What's with all the hate on WoW graphics?
No, it's not realistic. Yes, it's cartoony...
but you know what the upside of that is? Persistant worlds with no lag. WoW may not look cutting edge, but the art design side is solid, the animations are nice, and once you've swam in a lake or climbed up a mountain to see the persistent world below you, the graphics become less of an issue.
I read a Vivendi powerpoint presentation, and they actually listed the cartoony graphics of WoW as a plus: Unlike EQ, it will age well. Blizzard was smart to pick that style of art, IMO.
Gw2 and Aion
Mordakai
Numa Pompilius
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Originally Posted by Gattocheese
Aion currently uses the Crytec engine
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Originally Posted by Mordakai
What's with all the hate on WoW graphics?
No, it's not realistic. Yes, it's cartoony... |
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WoW has the very simple & retro graphics it has because it was designed to run on ten year old computers. They didn't want to miss a single sell because the customer had too weak hardware. So they reduced model complexity, downsampled the graphics, picked the simplest lighting mode, and reduced memory requirements.
This is not to say that WoW would have looked realistic if it hadn't been for the marketing departments desire to sell to people with weak hardware, but it would have been a lot more detailed.
If you want to see what WoW should have looked, how it was intended to look if polygon count and texture size was no issue, look at the concept art.
As I pointed out in another place: WoW looks retro, like a game from the turn of the century, but it's actually a newer game than Half Life 2, and contemporary to Guild Wars.
(As an aside, I'm surprised that I've not seen anyone comment on the fact that there is now dynamic lighting in Guild Wars. I didn't think the engine could handle it, but in the Domain of Anguish there are luminescent shards one can pick up, and they cast dynamic lighting. Hopefully GW2 will have fully dynamic lighting - that would certainly make spell effects a lot cooler!)
Mordakai
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Originally Posted by Numa Pompilius
If you want to see what WoW should have looked, how it was intended to look if polygon count and texture size was no issue, look at the concept art.
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Looks more Warhammer to me. (The details on the Dwarf especially).
Lonesamurai
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Originally Posted by Mordakai
Point taken, but are you sure that's WoW concept art?
Looks more Warhammer to me. (The details on the Dwarf especially). |
Bryant Again
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Originally Posted by Mordakai
Point taken, but are you sure that's WoW concept art?
Looks more Warhammer to me. (The details on the Dwarf especially). |
Anyways, sure the graphics are old. But so is Starcraft, and that's still one of the most popular games online.
I'll add that Lich King is lookin' pretty cool, though...
Nevin
GW2 = Dx10 compatible
Aion = Dx9
Aion = Dx9
Bryant Again
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Originally Posted by Nevin
GW2 = Dx10 compatible
Aion = Dx9 |
aapo
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Originally Posted by Cacheelma
No matter how exciting & fun & new & beautiful it seems to be, it will also come with massive grindfest like most other games of its kind. And I'm not talking about Western kind of quest-driven grinds in WoW and co. here.
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Croco Clouds
If Aion has no monthly fee then I might consider it instead of gw2...
Lonesamurai
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Originally Posted by Croco Clouds
If Aion has no monthly fee then I might consider it instead of gw2...
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Silly Warrior
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Originally Posted by Mordakai
What's with all the hate on WoW graphics?
No, it's not realistic. Yes, it's cartoony... but you know what the upside of that is? Persistant worlds with no lag. WoW may not look cutting edge, but the art design side is solid, the animations are nice, and once you've swam in a lake or climbed up a mountain to see the persistent world below you, the graphics become less of an issue. I read a Vivendi powerpoint presentation, and they actually listed the cartoony graphics of WoW as a plus: Unlike EQ, it will age well. Blizzard was smart to pick that style of art, IMO. |
DarkWasp
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Originally Posted by Mordakai
Unlike EQ, it will age well. Blizzard was smart to pick that style of art, IMO.
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With GW, they keep updating the graphics. As it ages, they get better. It also has a very unique style. Take morrowind for example, i think its one of the best looking games out there. (If you ignore the characters) It's because Morrowind not only has towns built into roots and crap, but the graphics have a style seen nowhere else.
Nevin
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Originally Posted by Mordakai
Point taken, but are you sure that's WoW concept art?
Looks more Warhammer to me. (The details on the Dwarf especially). |
And when I said that Aion is Dx9 I didn't mean it was the old Farcry Engine Bryant. Keep in mind Crytek engine is Dx9 and Dx10, for example Crysis can run Dx9 and Dx10. They may just be using the Dx9 abilities of the Crytek engine, although I didn't even know Aion had the Crytek engine to begin with...
As for the graphics arguement. Artistic Style > Graphics. The same can even be held true for Crysis, the game looks incredibly real but not a creepy real, in example- Beowulf the movie. Where everyone looked coated in wax straight out of a museum.
