393 réponses à ce sujet

[Anarya]

the_one_54321 wrote...

Fortlowe wrote...

Pseudocognition wrote...
The new art direction is what has kept my interest in the series. I don't know if I'd be here eagerly anticipating the sequel if it was the same style, excellent story or no.

Maybe the details went over my head because I played it on the console but I see a lot of dragons, and I see a LOT of ugly faced grunt guys in scrappy armor, and I see a lot of European fantasy type stuff, but in this new style it all stands out and I don't have to squint at it to see that it's unique.

^Definitely This.

That is the strangest motivation to play a video game I have ever heard of. Even stranger than Sylvius' RP desires.

You're entitled to it, of course. But it still makes me go

I don't think it's strange at all. I watch movies just for the art direction or costumes sometimes even when I know the rest of it isn't going to wow me. I'd probably do it for games too if they weren't so expensive.

[the_one_54321]

The armor was mostly boring, I'll grant you that. And I also thought that "Qunari" was just a different race of people, like the Chasind.

[Lord_Valandil]

Dave of Canada wrote...

I thought Qunari was a term for just another people (instead of species) when Sten was talking about them.

We're in the same boat. I thought they were something like a clan.

[Anarya]

Dave of Canada wrote...

I thought Qunari was a term for just another people (instead of species) when Sten was talking about them.

Yeah that part where Morrigan starts going off about how Sten is a "proud and noble creature" or whatever that line is made me really confused.

"Er...Morrigan that's sort of racist. Oh wait I guess he's not a human?"

[Ympulse]

yukidama wrote...

Ympulse wrote...

yukidama wrote...

Honest question- What's the problem with the game looking different in terms of just pure aesthetics (no animations or whatever)? Why is that such a bad thing?

Some of us (myself included) prefer the grittier low-fantasy that DA:O presented. Where Flemeth was a bat**** insane old woman that was scary as hell because you just don't Know what she was capable of.

If I wanted Flemeth the Demigod to turn into a mid-30s cougar dragonthing with WoW-prostitute armor...

So the reason is because you liked the old style? A matter of preference, then. I don't see how it affects continuity aside from how we as the player see the environments and characters (visually, not how we percieve them to be). It doesn't really affect the actual story which is about a (mostly) completely different set of people and events.

The only continuity that I am arguing against is the Qunari = Tiefling change. The rest is pure stylization which, as I have said before, is perfectly acceptable coming from a multi-million dollar company looking to attract customers from a different demographic.

Don't get me wrong, I still plan on taking the blue pill and seeing just how well executed DA2 is in and of itself.

[mellifera]

Anarya wrote...

Honestly the first time I fired up Origins with absolutely zero knowledge of the game beforehand, my first thought was "this looks really generic". I'm honestly not too sure what kept me playing long enough for the story to hook me. I mean, I'm glad I stuck with it but from where I'm standing the new art direction is a big improvement.

Yeah, pretty much the reason I didn't pick it up until my friend said it was awesome. It just looked bland and generic and didn't make me want to look up more about it. Western fantasy wasn't really my thing (aside from LoTR at the time), so when it looked to be just that in a boring brown package I went "next". Having a more interesting look will attract people, no matter how shallow. stupid or unworthy you deem them to play the game.

Modifié par yukidama, 05 novembre 2010 - 12:08 .

[Nerevar-as]

Anarya wrote...

Honestly the first time I fired up Origins with absolutely zero knowledge of the game beforehand, my first thought was "this looks really generic". I'm honestly not too sure what kept me playing long enough for the story to hook me. I mean, I'm glad I stuck with it but from where I'm standing the new art direction is a big improvement.

It´s rooted in the generic fantasy tropes, so it looked right to me, kind of low fantasy. I hope this doesn´t change much in DA2, it might go into uncanny valley territory where I´m concerned. Qunari charging barechested in battle doesn´t feel right in lf setting. Hope there´s a better reason than artist appeal.

[Lord_Valandil]

Wait...what?

Generic, you say? I don't know. In my opinion, the art direction in Origins was excellent.

[Anarya]

There was not one visual element in it that I could point to as something I haven't seen before in other fantasy games or movies. So that to me is generic.

[Pseudo the Mustachioed]

Anarya wrote...

Honestly the first time I fired up Origins with absolutely zero knowledge of the game beforehand, my first thought was "this looks really generic". I'm honestly not too sure what kept me playing long enough for the story to hook me. I mean, I'm glad I stuck with it but from where I'm standing the new art direction is a big improvement.

