Game looks great, but...

[Sarex]

@Karakov oh is Twicher made by Bioware, Bethesda or Obsidian?

[Quadrone]

To be very honest, the visuals is really a big letdown to me. I dont dare to voice myself but i'm glad someone brought this up. BG or BG 2 Enhanced Edition looks far more appealing to me surprisingly. The first impression that the visuals are VERY dated. No it's not because of the video, i've seen the one that is Full HD and it's just bad. Of course it's just my opinion. But my thoughts were the whole reason to go full 2D was it's going to have very beautiful visuals not plain dated.

 

I don't get this last sentence, could you elaborate?

Do you mean to say the 2D parts (the drawn backgrounds) do not look beautiful? What exactly looks dated and in comparison to what?

I just have a hard time understanding why you are disapointed or what it is you were expecting. Because to me this looks exactly like what OE set out do, make a modern day Infinity Engine RPG.

[Malekith]

 

LoL, well when you cherry pick screenshots you can even make a turd shine. Also what mods were used in the second screen shot?

Let me think.  That effect actual graphics?  Three maybe four, only because no one makes a mod to update all textures, it is always just racial skins, or just environment, or just equipment.  How many mods were incorporated in making BG2:EE?

 

I was trying to be fair before though.  Time to take the gloves off now.  How about this modern 3d game?  How many mods is it running?  Zero.

 

 

 

Does that look worse than BG2 with mods?  Also if you think I am "cherry picking" all I did was search Witcher 3 and take the third image google found.  Also Maelkith did you do a search for ME3 boring hallway picture?

 

This game is the reason i never mentioned CDPR at all. Even if i don't like the game, nor would i want PoE to use a similar perspective, i admit this looks beautiful.

 

As for ME3 picture, you choose one of the most boring pictures IE games had to offer, so i returned the favor

My point wasn't that modern games look always bad. Not my fault that RPGs are looking worse than most games from other genres. And i say this as someone who hzs zero interest in games apart from RPGs and strategy.

Edited August 6, 2014 by Malekith

[StrangeCat]

are you guys nutz?  you comparing a 100 million dollar game to a game that has 4 million dollars and is supposed to be isometric rpg in homage to the IE games of old.

Not only that there won't be or is any game that can compare to Witcher 3 for graphics.   Take chill pill come back to reality.

 

Remember the video that has been displayed is Alpha.   Who knows what will be fine tuned in the Beta to the final version.

[Karkarov]

This game is the reason i never mentioned CDPR at all. Even if i don't like the game, nor would i want PoE to use a similar perspective, i admit this looks beautiful.

 

As for ME3 picture, you choose one of the most boring pictures IE games had to offer, so i returned the favor

My point wasn't that modern games look always bad. Not my fault that RPGs are looking worse than most games from other genres. And i say this as someone who hzs zero interest in games apart from RPGs and strategy.

Uh no.  I did the same thing with BG2:EE I did with the Witcher.  I googled it and took one of the first pictures I found.  You want to blame someone, blame your own whacked out tastes that are reverse what 95% of the world will say and Google for finding those pics first.  Also happy that "modern 3D graphics sucking" apparently only means "Bioware, Bethesda, and Obsidian".

 

But just to be nice here are some more.

 

A unmodded Skyrim Screenshot.

 

 

 

How about this one?  I pulled it from the same thread you got that crappy hallway screenshot, same guy even posted it.

 

 

 

 

How about this game while we are at it?  It sure looks like crap.

 

 

[Karkarov]

So just to beat a dead horse ( ) I want to be specific about something.  I think Eternity looks fine.  I think it looks better than BG2, a helluva lot better than Planescape Torment which I always thought looked like crap, and Icewind Dale 2.  My point is the people who think Eternity looks bad, or the character models suck, are also the same people who would say that Dragon Age Inquisition is ugly and looks worse than modded BG2.

I don't dislike any of these people.  I think Malekith is a fine dude and I have agreed with plenty of his posts.  He just happens to be dead wrong this time.

[Lephys]

I just think some people have decided they must always rate things against whatever could possibly exist, rather than just against what isn't bad.

 

"Mmm, this sandwich is pretty good. Wait... someone brought lobster? BLEGH! This sandwich tastes AWFUL!"

 

It just seems like a really arbitrary threshold of adequacy being set. Like anything below the pinnacle of 2014 graphics capabilities is suddenly obsolete.

