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So it's just a normal day, when checking your favorite game news site, you hear about a new game that is in the making that really gets you excited.
Only to let you down when it is released, due to a lack of polish.
No, I am not talking about the general state of completeness or how bug free the game is. ..
I am talking about the graphics.
"But CalebG," you might ask, "you are a game designer, you should know that gameplay should be the deciding factor over graphics!" And I stand firm with that point that yes, indeed, game design should be the holding factor, not game art. But how does game design hook and keep the player playing, when the player isn't even attracted to the graphics.
The game that I most recently exprienced this was Warhammer Online. I found the game great on many levels, with many small innovations, or deviations from the norm. Combat was rather fast paced, like City of Horoes on steroids, but yet keeping the "intellegent" factor of games like World of Warcraft. Mythic kept close to the Warhammer canon, and they have essentially created a world that would make any Warhammer fan squeal like a stereotype japanese school girl with pigtails who just saw a cute cat doing something... cute.
The art direction was great, however, the actual quality was lacking.
- Low poly (polygon) counts of models.
- Low resolution textures.
- Low detail in said textures.
- Poor Animations.
- Color schemes almost seem like it wasn't picked well.
I understand the dilemma that Mythic faced; quality or performance? However, as much as I hate to do so, let's compare the quality between WAR and World of Warcraft.
Just as a refresher for those who might have forgot about WoW's artstyle, and for those who have not played WoW, which is probably a total of 1 of you.
- Low poly count of models and maps.
- Mid level resolution textures.
- Low detail textures.
- Decent animations.
- Well picked colors schemes.
Low Poly Count
As Blizzard has so expertly demonstrated in Warcraft 3 and WoW, it is possible to "cheat" and go the low polygon route, which takes up a significant portion of processing power (be it on the general processor, the graphic processor or both). In fact, I believe that WoW might have a lower poly count then WAR even!
Texture Resolution and Detail
The "skin" for an otherwise blank model, this is what gives the character or that bit of architecture or doodad it's graphical appeal. Blizzard decided to put more focus on this. The item or doodad in mind might not be overly detailed (i.e. Age of Conan), and in fact is generally simplified, but it looks good, because there are no jagged lines like in WAR (as in they accidentally used a "aliasing filter" instead of an "anti-aliasing filter". Detail in the textures are always kept to a reasonable amount; even most of WoW's tier armor sets are generally speaking, simple, compared to what some other games do.
Animation
I will admit now that I am an animation critic as I feel that if the model is the skeleton, the texture the skin, then animation is the soul of the character. WAR fails sorely in this point. Almost all animations are in dire need of polish. WoW managed to capture the essence of each animation well. So, while not overly eleborate, it feels... natural if you will, playing a WoW character.
Color Combinations
Now this is a sensitive topic for WAR, and is a point I am willing to overlook, since Mythic tried hard to keep to the original art of Warhammer.
Summery
So why did WAR end up the way it has, and WoW ended up on pretty much the otherside of the spectrum, even with same, or similiar details?
I believe it lies in the general art style. While WoW has specificially altered the art style to cater to the limitations, WAR has tried to stick to the art found in the many rulebooks in Warhammer. The good part is, current Warhammer players can identify with it. The bad part is, you suddenly find yourself very confined to the limits of what you can do.
Of course, this is just what I observe and believe to be; and strictly my own opinions. If you love WAR's art style and graphic fidelity, please go on and enjoy that awesome game!
Tags: warhammer online world of warcraft war wow art quality
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