This happened to me too. I'm not that enthusiastic about fantasy to begin :\\ I picked up and put down and restarted the game a bunch of times before I got to the part where Alistair said his dress line and one of the responses was EXACTLY WHAT I WOULD SAY and I knew this was the right game for me, even though it wasn't that, uh, man I feel kinda bad complaining about it because of the blood and sweat behind it all, but the visuals really didn't catch my attention. Or, IMHO, highlight the awesomeness of the story. The gravity of certain choices was lost on me because, whatever, more guys in armor?

HUGE improvement. Unbelievable improvement.

Modifié par Pseudocognition, 05 novembre 2010 - 12:58 .

[Lord_Valandil]

Anarya wrote...

There was not one visual element in it that I could point to as something I haven't seen before in other fantasy games or movies. So that to me is generic.

Because...as someone pointed out, there are established tropes.
I mean, you can't have an elf without pointy ears, or a dragon that doesn't look reptilian, right?

[Apollo Starflare]

@OP:

1 - Considering how little of the changes we have seen I don't really call them an improvement or otherwise to be honest, it still looks like Dragon Age and that's what matters, whether certain aspects have changed slightly really doesn't bother me. Compare some of the Zelda games to each other and even the main character can look completely different, doesn't stop them all being Zelda games and all sharing a visual continuity. The biggest change for me is the Darkspawn, but having seen them in action I found it didn't really bother me and I found myself thinking that if I had never seen the 'original' Hurlock I would actually prefer the new look for corrupted human monsters.

I am very interested to see some Genlocks or Shrieks however.

2 - You lost me here, I've always seen the Dwarves in the DA universe as being 'Hobbit-like' in appearence, as opposed to the consistant look of, say, Tolkien's Dwarfs. So far we have only seen Varric and some concept art for the DA2 Dwarves, plus a comment ages ago about some slight changes to the look of Elves and Dwarves. Have I missed something? Varric looks no different to the Dwarves in DAO to me (just a helluva lot sexier :innocent:)

3 - The Qunari have always been this way though, I believe the horns are even mentioned in an Origins codex entry? Regardless I honestly don't see why people are bothered by Bioware's portrayal of the Qunari in DA2, if anything it makes them more unique (not just beings with horns or 'giant-likes' but a mixture of both), if they had actually retconned all Qunari to having horns I would understand but that's not what they have done. I do hope there is a large degree of variety in the appearence of the Qunari though.

Yeah, to me the changes are all in line with a new franchise finding it's visual identity, I don't have a problem with Bioware experimenting here and there so long as the end product still feels like a Dragon Age title and so far I have seen nothing that suggests that won't be the case.

[Saibh]

Lord_Valandil wrote...

Wait...what?
Generic, you say? I don't know. In my opinion, the art direction in Origins was excellent.

Excellent at being brown, perhaps.

Honestly, it wasn't until my...I dunno, seventh playthrough that I noticed there was a lot of lovely detail in the world. People kept mentioning how dogs are stamped all over Ferelden culture, but I didn't notice. Then, one day at the Gnawed Noble I noticed that the sconces were all shaped like dog heads. I started looking around more closely, and I realized it was everywhere--as support beams, in tapestries, as bookends, as bookshelves, as stands, and on and on. 

And it was because the style itself was generic that the details glazed past me. All the same muddy look. The details rendered in a more sophisticated and unique engine would look better and more striking, I think.

[Harid]

Only changes I was against was the Qunari and the Darkspawn.



The Horns. . eh, I don't think I'd trust the religious ramblings of creatures that look like demons.



And the Darkspawn's teeth are too perfect and clean for creatures that live in the Deep Roads, consuming human flesh and Darkspawn flesh.

[Pseudo the Mustachioed]

Lord_Valandil wrote...

Anarya wrote...

There was not one visual element in it that I could point to as something I haven't seen before in other fantasy games or movies. So that to me is generic.

Because...as someone pointed out, there are established tropes.
I mean, you can't have an elf without pointy ears, or a dragon that doesn't look reptilian, right?

Those are the things you don't change. Armor style, architecture, costume design, weapon design, enemy design, are probably what Anarya is talking about, and those are what you have to work with to create a unique fantasy look.

[SDNcN]

Saibh wrote...

Lord_Valandil wrote...

Wait...what?
Generic, you say? I don't know. In my opinion, the art direction in Origins was excellent.

Excellent at being brown, perhaps.

