World map

[Soraa]

Hey guys,

I'm new to this forum and recently found out about this awesome game :D I've watched a lot of gameplay video and it's shaping out to be a lot like Baldurs Gate 2, which is one of my favorite games. 

There is only one thing I dislike about the game, which is the world map. If you compare it with BG2, DA:O or even NWN2 map, it looks kinda washed out (artstyle looks very cheap). The map is very green with some miniature area statue placed on top. 

Furthermore, if you look at Defiance Bay, you can't see how the city is divided. Compared to Athlatka in BG2, you can see the overall shape of the city on the map and you have a clear view on which part of the city the area is located. 

I like this map of POE a lot better: http://www.indiedb.com/games/pillars-of-eternity/images/map

So what do you guys think?

[Rumsteak]

I didn't notice the washed out effect until you talked about it. Now this is the only thing I see!

 

They apparently went for a watercolor effect of some sort, but I would prefer a sharper map too.

Edited November 24, 2014 by Rumsteak

[rjshae]

I don't think that is the final map; it's probably a WiP.

[Lephys]

Even if it is the final map, it's probably not the final version of the final map. But, I really don't mind the painterly style.

[Lychnidos]

That image looks upscaled to me, anyway if you want to take a better look at the map check this video at exactly 1:45:00.
I'm pleased with the world map's appearance, though it would be nice to have a separate section in a corner showing Defiance Bay, like in BG 2; or have the city as one marker on the world map and have another map for navigating it, like in DA:O.
 
Edit: It would be nice to see something like this concept art for Defiance Bay.

 

Edited November 24, 2014 by Lychnidos

[Soraa]

I really do hope it's still WIP.

 

NWN2 map has the same style (painterly effect), but the grass, mountain, water etc. is much sharper, clearer and less boring than POE's and you can immediately tell that they used more colors. 

 

 

[Lephys]

I do like it when large cities are broken up into their own sub-map, for the purposes of world-mappery.

[Messier-31]

I'm a cartography enthusiast, and I find the present world map to be sleazy. Here's hoping that it is a WiP, and a real piece of fantasy art will appear in the final release.

[Sheikh]

So there is like 4 villages and a few caves? Gee the map sure is pretty small compared to Baldurs gate for example? Was the Pillars budget this small compared to bureaucratically financed material?

 

Okay I get it, this map has garbage artsyle. You know yeah it does. But MAY BE that is because clearly the map is pre-alpha?

Edited November 25, 2014 by Sheikh

[Lephys]

Okay I get it, this map has garbage artsyle. You know yeah it does. But MAY BE that is because clearly the map is pre-alpha?

It really isn't a garbage artstyle. You may not like it, but that doesn't make it intrinsically garbage. It's just a more sketchy/gestury style. How much detail are you going to get in a map, anyway? "Oh look! That little market stall that takes up 4 pixels on the screen ACTUALLY has lots of super detailed cloth folds and stuff in it! WOOOOH!"

[Soraa]

So there is like 4 villages and a few caves? Gee the map sure is pretty small compared to Baldurs gate for example? Was the Pillars budget this small compared to bureaucratically financed material?

 

Okay I get it, this map has garbage artsyle. You know yeah it does. But MAY BE that is because clearly the map is pre-alpha?

1. I never said anything about the map being small

2. It's not pre-alpha, since they use the same background map on the backer beta.

3. Next time, read the thread first next time.

 

Anyways, back on topic, I couldnt edit my last post to post a NWN2 map, but here you can see a big difference between NWN2 and POE, even though they have the same artstyle (painterly):

 

 

[Sheikh]

Devil is in the details Lephys. The style as such is fine. But they made it by taking a high res (and probably 3d) thing and blurring it. Thats why it looks garbage because my eye can detect that. Now if someone had actually painted that with aquarells it'd look completely different. But yeah I can "forgive" this one to Obsidian if they think they got that small of a budget with this game.

