Armour and weapon designs - a plea.

[Wintersong]

For some reason, devs get the idea that realistic/"simple" weapons/armors are "unfun". Or not "cool enough". Imagine if the armors of the guys in Lord of the Rings were like those in WoW.

 

And let's please keep japanese/korean/chinese stuff out of the topic for our own sanity.

[irishScott]

In complete agreement, and it would be nice to have something other than the typical medieval-europe-style arsenal. Even a slight change, like back to the Roman Era, would be nice. And by that I don't mean shiny, glittering centurion armor. You can keep it somewhat grungy/realistic by just adding a little weathering. See this clip from The Eagle:

 

Granted we have 4 different races now, so there's room for variety. I'm just kinda sick of seeing a bunch of long swords and kite shields running around. Seems like every fantasy RPG has this compulsive need to take place in the exact same region of medieval Europe, just move the landforms around a bit.

[Solivagant]

Can we get a stretch goal for no pauldrons?

[Muzrub333]

Yes, please take the art direction away from the Football (american) Pad look. Realistic Armor and Weapons please.

[Veca]

Actually, I'd like to point out that there are plenty of weapons of European origin which are underutilized in the games. Case in point, how often do you see:

 

1) Halberds

2) Spears and pikes

3) Rapiers

4) Basket hilt swords like that one :

 

 

5) Military flails

 

6) Repeating crossbows

7) Billhooks

 

 

 

And there's plenty more. Some of those were in the BG and ID games, but mostly neglected in the modern cRPGs.

 

That said, I wouldn't mind some exotic weaponry as well (like various sabres etc.).

 

OHH GOD, flails ! I really hope they include flails as weapons.

[casa]

I don't mind some exotic or fantastic weaponry, it doesn't all have to be strictly European medieval. In NWN2 for example I missed some neat things like the 2-bladed sword from part 1, it was fun to use. But please don't ruin the artstyle with ridiculous, oversized and horribly designed JRPG-weapons, one of those things that totally killed DA2 for me was the armor and weapon design. And please no overdone flashy effects like in NWN2 too. I like fantasy items if they're done well and decently, but all that flashy stuff is IMHO the opposite of a mature game design.

[rohezal]

I liked the style Baldurs Game weapons looked.

 

Btw. will this game be modable? With an exporter for 3ds max? If yes we can make alternative weapon / armor sets

[Oerwinde]

The Witcher 2 style, anyone?

 

Yes please.

[Karranthain]

Another important thing, I feel, is that various cultures in the game world should have their own, distinctive and consistent look. It might take a bit of work, but I reckon it's very much worth it.

[Entropious]

Realism, realism, and even more realism. And, what is more, I don't want my magic weapons to be shining, burning or menacingly growling, unless they are literally possessed by a demon.

[Piccolo]

Agreed. I hate gaudy, over the top weapons and armour in RPGs. They don't like "epic" or "super powerful"; they just look vulgar and cheesy.

 

Also, with a bit of imagination you can come up with exotic or unusual designs that aren't over the top. Simple doesn't mean everything has to look medieval-esque.

Edited September 18, 2012 by Piccolo

[Ashram]

I agree in principle, but I wouldn't want to limit the creativity of the devs and their artists. I would be happy to see the classic line of reach weapons: Halberd, Guisarme, Spear, Spiked Chain, etc implemented. I would be happy with that.

[Sarog]

Agreed with the OP. Realistic, authentic, practical weapon and armour designs please.

[^Rayne^]

This thread reminds me of my favorite item in any isometric game and that was the Elven armor that mages could cast spells in that was found as an occasional drop in Seldarine's Hand called Elven Chainmail of the Hand +3. It looked functional and realistic but it didn't look overtly magical even though it was. This is one of those items I was extremely happy to find and I really enjoyed the way it looked. Actually Icewind Dale items especially those for IWD2 were very nice and functional in appearance. I hope that is the model for the look of things.

 

I agree with the main poster of this thread, I hate these anime swords that are the size of the person swinging them. The only time this ever works is when it was done by The Witch King in LotR's when he pulled out the epic sized flail on the battlefield. No one in the party should be able to tow one of these around and I wouldn't want to see items like that.