Harrier's haste
If Anet do that, it will be more Linage than GW.
Bryant Again
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Originally Posted by Nevin
And when I said that Aion is Dx9 I didn't mean it was the old Farcry Engine Bryant. Keep in mind Crytek engine is Dx9 and Dx10, for example Crysis can run Dx9 and Dx10. They may just be using the Dx9 abilities of the Crytek engine, although I didn't even know Aion had the Crytek engine to begin with...
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Malice Black
Thinking about picking Aion up myself. I'd want to play before I buy though. I'm far too lazy to spend hours grinding.
Sca2pula
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Originally Posted by Nevin
Definitely warhammer...
And when I said that Aion is Dx9 I didn't mean it was the old Farcry Engine Bryant. Keep in mind Crytek engine is Dx9 and Dx10, for example Crysis can run Dx9 and Dx10. They may just be using the Dx9 abilities of the Crytek engine, although I didn't even know Aion had the Crytek engine to begin with... As for the graphics arguement. Artistic Style > Graphics. The same can even be held true for Crysis, the game looks incredibly real but not a creepy real, in example- Beowulf the movie. Where everyone looked coated in wax straight out of a museum. |
Aion = cryENGINE 1 = DX 9 only
Crysis = cryENGINE 2 = DX 9 & 10
Numa Pompilius
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Originally Posted by Bryant Again
Lmao, that is most definantly an Ork and Dwarf from the Warhammer universe. Wrong concept art, boyo.
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http://wowvault.ign.com/screenshots/full_res.php?ss=213
http://wowvault.ign.com/screenshots/full_res.php?ss=282
http://wowvault.ign.com/screenshots/...ge=2&subcat=29
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Note the considerable amount of detail, conspicuously absent in the actual game.
Bryant Again
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Originally Posted by Numa Pompilius
Note the considerable amount of detail, conspicuously absent in the actual game.
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That said, concept art and drawings will *always* be better than the in-game graphics. I really don't see what point you're attempting to make here.
Aera Lure
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Originally Posted by Mordakai
I read a Vivendi powerpoint presentation, and they actually listed the cartoony graphics of WoW as a plus: Unlike EQ, it will age well. Blizzard was smart to pick that style of art, IMO.
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Its cartoony style is more of the sort one would see on Nickelodeon. I'd rather see an animation style that's a bit more refined, with colors a little less oversaturated and designs that are less goofy. WoW's look was originally what turned me away from it and I never gave it a second chance. Still wont.
Aion looks great. I'd want to test that combat system, specifically, as well as play some version of it to get a better sense of its scale and style before I made any choices. Something I would surely consider though.
Clarissa F
The problem with WoW isn't the cartooniness as much as male characters looking like Mark McGwire circa 1998 and female characters looking straight out of the Bada-Bing. Don't get started on the lame combat graphics.
On topic, GW2 will be way beyond the graphics of Aion. It's coming out about a year after, so think of the games it will face off against. And with Age of Conan taking a lot of the fan base that can actually vote, welcome aboard more 'tards raiding their lawn money for a game. -Sigh-...good times...
A good thing is, they've really geared the storyline towards other species, with the Charr dominating Ascalon like the Golden Horde, and Palawa Joko bitch-slapping the Sunspears. Humans will be wedged into Lion's Arch and Cantha, which will be a hermit kingdom. It will be interesting enough, and the graphics and art good enough, to attract plenty of casual gamers, which is who they have always wanted.
On topic, GW2 will be way beyond the graphics of Aion. It's coming out about a year after, so think of the games it will face off against. And with Age of Conan taking a lot of the fan base that can actually vote, welcome aboard more 'tards raiding their lawn money for a game. -Sigh-...good times...
A good thing is, they've really geared the storyline towards other species, with the Charr dominating Ascalon like the Golden Horde, and Palawa Joko bitch-slapping the Sunspears. Humans will be wedged into Lion's Arch and Cantha, which will be a hermit kingdom. It will be interesting enough, and the graphics and art good enough, to attract plenty of casual gamers, which is who they have always wanted.
Zinger314
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Originally Posted by Aera Lure
Its cartoony style is more of the sort one would see on Nickelodeon. I'd rather see an animation style that's a bit more refined, with colors a little less oversaturated and designs that are less goofy. WoW's look was originally what turned me away from it and I never gave it a second chance. Still wont.
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Shadow Kurd
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Originally Posted by Lonesamurai
It does, £8/$15 a month
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If it does, I'm forgetting all about it.I don't play enough to pay for play
Lonesamurai
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Originally Posted by Shadow Kurd
How u know?
If it does, I'm forgetting all about it.I don't play enough to pay for play |
Aera Lure
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Originally Posted by Zinger314
Oddly enough, I heard that exact same argument 5 years ago...when people were critizing The Legend of "Celda": Wind Waker. Look how that turned out.
