Companion Portraits

[ghostwriter]

Since all the portraits have now been revealed I thought we could discuss them...

 

Here are my impressions:

 

Xoti, Maia, Tekehu - Great stuff, don't change a thing.

 

Eder - I actually think it's pretty good, but looks slightly different from the Eder of the first game so it's a little weird.

 

Aloth - It's a little bland... don't hate it, don't love it.

 

Serafen - It's a good portrait, but since the character is facing us directly(not at an angle like most of the others), in the UI it looks too intense and zoomed in. 

 

Pallegina - Same complaint as above, but I think the overall quality(and it's water colour version) is not as good as the others and definitely not as good as the first game. If I could pick one portrait that needs a redo it would be this one.

 

Anyway I'm not sure if these are the final versions, and if they are I hope we get the option of choosing between these and PoE 1 portraits in game for returning companions. Also just wanted to say I appreciate the work put in by all the artists on these portraits, but since we as players are going to be looking at them for 60+ hours I thought I would give some constructive criticism. 

 

Cheers 

[White Phoenix]

I dislike returning companions portraits (except Aloth) and wish to use old ones from POE1

 

My favourite are Xoti and Takehu -- really beautiful and matching their personality.

 

Maia Rua -- not too bad except for her blue eyes

 

Aloth -- the best of returning companions, gives some Elrond/Sand vibe.

 

Pallegina, Serafen -- I just don't like en face look. 

 

Eder -- just awful! 

 

I am not a fun of watercolor portraits at all. I would like to use 'normal' in conversations with companions.

[Messier-31]

Companion portraits - subjective list:

1. Aloth - best
2. Serafen
3. Xoti
4. Eder
5. Maia Rua
6. Tekehu
7. Pallegina - worst

 

 

My favourite are Xoti and Takehu -- really beautiful and matching their personality.

 

What exactly do you know about their personality?   

Edited August 4, 2017 by Messier-31

[FlintlockJazz]

There is something offish about Eder's portrait, I'm not saying it looks bad but he looks different from the first game.  It could simply be the direction his face is looking, but he gives off a bit of a Minsc vibe now strangely enough, a blonde pipe smoking Minsc.  Also looks older though that may be intentional.

 

Maia Rua I don't see anything wrong to be honest.

 

Aloth, he looks a lot more intense and battle-y now though that makes sense assuming you finish his plotline in the first game and get him more confidence.

 

Serafen the same as Maia, I guess I just don't know enough about their characters to comment.

 

The others I have somehow avoided seeing their portraits, or have forgotten them.  Anyone got links?  Might be an idea to have then posted up here so that we can look at them side by side and discuss them.

Edited August 4, 2017 by FlintlockJazz

[Messier-31]

The others I have somehow avoided seeing their portraits, or have forgotten them.  Anyone got links?  Might be an idea to have then posted up here so that we can look at them side by side and discuss them.

 

[Messier-31]

[FlintlockJazz]

Ah!  It was from the videos!  Thanks, I must've been too distracted by all the other pretties to notice the portraits.

 

Pallegina definitely looks like she's laying an egg or something with that look of consternation (or constipation) on her face.

 

Takehu is meh, but we knew that because he's not a dwarf.

 

Xoti looks pretty much like I expect her to, though I do think in portraits the character should be shown with the hood down so you can actually make out their features, but that's my personal preference.

[injurai]

Pallegina needs a dire change up, her bone structure doesn't even look the same, and I dislike the mug shot. Aloth and Eder aren't terrible but they don't remind me enough of their former selfs either... so it's jarring.

 

The new comers I think look fine. I'm especially liking Maia and Tekehu.

[MaxQuest]

Looking at portraits posted by Messier-31, I'd subjectively rank them in the following way:

 

Maia Rua - 9/10 - I like the portrait, the face and the look in her eyes. Looks a bit too proud/arrogant with lips kept tight, but I can live with that.

Pallegina - 6/10 - She looks a bit over avengerous/angry/spiteful. The PoE1 portrait and selected angle were better.

Xoti - 4/10 - Don't like the face... She looks like a female strider / Ithilien ranger but with somewhat rascal/devious look.

Eder - 7/10 - Simply put PoE1 version was perfect.

Serafen - 8/10 - He's an orlan. Looks piratish and trickerish. Seems fitting.

Aloth - 7/10 - He has been through some s*** (life situations). But looks too young, like a.. mindful but stubborn teenager.

Tekehu - 6/10 - The face is ok. But the smile and eyes... look a bit weird. Like he looks at something and is like  'that's my fetish'. 

Edited August 4, 2017 by MaxQuest

[Archaven]

I don't like Eder & Pallegina. Eder's look very different now.. and Pallegina.. why out of a sudden she looks ugly? I remember she looks beautiful. Did they cut down the cost on art or something? And Aloth too. Geez

Edited August 4, 2017 by Archaven

[Baltic]

Wouldn't it be fairer to wait for the full size, high quality portraits first (in the case of the ones we haven't seen) before judging them?

