26 réponses à ce sujet

[Linkenski]

Judging from the concept art the N7 guy browsed past in the trailer, they had the same thing that was kinda good and kinda not-so-good about DAI, namely the cliche level stereotype problem. It seemed to me like there was a very very high contrast of "ICE LEVEL" and "JUNGLE LEVEL" and I know it's only concept art, but it gave me DAI vibes when I was hoping more for ME1 vibes or something that's not as high contrast and cartoony.

I'm writing this on my phone so I can't insert the pictures? But I suggest you go see the trailer and pause when you get the concept art for 2-3 planets.

Some of the very synthetic or space specific concept art from last year looked amazing, but it's the 2-3 new ones in the trailer that makes me worry they're going for DAI-esque levels.

Can't really put a finger on why I don't want that, but I guess a controversial phrase I have for it is that it's too video-gamey, and I'm for real.

What do you guys think? Hot or not?

[Enigmatick]

They showed planet surfaces that were visually interesting. Also aren't you leaving a couple out of your post?

[CronoDragoon]

It's not too video gamey to feature planets with different climates.

 

Cartoony has nothing to do with this.

[The Night Haunter]

Noveria - Ice World - Hoth Equiv

Feros - City/Ruins World - Coruscant

Therum - Fire World - Wherever it is that Obi Wan is a douche and chops Anakin in half without actually killing him, poor sod.

 

When you are talking space dramas they are always going to go for extreme environments, because it is the most interesting. I'd love to see some environments explored in literary scifi, such as a planet whose rotation matches its revolution (the same side of the planet is always facing the sun). One half of the planet would be 150 degrees (or more), the other half would be completely frozen, and a narrow band where the sun is perpetually on the horizon would be the only habitable land.

Or a binary system (there are many different types of binary systems too, one where there is a primary sun that the secondary sun revolves around, then the planet could revolve around either of those suns, or a system with two equal mass stars revolving around each other with a planet 'stuck' in the middle).

 

 

Anyway, just because we saw a desert on a planet doesn't mean its a desert world. The magma world looks pretty cool, and could be scientifically valid depending on what logic they use for it.

[Golden_Persona]

Fire Tornadoes

 

Also if each planet has its own form of potentially dangerous life forms like the flying creature in the trailer, it would keep things from getting boring. Inquisition lacked interesting obstacles to overcome which in turn made its levels boring. Certainly not enough enemy variety to keep one on their toes. If each uncharted planet has new alien life forms, hostile and peaceful, it will drastically keep one's attention and fuel the desire for exploration out of the natural curiosity, and the same goes if each planet has unique things like fire tornadoes.

 

Also Inquisition suffered from fantasy trope worlds. You have your forest world, your desert worlds, you ruins in the jungle worlds, the stormy and swampy worlds and the typical ice world. Sci-fi fantasy can be much more varied. That ice planet they showed isn't just an ice planet because you can see spots that seem warm. That foresty world is typical, but it has the not-so-typical elements with the flying creature that could possibly try to hunt you down. I need not specify the awesomeness of fire tornadoes again either. The desert planet for all we know was there to fit the western Johnny Cash vibes the trailer meant to give off, We also don't know what those towers are that are coming out of the ground. Imagine if each planet felt like it belonged in nature... but then you did a certain quest that activated the towers and suddenly the world becomes half-organic and natural, and half-machine and unnatural. Would certainly up the desire for backtracking.

[dreamgazer]

Cartoony has nothing to do with this.

ME1 had a garden planet overrun with space monkeys. Just sayin'.

[Kabooooom]

Judging from the concept art the N7 guy browsed past in the trailer, they had the same thing that was kinda good and kinda not-so-good about DAI, namely the cliche level stereotype problem. It seemed to me like there was a very very high contrast of "ICE LEVEL" and "JUNGLE LEVEL" and I know it's only concept art, but it gave me DAI vibes when I was hoping more for ME1 vibes or something that's not as high contrast and cartoony.

I'm writing this on my phone so I can't insert the pictures? But I suggest you go see the trailer and pause when you get the concept art for 2-3 planets.

Some of the very synthetic or space specific concept art from last year looked amazing, but it's the 2-3 new ones in the trailer that makes me worry they're going for DAI-esque levels.