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I could actually use a little more fancifulness in GW. I like what I see in Aion, but all that really does is open the door a little. I'd have to play it as well.
Nevin
The only thing I don't like about Aion is what I don't like about 99% percent of MMO's. You guys have to see the actual "gameplay" videos, not a trailer. Its literally the same old kill one monster, move to the next, and so on and so forth.
Mordakai
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Originally Posted by Clarissa F
The problem with WoW isn't the cartooniness as much as male characters looking like Mark McGwire circa 1998 and female characters looking straight out of the Bada-Bing. Don't get started on the lame combat graphics.
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but do you honestly believe Guild Wars has better combat graphics?
Bryant Again
"Better Combat Graphics" in terms of what? Flashy special effects?
Mordakai
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Originally Posted by Bryant Again
"Better Combat Graphics" in terms of what? Flashy special effects?
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Of course, in both games I'm spending more time watching skills recharge, health bars, etc, than the actual combat anyway.
And the idea that GW's females aren't sexed up, and that male warriors don't look like Conan, is ridiculous.
I love comparing WoW to GW, but let's not get silly with our accusations!
Bryant Again
In RPGs in general, animation is a huge nasty nit-pick for me. Don't know why, don't know still. But if the game has iffy animation, I'm gonna have a hard time enjoying it. It sucks, I know : (
That aside, I'd consider both WoW and GW to have pretty nice animation. There are a few exceptions to both: Male humans in WoW may run like a stick up their bum, and male rangers/eles/rits/paragons have an annoying as hell hop in their run. In terms of combat animations, GW may have the upper-hand in a few instances. But casting animations in WoW are pretty bad ass.
That aside, I'd consider both WoW and GW to have pretty nice animation. There are a few exceptions to both: Male humans in WoW may run like a stick up their bum, and male rangers/eles/rits/paragons have an annoying as hell hop in their run. In terms of combat animations, GW may have the upper-hand in a few instances. But casting animations in WoW are pretty bad ass.
Craywulf
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Originally Posted by Mordakai
I'm just saying, I don't find the combat animations of either game particularly amazing.
Of course, in both games I'm spending more time watching skills recharge, health bars, etc, than the actual combat anyway. And the idea that GW's females aren't sexed up, and that male warriors don't look like Conan, is ridiculous. I love comparing WoW to GW, but let's not get silly with our accusations! |
It certainly would attract a lot gamers. I don't think casual players would mind it.
Nevin
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/21407.html <--- Aion
Thats Aion's "combat graphics" at its best I assume. Personally I love the style of Aion from the graphics to the animations, but for me the gameplay still is just too underwhelming.
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/28912.html <--- Age of Conan
As for Age of Conan.. Well that game has sorta been dismissed by a large number of people. It was a lot of hype, the actual gameplay looks more like mashing your click key whilst looking at your target. Now how different is that really from just point and clicks? Yes theres some awesome decapitation in the game, but by the looks of it, that probably only happens once in a blue moon.
For PvP though, I'd have to say.. As of right now the PvP combat in Aion looks more exciting then Age of Conan, but thats because its flashier and prettier.
Thats Aion's "combat graphics" at its best I assume. Personally I love the style of Aion from the graphics to the animations, but for me the gameplay still is just too underwhelming.
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/28912.html <--- Age of Conan
As for Age of Conan.. Well that game has sorta been dismissed by a large number of people. It was a lot of hype, the actual gameplay looks more like mashing your click key whilst looking at your target. Now how different is that really from just point and clicks? Yes theres some awesome decapitation in the game, but by the looks of it, that probably only happens once in a blue moon.
For PvP though, I'd have to say.. As of right now the PvP combat in Aion looks more exciting then Age of Conan, but thats because its flashier and prettier.
Lonesamurai
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Originally Posted by Nevin
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/21407.html <--- Aion
Thats Aion's "combat graphics" at its best I assume. Personally I love the style of Aion from the graphics to the animations, but for me the gameplay still is just too underwhelming. http://www.gametrailers.com/player/28912.html <--- Age of Conan As for Age of Conan.. Well that game has sorta been dismissed by a large number of people. It was a lot of hype, the actual gameplay looks more like mashing your click key whilst looking at your target. Now how different is that really from just point and clicks? Yes theres some awesome decapitation in the game, but by the looks of it, that probably only happens once in a blue moon. |
Aion looks like traditional grindy MMO and AoC looks frankly clunky from what we've seen so far... especially as its supposed to be DX10.1 and a shiny example of what DX10.1 has to offer...
I'm just more than happy on EvE Online and coming back to GW when my guild need another team member to flesh out a team
Buster
It's really about taste. WOW is more cartoony, GW is more detailed, Aion seems to be a cross of both lol. I dunno, it just depends on what you like I guess.