Bonus points if they are super retro ideas of the future internet like in front mission 3.
Something I continually think about is how Doom 3 showed us a world where you can have a first-person game that seamlessly has you controlling a mouse cursor on in-world computer screens, and it saddens me that nobody picked up that baton.
Best feature in that whole game.
I haven’t played Doom 3, but it sounds very similar to what Prey 2017 has - all the computers in the game have (in-universe) touch input, so you can use them just by pressing the interact key while looking at a display. You can even fire rubber-tipped foam darts at screens to trigger a click in the spot where the dart hit!
Oh shit
Indeed. It’s arguably the best, and in some cases the only way to get behind security booths and the like when you’re doing a no-neuromods run, because you don’t have access to mimic or hacking.
The dart also makes a fun ‘squeak’ noise when it hits something, great for occupying enemies.
I think it has to do with the feature not working as seamlessly with controllers - or at least developers believing so anyway. The original Xbox port of Doom 3 had the camera zoom in to a panel where you were near it and IIRC the BFG edition has the controller slow down a bit in some panels.
There are a couple of FPS games that had similar in-game UIs, though they aren’t as big profile as Doom 3. I bought Exodus from the Earth some time recently and the game has a lot of in-game UIs that use a similar seamless control.
I think of that every time I see a cursor following my mouse in an FPS game.
And at the moment, I struggle to remember anything besides the tiny resemblance of that in Cyberpunk 2077 lol
This was the example I immediately thought of when I saw this post. Blew me away when I first saw it.
It can become tedious quickly if it isnt done absolutely perfect imo.
I remember Fallout computers to be one of the implementations of such a system that I disliked most. Repetitive “hacking”, then reading some text snippets that could’ve easily fit on a note or sth else. While it does add to the atmosphere, it doesnt add anything good to my (personal opinion ofc) gaming experience.
I can only think of two examples right now where I liked it: Deus Ex all parts(because it is just very thematically fitting) and GTA (because of the satire its actually very entertaining).
What about games inside of games? I remember hunkering down in some random medibay in System Shock 2 to play some OverWorld Zero on my GamePig.
One of my favorite gaming tropes! Part of me wishes it was more common, but then a different part remembers that the novelty would wear off.
Hypnospace Outlaw! The whole game is basically just being a mod of an alternate universe Geocities.
Then there’s Kingsway; it’s a Rougelite RPG where everything is controlled with a Windows 9x/Mac Classic parody.
Oh 100% I love this aesthetic. The newer Deus Ex games come to mind immediately, but yeah. The tablets in Hi-Fi Rush are also kinda cool, if less involved.
just love me some rifling through open desktops though 👍
One of my first interactions with an in-game fantasy computer GUI was Final Fantasy VIII. You had this newsletter you could read on the Balamb Garden’s computers, or take the SeeD exams to improve your grade. Was really neato.
Have you ever played Hypnospace Outlaw? https://youtu.be/Pb4Jul496QE
.hack for the PS2, where the Internet was just an application called “The World” that you launched from a desktop. Damn, need to play that again.
I miss the .hack universe. Surprisingly, one of few anime/JRPGs I ever got into. Sword Art didn’t do it for me. I hope it gets revived at some point.
I’m still holding out for the remake that won’t ever happen. I really like the ./hack series but the combat in 1-4 is really clunky, even for something that’s pretending to be a tab target MMO. Dual daggers will forever be my favorite character weapon archetype though.
both Hacknet and Uplink (unrealistic but fun hacking games) had this, although Hacknet’s is more modern by nearly 15 years. I think I liked uplink’s more though.
Fun fact, .hack’s Altimit OS was very heavily based on the early previews for Square Enix’s PlayOnline Viewer, with nearly every feature lifted direct from it (Email, News, BBS/Chat, Wallpaper/BGM selection). Also interesting ya mention Front Mission since Front Mission Online ran via PlayOnline Viewer. :)
Front mission 3 was so good. I was dissapointed the internet wasnt in the other games.
Can’t get enough of this. I remember really loving the fake DOS mode that Enter the Matrix had. You could unlock cheats for the game or look at little hidden videos and things. It was fairly elaborate for a little gimmick.
Memory unlocked. Though using cheats through that most certainly crash the game, you just didn’t know when it would happen. I remember using infinite ammo with the smoke grenade gun like halfway through before the game finally crapped out
Let’s go further and make that the whole game! Then you got Pony Island (really cool experience).
Extremely excited for Jagged Alliance 3, mainly just because I wanna play with that computer interface again
Kowloon Highschool Chronicles does it really well.
Buying items is done through encrypted online store, mini quests are received from the official site of the treasure hunting association you’re part off and so on. The game expands this immersive ui further by making your stat screen be a report card and with skill names being curricular subjects.
You don’t really interact with it much but Ace Combat 3 UI is Data Swallow, the in universe internet browser of choice. Each faction comes with unique boot up sound that I might or might not use as my ring tune.