Edited November 25, 2014 by Sheikh

[Lephys]

Devil is in the details Lephys. The style as such is fine. But they made it by taking a high res (and probably 3d) thing and blurring it.

I could be mistaken, but I'm fairly certain that's not what they did. That map looks like concept art, with locations placed on top of it and a UI added.

 

Why would they start with a 3D super-zoomed-out map? The only things they've needed to build high-res 3D models for is the individual environment maps before they're "baked." Why spend all that time building a fancy-shmancy 3D world map when you're never, ever going to utilize the detail from that map, because you've just blurred it? When you could just paint it. Same as the portraits. Why take snapshots of 3D models, then blur them? No reason. That's why they've just painted the portraits.

[Sensuki]

I'm 99.9999% sure it's the final map.

[Sheikh]

I could be mistaken, but I'm fairly certain that's not what they did. 

 

How else do you achieve such a terrible result?

 

Why would they start with a 3D super-zoomed-out map? The only things they've needed to build high-res 3D models for is the individual environment maps before they're "baked." Why spend all that time building a fancy-shmancy 3D world map when you're never, ever going to utilize the detail from that map, because you've just blurred it? When you could just paint it. Same as the portraits. Why take snapshots of 3D models, then blur them? No reason. That's why they've just painted the portraits.

 

 

Thye might have painted it but then why did they blur? Its clearly blurry as ****ing hell.

 

 

I personally think the world map needs to be something concrete, clear, but also beautiful. This is none of those. Blurring ruins it.

Edited November 26, 2014 by Sheikh

[Soraa]

I have watched the gameplay video with Jesse Cox again and it's really strange why some of you guys keep saying that this is still WIP even though some of you played the backer beta. So, why do you guys think that this map is still WIP when the BB is using the exact same map, only less blurry?

[Sheikh]

I have watched the gameplay video with Jesse Cox again and it's really strange why some of you guys keep saying that this is still WIP even though some of you played the backer beta. So, why do you guys think that this map is still WIP when the BB is using the exact same map, only less blurry?

 

And its less blurry wtf? ISO screenshot of that please. I want to judge it for myself.

[Lephys]

Okay, that screenshot is a little actually blurry (even the location icons and such, with finer details, are blurred). However, the artwork itself isn't actually blurry. It's just non-descript.

 

If it's actually the lack of detail, rather than the actual pixel blurring from the screenshot, that ruins it for you, may I ask why that is? Can you not tell what's a river, what's a field, what's a forest, what's a mountain, what's a road, and what's a city? What does it lack, in its general style, and why does it lack that thing?

[Adam Brennecke]

That's not the map. We have a much more polished version which can be seen in the backer beta. The icons shown on that map are completely randomly placed too so don't speculate on the placement of anything. The source art doesn't look like that - whatever you guys are looking at is compressed. The image is from Josh's presentation from over a year ago, so don't read too much into it.

[Sheikh]

That's not the map

 

And thats the problem. OP presented this map as the one in game. This is why you moderate all such threads to the backer beta forum so that this retarded discussion that is in this thread would not even develop. In BB forum someone wil smash it right onto you that hey, das not the map.

 

Okay, that screenshot is a little actually blurry

 

You are blind Lephys. I know because it takes you a developer to tell you its blurry for you to know it.

 

 

The image is from Josh's presentation from over a year ago

 

because clearly the map is pre-alpha?

QFT what?

Edited November 27, 2014 by Sheikh

[Sensuki]

I meant the art for the map, not the locations.

[Sheikh]

I meant the art for the map, not the locations.

 

But it wasnt.

Edited November 27, 2014 by Sheikh

[lordkim]

I'm 99.9999% sure it's the final map.

 

 

 

I like cool maps

Edited November 27, 2014 by lordkim

[Messier-31]

I like cool maps

 

That's a statement. Who does like not-cool things anyway?

[Sheikh]

That's a statement. Who does like not-cool things anyway?

 

I dont like stuff that sucks.