Too clean
drechana
Member Posts: 53
Is it just me, I might be a bit odd. But when Neverwinter Nights cam out did anyone else think that it kinda of lost something due to it being too pretty. I really liked the static painted backgrounds and the fixed isometric view of BG. Maybe it was because this was amazing artwork for its time I dont know but to me it added to the whole feel of the game and when the gfx got too clean it lost some of its magic.
Do you agree?
Drechana
Do you agree?
Drechana
18
Comments
Getting better now, though I'm still annoyed every time a game disintegrates the corpses to save processing power. They're MY corpses damnit, I made them, don't make them dissappear!
I wonder if someone will develop a BG basket mod?
"You always were the big kidder Winthrop, here, wear this basket over your face while I relieve your guests of their belongings."
But then you miss out on all the limeware platters, so it's a tradeoff.
It was atrocious for me, i prefer BG visuals over it any day.
Saying that, even BG + IWD series visuals were criticized as dated when they first became available. So i guess it has less to do with how dated something feels, and more with the art direction.
NWN had bad art direction for me, i liked BG art direction better.
I mean.. BG & isometric were clearly both wonderful things. The fact that an ogre is more threatening in BG than it is in NWN, where it is twice as large and pertains much more closely to the canonical description of an ogre can't be ignored, can it?!
The writing/characters/story in Baldur's Gate were also a class above Neverwinter Nights, in my opinion.
The different graphics style didn't really bother me. It was just the next step.
Only game I would compare to Baldur's Gate games is Mass Effect 1. The story line was 10/10.
In terms of art direction it's probably fairer to compare BG to DA:O as well. NWN was fairly early in the wholesale transition of games to 3D and had limitations put of the level of detail by the toolset. DA:O is from a fully matured period of 3D game design and didn't have a toolset demanding genric & reusable locations. The games are very different but I think that both use their engines well to convey their settings. Athkatla is as distinct from the Underdark as Redcliffe is from Orzammar. It's not fair to dismiss DA:O because it's a great game. BG1&2 happen to be great games as well.
The BG games offer, at least to me, a challenge where I do not have to move like an orangutang, but rather plan out the fight before it actually starts. I'm simply getting too old for todays ADHD games...:)
I think many developers moved to 3D too early. They were eager to take advantage of it and compete, but the result was contradiction. What was the point of Warcraft 3(also 2002) being 3D when it was completely unplayable when those Quake-like ugly models meet in battle and you had no idea what was happening, because of it being chaotic and at that time with huge framedrops in battles. Not only the models and textures were ugly, it ruined gameplay. So same as I play BG to this day, at the same time I play Starcraft 1 to this day because it is the best compromise between visuals and gameplay.
BG, in my mind was just that, the best text adventure ever.....with the added bonus of lush scenes, great puzzles and lots of stuff in chests!
Cheers for your feedback all
Drechana
http://www.mentalimages.com/fileadmin/user_upload/Images/riven_004.jpg
The fact that these games were so slow paced means you could fight a battle, talk to an NPC and take in the art, the detail and the imagination of the designers and fully appreciate the effort into creating these unique worlds.
Finally, with the characters, they looked absolutely crap on screen, but seeing their portraits, you really felt the significance and real presence of the characters, you see the isolation of the world in the portrait background (mostly the icewind dale series here) and could really use these expressions and landscapes to give your character a back story and personality.
I am not a creative person at all, but even I feel I can make up and tell a backstory behind the warrior in this nameless portrait when im playing the game
http://www.sharkyextreme.com/img/2002/12/iwd2/portrait_4.jpg
In a way I can't with the regular animated yet lifeless, boring 3D models you can make with modern games
http://www.thegamedraw.com/wp-content/uploads/skyrim-character-builds.png
I know they have facial expressions, voices and have perfect lip synch, but it just a poor facsimile of reality, the characters in BG/ IWD had soul and it fits the tone perfectly.
And this for me is why I think every game no matter how technologically, graphically brilliant or well written since Icewind Dale 2 has left me with a consistent feeling of disappointment, I just don't connect as well with the new RPG worlds!