Considering just graphics: Where's the best?

ivandoomer

I already play WoW and Age of Conan... but i'm looking in the future for anything more... beautiful. With stunning graphics.

AoC is pretty beautiful, but I don't know if it leads the graphics quality game list.

AION promisses to be better? And about LotR, Global Agenda, TERA or Mortal Online?

Ty for help

Rallycart

No other MMO comes close to touching AoC's graphics. Aion is nicely styled, but no where near AoCs quality.LotRO has nice effects, but the character models are way off as well. Sorry, but if all you want is graphics, AoC is going to be king for a while. Only APB looks like it MIGHT boast similar graphics quality, and even that is unsure.

Capn23

sorry bud...AoC takes the cake. And this time...the cake is definitely NOT a lie.

ericbelser

Sorry but that is entirely a matter of opinion.

I think AoC. WAR. LotRO and Vanguard are all pretty close to the same overall "level" of graphics quality but with very different styles. (Heck maybe even EQ2 and WoW belong in that list, but it has been long enough since I played them that my memory is blurry)

Everyone raves about AoC, but having played it, I hated the graphics. The attempt to get a Frazetta-style gritty world just ended up looking dirty, muddy and indistinct to me. The buildings and town scapes were horrible, the human skins pratically leisure suit larry quality and most of the person/critter animations just a bit off.

Since they all have free demos, check them out and decide for yourself which one looks and "feels" best to you.

BigMango

Yep AoC is currently the best.

Next in line you have lotro and Aion somewhat on the same level, with Aion taking the lead with character graphics.

Vanguard is nice too (should be on the level with lotro&aion), but the world engine is still lacking a lot of features/polish after 2 years.

 

 

ivandoomer

Originally posted by Rallycart


No other MMO comes close to touching AoC's graphics. Aion is nicely styled, but no where near AoCs quality.LotRO has nice effects, but the character models are way off as well. Sorry, but if all you want is graphics, AoC is going to be king for a while. Only APB looks like it MIGHT boast similar graphics quality, and even that is unsure.

 

Wow, thanks a lot! XD

Long life AoC! o/

I didn't knew All Points Bulletin, loved that too! But as a FPS on a slow connection, I don't know if I will be happy playing that, I'm from Brazil (lol). I hope to can test a beta before 2010 XD

Thanks again!

demalus

 meh..aoc is ugly

AIMonster

Originally posted by ericbelser


Sorry but that is entirely a matter of opinion.
I think AoC. WAR. LotRO and Vanguard are all pretty close to the same overall "level" of graphics quality but with very different styles. (Heck maybe even EQ2 and WoW belong in that list, but it has been long enough since I played them that my memory is blurry)
Everyone raves about AoC, but having played it, I hated the graphics. The attempt to get a Frazetta-style gritty world just ended up looking dirty, muddy and indistinct to me. The buildings and town scapes were horrible, the human skins pratically leisure suit larry quality and most of the person/critter animations just a bit off.
Since they all have free demos, check them out and decide for yourself which one looks and "feels" best to you.

I know it's a matter of opinion, but speaking solely on what the graphics engine can do (how many polys it can push, etc) and not art styles AoC reigns supreme.  The other 3 you mentioned don't even come close.  The closest right now for a MMO (currently released) is Aion, but even it doesn't hold a candle to AoC's engine.

Also how can the AoC animations be off when they actually used motion capture technology to do the animations.  The critters I can understand, but they used real humans to do the human animations.  The animation is much more realistic than WAR's (which in my opinion had some really boring animations) and LotRO's.

Many MMOs that are scheduled for release next year are going to have superior graphics than AoC's.  This goes mostly for the ones using the Unreal 3 engine.  Check out the Blade and Soul trailer for an example of a game that is going to have better graphics than AoC (and a different art style).

Mikeha

Aion gets my vote. Age Of Conan looked good at first but that was it. Aion kept impressing me all the time I played it.

Cacolaco

I have to agree with AoC. That is the best looking mmo that I have played, and I've played most of them. The realism is unmatched compared to other mmo's (looks great next to most any game, for that matter)

Vanguard does a very nice job as well, having excellent textures, and is a distant second in my book (I think the water is subpar in that one though-and on a related note, the swimming in that game just looks terrible).  It gets points for being a seemless world, but I don't know if that would be considered strictly a "graphics" feature....

EQ2 Has good textures as well, and the water looks really good in places. The trees look terrible though.

WAR is only so-so, in my opinion. The art direction is just fine, but, like WoW, it relies on style in place of graphical bells and whistles.

LOTRO has some of the most scenic landscapes, and I have to admit that the water in that game looks beautiful, but character models are just "meh."

As far as future games are concerned, graphics-wise, I thought Mortal Online was looking pretty good (from screenshots), and who can say at this point, with The Old Republic, FFXIV, and Star Trek Online? It's just too early to tell how they'll turn out.

Graphics are always a tricky issue... Gameplay is should be the most important factor, but, I'd probably still be playing EQ if it looked like AoC or Vanguard, so I guess gameplay isn't everything.

ivandoomer

What about CrimeCraft, someone know that?

Netzoko

The Aion fanboys are flooding this site.. holy cow.

Anyone who says Aions graphics hold any kind of award is utterly blind. The game has graphics no different than 4 year old MMOs like LOTRO or Guild Wars.

Teiman

Originally posted by Rallycart


No other MMO comes close to touching AoC's graphics. Aion is nicely styled, but no where near AoCs quality.LotRO has nice effects, but the character models are way off as well. Sorry, but if all you want is graphics, AoC is going to be king for a while. Only APB looks like it MIGHT boast similar graphics quality, and even that is unsure.