Can't really put a finger on why I don't want that, but I guess a controversial phrase I have for it is that it's too video-gamey, and I'm for real.

What do you guys think? Hot or not?

I'm not sure I really follow...Mass Effect had worlds ranging from inhabitable planets, to barren moons, to volcanic hothouses, to ice planets, to waterworlds.

Which is, you know, representative of the diversity of worlds that actually exist in space.

[MrFob]

Not too worried about the environments. I think they had a lot of feedback from the previous games to give them some idea of what will work and what won't. I am certain we'll see a substantial improvement to what we have seen before.
I am also not too worried about the cliches. If the worlds are designed well, I don't mind a few of those. Besides, if they really want to go for as many as they claimed, I am sure we'll also see a few new and interesting designs. Just look at some of the concept art we've seen in 2014. here was some intriguing stuff there. Can't say they are not creative in that regard.

[The Night Haunter]

I mean if all worlds are identical to earth, which pretty standard temperature variance and environements that would get very boring, very quickly.

 

'Which planet are we on again?'

'Does it really matter, sir? They are all the same...'

[MrFob]

I mean if all worlds are identical to earth, which pretty standard temperature variance and environements that would get very boring, very quickly.

 

'Which planet are we on again?'

'Does it really matter, sir? They are all the same...'

 

Haha, this reminds me of a Stargate SG1 episode though: Carter and O'Neill are stranded somewhere. Carter has a look outside and comes back:

"It's an ice planet, sir."

Spoiler

Turns out they are actually back on earth in Antarctica.

[The Night Haunter]

Haha, this reminds me of a Stargate SG1 episode though: Carter and O'Neill are stranded somewhere. Carter has a look outside and comes back:

"It's an ice planet, sir."

Spoiler

Turns out they are actually back on earth in Antarctica.

Heh, that's pretty funny! MEA should have some references like that

[O'Voutie O'Rooney]

To Likenski (the OP): I think that maybe what you are getting at (to put it in my own words) is that the ME1 worlds which we explored with the Mako seemed to be more natural and undesigned.The areas we explored in DAI seem to be more designed for a purpose in order to fulfill a function in the video game and to be aesthetically pleasing or to seem "cool" to the designer, as environments might look in a fantasy or sci fi painting. I know that a lot of people complained about the ME1 "skybox" worlds and I understand why. On the other hand there was something realistic about them in that they did not pack a ton of cool stuff into a small space or have "weird" or amazing climate effects and such things into the environments. When we went to the Moon in ME1 it just seemed like the moon--realistically barren as would be expected in a natural representation of its environment. My preference would be for a preponderance of natural looking environment punctuated with "weird", amazing, more aesthetically intense bits. That is how the real Earth seems to be and I suspect the rest of the universe is like that. Well, anyway, I am not sure if I have made any sense so I will stop before I become even less sure.

[DaemionMoadrin]

Haha, this reminds me of a Stargate SG1 episode though: Carter and O'Neill are stranded somewhere. Carter has a look outside and comes back:

"It's an ice planet, sir."

Spoiler

Turns out they are actually back on earth in Antarctica.

Heh, that's pretty funny! MEA should have some references like that

 

Even funnier:

 

[goishen]

What do you guys think? Hot or not?

 

I don't really like the first planet.  Reminds me too much of the south west.  Great, going to a mission in Arizona.  Terrific.

 

EDIT :  Or New Mexico.  Forget which one is further west.  Think New Mexico.  But anyway, still bleh.

[LinksOcarina]

I'm not sure I really follow...Mass Effect had worlds ranging from inhabitable planets, to barren moons, to volcanic hothouses, to ice planets, to waterworlds.

Which is, you know, representative of the diversity of worlds that actually exist in space.

 

I think the problem is it's one binome, which is unfortunately a trope seen in most sci-fi games.

 

Even something like No Mans Sky is sort of doing that, although that is mostly done through procedural generation.

[Kabooooom]

I think the problem is it's one binome, which is unfortunately a trope seen in most sci-fi games.

Even something like No Mans Sky is sort of doing that, although that is mostly done through procedural generation.

Ah, I touched on this in my "create realistic star system's thread".