Honestly, it wasn't until my...I dunno, seventh playthrough that I noticed there was a lot of lovely detail in the world. People kept mentioning how dogs are stamped all over Ferelden culture, but I didn't notice. Then, one day at the Gnawed Noble I noticed that the sconces were all shaped like dog heads. I started looking around more closely, and I realized it was everywhere--as support beams, in tapestries, as bookends, as bookshelves, as stands, and on and on. 

I never even noticed that . . .

[Anarya]

Lord_Valandil wrote...

Anarya wrote...

There was not one visual element in it that I could point to as something I haven't seen before in other fantasy games or movies. So that to me is generic.

Because...as someone pointed out, there are established tropes.
I mean, you can't have an elf without pointy ears, or a dragon that doesn't look reptilian, right?

That's sort of irrelevant. If you handed a piece of paper to ten artists and said "draw a pointy-eared elf riding a reptilian dragon" they would all look different despite sharing a lot of characteristics. I'll also point out that elves still have pointy ears and dragons are still reptilian, etc. in the new style.

[Ympulse]

Anarya wrote...

There was not one visual element in it that I could point to as something I haven't seen before in other fantasy games or movies. So that to me is generic.

there is not one visual element in DA2 that I haven't seen before in JRPGs or Movies in that genre.

Does that mean the 'new' look is a generic JRPG? Don't look to far into what you're telling yourself. It's a simple stylization shift.

[tmp7704]

Darkhour wrote...

Dwarves = hobbits?  They are no longer bulky and look like human midgets.  Why the hell would you do this, Bioware?  A midget human is not a dwarf.

Ehh, was there some dwarf footage discovered in last 1-2 days?

[Fortlowe]

Anarya wrote...

the_one_54321 wrote...

Fortlowe wrote...

Pseudocognition wrote...
The new art direction is what has kept my interest in the series. I don't know if I'd be here eagerly anticipating the sequel if it was the same style, excellent story or no.

Maybe the details went over my head because I played it on the console but I see a lot of dragons, and I see a LOT of ugly faced grunt guys in scrappy armor, and I see a lot of European fantasy type stuff, but in this new style it all stands out and I don't have to squint at it to see that it's unique.

^Definitely This.

That is the strangest motivation to play a video game I have ever heard of. Even stranger than Sylvius' RP desires.

You're entitled to it, of course. But it still makes me go

I don't think it's strange at all. I watch movies just for the art direction or costumes sometimes even when I know the rest of it isn't going to wow me. I'd probably do it for games too if they weren't so expensive.

Frankly, I think playing through DA2 would be somewhat of a chore if the art style were simply an updated verision of DA:O. I would do it, because of the gameplay and the storyline, but ultimately, the visuals from DA:O were very dated and seeing them return for the sequel would have been very dissappointing.  Thats part of why the Zelda franchise manages to stay fresh. Same setting, same storyline, but new art direction and new (innovative and well executed) gameplay mechanics for every new release.

[Lord_Valandil]

Anarya wrote...

Lord_Valandil wrote...

Anarya wrote...

There was not one visual element in it that I could point to as something I haven't seen before in other fantasy games or movies. So that to me is generic.

Because...as someone pointed out, there are established tropes.
I mean, you can't have an elf without pointy ears, or a dragon that doesn't look reptilian, right?

That's sort of irrelevant. If you handed a piece of paper to ten artists and said "draw a pointy-eared elf riding a reptilian dragon" they would all look different despite sharing a lot of characteristics. I'll also point out that elves still have pointy ears and dragons are still reptilian, etc. in the new style.

I do know that. I wouldn't be expecting dragons like the one in the Neverending Story.
But still, I think that the art direction was original enough. Nothing ground-breaking, though.

[casedawgz]

Chris Priestly wrote...

This is a Batman image drawn by artist Jim Lee.
../../../uploads_user/1000/46/60537.jpg


This is a Batman image drawn by Sam Kieth.
../../../uploads_user/1000/46/60538.jpg


Which image is "right"?

Jim Lee, of course.

[Anarya]

Pseudocognition wrote...

Lord_Valandil wrote...

Anarya wrote...

There was not one visual element in it that I could point to as something I haven't seen before in other fantasy games or movies. So that to me is generic.

Because...as someone pointed out, there are established tropes.
I mean, you can't have an elf without pointy ears, or a dragon that doesn't look reptilian, right?

Those are the things you don't change. Armor style, architecture, costume design, weapon design, enemy design, are probably what Anarya is talking about, and those are what you have to work with to create a unique fantasy look.

Yeah that's exactly what I'm talking about.