Metroid Prime was interesting the first time I saw it (especially when looking up and seeing raindrops fall on your visor), but I don't think that that's the direction every first-person game should go.

I agree. That's what Metroid Prime was *about*, in a sense: being inside that helmet, using its functions, upgrading it, etc. There were a ton of little details to remind you that you were seeing the world through a visor (like seeing Samus's face reflected whenever the lighting conditions are right).

But if a game *isn't* about that, that same level of helmet fetishism would get in the way of whatever the game *is* about.

Yeah I guess that is the distinction here. If the game is about making you see the world through the character's eyes, then it is good. If the first person view is simply a camera-like view into the world then no, it wouldn't make sense. I guess my understanding is that the entire point of a first person perspective is to try and make the player feel like they *are* the character, seeing what they see, etc.

I do not having anything to say against these but ai feel none of these would ever be part of the mvp of a game nor would they directly impact fun factor so i am left considering them as suggestions to improve immersion.
In a game that lists immersion as a key component, I am not sure that having the UI wobbling (causing dizziness) would be on the top of my list of features to implement.

Overall I feel you are looking at the added value without considering the drawbacks and cost. There is probably a bigger reason than I can think of why these are not often around, but in general, critical features often involve one of the 3 Cs (camera controls character).

The six degrees of freedom will be more mainstream as new input is implemented. The mouse is slowly being replaced by AR headsets for example, which provide 3d motion which would tremendously help with that.

I guess my understanding is that the entire point of a first person perspective is to try and make the player feel like they *are* the character, seeing what they see, etc.

I guess I can see that. It's a matter of perspective and focus though! I feel the main draw of a first-person camera is to put me into the world, not my eyes into the character.

This varies from person to person. I know two artists/writers very well, and the three of us are all very creative people who chat about our design ideas and works for each others' opinions.

I realized that alot of our differences in creative ideas come down to what our "primary focus" is.

One of them holds story as the primary focus, and the world is merely the setting for the story, and the characters are the vehicle for the story. Don't get me wrong, her worlds and characters are very awesome and aren't shortchanged at all - but the characters and world are tools to tell the story.

The other artist/writer holds her characters as the primary focus. She creates worlds and writes stories to explore those characters. The world and story becomes the tool to explore the characters.

And I am always world-focused. I create stories and characters to flush out and explore my worlds. I try to make interesting stories and interesting characters, but they are the lens through which my world can be explored.

Now just because these three focuses are our primary creative inspirations, it actually, oddly, isn't very noticeable in our works (unless you really are trying to analyze them). I read my story-focused friend's work because I enjoy the world she created. Just like I read Tolkien for the world, whereas others read Tolkien for the characters, and still others read Tolkien for the plot. A good work should be enjoyable to readers coming with any of those three perspectives.

[Edit:] Even in games like Halflife, I feel Gordon Freeman is a vehicle for *me* to personally enter the world. Despite all the characters talking to 'Gordon', and frequently mentioning his name (I think the frequent name-drop might actually be a poor design choice on Valve's part), the reason why the character is a silent protagonist (and why there are no cutscenes where you lose control) is so it can be *you* and so *you* aren't ever forced to speak aloud or do something that you didn't actually speak, and so *you* aren't forced to hear a voice that isn't actually yours. (And no third-person camera moments especially so you are never "out of body").

I would like to argue that motion blur (in very moderated amounts) is healthy for immersion. Camera motion blur makes some people sick, but when used extremely sparsely (imho, HL2 series, Portal and TF2 have the perfect amount of camera motion blur) it only shows when turning your character very fast, making the dramatic movement less jarring instead. As for object motion blur, it is very important and our brains do not filter it out. Observe cars, birds, trains or even people passing you by and you'll notice that they are slightly blurred. I feel that this effect is more important that camera motion blur, and amplifies the feeling of speed significantly.

I do a couple of very simple things to improve immersion in FP views. The main idea is to give the player a feeling of weight, achieved by having a small acceleration period when you start walking, and the opposite when stopping, combined with a very slight head (not HUD) bob that acts differently depending on how you move. I think FEAR does this, Dishonored is also a good but slightly exaggerated example. Don't forget that sound effects play a large role in maintaining immersion.

In regards to the reply above mine, i really like Halo: Reach's motion blur. When you're in a shootout and you're all moving around like crazy (jumping mostly, gotta love that Halo jump) in PvP it really helps make things feel epic and fast paced. In regards to the reply above the reply above me, I probably spend most of my time focusing on story and characters. I can't say one more than the other because I like to tell a good story, but I make it a point to really have people know the effect everything that is happening in it affects the characters and how their different personalities and background change how each one might feel about the events that take place.