# One step closer to Cataclysm DDA as a fully immersive open environment game?

**URL:** <https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/one-step-closer-to-cataclysm-dda-as-a-fully-immersive-open-environment-game/2795>\
**Category:** The Bunker\
**Created:** [August 23, 2013, 5:04pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/one-step-closer-to-cataclysm-dda-as-a-fully-immersive-open-environment-game/2795 "2013-08-23T17:04:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 9\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![DG123](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/54ee81/32.png) [@DG123](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/DG123)\
**Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 5:04pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/one-step-closer-to-cataclysm-dda-as-a-fully-immersive-open-environment-game/2795/1 "2013-08-23T17:04:01Z")

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> **[First-person open-world survival horror game The Forest looks brilliant](http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-05-08-first-person-open-world-survival-horror-game-the-forest-looks-brilliant)**
>
> Vancouver-based studio SKS Games may not have long history with the only title to its name being the iPad horror outing End Night, but it's comprised of spe…

Just found this.

My god if only they’d make something like this and put in all the Cataclysm features.

It would be the game of forever.

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**Author:** ![kevin.granade](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/kevin.granade/32/1316_2.png) [@kevin.granade](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/kevin.granade)\
**Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 5:35pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/one-step-closer-to-cataclysm-dda-as-a-fully-immersive-open-environment-game/2795/2 "2013-08-23T17:35:36Z")

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I have been meaning to add the lighter as a light source. Can’t make it flickery of course, but what ya gonna do.

Unfortunately 3D environments have a massive problem of populating them being orders of magnitude more difficult ☹

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**Author:** ![Iosyn](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/iosyn/32/35_2.png) [@Iosyn](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Iosyn)\
**Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 5:44pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/one-step-closer-to-cataclysm-dda-as-a-fully-immersive-open-environment-game/2795/3 "2013-08-23T17:44:33Z")

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[quote=“Kevin Granade, post:2, topic:2795”]I have been meaning to add the lighter as a light source. Can’t make it flickery of course, but what ya gonna do.

Unfortunately 3D environments have a massive problem of populating them being orders of magnitude more difficult :([/quote]

How about an isometric format Alá wasteland/fallout1~2?

Also, open world survival horror in a forest? /orz. Generic horror FPS with jump-scares, I guarantee it.

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**Author:** ![Rivet](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/rivet/32/11_2.png) [@Rivet](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Rivet)\
**Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 5:44pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/one-step-closer-to-cataclysm-dda-as-a-fully-immersive-open-environment-game/2795/4 "2013-08-23T17:44:50Z")

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How about support for [NotE](http://www.roguetemple.com/z/noteye.php)?

It’s a frontend for roguelikes that allows you to view them in isometric and 3D using standard RL ascii graphics or tiles. No special graphics required.

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**Author:** ![Iosyn](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/iosyn/32/35_2.png) [@Iosyn](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Iosyn)\
**Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 6:05pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/one-step-closer-to-cataclysm-dda-as-a-fully-immersive-open-environment-game/2795/5 "2013-08-23T18:05:09Z")

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[quote=“Rivet, post:4, topic:2795”]How about support for [NotE](http://www.roguetemple.com/z/noteye.php)?

It’s a frontend for roguelikes that allows you to view them in isometric and 3D using standard RL ascii graphics or tiles. No special graphics required.[/quote]

Well played, just the kind of thing I was thinking of. 😃  
Originally I was thinking of that iso viewer for DF… seeing a mountain carved into some crazy megaproject.

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**Author:** ![Sarge](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/sarge/32/136_2.png) [@Sarge](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Sarge)\
**Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 3:14pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/one-step-closer-to-cataclysm-dda-as-a-fully-immersive-open-environment-game/2795/6 "2013-08-24T15:14:46Z")

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Dayum, that would be cool.

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**Author:** ![ramesesniblet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce73a5/32.png) [@ramesesniblet](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/ramesesniblet)\
**Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 3:45pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/one-step-closer-to-cataclysm-dda-as-a-fully-immersive-open-environment-game/2795/7 "2013-08-24T15:45:28Z")

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You’ll be waiting a very long time to find a 3D game with the depth in content and mechanics of Cataclysm because the development process is so radically different. In an ASCII game if you want to add a new item, you just assign it a letter and colour and then all the effort goes into the stats, description and mechanics etc. But in a 3D game you have to spend a lot of time designing, modelling, texturing and rendering stuff and it leaves little time for developing mechanics to go with it.

I swear as I’ve gotten older I’ve really begun to dislike 3D games in general, they’re usually ugly and extremely shallow, even the WOWGRAFIX games don’t impress me because I know that in ten years people will look back and say “omg we thought that looked good?” ASCII is timeless.

Cataclysm is as immersive as they come imo because you have to use your imagination 🙂

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**Author:** ![DG123](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/54ee81/32.png) [@DG123](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/DG123)\
**Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 7:13pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/one-step-closer-to-cataclysm-dda-as-a-fully-immersive-open-environment-game/2795/8 "2013-08-24T19:13:14Z")

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Yes, games do tend to be too shallow. There have only been a few that truly drew me in.

The STALKER series for one. I feel that if that development team did a zombie apocalypse game in the style of Cataclysm, it would be awesome even if it lacked the destructible environments. But even those should be possible. Use an engine based on the later Red Faction games, perhaps.

I’m aware it’s a lot more involved to make a 3D game with this much content. But there have been games that had lots of fully modelled items and still had good content.

Every item in the older Resident Evil games had fully 3D rotatable models and some of them were even animated.

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**Author:** ![Keyreper](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/keyreper/32/163_2.png) [@Keyreper](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Keyreper)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2013, 3:45am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/one-step-closer-to-cataclysm-dda-as-a-fully-immersive-open-environment-game/2795/9 "2013-08-25T03:45:35Z")

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that game trailer reminds me of Stranded 2