[Tauron]

OP makes good point. Armor and weapons with a style. Thank you. No animish giant wapons and armors.

[Karranthain]

I agree in principle, but I wouldn't want to limit the creativity of the devs and their artists. I would be happy to see the classic line of reach weapons: Halberd, Guisarme, Spear, Spiked Chain, etc implemented. I would be happy with that.

 

I don't think it limits creativity, I think it just promotes good and thoughtful design. There's plenty of room for artistry.

[KateM]

I'm also a fan of more realistic looking weapons. It's not that realism is always better- that isn't the case- it's just that fantasy weapons have a bad habit of looking really, really silly. Massive pauldrons, pink armor, double-bitted handaxes the size of serving tray.

 

One thing I'd like to suggest is getting some really good combat animations. That's one thing that was never really done well in the infinity engine games. The Witcher did this very well and included historical fencing techniques which were common at the time but rarely seen in today's movies and games, like half-swording and holding the sword by the blade like a hammer. If combat is going to be a big deal in this game I don't want to spend a lot of time looking at the same three swing animations.

[Erlioth]

also make size category larger weapons for certain playthroughs where you want to hit things with a volkswagon sized sword, and make us take feats or traits that allow it (make use resources on that ability)

 

thats really how i like to play barbarians

[Umberlin]

Agreed. I hate gaudy, over the top weapons and armour in RPGs. They don't like "epic" or "super powerful"; they just look vulgar and cheesy.

 

Also, with a bit of imagination you can come up with exotic or unusual designs that aren't over the top. Simple doesn't mean everything has to look medieval-esque.

 

With that in mind I do think ornate weapons can be done well, as, obviously some weapons we can look at in various historical books or even in museums were very strange, ornate and just plain interesting. So while I agree that over the top can be bad, I'd also say that more down to earth weaponry does not have to be boring. In fact, as I've said before, a lot of interesting weapon types could be added by just pulling inspiration from some the less common, but very real, weaponry in history especially the very ancient weaponry before Iron and Steel became more common place. Some of the most ancient cultures in the world had some very exotic looking weapons, that, by their standards, were still wholly practical for what they were doing and what they had on hand.

[Giantevilhead]

I think the key here is variety. I don't see anything wrong with really weird or impractical looking weapons as long as there are also practical weapons. Some people simply like those kinds of aesthetics and there is no reason to exclude them.

[Chunkyman]

Please, please, don't make anime style weapons and armor. I want to vomit when I see a sword that looks like it weighs 300 pounds or armor covered in random spikey bits. Basically, look at Dragon Age 2, and do the opposite of that.

[Karranthain]

One thing I'd like to suggest is getting some really good combat animations. That's one thing that was never really done well in the infinity engine games. The Witcher did this very well and included historical fencing techniques which were common at the time but rarely seen in today's movies and games, like half-swording and holding the sword by the blade like a hammer. If combat is going to be a big deal in this game I don't want to spend a lot of time looking at the same three swing animations.

 

That's another important thing, I agree. This reminds me of this great scene :

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27M5KWI_q50

Edited September 19, 2012 by Karranthain

[OldRPG'sAreGood]

As long as the equipment doesn't make the character look like a walking christmas tree, I'm happy. IMO, normal weapons should realistic(for example, an iron sword), but magical weapons should represent more 'fantastical' look(the Wyvern's Tail for example, IIRC there was a photo of it earlier on this thread).

[Entropious]

Of course, the developers could also go in the direction laid out by Planescape: Torment, and make most weaponry unusual, quirky, and highly personalized. In the end, it all depends upon the nature of the in-game universe, how the economy functions, whether society functions more or less normally etc.

Please also remember games such as Gothic, where, due to limited resources and the overall plot situation, owning a real sword was already considered a feat in itself, so sparse they were within the region where the game took place.

[Nivenus]

How big the weapon is may be kind of a moot point from an isometric perspective. You're not going to spend a lot of time eying over the details.