Ubisoft has dredged up some discourse from earlier in 2024, the always-contentious topic of the yellow paint developers sometimes splash in game worlds to help guide lost gamers, and keep them on the golden path. In an interesting twist, the upcoming Star Wars Outlaws will allow players to do without the virtual hand-holding, removing any and all acrylic-based guidance if the player should so wish.
In all fairness, the yellow paint that players often dunk on is usually put in place by developers in response to playtesting and feedback, but it's hard not to notice. As confirmed by PC Gamer, in Outlaws, players will be able to play in what is called "Explorer Mode," which turns off "guiding colour on core navigational elements" throughout the world. We'll certainly be checking it out, and it's a pretty cool option to include, even if it is likely to involve a little frustration after taking the yellow paint for granted for so long.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth brought the yellow paint discussion back into vogue earlier this year, and so it's nice to see a developer address this visual nitpick head-on. It remains to be seen how many players will find themselves shamefacedly turning the paint back on in order to progress, data which we desperately hope Ubisoft releases someday.
Are you pro or anti yellow paint? Will you play Star Wars Outlaws with the paint on or off? Carefully apply a fresh coat before venturing into the comments section below.
[source pcgamer.com]
Comments 22
This. This is what is good for players: choice.
If I didn’t have 5000 games to play I’d do this.
I'm pretty glad Fromsoft hasn't followed the trend of yellow paint in their games.
Yellow paint gets a bad rap but the average user is a f**king idiot. That’s literally the first thing I was taught by my old UX professor. Design for idiots. If you find a really cool way of disguising gameplay hints then you end up making them fly over the head of more users than it’s worth engaging the others.
I would be inclined to switch it off, probably. Nice to have the choice.
good idea choice is always good
Whilst there is very much such a thing as too much handholding, for example Fallout 4 with its omnipresent Arrow of Fate on the compass, I think that games are more pleasant experiences with subtle player aids.
No one really wants to spend half an hour clicking on the action button trying to find something or running around an open field trying to find that one cave.
I remember playing AC Valhalla with everything switched off on the HUD including the compass. It looked amazing but I was constantly in and out of the map button to get my bearings.
@ApostateMage The issue with letting players switch of guides and "yellow paint" is the games are designed with those things on. Valhalla isn't Breath of the Wild its world was designed with the intention of you following a compass to places and being led to things, i also tried playing Valhalla with those things off but i gave up when it become clear i was just hitting the map menu constantly to know where i was going like you.
I have just finished up Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and I really likes the way that game handled guiding a user.
Still not going to play this terrible looking ps3 game
I always get lost and confused. That's why I never leave the house without my pot of yellow paint.
I think the most egreious offender of yellow paint in recent times was Still wakes the deep, don't get me wrong the game is great, but goddamn was like someone split a whole paint can!
@nessisonett I agree but to be fair I love the idea of letting players switch it off. I like trying to figure it out and I love games like Baldurs gate, elden ring and Zelda TOTK that give me the freedom of working things out for myself
Im intrigued by this! Modern games usually dont work when the “yellow paint” is disabled.
Might mean amazing world design or just a hot mess.
@KillerBoy I mean, if you intended to not play it before, why would this be the draw for you? 🤷🏾♂️
@Nepp67 It would be really funny for them to implement it, in just one space, in some very backwards way. Like in a dungeon, a wall that looks climbable with yellow paint but if you touch it daggers come out, or it's the skin of some massive beast, etc.
Tomb raider already did this and dying light probably has an option to do so somewhere.
Boo this game anyway, another boring star wars game where you won't be able to be a sith or help them, the jedi make me sick.
Once all the major patches are released I will be checking out this game. Boo on yellow paint! Nice to have the option to turn it off or back on again.
@thechetearly That would be so like Fromsoft dx
@Deityjester I'm just looking forward to being anything but a Jedi anyway.
I've taken any opportunity to say this but I would do anything for Disney to throw a blank cheque at Frontier Developments to make a Star Wars equivalent of Elite Dangerous where you play as just some person in the Star Wars universe and can join the Rebel Alliance or the Empire or be a smuggler or whatever.
I miss how amazed I was when playing X-Wing Alliance and the sheer scope of it in my youth.
What is the point of having this option once the servers are shut down the game will no longer be playable
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