[injurai]

Wouldn't it be fairer to wait for the full size, high quality portraits first (in the case of the ones we haven't seen) before judging them?

 

Perhaps, but we can update our opinions then. We still have to spend most of our time looking at the portrait thumbnails though.

[algroth]

One thing I notices across all portraits is that their lower faces (mouths included) look huge. I don't recall Pallegina being nearly as square-jawed in both Pillars or the Deadfire model as she appears on the portrait, or Edér for that matter either. The smiles all get a bit of a Joker-like quality for me (could just be me). Of the lot I do like the ones for Maia, Serafen, Tekehu and Aloth though.

[injurai]

One thing I notices across all portraits is that their lower faces (mouths included) look huge. I don't recall Pallegina being nearly as square-jawed in both Pillars or the Deadfire model as she appears on the portrait, or Edér for that matter either. The smiles all get a bit of a Joker-like quality for me (could just be me). Of the lot I do like the ones for Maia, Serafen, Tekehu and Aloth though.

 

I see what you mean, very wide mouths. I actually think Pallegina had a very defined jaw, more so than this portrait. But I see what you mean by square. Eder's jaw line also looks different. I guess this is the problem with defining a character with 2D art instead of dimensioned 3D models.

[Wormerine]

Here is my take on it: I love the new characters, not so much the returning ones.

 

To be honest, my main problem is that I really liked old portraits. I will wait until the release. It is possible that the new portraits will match the returning characters once we interact with them in the new setting instead of pasting new faces on old relationships. I don't see anything objectively wrong with them.

[Wormerine]

To add to that, on the toolbar we see cropped versions of the portraits. While Eder looks weird to me there I do like his full portrait:

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BXWMDL4lwwv/?hl=en&taken-by=jesawyer1975

 

Might be the same case with others.

[Baltic]

I wonder if a positive reception to the new portraits was possible given how used to the old portraits we've all gotten. At least Pallegina's new portrait won't have any weirdness surrounding her eyes.

[Sedrefilos]

Pallegina is plain bad imo. Eder looks way older in his new portrait. Aloth... eh ok. New companions all look good. Serafen's portrait has a Baldur's Gate feeling/style.

Again, I prefere shots of the 3D model's face for portraits instead of drawn ones (saves time and money too), especially now that the graphics are awsome and much more detailed.

[injurai]

I think I could warm to Eder and Aloth, but I just really don't like Pallegina's. Her previous one was also fantastic. If I could have one and only one changed, it would be hers.

 

I agree we all grew found of the old portraits. These new ones are great compared to what happened to BG2 portraits... my god those were unfortunate.

[LuccA]

I don't have a big problem with either of these portraits, except of course... Pallegina's.

 

If they want to make her a more likeable character, since she was the least favourite companion in Pillars 1, they've already started wrong.

 

It just seems like it has a lower level of detail than the others. She's also uglier now. I am not a big fan of how her forehead (and Tekehu's) reflect so much light, almost like they're polished.

 

My favourite portraits are Maia Rua's and Serafen's. Great level of detail and expressions!

[ghostwriter]

Eders nose definitely seems to be different from PoE 1, it's much more pointy. That's probably what's making him look weird. Maybe his mouth and jawline too, I can't tell for sure. Hope obsidian gives him at least a nose job before release.

[Piero]

Eder's portrait on the videos looks weird to me, but after seeing the portrait with better quality i think it was the size that make it look like the eyes were so small and, in contrast the jaw big, still his right eye and lips look a little weird to me, may be because i saw the small portrait before.

Pallegina looks so different, her noise, feathers, lips, her skin color is different (have more red?), interact different with the light, just looks like another person.

I don't dislike Takehu's, i don't like it, not sure why, i think maybe doesn't fit with the other portraits, it may be something on his expression, i don't know

I dislike Pallegina's, don't like or dislike Takehu's, i like the others.

[Wormerine]

I think I could warm to Eder and Aloth, but I just really don't like Pallegina's. Her previous one was also fantastic. If I could have one and only one changed, it would be hers.

 

I agree we all grew found of the old portraits. These new ones are great compared to what happened to BG2 portraits... my god those were unfortunate.

How curious. As someone who played BG2 before BG1 my impression was the opposite. )

[injurai]

 

I think I could warm to Eder and Aloth, but I just really don't like Pallegina's. Her previous one was also fantastic. If I could have one and only one changed, it would be hers.

 

I agree we all grew found of the old portraits. These new ones are great compared to what happened to BG2 portraits... my god those were unfortunate.

How curious. As someone who played BG2 before BG1 my impression was the opposite. )

 

 

BG1 all the portraits look like photos that have been expertly air brushed in a stylistic manner, in BG2 it looks like someone used the blur and smear tools in gimp.

[Fluffle]

Pallegina definitely looks like she's laying an egg or something

 

Well she's an Avian Godlike and she has feathers... maybe Avian Godlikes actually do lay eggs