gamescom screenshots

[Purkake]

Maybe the initial concept behind the game was "what if JJ Abrams had directed the Dungeon Siege movie?"

[LadyCrimson]

JJ Abrams really went nuts with it didn't he? Flare is usually avoided by cinematographers.

 

In some photographer circles, (good, artistic) lens flare is a major attribute. Not as much as bokeh, but...I've seen some pretty creative & often subtle uses of it in photos. imo it doesn't translate too well in games yet tho.

[Purkake]

Yeah, whether this was actually meant to look like a lens flare, please don't put the same effect on the screen 10+ times it feels cheap.

 

[Mikhailian]

*whistle*

Looking good there.

[Nathaniel Chapman]

Those are projectiles launched by those skeleton guys in the corners. They're actually pretty mean because they track you very slightly, so you have to dodge around them while fighting stuff in the center of the room if you don't take out the guys on the corners.

 

One thing we've found with enemy spells is that it helps to make them a bit "over the top" visually so that the player notices them in the heat of combat.

[LadyCrimson]

One thing we've found with enemy spells is that it helps to make them a bit "over the top" visually so that the player notices them in the heat of combat.

This is true. Which is why it can look so garish in a screenshot. Often times in actual combat I'm too busy to notice specific spell effects. And then I die. lol

Edited August 19, 2010 by LadyCrimson

[J.E. Sawyer]

Subtle visual effects often read very poorly during gameplay. The Devil May Cry series, which I personally believe is a fantastic action series, uses extremely large visual effects and I think it works well for them. When you see Dante's muzzle flash from his pistols in motion and aren't concentrating on them, you might not notice that they are literally the size of his entire body. But yeah, they really are that big. When you have characters at that scale, exaggerating the visual effects helps the player more easily identify what's going on in real-time.

[Purkake]

Hmm, I guess we should really see how it looks in action.

[J.E. Sawyer]

Yeah because it rules.

[mr insomniac]

I thought the first batch of screens looked good, but these look fantastic

 

Second from the bottom is my new desktop... until the higher rez screens and official wallpapers are out, that is.

[fastpunk]

I just hope these over-the-top sfx don't turn combat into complete clusterf**k. The higher level spell effects from Mask of the Betrayer (which, please keep in mind, had a pause feature) were often times intrusive and a detriment to the combat experience.

[Pop]

Keep in mind that NWN2's combat was relatively languid in pace, due to the real-time turns.

 

Actually having said that I really have very little idea of what you mean by "the combat experience". I would think spell visuals would be the best thing about combat which prominently features endlessly recycled attack animations.

Edited August 19, 2010 by Pop

[fastpunk]

Keep in mind that NWN2's combat was relatively languid in pace, due to the real-time turns.

 

Yes, it's more languid, and has a pause feature, which gives you more time to figure out what's going on even when blinded by over-the-top spell effects (like meteor storm for example). Now, DS3 is going to have a faster pace, which gives you little time to figure out what's going on when bombarded by over-the-top visual effects. That's the problem. Over-the-top sfx got in the way of the more languid MotB combat, it might spell disaster for the faster DS3 combat.

 

Actually having said that I really have very little idea of what you mean by "the combat experience". I would think spell visuals would be the best thing about combat which prominently features endlessly recycled attack animations.

 

Well, I don't mean just the visual aspect when I say 'combat experience'. I mean combat as a whole (mechanics, visuals, animations etc.).

[SirPetrakus]

Well NOW I understand why people said it looks like a PS2 game!

 

Beautiful, Obz! Just beautiful! You got me sold on this one for the visuals alone. Still can't wait to see gameplay and the UI, but these are really impressive.

 

I've played every Dungeon Siege game on the PC, but I can't for the life of me see how Osidian can ruin this franchise with what they're doing so far. Unless DSIII changes mid game into CoD: Black Ops.

[Alvin Nelson]

Well NOW I understand why people said it looks like a PS2 game!

 

Beautiful, Obz! Just beautiful! You got me sold on this one for the visuals alone. Still can't wait to see gameplay and the UI, but these are really impressive.

 

I've played every Dungeon Siege game on the PC, but I can't for the life of me see how Osidian can ruin this franchise with what they're doing so far. Unless DSIII changes mid game into CoD: Black Ops.

 

Who told yo- oh wait, you just guessed.

[HoonDing]

I just hope these over-the-top sfx don't turn combat into complete clusterf**k. The higher level spell effects from Mask of the Betrayer (which, please keep in mind, had a pause feature) were often times intrusive and a detriment to the combat experience.

You can pause the game in DS 1 & 2 as well. I'm sure this'll be the case in DS 3 as well.

[Archaven]

holy cow.. now these are awesome screenshots.. i'm ****ting on my pants by looking at it.

Edited August 19, 2010 by Gorth
Language

[Syraxis]

Looking good.

[fastpunk]

You can pause the game in DS 1 & 2 as well. I'm sure this'll be the case in DS 3 as well.

 

That would be nice.

[Archaven]

Wait a min.. Are they really screenshots? Have they been 'photo-shopped' for marketing purposes?

[WorstUsernameEver]

Yeah they are screenshots. They use the same assets as shown in the first screenshots, the lighting is similar, they're just zoomed further out and show more of the environment, enemies and animations.

As for being photoshopped, I honestly don't know, but it would seem a pretty sloppy job, since they didn't cover the blurred out ground textures.

[C2B]

Also : positive comments.

... no seriously. The comments under the screenshots are all positive. Granted, they're only 3, and probably someone will comment that Obsidian will ruin Dungeon Siege but still... it's like I'm living in a Bizzarro universe.

 

Oh, wait:

 

 

http://www.actiontrip.com/rei/comments_new...tml?id=081810_7

 

 

Just to get you out of Bizzaro world.

 

But yeah, your right. Overall reactions were positive

 

Rejoice.

Edited August 19, 2010 by C2B

[KO771]

Call me an idiot, but I really like what I see.

Yes, it won't be a Diablo3 and yes, it is not directly a mix of DS1 and 2.

But I like it somehow.

 

There is only one thing, that can be done wrong: NO demo for PC.

I don't know why this is made over and over again by almost all publishers...

[Purkake]

It's not rocket science, making a demo costs money and resources.

[Oner]

Oh, wait:

 

 

http://www.actiontrip.com/rei/comments_new...tml?id=081810_7

The rink is wlong.