non realistic eye candy. [Archive]

x-dANGEr

03-10-2006, 21:47

I don't know about this, but don't you think that the better they make the graphics, the more you feel they are childish? In R:TW, seeing all those colored alphits, that are too bright, just gives you the idea that all those are little plastic made minions running all over the battlfield. What's your thought on this???

P.S. I'm not CA bashing, I'm just wondering about your opinions considering this matter.

The_Doctor

03-10-2006, 21:59

I agree. It did look a bit too colourful.

Duke John

03-10-2006, 23:50

I prefer realistic eye candy:

http://forum.thelordz.co.uk/files/ntw_battle_square_2_816.jpg

http://forum.thelordz.co.uk/files/redoubt_01_191.jpg

:grin:

R:TW was too colourfull (as was M:TW), but it seems that they are finally getting the right look with M2:TW.

NagatsukaShumi

03-11-2006, 00:09

War is dirty, finally Total War is too.

Divine Wind

03-11-2006, 04:51

Duke John how dare you tease and tantalize us with those wonderful screenies! I cant wait to get my hands on the beta!

QwertyMIDX

03-11-2006, 05:51

Ditching overt faction colors on units would be nice.

screwtype

03-11-2006, 07:37

Ditching overt faction colors on units would be nice.

Getting rid of the way selected units light up like fluorescent light bulbs would be even better!

Dead Moroz

03-11-2006, 15:46

Agreed with x-dANGEr. New units looks good, but kinda cartoonish. Though I like 'em.

I prefer realistic eye candy:
...

Duke John is spamming again. :)

Nice units (I especially glad to see correct Russian ones), but colors are too straight. This makes your units look unrealistic too. You need to add something wrong (like stains and folds) on your units to make them really lifelike.

x-dANGEr

03-11-2006, 16:02

I think that color shouldn't be the way to recognize your units, different weapons, shields and alphets should be so.

Ludens

03-11-2006, 19:06

Yes, especially BI's skins were bad, but from what I have seen sofar MII:TW has very much improved in this aspect.

Philippus Flavius Homovallumus

03-11-2006, 20:05

Ditching overt faction colors on units would be nice.

I disagree, but I think it should be limited to tunic and trousers, or whatever. The BI units weren't that silly but it was a bit OTT to have all the Franks paint their leather helms blue!

Voigtkampf

03-12-2006, 08:43

Duke John is spamming again. :)

And we love him for that. :smug:

Rodion Romanovich

03-12-2006, 11:27

Avicenna

03-12-2006, 12:18

How are blue horses realistic? Or do I just have a strange perception of colours?

Keba

03-12-2006, 13:01

Black horses tend to seem a dark blue from certain angles and under certain lightning.

Of course, when talking of realistic, I notice that the horse-mega-olympic-jump animation is still in there ... :laugh4:

Gtafanboy

03-13-2006, 12:42

Why would we not have faction colors on the map? It makes everything easier and it's nice to look at. Change what you want elsewhere, but don't change this aspect.

x-dANGEr

03-13-2006, 15:05

If you want to watch a cartoon, try the TV..

Trajanus

03-14-2006, 05:30

Yeah but then you get into the realms of realism over playability. Its hard enough to keep track of 20 units on the field let alone in M2TW where you will have hundreds of single units instead of "battalions", that knowing who belongs to you and who doesn't is important.

It depends what perspective you look at it. Are you the King with lots of knights who have their own colours and markings, or are you a knight (because the King doesn't always lead the battles in TW) with only your own troops which would put them all in the same colours?

CA could take this in all kinds of directions, but I think they will just diversify the colours so you dont have all units of the same kind (CS) looking the same but slightly different.

Still above all I don't want ridiculously complex battles due to the fact that I haven't got a clue who is fighting for me or against me.

player1

03-14-2006, 08:43

Getting rid of the way selected units light up like fluorescent light bulbs would be even better!

And how to know, which units is selected then?
Maybe with green arrows?

There should always be battle indicators of some type.

P.S.
For developers always the first priority should be gameplay, and then battle looking realistm.

I mean, in one way, it's wrong to focus "so much on grahpics", but then still demand realistic visuals.

Orda Khan

03-14-2006, 14:13

Faction 'colours' have so far been the way to easily identify units on the battlefield, however this was not the case in STW where we had to rely on unit standards alone. IMO I would prefer to see MTW II go back to this method. Kraxis mentioned in another thread how battles could be confusing and rightly so. Commanders had only standards to look for but they did at least recognise the heraldry of their own followers. How could we use this to our benefit? I think the only way to do this would be to adopt the STW approach with a set faction colour and different coats of arms on the standards. That coat of arms would also be on the unit card as it was in STW. Each soldier would then be free from matching wear, making the battlefield look anything but cartoonish

........Orda

fallen851

03-14-2006, 17:01

Black horses tend to seem a dark blue from certain angles and under certain lightning.

