Update #61: In-game Art

[ObiKKa]

The quality of the party characters' own models are stunningly detailed. I also noticed that you've significantly changed the curvature of the striped tile patterns everywhere on the second screen to be more gently curved.

 

Good lighting on both sides of the outside of the doorway where the party is at.

 

Curiously, I just watched a bit of 'The Dome' TV program the other night and that purple glowing thing in the middle of the round room reminds me of that half of the weird purple or transparent dome sitting atop a nature clearing in a forest under the dome in the TV series.

[catspwnme]

Oh man i'm getting excited! Thank you!

[Hormalakh]

The character models only have one shadow cast from the scene's directional light.  Per-character point light shadows (especially multiple point light shadows) would get computationally expensive very fast.  The characters are lit using dynamic lights placed in scene, but real-time lighting is never going to perfectly match the pre-rendered lighting of the scene.

 

Is the point lighting system that Josh describes as "computationally expensive" really that big of a problem even with new gen computers? Can't this be an optional toggle for those with better GPUs? I must admit I am not well-versed in the technicalities of computer graphics/art as others on the boards.

 

I am conflicted between getting the small details right and just spending that time creating more content. But if the solutions to the shadow problems are as simple as some people make it sound like it is, then by all means Obs should try those proposed solutions.

[greenmonster]

The 2 baddies in the NW part of the round room reminded me of the singing trio from Bards tale (2004). "It's bad luck ot be you!"

Burning question: Can PE monsters sing as well?

 

Edited August 8, 2013 by greenmonster

[dodusieczek]

Those character models are much improved from the ones shown in update 49; they fit into the environment much better.

I agree, but still they need improvements, like  centurionofprix said. In my opinion characters should be a little more "raw".

[Chrononaut]

I suppose though Unity is capable of putting filters like anti-aliasing on the character models without touching the backgrounds?

[Scottfree6000]

it's about been a full year since the since Kickstater begin, and things are looking great with PE.

 

9/14/13 will mark anniversary of success KS and keep up the the good work.

[Osvir]

I absolutely love it :D

No analyze, just by looking at it I get all excited and I want to play it and build my character, story and play around in this world.

Now I want to see it in motion!! That would be like.... I think next month, am I right?

Speculation:
I did some research a while back on Wasteland 2 (from Kickstarter start up to demonstration). I think it was something like 9-10 months in total. So I believe we might see this beauty in motion "soon"-ish. If not next month, I think the month after that. /Speculation End

 

Regardless, good job, love it thanks for showing it to us <3

[Nishimoto]

Are these the acutal compainions from the game or are they just randomized?

Edited August 8, 2013 by Nishimoto

[JWestfall]

All in all it looks pretty good, you spent attention to detail on the character design. I'm dubious about the placement of these what I am going to assume are enemies. (their heads, is this normal for them?) I'm not sure I like the big ears.

 

I thought those were hats, perhaps ceremonial or part of a weird cultish/science ritual.

 

Like these guys:

 

[Osvir]

Coming back again and taking a closer look, the armor on the party characters looks great :D

It's an Animat thing~ right? And these guys with bloodstained robes and stuff... they are cultists no doubt no? I'm getting a feeling they slay adventurers and forge their souls into weapons and armors, just guessing.

Looks like Mama Cultist and Papa Cultist is in front, and they might cause a conversation to start.

A little bit of a nit-pick:

Shouldn't they all be facing the Animat thing in the middle? It looks like they are expecting the party, but how would they know they are coming? (Unless something happened before that caused them to get alarmed)

Another thing that could be considered. If these Cultists would "Chant" or whatever, could the volume (Sound) be heightened the closer the Camera is to that area? I'm guessing it could give a nice smooth effect, hearing the songs or talking of these guys the closer you get to this room.

OR as you enter the room a conversation starts with the Cultists (I believe they are but please correct me if they are in fact not) and you get to hear in on some of their prayers or whatnot, and when you engage in the conversation they THEN turn towards the Player. Just some choreography~ perhaps you could even choose not to engage in conversation and instead try to sneak by.

 

EDIT: Who is in the scene btw?

- Edair close to the door in plate armor?
- Aloth holding a wand at the bottom? Wizard?
- Cadegund with red hair? Priest?
- An Aumaua Barbarian at top?
- Test Character/Player Character in red armor? (Fighter no?)
- Test Character at the right side of the door or...? A Ranger? Sagani?

Edited August 9, 2013 by Osvir

[Killyox]

I must say I am rather happy that Bethesda is making Fallout 4 and not Obsidian. Thanks to that we can have Project Eternity (and F4)

 

I long for old-school isometric RPGs that are story driven but with some refined, more modern mechanics, that improve or take place of those that were not good.