[Michael_Galt]

So just to beat a dead horse ( ) I want to be specific about something.  I think Eternity looks fine.  I think it looks better than BG2, a helluva lot better than Planescape Torment which I always thought looked like crap, and Icewind Dale 2.  My point is the people who think Eternity looks bad, or the character models suck, are also the same people who would say that Dragon Age Inquisition is ugly and looks worse than modded BG2.

 

I don't dislike any of these people.  I think Malekith is a fine dude and I have agreed with plenty of his posts.  He just happens to be dead wrong this time.

Umm, no.  I only play RPGs, period.  I wouldn't say that those games have "better" graphics, just that it is a different style of game.  I love the graphics in ME or FO: NV, or even Skyrim.  But, do you manage a 6 person party in any of those games?  No.  So, for that, the top-down look is better.  And, as someone else pointed out, there is a big difference between a game with multiple millions of dollars in budget, and literally dozens of people working on it, to a game that probably has tops, 30 people working on it.  So, it is definitely comparing apples to oranges, even if they WERE going for "the best graphics".

 

And, not speaking for everyone not happy with the some aspects of the graphics, I just don't like the character creation screen or the inventory screen.  I "love" the rest.  I borderline "hate" those 2 things.  That should say something.  Happy with all the graphics except for 2 exceptions?  Yes.  Very unsatisfied with those 2 exceptions?  Also yes.

 

Also, to make a pretty simple point: this is supposed to be like the IE games.  There is nothing in that character creation screen or the 3D model in the inventory screen, which has anything to do with the IE games.  It looks like they were trying to make those screens for a 3D game, and it isn't that.  So, it just doesn't make sense.  I understand that the models are technically 3D, but they are made to blend with a 2D environment.  Those screens are just straight 3D.  Why?  Why not just keep it like the other games, with little sprites/dolls?  Especially if those models look so atrocious, which they do.  Outside of those screens, we will never seen any of the characters like that, and, quite frankly, I don't want to.  Why don't we see them more like we do in the game, which is zoomed out and small, without a huge amount of detail?  It feels like they are trying to make them look like NWN2, not BG or IWD or PST.

Edited August 6, 2014 by Michael_Galt

[Malekith]

^ That. Everything in Eternity looks superb, except these two instances. That some people are fine with these, well no problem. But if many others have a problem with the looks of these two things and with nothing else, that means something.

It isn't the same as saying everything in the game looks bad/dated and needs Witcher 3 graphics.

[Michael_Galt]

BTW, I am replaying BG right now (as in, Tales of the Sword Coast).  This is at least the 4th playthrough, and then I plan to import my character into BG2 and then onward to Throne of Bhaal.  Just saying that those 2000ish graphics are still fine with me.  What did I play before this?  Skyrim.

[archangel979]

To be very honest, the visuals is really a big letdown to me. I dont dare to voice myself but i'm glad someone brought this up. BG or BG 2 Enhanced Edition looks far more appealing to me surprisingly. The first impression that the visuals are VERY dated. No it's not because of the video, i've seen the one that is Full HD and it's just bad. Of course it's just my opinion. But my thoughts were the whole reason to go full 2D was it's going to have very beautiful visuals not plain dated.

To be fair, just because the first two maps are maybe not as detailed and awesome as you wanted, it does not mean the games does not have the awesome nice looking maps. Not all maps in BG1 and BG2 looked awesome (most BG1 maps is a bit of woods and some rocks and rivers). 

[Sensuki]

3D models are being used (for inventory and CC particularly) because it's cheaper. This project does not have enough money or 2D artists to be able to do paperdolls.

 

This has also been known info since 2012.

Edited August 6, 2014 by Sensuki

[Karkarov]

BTW, I am replaying BG right now (as in, Tales of the Sword Coast).  This is at least the 4th playthrough, and then I plan to import my character into BG2 and then onward to Throne of Bhaal.  Just saying that those 2000ish graphics are still fine with me.  What did I play before this?  Skyrim.

See here is the skinny, I agree with you here.  I think BG2 holds up fine today.  I did in fact replay it last year.  But it is not a graphical powerhouse and is not graphically superior to most games made in the last 5 years.  Certainly not Skyrim, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, or even Eternity.  As Sensuki said they are using 3D models because it is cheaper, and a sight easier considering they had to make them anyway.  Also IWD2 shows the character model in the inventory screen so it isn't like this is "new" for the IE games either.

 

What I don't agree with is this:

 

Why?  Why not just keep it like the other games, with little sprites/dolls?  Especially if those models look so atrocious, which they do.  Outside of those screens, we will never seen any of the characters like that, and, quite frankly, I don't want to.

