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[Rabek Jeris]

Hey guys. Been a while since I posted. I usually do purely request threads, much to my shame. This time, I'm hoping to expand that a bit and do a more broad compilation deal.

As a gamer, I get the most enjoyment out of feeling like I'm just one part of a larger world. Stuff like RTSs don't grab me because nothing happens without my explicit control. I had a thread praising the Majesty series for breaking that mold.

So let's have a list of some games that really make you feel immersed in their setting, where you aren't the thing the entire world revolves around!

I have quite a few. Please post what makes them immersive if you have any to add. If this kicks off, I may edit this opening post to include a complete list.

The List:

The Elder Scrolls series: Kind of hit and miss, really. In the more recent games, NPCs have schedules and go around doing their own things. The in-game lore books are probably the best part for immersion in my opinion. The down side is that quests don't move until you act on them, and the whole level scaling thing makes it feel like the world caters to you. At least Oblivion had an in-game fluff reason for it (more oblivion gates opening or whatever).

Majesty series: As mentioned, in this game you have no direct control over your population. It makes it feel like they have a mind of their own and could live their lives without you. However short those lives would be.

Distant Worlds: Even if you don't let the AI control any part of your empire, this is the only 4x game I've ever seen with a private sector that actually buys ships and does things of their own volition. They're even worth protecting with the state military.

Aurora: Okay, I lied. Recently I discovered that Aurora also has a private sector, though it seems less pronounced. A little too much control for what I'd like, but the research system (research parts, then put them together and research the entire component) manages to provide immersion via the minute details rather than the overarching picture.

Populous: The old ones, where you don't have direct control over your worshipers. For much the same reasons as the Majesty series.

Creatures series: Once again, by taking agency from the player, it feels more like an ant farm than a "game," which I find to be more immersive. There's less abstraction involved.

Anyone else have some to add? Just any game that's had you forget, even if for a moment, that you're playing it, or where you've just sat back and watched a world at work rather than feeling the need to "play".

[Iceblaster]

I wouldn't use the term immersive, however I do feel that Tropico 4 -which while I do agree from what I've seen didn't change much from 3- was fun in that once you got a sustainable economy, like in true third world country fashion, a new disaster would come to disrupt your plans, whether it be a hurricane that just wrecked your guard towers, a tsunami taking down the pub keeping everyone in just above rebelling happiness because you couldn't afford a cabaret.

I found that it made free play mode much more fun than the campaign, however even the campaign was fun because it was humorous enough that it almost felt like those political cartoons you see in history books

[Robsoie]

I'm not sure what's immersive about RTS, while i enjoy some of them a lot i never felt myself moved into what's going on.

For me what were really immersive are Thief 1&2 , probably the stealth based gameplay is no stranger into dragging the player into the game, but overall it's very atmospheric and seeing a monster/guard moving closer and closer to your hiding position and then leaving without noticing is always something that gets into your skin.

[TripJack]

Thief 1&2

seconded

[Sonlirain]

Well i kinda got immersed when playing Quest for Glory I-IV (still planning to get V)... dunno why really but i guess it has something to do with sleeping on the hard ground buying drinks/food at the inn for Abdul, getting to watch Shema (kinda erotic if you like anthropomorphic animals) dance at the inn if you arrive at the right hour ETC.

[Krevsin]

Kerbal Space Program. I start off by building a simple rocket capable of getting me to the north pole and the next thing I know, I'm sending off a Duna Colony Vessel and over 5 hours have passed. I have no idea why, but I'm guessing it has something to do with the immense feeling of accomplishment I get upon finishing a difficult task.

[Steelmagic]

Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis and by extension ArmA.

The squeaking the BMPs make while you're trying to sneak past a patrol, oh god the squeaking.

[Mesa]

Dwarf Fortress 2014, of course.
...When it comes out.

[werty892]

Half Life 2.

[LeoLeonardoIII]

Thief 1&2

seconded

Thirded.

I generally had to play with headphones, without outside noises, in the dark. Sound was so important that missing stuff meant dying. I found myself feeling like a cockroach scuttling from dark patch to dark patch. Like other FPS games making me think about snipers on rooftops and the shadow/shape/shine/silhouette of concealment, and Deus Ex making me think about security cameras, Thief made me pay more attention to how concealing shadows can be and how loud floors can be.

You know how D&D Thieves generally seem to have a "stealth" skill that lets them sneak around and backstab? If you actually read the early rules, you can't Hide in Shadows while moving. Then what the heck is the point of Move Silently? You Hide in Shadows until nobody is looking, then you scamper to the next shadow with Move Silently. Or you move where people can't see you such as on a rooftop or behind carts, tents, etc. It's not as easy as just jamming your thumb on a "stealth" toggle and sprinting in for the backstab.

Which is why a Thief game can create environmental puzzles just by changing up lighting, surfaces, and guard movement. Tack on types of guards that you can't blackjack as an endgame puzzle. I remember a guard in Thief 1 on the stairs leading up from the haunted mines into the prison proper. He was standing with his back to the wall and a strong lantern illuminating the whole room in front of him. Can't douse a lantern with a water arrow, and you can't sneak up to him because he's just standing there. Had to distract him with a little noise, lead him into the mine, and blackjack him in the darkness when he decided to turn back.

Occasionally we got a "push the blocks to make the blue door open" puzzle, but for the most part Thief 1 and 2 were just great exploration stealth platformers that already included puzzles in the environment, with a playable swordfighting "game over" sequence ;P

[LeoLeonardoIII]

I pulled down The Dark Mod and for some reason wasn't into it. Probably just not into it at the time; it improved so much by adding things like swinging and awesome lockpicking, which is all I got to in the tutorial mission. It's nice to see something made by people who really love it and have the freedom and ability to do it right.

[Delta Foxtrot]

I also felt very "in" with the world of Thief. It swept me away like a dashing rogue does to a maiden.

I remember a guard in Thief 1 on the stairs leading up from the haunted mines into the prison proper. He was standing with his back to the wall and a strong lantern illuminating the whole room in front of him. Can't douse a lantern with a water arrow, and you can't sneak up to him because he's just standing there.

I lured some zombies in. They never saw me. Was hella cool


I may be going with a bit different definition of immersion here, but Metal Gear Solid and Freedom Fighters were very moving experiences at times. FF was a fairly average third person shooter with simple squad command mechanics. But damn if I didn't feel like I was there fighting the Occupation. Something about that pompously patriotic tone grabbed me.

[miauw62]

Space Station 13. Mainly because the rounds are completely player-driven. I can be literally sweating after an intense round as Sec.

[Coolnesstod]

The most Immersive Games for me aren't technically games. They're visual novels, Mainly ones by type-moon, such as Fate/stay night and Fate/zero. Those visual novels were just so good, its hard to put into words. I ended up completing fate/stay night in 3 days, all 5 endings and all CG. This Game/Visual Novel was my gateway into stuff like this and I have to say, I don't regret a thing.

[Wiles]

The first time I really felt immersed in a game was F/A 18 Hornet 3.0. This was back in the day where you had to configure your games to work with your soundcard and being a kid I didn't really know what I was doing so it took a lot of fiddling to finally figure it out. It was the first game I played with a lot of voice dialogue. Hearing my wingmen speak to me over the radio brought a whole new level of immersion to gaming for me.