  *This*

Is all what we know at the moment, and what we expect.   Next of AoC is EVE, but a different type of graphics (space ships).

ivandoomer

  *This*
Is all what we know at the moment, and what we expect.   Next of AoC is EVE, but a different type of graphics (space ships).

 

I tried to play EVE, but I'm a dumb, it is really really hard to me =(

Loke666

Have to agree with AoC. Both on graphics and animations, art however have some other games better.

But there are upcoming games that will beat it, Guildwars 2 and APB are the best cards right now but TOR will look great also, at least from what I seen of it.

CCPs World of darkness online will probably look great too, but that is just speculations.

As for the guy comparing Wow and EQ2: Here is a EQ2 screenshot Wow is nowhere near that but it have better art, different thing than graphics. Still, this is nothing compared to AoC.

[Deleted User]

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Khrymson

Even though its not out yet and won't be for at least a year I'll add FFXIV to the list of top end graphics due to this quote from the devs:

• In regards to the PC version, the game will utilize the most current version of Direct X that is out when beta testing begins. This goes for Operating System as well. Similarly, they do not specify Vista or Windows 7 as an operating system, saying again that it will depend on what is out at the time. For those of you looking to prep a new PC, Tanaka claims they are really looking to get on the cutting edge of technology with this installment. Like Final Fantasy XI, the game specs will be extremely high for the time, but in about 5 years, an average machine can run it on max settings with little to no issues. Tanaka also expressed interest in making a benchmark program available.

 

Was it not SOE that did this same strategy with EQII and its now 4 - 4.5 years later and the average PC have finally started to run it well and close to if not maxed out!  Now I'm not one that goes crazy over graphics being top end, best-of-the-best but I'm very eager to see what SE have created!

Jeffery.h

AoC = best graphics.

 

However, they broke the first rule of animation. Stylized animation, in distance.  how else can you tell mikey and goofy have the proper 4 fingers from 100 yards? Some things need to be bigger, some need to be smaller.  It's like barbie, in reality a person with that figure would be a concentration camp victim, but put her in plastic and she is one sexy lady.

uhjpae

Definitely AoC!

Scot

AoC hands down and the amazing thing is no other company even has a game with graphics as good as that on the horizon. I predicate AoC will not lose the graphics crown before 2011!

Josher

Technically AOC is the most advanced.  But poly's and effects don't mean much.  Overall appearance means more.   Design wise, its generic looking low fantasy browns and greys, bland and boring and much of the animation is stiff and not lifelike at all considering the style.  Motion capture does that.  The animation doesn't flow and the character float and skate across the ground instead of being stuck to it. 

Aion has the nicest combination or art vs tech to me and it stands out.  Its creative.  Its bright.  The animation is excellent.   Warhammer at times is very nice and even WOW when you're zoomed out has some really amazing vistas despite it lower poly counts.  Its all about the art and design...or at least it should be.  You can throw all the polys around that you want, but if your characters look like dead dolls, whats the point?

ericbelser

Originally posted by Magnum2103


I know it's a matter of opinion, but speaking solely on what the graphics engine can do (how many polys it can push, etc) and not art styles AoC reigns supreme.  The other 3 you mentioned don't even come close.  The closest right now for a MMO (currently released) is Aion, but even it doesn't hold a candle to AoC's engine.
Also how can the AoC animations be off when they actually used motion capture technology to do the animations.  The critters I can understand, but they used real humans to do the human animations.  The animation is much more realistic than WAR's (which in my opinion had some really boring animations) and LotRO's.

Well raw capability doesn't matter much if it was used badly...heh really I've never understood it, I actually played AoC and the building and human skins especially were terribly bad.

As for how the animations can be off - frankly I don't care what they did - watch the crocodiles and such move, they just don't move right and the people all move like drunken gorillas, not humans. (Mind you NO MMORPG gets this right, but I can't see why people think AoC is better)

So, AoC may have the best technical specs...but they still managed to make the overall effect look like garbage to me.

Cristina1

Originally posted by ericbelser

Originally posted by Magnum2103


I know it's a matter of opinion, but speaking solely on what the graphics engine can do (how many polys it can push, etc) and not art styles AoC reigns supreme.  The other 3 you mentioned don't even come close.  The closest right now for a MMO (currently released) is Aion, but even it doesn't hold a candle to AoC's engine.
Also how can the AoC animations be off when they actually used motion capture technology to do the animations.  The critters I can understand, but they used real humans to do the human animations.  The animation is much more realistic than WAR's (which in my opinion had some really boring animations) and LotRO's.

 

 (Mind you NO MMORPG gets this right.....)

 

 

the only way to get it right is to use motion capture like some single player games do.

Red_Rider

Originally posted by Netzoko


The Aion fanboys are flooding this site.. holy cow.
Anyone who says Aions graphics hold any kind of award is utterly blind. The game has graphics no different than 4 year old MMOs like LOTRO or Guild Wars.

 

    Well to many, unreleased games are always much better than released ones, then the come out and suddenly reality hits...

Kilmar

Age of Conan IMO

LynxJSA

If you're looking for cutting edge graphics, Vanguard, LOTRO and AoC seems to be the best for showing off what your card can do. LOTRO and AoC having what seem to be somewhat better animations than Vanguard. If you're looking for graphics that many find appealling, I'd say LOTRO, WOW and AION fall into that category. AION, like LOTRO, has some great animations and it also has a lot of cool extras. Idle animations that are weather/region dependent, elaborate animations and effects for the higher end skills, cutesy crafting animations and effects.

 

For a nice balance of tech and quality, I would suggest LOTRO and AION.