Attention! : Beamdog art team - watch this video

Twotricks

Quite surprisingly, with Battle for Azeroth, Blizzard is ramping up WoW graphic, in a way not unlike what is happening with NWN:EE ... without further ado let the video speak ...

https://youtu.be/4mSI6upU_V0

I was lately playing lot of NWN1 and NWN2. And my son was watching me play and one day he said to me he likes more the look of NWN1. I guess this is due to "redability" of NWN1 graphics. This should be preserved.

This is exactly what Blizzard artists are doing. Preserving the style,redability...while adding higher resolution textures and improving where is needed. But carefully in order to preserve the same style, proportions, silluette - redability.

As artist myself - i have highest respect for Blizzard art team , put aside what we think or not about their games - one thing can be said - they know what they are doing in art department. And lot can be learned from them.

So I hope this video would be a helpfull reference.

Cheers - and I am counting on you


P.S:
Regarding art style.
I would love to see you choose textures to be hand painted like Blizzard does, instead photo realistic materials.

1varangian

NWN readability can also be improved. Especially the crypt/dungeon tileset. It's very brown and red and the floor tiles are very busy. Characters models don't stand out from it well. Maybe the new vibrance makes it worse.

Drewbert_ahoy

Blizzard can also afford to pour millions of $ into their art department annually. You need to be realistic comparing the two companies.

InflatableFriend

Posted it else where here but as it's on-topic...
http://gdcvault.com/play/1015306/The-Art-of-Diablo

To keep it from being a total 'Blizzard does all the arts great' lovefest though (and keeping with the importance of readability and avoiding the whole visual hot mess thing) take a poke at this.
https://80.lv/articles/comparing-team-fortress-2-and-overwatch-art-direction/

I don't think a WoW alike hand-drawn look would suit NWN. WoW and LoL/Dota2 have kind got that style sown up and nudging NWN in that direction would risk it being dismissed as yet another hand on their coat tails. Going the way of Brink or Dishonoured wouldn't work either, sadly.

One of D&D's biggest strengths (and possibly weaknesses) has always been it's mass appeal. The art style normally reflects that broad 'generic fantasy' appeal and err away from having to much of a distinctive flavour. It allows people to project their own takes onto the art without having to step past a strong or possibly divisive style.

NWN_Töml

The good or very best thing about NWN´s modability is that you can create everything completely different. Everything on your own

Not that i dont dislike a few creatures or tiles here and there but thats how i got used to NWN. It´s old blocky and sometimes odd look i truly love in the end. And there are so many mods out there that "improves" or just changes the look of the game art assets i dont even know if i would redo everything at all. but thats up to Beamdog anyway. But i wouldnt do it...

Dark_Ansem

Beamdog said that they will eventually upgrade all of the game's existing assets.

Fardragon

Blizzard have about a gazzilon times the amount of money to throw at things as Beamdog.

Libertyisback

i agree with OP. that unique elegant and fluid atmosphere of NWN 1 should be preserved. updating of textures.

one of the most unique things about nwn is the actual way the characters stand with their shoulders kind of thrown back. each mmo tends to have a unique sort of character stance. WoW is a bit hunched. NWN is sort of always standing proud ( a bit like a star trek feel? ). i think we should keep that-- however, there is something to be said for the sort of dynamic fluid always moving feel of WoW (and other mmos maybe). NWN's environments are very still, compared to WoWs.

It would take a very big leap in the NWN toolset and engine to allow users to craft maps like WoW or Age of Conan. It would be nice though.