Played Biomutant. Enjoyed exploring a vibrant world. As someone who enjoys original worldbuilding and creatures, the game's design is basically catered to me.
Though I do think one of the fastest and easiest ways to make it better would be: MORE LORE.
There's already so many old world places, NPCs and creature bosses, I feel even just one line of description or backstory added could expand the world quite a lot.
I need hints on whatever happened in the times before the calamity.
I want to know more about the facilities / ruins I'm stepping foot in. How did that dam came to be? How did the tree of life expand? What happened to the airport?
(though I suppose this all makes sense from an in-game point of view. You're literally playing a tiny creature navigating the ruins of the old world. You probably don't have any idea how all these structures came to be either. Even if there were records left behind , would you be able to decode them? )
Anyways, I need more lore. (Something like Horizon's datapoints). Some ways to add it could be :
Backstory, news clippings, or some notes conveying events on what happened in the old world, triggered when you finish a sidequest (finding all those old world tech, billboards, tvs, ect).
Stories about the tribes or tales of how they came to be.
Research notes or journals in science facilities,
papers or energy reports in power plants
signs or diaries scattered throughout those ruins and bunkers...ect
It doesn't even have to be fully thought out or described clearly. Just some writings about what people thought and did in the past would go a long way, I think.
I'm ngl, some of the combat in horizon steel frontiers and hunters gatherings trailers takes me out.
tbh, to me it does seem more "action-gamified (stylized)" in those games as opposed to "realistic" in the 2 main games, but idk, the realistic-ness of the combat in the main games makes the world believable for me.
The humans living in the horizon world have to frequently deal with machines as big as a car or truck, built with armored plating. Brute strength combat forcing it doesn't seem like the most realistic option.
In this scenario, they would have to take them down with whatever resources at their disposal.
What does look feasible is exchanging strength for distance, letting arrows, bombs, spikes do their work, while using ropes, traps, tripwires to make machine fights more managable.
I feel that's the reason why most folks in Aloy's world use bows and arrows, or else they would have been mostly using close combat weapons already.
(also, the trap limit/tripwire limit in HFW to me makes...little sense?
not because I'm not the best at direct combat of course
if you're frequently fighting enemies bigger than yourself, of course you'd want to be ready to cause as much damage as possible, while saving as much resources and health as you can.)
if the GenAI situation was solved one day, and all data collection and environmental issues were no more, was thinking about the reasons why one would choose to make art instead of generating it.
And then it hit me: because making art yourself means that you can choose to make it however you like.
You can choose the compositions you find awesome or mix and match to come up with your own.
You can choose colors that you enjoy the most. You can draw any character you like.
Art is basically choosing whatever you personally want and putting it on a canvas.
A piece of work gets made because of making choices such as "what do I like"
"what (composition/poses/way of drawing/...) do I find appealing/balanced/special"
"what I want to see"
something something ect.
What this train of thought is trying to convey:
Recently, for a long time, some of my thoughts about making stuff were focused on :
Am I making this good enough?
And I forget that :
Art is about choosing the things you like, and putting it together, from scratch to final form.
3 hugs Noctis got, when it was time for the end. (+extra scene for half- brother AU version)
finished endgame some time ago, here's some imaginings (created during when I played chap 14) for when Noct says goodbye to the bros.
----------------
After the final battle, it was time to say farewell.
-----------------
Gladio's strong arms wrapped around him tightly, as if trying to give him strength for what was to come.
He had always prepared for the chance that he would one day sacrifice himself for his King.
What he didn't expect was that someday, he'd have to go on without Noctis.
What good was a Shield, who couldn't be there for his Liege?
Noctis basked in the warmth of the hug, feeling the tough but fierce love, the regrets and unspoken apologies, and things unsaid.
(In return, he thanked Gladio for fulfilling his duty until the end, and asked him to look after Lucis and its people.)
-----------------
Prompto. Oh, Prompto.
Noctis held him tightly as the marksman buried his face into his friend's neck, desperate for one last hug, tears leaking out from his eyes.
When they were still in high school, they would talk of future plans. The places they wanted to see, the things they wanted to do.
And now, that future would never arrive.
Or rather, his friend would have to go on and chase those dreams, for the both of them.
Hugging Noct fiercely, Prompto poured all his strength into the gesture, as if trying to convey all of his affection for his brother in one last embrace.
(In return, Noctis reminded Prompto to remember his true worth, his kind heart, and asked him to take care of others, and the world, post dawn.)
----------------
Ignis. Dear Ignis.
His friend, retainer, and brother.
There were so many things he wanted to say. Yet it was hard to keep composure, as his emotions overwhelmed him.
Gulping, Noctis wrapped his advisor into a hug, feeling him do the same.
As firm arms came around to hold him, Noctis closed his eyes.
---
It has been a long time since they first met.
Growing up alongside each other, Noctis always wondered what it would be like when the time to rule came.
He could never had guessed it would be like this.
Ignis had already sacrificed so much for him.
And now he had to leave it all behind.
To him. To them.
-------
They stayed a little while longer, basking in the feeling of a final comfort before the end.
(Perhaps there were better words to say. Perhaps there were none at all.)
Ignis could say nothing but hold him tighter, as he committed the feeling of their last embrace to memory.
(In return, Noct encouraged Ignis to live his life, to try and seek for new goals, and hoped that he could assist in guiding the next generation, if he was willing.)
---
Half-Brother AU version:
"I don't wanna go."
In the darkest hour before (the new) dawn, a younger sibling whispered to his older brother.
Those words had none of the bravado associated with kings. Rather it was the desperate plea of someone seeking comfort from his only remaining family.
---
Was the war not enough? Were the scourge not enough? Must fate take away his little brother as well?
Ignis could do nothing but hold his charge/brother/king tighter, hoping the embrace could provide whatever little comfort, before the end.
tbh after playing Ep Gladio I kinda understood where Gladiolus' decision to leave came from.
it was either "leave Noct and co awhile for the chance to get stronger" or "continue on as the current strength level he has (not strong enough with a sure possibility of failure)" (thrown into a car by ravus of all people) .
Had the chance to go cat-tail willow picking recently.
We wandered around a muddy farm in rubber boots (the amount of wet muck we stepped in would destroy regular shoes), while the younger kids wore a mini version of this type of protective coveralls (boots and pants sealed into one garment).
Suddenly thought of Puddleglum. Wondered if he would wear something like this, since marsh-wiggles live in wetlands/watery areas, after all.
(Is this "period accurate", or is this what some sort of "modern AU " might look like, I don't know. But it's amusing to imagine, and got me drawing again, so...)
what frustrates me is if the AI developers had collaborated with artists the right way from the beginning / got permission for the training material / artists who wanted to help develop the software could have gotten credit or a portion of the profit / something something ect
this whole thing wouldn't have even been an issue.
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