a multiplayer game of parenting and civilization building
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I play with 2x zoom. It makes the game feel less claustrophobic, less disconnected from other people, less separated from the environment, less isolated. A lot less, with only a modest zoom level.
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Playing at higher than 2x made the game worse for me, not better. I could see more of my surroundings, but I lost the immersive connection to my avatar, i.e. I got out of touch with myself. But playing at 2x rather than 1x made the game much better for me, not worse.
I do honestly think I would prefer 2x to 1x, as I also agree with the widespread sentiment that the standard FOV is too restrictive. During my very limited lives with the mod, I seem to recall spending a considerable amount of time around camp on that setting.
That said, in order to play at 2x I would need to be using a mod that only included the 2x zoom out. I am under the impression that any such mods no longer exist. Using Awbz' mod only for a specific zoom level is not something I think I could pull off - I'd end up varying the zoom as convenience demanded.
Are you simply using Awbz' mod and keeping it on 2x with the info panel down, or do you use a different mod entirely?
Only 3 hours of game play?
You should try living out a handful of lives to old age, then mess around with the zoom out mod.
Ultimately, I will end up doing just that over the coming weeks. This was mostly to ask for thoughts about whether veterans without the mod have been running into trouble with griefers as a result, and how they arrived at their decision to not use it.
Even if I become convinced that I'll be using the mod eventually, I will certainly be playing more hours without it to make sure - since it seems to be a one way decision for many.
After only 3 hours of gameplay when I purchased the game several weeks ago, I have not played a single life since - albeit while watching a fair amount of OHOL content and reading this forum. One of the reasons for that absence is the question of zoom mods, and my indecision about if I should use one.
I have thoroughly read the old thread about Awbz' mod, and noted that some players found themselves unable to go back to the base game after using it enough. Some even claimed they would quit OHOL were the mod discontinued without alternative. I have played a couple of lives with the mod, but am afraid to use it more before figuring out if I want to play with mods long term.
You may reasonably ask: why would I not want to use the mod?
My thoughts on that subject seem to boil down into experiencing the game as it was intended - specifically immersion. Nothing breaks immersion quite like loading map chunks - and zooming out far enough drastically depersonalizes the experience from my perspective. That alone might be enough to keep me on the base game, but I have concerns about that - which is what brings me here.
The utility of any zoom mod, let alone Awbz' masterpiece, is undeniable. It seems a problem that any player without the mod is notably less efficient and therefore less valuable to a village than they would be with the mod. Avoiding it can almost be seen as preserving your game experience at the cost of your line's survival chances. Awbz' mod users are virtually playing a whole different game, which is especially true in terms of scouting, hunting, and griefing. It is that last point that gives me pause.
I'm well aware that an experienced player can be an invaluable asset to a line without the mod - I've spent several hours watching Wolvenscar's stream, and I can't imagine one of his village members being disappointed with his contributions in most respects. That being said, when faced with a mod-wielding griefer, he basically had to hope a friendly mod-user would deal with them. And I really can't argue with that - there was nothing else to be done.
For the time being - and the next several dozen gameplay hours - I won't be much help against griefers anyway, except possibly noting their existence or being a witness if someone else confronts them. Even that much would be less common without the mod, but in the long run it appears near impossible to deal with intelligent griefers if they are the only one with the mod.
In short, I far and away prefer the immersion and aesthetic of the base game, but am concerned enough about mod griefers, and simply being useful to those around me that I am considering using the mod anyway. Also, I don't consider it feasible to "use" the mod without zooming out until a griefer shows up - I'm either going to play the game in its purest form, or use mods for everything that they are worth.
As far as I can tell, Jason is never going to change the base field of view, and he also cannot stop people from using client mods even if he wanted to - so this conundrum exists as long as the official servers do.
I would be grateful for thoughts from anyone who has an opinion or comment on this subject, but specifically:
If you have actively decided against using zoom mods - why did you do that, and what has your experience been when faced with griefers, and the other obstacles that are built in?
If you always, or sometimes use zoom mods - what made you decide to use them, and do you ever end up frustrated with the results of other village members not using one?
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