Loading Screens

[Parallax]

I know the Devs at KK have already made these and so this probably won't be something they want to hear but I really dislike the idea of having loading screens appearing throughout the game.

I can understand when synchronizing into the game the need for it, and I really like how it pops up with random tidbits of in-game lore, but it ruins the immersion entirely if it pops up in the middle of the game.

I see no need for them.

In my opinion, when you warp from one zone to the next you are shown in real time your ship entering warp, your map goes blank, all the ships and stations around you become tiny dots and disappear and then as you are "loading" the new zone you see the warp animation of your own ship. Then when you have finished loading the new zone, tiny dots appear on the horizon and get bigger and bigger and you leave warp and you are in the zone. There is no intrusive loading screen.

For missions, when you select a mission, a waypoint is created in space which you warp to with the same sort of animations etc. Again no need for a loading screen.

What do the rest of you think?

Nidhogg or Snow, are loading screens definitely in, or can we not have them?

Discuss..

[Krollin]

I personally do not want to have to sit through the 'warp' animations every time I change system. I am more than happy to have the screen fade out and back again.

Ideally you would want to give people the option of seeing it or not.

Either way there is always going to be a period of time no matter how short when data needs to be DL'd prior to you entering a new system, all MMO's have this in some form or another.

Within EVE you ship fades out in one system, you wait, the screen changes and you reappear in the new system - unless you are going to a trading hub and you might as well go make a 5 course meal because of the amount of time it takes to load LOL!.

Of course your broadband speed will also have a factor to play in this equation, for people who have fast(er) connections the wait will be slower, for those who are unfortunate enough to have 2Mb or less I would assume the DL times might be longer - who knows this is all guess work at present

I will be interested in seeing what the official stand point is.

Kro

[Aardvark]

I want to see "------Synchronising------" on a black screen.
oh wait i still do it's burned into my retina's already

I do like your idea there Parallax, would be much more simple.

[Fascination]

Im not really fussed by loading screens, as long as Im not staring at them for over 5 minutes. I did like the way they did it in Freelancer (thats mentioned in the op), with the warp sequence between systems but its pure eye candy benefit.

[ChromeSkull]

Itd be good if they did it where there was no loading as such where it actualy kept in the same viewpoint but moved you ship to an unreachable area on the map where its warp space (client side) then when loading is complete you see the gate / hole ahead and appear thru it. Complicated i know but something like "Half Life's" "PORTAL" would look good.

[Snowcrash]

Awww, c'mon. Loading screens are your friend! They are informative and prevent you from becoming nuts, which probably would happen if you would have to stare at some eye killing hypnotic synchronising effect all the time.

[Krollin]

I can see it now - KK sued for inducing psychotic episodes due to repetitive warp sequences hehe

Kro

[Parallax]

I know your current loading screens are informative but in the same way, once you've been playing the game for a month or two you will have seen the same text a hundred times. This game has an incredible graphics engine and I think it should be used to the max as often as possible.

If I was showing this game to a friend (or making a video for that matter) it would look far cooler seeing my ship jump into warp/hyperspace and seeing all the psychadelic lights in the warp tunnel rather than seeing a big black screen pop telling me all about the Jad Baran for the 10th time.

Obviously this is just my opinion on the matter but maybe others will agree.

As a compromise I can only offer even more work on your part. As well as going into warp space, in between zones why not have a sexy female voice telling you what you guys have already written down in your current loading screens. I would volunteer mine but... :P

[Fascination]

Originally Posted by Snowcrash

Awww, c'mon. Loading screens are your friend!

We have our answer to whether loading screens are going to be in the game or not at least.

[dudemanjac]

Well I could care less about the loading screen business. Keep it short and have a lot of different screens so I don't get too bored. Truth be told, I usually use times like that to grab a drink if I notice that they are routinely long. I would prefer graphics or something else that won't ruin my immersion. Keep the history bits for quests or something.

I'm much more interested in something else Parallax had to say. I need a sexy female voice alerting me to all my problems on my ship....

And I'm only partially joking.