They do not look "atrocious" by any stretch of the imagination.  I could link pictures of games released in the last two years with equal or larger budgets than Eternity that have worse or equal character models and display them far more prominently.  Are they great cutting edge models?  No.  But they are not that bad, and they certainly are not atrocious.

[Sensuki]

They look better than the Titan Quest models from 2006, and the NWN2 PC models (although some of the NWN2 cNPC design was okay).

[mwinding]

3D models are being used (for inventory and CC particularly) because it's cheaper. This project does not have enough money or 2D artists to be able to do paperdolls.

 

This has also been known info since 2012.

I don't think it has been known since 2012 that it would look so bad in practice. Hence the discussion now...

[Sensuki]

 

3D models are being used (for inventory and CC particularly) because it's cheaper. This project does not have enough money or 2D artists to be able to do paperdolls.

 

This has also been known info since 2012.

I don't think it has been known since 2012 that it would look so bad in practice. Hence the discussion now...

 

 

I'll have to wait until I get home to search, but I've known that 2D paperdolls were not going to be used for like 1.5 years at least, but I read all of the newsbits.

[Sensuki]

There's definitely older information than this, but even a year ago 3D models were being showcased instead of a paperdoll:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/obsidian/project-eternity/posts/602051
 

Edited August 7, 2014 by Sensuki

[Michael_Galt]

 

 

3D models are being used (for inventory and CC particularly) because it's cheaper. This project does not have enough money or 2D artists to be able to do paperdolls.

 

This has also been known info since 2012.

I don't think it has been known since 2012 that it would look so bad in practice. Hence the discussion now...

 

 

I'll have to wait until I get home to search, but I've known that 2D paperdolls were not going to be used for like 1.5 years at least, but I read all of the newsbits.

 

This, I did not know.  Damnation.  If it is a dollars and cents argument, there isn't much to be said.  What can be said is they could drastically reduce the size of those models.  They just don't look good, as large as they are.  If they were much smaller, they probably wouldn't look as bad (since you wouldn't be able to see as many details on them).

[Sarex]

This, I did not know.  Damnation.  If it is a dollars and cents argument, there isn't much to be said.  What can be said is they could drastically reduce the size of those models.  They just don't look good, as large as they are.  If they were much smaller, they probably wouldn't look as bad (since you wouldn't be able to see as many details on them).

 

They will look much better with armor and helmets on, but I do agree they are on the weak side and could use a size reduction.

[Malekith]

 

This, I did not know.  Damnation.  If it is a dollars and cents argument, there isn't much to be said.  What can be said is they could drastically reduce the size of those models.  They just don't look good, as large as they are.  If they were much smaller, they probably wouldn't look as bad (since you wouldn't be able to see as many details on them).

 

They will look much better with armor and helmets on, but I do agree they are on the weak side and could use a size reduction.

 

In game they look good. So if the ingame model was used in character creation and invintory(size and perspective included), there would be no problem at all, at zero additional costs

[constantine]

 

 

Game looks great, but...

 

 

No 'buts' !!! Game looks great !! Not only lives up to what was expected, it's way more than that as well !

[Zansatsu]

I think the game looks great. Exactly what I would want from a game with this play style. Graphics mean far less to me than game play and story. Maybe that's because I've been playing games for 25 years and it isn't graphics that make games stand the test of time. I am pretty excited to get my hands on this.

[Grace85]

Guys,

 

in the end it's all about the gameplay. That's the only focus in IE games IMO. If that ain't right, then the game won't last.

 

10 days, that's when we will know........

[archangel979]

Guys,

 

in the end it's all about the gameplay. That's the only focus in IE games IMO. If that ain't right, then the game won't last.

 

10 days, that's when we will know........

No you will not. That will only be beta and if you will base your final opinion on beta version you are a fool. You will know once full release is out. 

[Mangonel]

 

Guys,

 

in the end it's all about the gameplay. That's the only focus in IE games IMO. If that ain't right, then the game won't last.

 

10 days, that's when we will know........

No you will not. That will only be beta and if you will base your final opinion on beta version you are a fool. You will know once full release is out. 

 

 

By the time a game gets to beta its core gameplay is pretty well locked in. Gameplay stays in flux during alpha and beta is for polish and number tuning. I've been through a lot of alpha/betas in my gaming career and its exceedingly rare for significant gameplay changes to occur at that stage.