Polish

zchmrkenhoff

I would like to begin with an exclusive note that the title of my thread is not a reference to the valiant people of Poland but is actually a descriptor term for the fine-shellacing added to something to fully utilize modern technology in order to make it appear as current and contemporary as possible... ie, going back to the Poland example, the Nazi Blitzkrieg would be an example of polish while the Polish were not.

 

I'm starting to grow concerned that as our technology and ability to produce more outstanding-looking games in a graphical sense advances that it is really taking away from the player's overall ability to enjoy that game. I can remember fittingly playing Asheron's Call and while it wasn't that much of a graphically stunning game by modern terms, the game itself had a unique feel by what it's graphics were for that time and I think that such a sentiment could be applied to many games during that era. I think WoW for example represents the apex of graphical awesomeness and combined both stunning graphics and unique feeling so that the first 10 minutes or so you roamed your Tauren around Mulgore you were immediately hooked into the game.

 

But now with games such as AION I find that this polish is quite taking away from the games... in both AION and Chronicles of Spellborne for example, the sky seems to be a static image of something distracting that for me at least takes away from my ability to enjoy the game to its fullest, rather than having simple clouds or such as that in WoW. Such efforts were made, it seems, to completely take away all elements of AION that would make it seem Earth-like at all really to the point that it didn't really have that welcoming feel required to make it seem generally appealing to me. Things such as "earth-tone colors" apply here, where a world that is full of simple browns, greens, and tans is really easy to accept while flamboyant purples and blues take away from that unique feel when you play these Earth-like games.

 

I may have digressed from my original polish point there and my argument may be intersecting another. The point I'm making here is that it seems too much focus is spent into making the environment around you seem graphically real and polished instead of trying to make it a sensory-appealing world that allows you to have a breath of reality by panning the camera around you.

 

Example: Zones of WoW that have that "feel" that gives you juicy nostalgia: Mulgore, The Barrens, Stonetalon Mountains, Ashenvale, Thousand Needles, etc

And now for something completely different: Netherstorm, the robot-infested instances of Arcatraz and Botannica, Gnomeregan..........AION..............

 

I feel that these exuberant un-Earth-like MMOS and zones distract and retract from one's ability to enjoy the game and remove the unique feeling they could be experiencing. I propose.... MMO developers spend a few days in Mulgore, or something, and get in a good mindset before designing zones to achieve a similar feel.

BlueSkunk

Its funny (coincidental funny) as I'm reading your post it happened to be exactly what I was discussing with a good friend.

 

The realism involved in newer games takes away some of the good old fashioned fun of a fantasy world environment, and after all that is what they are supposed to be.

 

I blame my little brother and his friends for this, as in their opinion the better the graphics, the better the game must be.  He doesn't seem to understand that 'best' doesn't always need to be most realistic - but he is coming around.

nariusseldon

I don't think it is the realism of the graphics. I think it is the art direction.

WOW looks good because Blizzard has very very talented artists.

I think graphics polish (to distinguish from gameplay polish) is not necessarily bad .. you just need good artist to make the scene comes alive.

BlueSkunk

That is very true, but it comes down to personal opinion on wether it is good or not.

 

Me personally - I like the solid coloured objects in my games over the perfectly rendered/shaded realistic models.

I don't want it to look like my something my 2 year old finger painted at day care, but simple doesn't have to be crude.

 

At the end of the day it is a personal preference, but for me I want my gaming to not resemble most thing I see on a daily basis, so a simple plain pastel blue sky with white clouds, almost flouro green two-tone grass, and models that look a just little bit on the cartoon side are perfect.