What? I own a black horse, and he has never looked blue. Nor has any of the black horses at the barn, nor has anyone ever asked "is your horse blue" or said "the horses sure look blue under this light".

Where did you hear that from?

Keba

03-14-2006, 17:17

What? I own a black horse, and he has never looked blue. Nor has any of the black horses at the barn, nor has anyone ever asked "is your horse blue" or said "the horses sure look blue under this light".

Where did you hear that from?

I could swear the ones that I saw looked like that ... hmm ... well, I'll just write it up to my faulty memory and defer to your experience.

Akka

03-14-2006, 17:49

What? I own a black horse, and he has never looked blue. Nor has any of the black horses at the barn, nor has anyone ever asked "is your horse blue" or said "the horses sure look blue under this light".

Where did you hear that from?
They don't look like they are blue, but the "true black" color on every hair (human or horse) has blue hue under lightning (the "not so true black" having a reddish hue).

Voigtkampf

03-14-2006, 19:27

Stop nitpicking about the color of the horses…:inquisitive:

Puzz3D

03-14-2006, 21:06

I saw a horse of a different color in the Emerald City.

Nelson

03-14-2006, 21:51

I have always regretted day glow colors in Total War. The faction colors could be different enough without being so garish.

I always turn the huge unit faction standards off along with the green arrows, finding both very annoying. The signifers and aquilifers that the Romans get are fine of course, as are the small banners other factions have.

The Napoleonic screen shots look tasty indeed.

x-dANGEr

03-15-2006, 19:56

I think it's supposed to get a little messy, when all units are clashing. So you can't identify your units, but get a war-like feel.. Imagine LotR the movie, with the armies colored and glowing like in the game..

player1

03-15-2006, 20:56

Some people really see no difference between visuals and interface.

Call for worse interface IMHO is very bad idea.

A.Saturnus

03-15-2006, 21:29

I'm fine with the way the units look. Admitted, clearly identifyable colors aren't historically correct, but they make control of the units easier and it's not unrealistic.

hoom

03-20-2006, 01:20

Its really not that hard to tell whats going on without either faction colours or even banners.

I play RTR gold with unit banners turned off on huge unit size & have had only a few occasions where I got significantly confused.

Certainly with faction banners turned on there is no need at all for faction colours on the units themseves. (except where historically this was actually done)

econ21

03-20-2006, 01:25

Yes, I think the realism mods do away with faction colours and there is no problem. But the banners and the highlighting are big helps - with the rather swift battlespeed (even in EB and RTR), I find myself fighting battles rather zoomed out, so these graphical markers are a big help understanding what's going on.

Kagemusha

03-20-2006, 01:36

I wouldnt mind if there wasnt faction colours at all.I think it would be only fair,since the AI is just well..AI.Continuosly people talk about how easy its to win a battle in TW game against AI.One big reason is that the human player gets far more and lot more faster information what is happening in the battlefield then a real Commander would have,so its very easy to avoid local disasters in the battle.Maybe the AI problem should be approached from this angle by making it harder for the human player to control his army?

Watchman

03-20-2006, 02:01

Most RTS games, say Warcraft III and Dawn of War, manage that already pretty well; the computer after all has a way easier time navigating those special ability buttons and suchlike.

I kinda hate that aspect of them. It feels like adding challenge to a cycle race by sawing off half the steering horns.

Interface had damn better be good. Making the units difficult to control, especially in dire circumstances where you now could expect even the formation commanders to have a hard time getting anything done, is entirely different. Could get kinda complicated to program, though.

A.Saturnus

03-20-2006, 21:45

Kagemusha

03-20-2006, 22:02

Yes.:bow:

cannon_fodder

03-21-2006, 00:34

Yes, I always found RTW to be waaay too bright and colourful. One of few things I thought was good about Imperial Glory was the more grim visual style. MTW2 looks just about colourful enough to me. And the buildup of mud and blood on your soldier's equipment and clothing should improve things a fair bit too.

x-dANGEr

03-21-2006, 18:52

I think you should be able to tell the difference of units through their equipment, rather than their color. I personally don't mind highlights and such, as long as they only appear when you select a certain unit.

A.Saturnus

03-23-2006, 20:23

Yes.:bow:

Well, I don't and I wouldn't play RTW if I were forced to use it. Making the game more of a challenge is all well but not by putting constraints on the user control. Having a free-floating camera and identifyable unitsmay be unrealistic, but it certainly reduces frustration.