 

I am sure Obsidian delivers when it comes to reactivity and plot. Then I hope they also make combat fun and entertaining with balanced classes and skills.

Edited August 9, 2013 by Killyox

[Killyox]

 

All in all it looks pretty good, you spent attention to detail on the character design. I'm dubious about the placement of these what I am going to assume are enemies. (their heads, is this normal for them?) I'm not sure I like the big ears.

 

I thought those were hats, perhaps ceremonial or part of a weird cultish/science ritual.

 

Like these guys:

 

 

Sate my curiosity but is the boy on the left young Robert Downey Jr ?

[Pidesco]

I just noticed that the room in the new screenshot had previously appeared in the top right of the following image, from MCA's Rezzed talk:

 

[Gfted1]

Sate my curiosity but is the boy on the left young Robert Downey Jr ?

 

Yes. Weird Science.

[Chrononaut]

Too bad those good graphics will be ruined by a horrible "streamlined" UI with no side-bar

[Malekith]

Too bad those good graphics will be ruined by a horrible "streamlined" UI with no side-bar

IWD2 had "horrible" UI? Because that is the model they will follow.

[Jarmo]

 Their stance seems off somehow. I wonder why they're just standing there faffing about until the team comes in.

 

 

 

 

The cultists are doing something important that must not be disturbed.

There's been explosions and loud noises, the patrol sent to investigate has not returned.

Something is coming, something dangerous.

 

The bosses position between the device and the door. 

They are pretty sure of themselves and their abilities, but if there's a battle the experiment might be disturbed.

 

Best just wait, ready to buff up at moments notice.

They'll try to parlay once the door opens, if the situation can be defused, all the better,

if not, a few extra minutes might be enough to complete the experiment.

 

Yup, I like it. Not one bit too bright either. Too bad we're (most likely) not going to see this in the finished game.

As for the shadows, might be best to avoid strong lighting in the backgrounds as far as possible. But looks fine enough to me anyway.

 

The axe of the main boss... yea, that's one pretty huge axe, no slight exaggeration there.

But if it's meant to be one big axe wielded by a superhumanly strong bossman, then hey, what's not to like...

[Chrononaut]

 

Too bad those good graphics will be ruined by a horrible "streamlined" UI with no side-bar

IWD2 had "horrible" UI? Because that is the model they will follow.

 

Yeah I hated it, it was too close together and didn't look thematic enough like the other IE ones. I would prefer BG/IWD1 style with side-bar portraits.

[Malekith]

 

 

Too bad those good graphics will be ruined by a horrible "streamlined" UI with no side-bar

IWD2 had "horrible" UI? Because that is the model they will follow.

 

Yeah I hated it, it was too close together and didn't look thematic enough like the other IE ones. I would prefer BG/IWD1 style with side-bar portraits.

 

Yes, i prefer BG/IWD 1 UI myself, but i didn't had a problem with IWD2 either.

[C2B]

Too bad those good graphics will be ruined by a horrible "streamlined" UI with no side-bar

I'm not sure how a bottom bar UI is streamlined. If anything that was used a lot more in the past.

Edited August 9, 2013 by C2B

[Elerond]

When we speak about UIs, more streamlined is better, because in streamlining you remove unnecessary components, which actually make using UI more complex and harder to learn. Of course there is always risk of over simplification when you streamline, which means that you remove elements that actually make using the UI easier and faster. So UI desing is finding that right balance between simplicity and showing too much.

 

Of course there is need to optimize ammount of redundant movement and clicks and make content to be easily read and so on.

 

And of course you also need UI to have good user experience addition to good usability. UI that is fun to use and rises wow effects in users are nearly always rated better than ui that are just very useable, even if its usablity is actually lower.

 

So well balanced UI is the best option to go.

[rjshae]

Shouldn't they all be facing the Animat thing in the middle? It looks like they are expecting the party, but how would they know they are coming? (Unless something happened before that caused them to get alarmed)

 

Picture the room with the glowing tube hidden by FoW; the party enters through the only door into the room and the two nearest creatures immediately turn to face them. In this case it can be more efficient to pre-position the two facing as shown than to put in the code to have them detect the door opening then turn to face the party. Since the room was hidden by FoW, the player sees no difference between the two approaches.

[LKD]

Too bad those good graphics will be ruined by a horrible "streamlined" UI with no side-bar

Considering the prolification of wide screen 16:9 or 16:10 monitors, if the screen is not mainly side bars, I am concerned that you won't be able to utilize the setting as well as you could.

[Chippy]

I was always prepared for these Kickstarter titles to lag a bit behind whatever the latest AAA pretty title was.  Dumbstruck and very glad to be wrong on that.