away. I have suffered both scenarios.

    But the few times I made it out of purpleville it was scary if you had to find a place to med and recover your health.

    Bring it back please

    • 316 posts
    November 18, 2017 1:42 PM PST

    Bazgrim said:

    I would like that. I haven't seen any other game that does that, so it would be a nice callback to EQ. But regardless, I agree with the OP that the abrupt forced change of perspective adds to the shock of dying. It's memorable and very effective at giving you that sinking feeling. I agree there are other reasons such as limiting your ability to contribute by looking around while dead. But for me, the main thing is giving you that morbid out-of-body experience.

    And Metman said:

    Nothing more painful that the slowly regressing camera shot of YOU laying there in the fetal postion with the ominous writing on the screen.

    YOU HAVE DIED.

    This subtlety is what I'm talking about. One of those things that ends up adding quite a lot for not very much =)