Skins dont look too good

[ForVictory]

EB is my fav mod for RTW but i must admit that i dont like the skins of the units very much, there not as colourfull and detailed compared to some other mods. I know its supposed to be a realistic mod but some extra eye candy wouldnt hurt for EB...

[keravnos]

First of all, allow me to respectfully disagree. You must take into account that RTW was built with the limitations of the time. There are only so many things you can do with a 256X256 texture.

For the record, I just love what the 3dmodellers/skinners have produced. I mean look at the Lusotana preview, and tell me, in all honesty, have you seen better RTW models/skins everywhere? If so tell me. I 'll download it in a heartbeat

Also, don't forget, this is very late age of iron. Most of the medieval "cool" looking stuff would come centuries into the future. Which brings us to point no. 2...

Second,... you must be rotten by the eyecandy of M2TW. I can only daydream about what our guys can produce with a 1024X1024 texture allowance per unit, with all the different shield, heads, and torsos included!


In laymans' terms that means...

16 times the texturing space....


That's why M2TW looks so good. CA has done it again!

[Omanes Alexandrapolites]

EB is much prettier than M2:TW from what I have seen of that game's screenshots. Not necessarily more detailed, but much more pretty!

[ForVictory]

Well ive seen screenshots of RTR and especially XGM and they look stunning. If EB had those kinda units and weather effects then EB would be even more amazing then it is now.

[caius britannicus]

Also, don't forget, this is very late age of iron. Most of the medieval "cool" looking stuff would come centuries into the future. Which brings us to point no. 2...

Second,... you must be rotten by the eyecandy of M2TW. I can only daydream about what our guys can produce with a 1024X1024 texture allowance per unit, with all the different shield, heads, and torsos included!


In laymans' terms that means...

16 times the texturing space....


That's why M2TW looks so good. CA has done it again!

M2 doesn't use 1024x1024 for each individual soldier. Each 1024x1024 texture file contains up to SIX (6) textures for the soldiers. That includes all 6 heads, all 6 body textures, legs, hoods, helmets, quivers and sheaths. Its not exactly anywhere near 16 times the texturing space.

[Omanes Alexandrapolites]

In my opinion XGM's skins cannot really be compared to EB's. They are something totally different, more of a vanilla style of skin. RTR's put up a good fight, but they often lose to the mighty EB.

[ForVictory]

no why?

[Omanes Alexandrapolites]

EB:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Vs RTR:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

So who wins my dear gentlemen? Same unit, just as beautiful as each other in my opinion.

[ForVictory]

Just look at these screens from XGM, the colours, the colours...Really nice to watch the battle.

[Teleklos Archelaou]

c'mon. seriously. A thread about EB skins "not looking too good"? You tell us where there is a problem in the units in terms of why they did not look like it, or buzz off. We aren't here to make children's toys that shine and have purty colors, we are here to make the units look like they did 2,200 years ago.

[Omanes Alexandrapolites]

c'mon. seriously. A thread about EB skins "not looking too good"? You tell us where there is a problem in the units in terms of why they did not look like it, or buzz off. We aren't here to make children's toys that shine and have purty colors, we are here to make the units look like they did 2,200 years ago.

Not exactly as I would have put it, but well said.

And by the way, ForVictory, the image you have shown has either received a photoshop job or it was produced on a computer that has higher specifications than most people's here and probably than yours has. On my PC, EB skins don't look as beautiful as they appear in other people's EB screenshots of the same units, but what the heck - I don't play EB for the eye-candy!

[Thaatu]

Most mediterranean units have white clothes because it reflects sunlight and because dyes were more or less expensive. It might not be as pleasing to the eye as richly coloured clothes, but it's realistic. The textures themselves are highly detailed.

[Eduorius]

Maybe can be a problem with your videocard.

My units looked blurry and had peg legs, but it was something about the videocard working in low quality.

[Olaf The Great]

Just look at these screens from XGM, the colours, the colours...Really nice to watch the battle.

They look like slightly modified RTW skins...

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

Just look at these screens from XGM, the colours, the colours...Really nice to watch the battle.

Yes, pretty but totally inaccurate. EB is not about eye candy but realism. We will make the units look more drab and boring than they already are if that is what is required for historical accuracy.

[antiochus epiphanes]

purty.

down hea we say " purdy"

[Sarcasm]

That Scutari is a real good piece of fantasy skinning.

[MeinPanzer]

EB is my fav mod for RTW but i must admit that i dont like the skins of the units very much, there not as colourfull and detailed compared to some other mods. I know its supposed to be a realistic mod but some extra eye candy wouldnt hurt for EB...

I really, really disagree... having played RTR and one or two other mods briefly, EB got the units just right. The colours are not too bright so as to appear like the units just got dressed in their finest linens that morning and the detail is perfect. The slightly faded colours look perfect; how do you think clothing made with natural dyes would look after spending days upon days in the sun, rain, snow, and mud?

