Came across this out of my boredom, I found it pretty cool.  

Windows and door portal system added.
24 January 2007

In CoS when you walk into any building we do not load a separate place like most other games. All of our interiors are actually inside the building you see, like a real building. This means you never have to wait for separate loads when entering or exiting a building. In addition, it means that all the windows and doors actually are windows and doors. You can walk to a window, look out through the glass and see the outside world. Light from the outside world comes in through the real windows to light the room (depending on the time of day and (eventually) weather.

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Pretty cool, if you ask me.. I have not seen this in any MMO before.

that is cool and is a feature i've wanted to see in mmos for years. wow does it to an extent but not to the degree seen in that screenshot where all the windows are real.

Interesting, but not the sort of thing that would ever make me choose one game over another.

Originally posted by Hexxeity

Interesting, but not the sort of thing that would ever make me choose one game over another.

Certainly it's not the deciding factor... but I, for one, hate to wait...  I hate to wait while sections of the world load, I hate to wait when I enter a dungeon, I hate to wait to enter a building, I just HATE WAITING.  So... we don't make you wait for any of those things.  Consider it a bonus.

I guess I just don't understand what games you are talking about.  You don't have to wait when entering buildings in WoW, LoTRO, EQ2, or even Vanguard for crying out loud.

In WoW there is a very brief load time when entering an instance, but I am pretty sure the same must be true in CoS.

What I'm saying is, isn't this pretty much standard and expected?  I really can't consider it a bonus -- more a lack of a penalty.

Sorry to sound so harsh.  I don't cut anyone any slack, even if I like a game!

Originally posted by Hexxeity

I guess I just don't understand what games you are talking about.  You don't have to wait when entering buildings in WoW, LoTRO, EQ2, or even Vanguard for crying out loud.

In WoW there is a very brief load time when entering an instance, but I am pretty sure the same must be true in CoS.

What I'm saying is, isn't this pretty much standard and expected?  I really can't consider it a bonus -- more a lack of a penalty.

Sorry to sound so harsh.  I don't cut anyone any slack, even if I like a game!

I see what you mean, but he also said for dungeons, and from what it sounded, you don't have to wait....AT ALL!  Which is very good in my book.  They don't even make you wait when you craft (from the FAQ)

Also, did you by any chance play Oblivion on the 360?  IT TAKES FOREVER TO LOAD!  It's horrible...

Edit-  Oh, and what about AoC?

Originally posted by Hexxeity

I guess I just don't understand what games you are talking about.  You don't have to wait when entering buildings in WoW, LoTRO, EQ2, or even Vanguard for crying out loud.

In WoW there is a very brief load time when entering an instance, but I am pretty sure the same must be true in CoS.

What I'm saying is, isn't this pretty much standard and expected?  I really can't consider it a bonus -- more a lack of a penalty.

Sorry to sound so harsh.  I don't cut anyone any slack, even if I like a game!

In Vanguard (I don't recall if their buildings have loads) but as you walk across the landscape you reach invisible boundaries where your game suddenly pauses as the next 'section' of the world loads.  Most games have these load times, for buildings, for sections, for small  instances.  

Once you are in the world (one load) in Citadel of Sorcery there are NO other loads to wait through, none.  I don't care how far you travel, or where you go.   I don't know of any other MMOs with this system, but I haven't played them all.  Certainly all of the games you mentioned have some load times that we do not.

I should note that not ALL buildings in these other games require loads... but some do. 

Originally posted by Jatar

I should note that not ALL buildings in these other games require loads... but some do. 

I just want to make sure, if the buildings do not cause load in CoS, then I guess the door just opens and you walk in?

Also, does going into an instance cause a loading time?

thanks.

I guess I understand why you guys may be having a problem understanding what I mean, after all the other MMO games you have likely played do not work the same way that our engine does.  However, my statement stands, our goal is that  once you are in the Reflected World there are NO further waits for something to load. 

Vanguard makes you wait at random places while the next section loads: we do not.

Lotro makes you wait when you click on a door to enter a building: we do not.

EQ2 makes you wait every time you move between sections, (Antonica, to Blackburrow); we do not.

Many games have little instanced areas and make you wait to enter: we do not.

I can go on for each MMO I have played... but I don't want to, so I say again, this is our goal...

Once you are in the world there are NO further waits for something to load, ever.  No matter where you go in the Reflected World (and this includes EVERYWHERE), no matter how many terrain types you reach, dungeons you enter, castles you investigate, or leagues that you travel... there are no waits for something to load.

Let's put this to rest, it is a simple point, a mere technological aspect of our engine, and isn't worth this much discussion.   It is what it is.  Each game engine is different, this is just how ours works.

Ah, you were referring only to the Reflected World.  Then it's not surprising or exciting at all.  I would leave this out of the marketing literature.

Originally posted by Hexxeity

Ah, you were referring only to the Reflected World.  Then it's not surprising or exciting at all.  I would leave this out of the marketing literature.

You enjoy waiting?

Originally posted by Jatar

 

Originally posted by Hexxeity

I guess I just don't understand what games you are talking about.  You don't have to wait when entering buildings in WoW, LoTRO, EQ2, or even Vanguard for crying out loud.

In WoW there is a very brief load time when entering an instance, but I am pretty sure the same must be true in CoS.

What I'm saying is, isn't this pretty much standard and expected?  I really can't consider it a bonus -- more a lack of a penalty.

Sorry to sound so harsh.  I don't cut anyone any slack, even if I like a game!

All though I was not referring  to any other games, only talking about our own system of reducing load wait times, you are incorrect in some of your examples. In both LOTRO and EQ2  you click on the door to a building and wait for the interior to load, then you 'pop' inside the building.

 

In Vanguard (I don't recall if their buildings have loads) but as you walk across the landscape you reach invisible boundaries where your game suddenly pauses as the next 'section' of the world loads.  Most games have these load times, for buildings, for sections, for small  instances.  

Once you are in the world (one load) in Citadel of Sorcery there are NO other loads to wait through, none.  I don't care how far you travel, or where you go.   I don't know of any other MMOs with this system, but I haven't played them all.  Certainly all of the games you mentioned have some load times that we do not.

SWG, except when traveling to another planet/shuttle port or going into space. It had no load times.