So playing with sprite outlines can be compared to smoking cigarettes? I mean the first cigarette I smoked I didn't enjoy at all (I coughed and choked on it) but as time went by I found the taste and feeling better and better. Doesn't make it a good thing though
Bahaha, that's a terrible comparison. No, it's jarring at first. But then it looks natural, and you realize the sprites with outlines are more detailed anyway.
@subtledoctor Well I wouldn't compare my first cigarette experience to my first run of baldur's gate. But both things are addictive and provide the user with a pleasant satisfatory feeling, if that us what you meant
Bahaha, that's a terrible comparison. No, it's jarring at first. But then it looks natural, and you realize the sprites with outlines are more detailed anyway.
I beg to differ with your conclusion. Preferences aside, the outlined sprites have zero extra detail. They are the same sprites, just blurred A LOT by the new engine. Switching to nearest-neighbor (turning off the interpolation) would yield more detail, as the pixels are not blurred.
I can see the usefulness in the outlines, especially for mobile, but I couldn't stand them. That said, I do play with interpolation (that smoothing effect of the sprites) turned on. Odd, but that's my preference. It's not so jarring (doens't give that feeling that the sprites are from a different game) but no more jaggy pixels all over the place on zoom.
Now that the graphics settings screen lets us choose between "nearest-neighbor" and "linear" scaling, they should add "Hqx" as a third option.
It was designed specifically for pixel art, and I expect it would look great for Infinity Engine sprites.
The only down-side is that it doesn't support fractional scaling factors, so there could be no smooth mouse-wheel zooming, only the three zoom levels 100%, 200%, and 300%. I personally wouldn't mind that. Some people won't like it of course, that's why it should be an option...
I was skeptical about the sprite outlines at first - I've been playing BG since the first game was released, and I like how it looks, but I have to admit that the new graphics options are very cool and give the sprites a nice refresh, and it's awesome that you can toggle it.
I personally find the new sprite outlines quite nice, mostly because they help the characters pop out. My colorblindness can be a pain, and having something pop out is very helpful.
I guess that, especially regarding Trent's latest tweet, getting SoD to Android/iOS and fixing more Infinity Engine bugs takes priority. I reckon that once most of the bugs of the engine are ironed out, IWD:EE will receive the 2.0 treatment. Otherwise you would create extra bugs in yet another game, so it makes sense of fixing it engine-wise first.
I'm sorry but those outlines as well as the HQ filter they slapped on every character look pretty damn awful and I'm surprised there's anyone in the community who actually prefers this sloppy mess. Combined with the new "clean font" and reticle-imprints when clicking on the ground as well as other additional effects which don't fit in at all and the games lose the visual aesthetic the makers were going for completely. It's even more baffling that this change came from people who actually grew up with the games.
I didn't even know games could experience a midlife crisis until I saw the 2.0 update. If I wanted to play a game with cel-shading I'd play Wind Waker or Jet Set Radio. But maybe I'm the weird one for actually liking charming sprites and pixels.
I'm sorry but those outlines as well as the HQ filter they slapped on every character look pretty damn awful and I'm surprised there's anyone in the community who actually prefers this sloppy mess. Combined with the new "clean font" and reticle-imprints when clicking on the ground as well as other additional effects which don't fit in at all and the games lose the visual aesthetic the makers were going for completely. It's even more baffling that this change came from people who actually grew up with the games.
I didn't even know games could experience a midlife crisis until I saw the 2.0 update. If I wanted to play a game with cel-shading I'd play Wind Waker or Jet Set Radio. But maybe I'm the weird one for actually liking charming sprites and pixels.
The old pixels were certainly not charming, they were okay at lower resolutions, but they are choppy blocky messes at modern resolutions. Also, its not cel-shading not even close.
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Well I wouldn't compare my first cigarette experience to my first run of baldur's gate.
But both things are addictive and provide the user with a pleasant satisfatory feeling, if that us what you meant
Let's skip this small off-topic talk and get back on topic, please.
I can see the usefulness in the outlines, especially for mobile, but I couldn't stand them. That said, I do play with interpolation (that smoothing effect of the sprites) turned on. Odd, but that's my preference. It's not so jarring (doens't give that feeling that the sprites are from a different game) but no more jaggy pixels all over the place on zoom.
It was designed specifically for pixel art, and I expect it would look great for Infinity Engine sprites.
The only down-side is that it doesn't support fractional scaling factors, so there could be no smooth mouse-wheel zooming, only the three zoom levels 100%, 200%, and 300%. I personally wouldn't mind that. Some people won't like it of course, that's why it should be an option...
Combined with the new "clean font" and reticle-imprints when clicking on the ground as well as other additional effects which don't fit in at all and the games lose the visual aesthetic the makers were going for completely.
It's even more baffling that this change came from people who actually grew up with the games.
I didn't even know games could experience a midlife crisis until I saw the 2.0 update.
If I wanted to play a game with cel-shading I'd play Wind Waker or Jet Set Radio.
But maybe I'm the weird one for actually liking charming sprites and pixels.