[Ypoknons]

One question to have to ask is whether the people of the time had dyes that vibrant, whether it was affordable to dye their clothing in such a manner, and whether they in fact did so. One of the reasons why I like the Camillian Roman units so much is how plain they are - in 272, the Romans were a small, and not particularly rich, nation.

[MeinPanzer]

One question to have to ask is whether the people of the time had dyes that vibrant, whether it was affordable to dye their clothing in such a manner, and whether they in fact did so. One of the reasons why I like the Camillian Roman units so much is how plain they are - in 272, the Romans were a small, and not particularly rich, nation.

It's very clear that the Ptolemies, Seleucids, and Antigonids had some very, very flashy armies- the sources go out of their way to say so a numer of times.

And the Romans are only plain if you think red is plain ;)

[Geoffrey S]

Also, note that the XGM screenshot shows two highly elite units clashing; not really a representative screenshot. Sure, plain militia units in EB may look rather dull, but isn't that the point? Stick some high level units on the battlefield and it's entirely different; in fact, I like the fact that better units are distinguishable as such on the battlefield.

[HumphreysCraig00]

I dont mean to offend anyone with this but, if it wil offend people it will.

Anyway, graphics (textures especially) are definately the weakpoint of EB.

I have played Vanilla, BI, Vanilla using some RTR models and textures, XGM, and EB.

And EB is 2nd worst looking, with BI (Worst looking) yapping at its almighty feet, RTR is good but XGM is astounding looking, my best modded skins were based on xgm skins.

But as with the original RTW, which had crap graphics to be honest, its not the graphics that make the game, its the game.

[HumphreysCraig00]

Maybe can be a problem with your videocard.

My units looked blurry and had peg legs, but it was something about the videocard working in low quality.

I forgot to answer this in my last post.

they look like that because you have unit detail set for lowest in your graphics options, set it to low to give them real feet and hands and set it to highest to get reasonably good looking skins

[Imperator]

So who wins my dear gentlemen. Same unit, just as nice as each other in my opinion.

2 Questions to ask in determining which skin is better:
1) which one looks cooler?
--personally, I think they're both cool- although the EB one is certainly
pretty...unique. The RTR one doesn't look very indigenous Iberian to
me, but has a pretty Roman look to it. But that is 100% moot
because it's personal preference. whichever looks nicer to you wins
in this catagory
2) which one is accurate?
--can either team cite where they learned about what this unit should
look like? If there is a description of them in some source I don't
know about, then let's see it and then we'll be able to say whose is
more realistic and whose is more fantasy.

if you only care about #1, then what's the point of starting a topic? You can't convince someone that something looks cool- it either does or doesn't. Besides, folk round here (and at RTR too) don't just care about "coolness" (which is arbitrary and completely based on perspective) but about Accuracy (quantifiable and gradable). It depends how important each one is.

EB has a 25% coolness factor and 75% accuracy factor from what I can tell. They do their best to make cool units, and when there's room for the imagination they make some pretty sick skins, but never at the cost of history. RTR has an even 50-50 split. They make units more realistic, but not at the cost of eye-candy, and vice-versa. The result is that EB has more realistic skins, but RTR has skins some people think are cooler. In my mind, EB wins because while there's no way to prove whose skins are cooler (and opinion is pretty evenly divided over the issue anyway) EB's historical-ness gives it that extra edge. But then, I've been wrong before- can someone show us the source for that unit so we can see whose is (really) more realistic? Just because EB is usually more realistic doesn't mean RTR can't/won't catch up.

[abou]

EB has some of the best skins I have seen; bringing a grittiness to the atmosphere that is lacking in a number of mods. Are we really looking at the same mod?

[MeinPanzer]

2) which one is accurate?
--can either team cite where they learned about what this unit should
look like? If there is a description of them in some source I don't
know about, then let's see it and then we'll be able to say whose is
more realistic and whose is more fantasy.

The overall look of both units is fine, but the details of the EB units look more accurate, so I'd go with EB on that count.

[Olaf The Great]

Yes, pretty but totally inaccurate. EB is not about eye candy but realism. We will make the units look more drab and boring than they already are if that is what is required for historical accuracy.

I actually think the sacred band one is ugly...It really is.

[Spectral]

guess the loricati scutari aren't yet in 0.80? They would have made a fine complement to my iberian assault infantry in my later carthie armies :)

edit : it seems afterall they're available, just have to build higher the native MIC, too bad I changed early to type II govs...

[Omanes Alexandrapolites]

I actually think the sacred band one is ugly...It really is.

It's not too bad, not as good as the amazing EB sacred band, but it's still very nice. Everybody's work is to somebody's liking.

[Xtiaan72]

The EB skins are beautiful. How could anyone think they weren't? This is simply......a really bad opinion. I really want to know what is in the Koolade they are drinking.Does anyone think that EB would get the constant stream of converts that it gets, if the skins were weak? No way. It's called a realistic attention to detail. Skins that actually teach people something about the times. God forbid.