Truth is, it would require a lot of effort to create plant and animal life that appears truly alien to each environment. Which is probably unreasonable. One thing that could be done though, which would help add to the alienness of planets, would be to have the color of plant life representative of the solar output.

Which is a fact of biology that is so inescapable, that we actually can predict what alien plant life would look like and look for the telltale signs of it (potentially) with advanced spectroscopy techniques via direct planetary imaging with next generation telescopes. Which is exciting, by the way.

For example, plant life on a tidally locked planet orbiting a red dwarf would be black, not green. Little details like that could add a TON of immersion. And it would take minimal effort.

[AlexiaRevan]

Maybe he mean the few we saw it has a DAI feel to it..and instead of running around or on a horse...ya be running with the mako...

[KaiserShep]

Maybe he mean the few we saw it has a DAI feel to it..and instead of running around or on a horse...ya be running with the mako...

Which was kind of the case in ME1, though instead of lush worlds it was mostly assorted flavors of barren desert and of course the Mako was mandatory a lot of the time. 

[Sully13]

Sure you think its uncharted now but i guarantee when you get there there is a Starbucks and a McDonald's. 

[LordSwagley]

As long as the planets/moons/asteroids look pretty and DO NOT...

• Fill empty space with identical Mook Spawning Rifts...
• Flags to stick in the ground to unlock an "operation"...
• Collectible wine bottles, Matriarch tapes, or dogtags...
• Shards to unlock some boring temple...
• Or boring fetch quests "Inquisitor fetch my pet Ram, get me 10 dog hides, kill 5 bandits, wax my car, do my laundry, a blah, blah, blah!"

... then I'll be one happy Pathfinder...

[Cainne Chapel]

As long as the planets/moons/asteroids look pretty and DO NOT...

• Fill empty space with identical Mook Spawning Rifts...
• Flags to stick in the ground to unlock an "operation"...
• Collectible wine bottles, Matriarch tapes, or dogtags...
• Shards to unlock some boring temple...
• Or boring fetch quests "Inquisitor fetch my pet Ram, get me 10 dog hides, kill 5 bandits, wax my car, do my laundry, a blah, blah, blah!"

... then I'll be one happy Pathfinder...

So basically unlike ME:1 as well?

 

Lets be fair here this type of stuff exists in pretty much every bioware game; even the ones people call the best in the series

[Feybrad]

So basically unlike ME:1 as well?

 

Lets be fair here this type of stuff exists in pretty much every bioware game; even the ones people call the best in the series

 

I'd go even further and say, that Stuff exists in basically every RPG in one Form or another.

[Chealec]

I'd go even further and say, that Stuff exists in basically every RPG in one Form or another.

 

Though some do it better than others - the Witcher series is pretty good at disguising it, there are a couple of jarring "but I just went there - I'm not your glorified courier" moments in Wasteland 2 but it's largely OK ... level grinding quests in WoW ... yeah, not so much :|

[Chealec]

Noveria - Ice World - Hoth Equiv

Feros - City/Ruins World - Coruscant

Therum - Fire World - Wherever it is that Obi Wan is a douche and chops Anakin in half without actually killing him, poor sod.

 

When you are talking space dramas they are always going to go for extreme environments, because it is the most interesting. I'd love to see some environments explored in literary scifi...

 

Arrakis

 

Salusa Secondus (which I couldn't find an image of but I imagine looks a little like this - only even more nuked)

 

 

The planet from Pitch Black (Furya?)

 

Or take your pick of any of the weird and wonderful from people like Patrick Woodroffe:

 

 

... to Roger Dean:

 

 

 

 

Or how about something a little closer to home like the ice plumes on Enceladus?

[SolNebula]

Well aside from asteroids or moon like satelites many worlds will need to have some resemblance to earth to be habitable. If you are going to put a colony there certainly it should be viable for sustaning life. Humans (but also most of ME aliens too) requires oxygen and water to sustain themselves so you can expect them to have sort of shared features. To make them feel diverse they use the good old, sandy, icy and fire based planets which is good however they should do it correctly. One thing I would love is for these planets to have dynamic weather (sandstorms/snowstorms/day/night/good weather) and base some encounters bonus mission on specific weather. This way you can keep these worlds fresh while having the good old sandy/icy/fire planets.