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EQ Next Artwork Opinion and My Hopes !!!
Elmberry
Member UncommonPosts: 195
What's your opinion about the artwork of EQ Next? I know you can't base your opinion about how a game will look like when you have just seen some artwork, but my goal here is to give SOE some early comments what needs improvement, so they can change things early during game development, before it's to late. Here is my comments.
Dark elf:
http://picasaweb.google.com/TroyCrossEmail/EQNextPanelPhotos#5502735815122031522
Extremely thin waist - I really hope the elfs in general (or any race) will not be equal thin (around the waist) as in the below artwork. They looks equal ugly as the elfs in WoW. Almost as they have some anorectic disease.
Forehead + nose - The nose together with the forehead looksugly. I really hope we will not look like this. It's important each race have something in their appearance which is charming even if they have an evil look. Good example: EQL preluclin troll (short legs, rabbit ears, huge stomach and evil smile). Bad example: EQ2 troll.
I really hope we are not forced to carry only arabic cloth on our DE characters.
Orc:
http://picasaweb.google.com/TroyCrossEmail/EQNextPanelPhotos#5502735725230046930
The weapon of the ogre looks little overdimensional. I hope the weapons will be propotional with the characters who wields them and not so large as we have seen in other games like in WoW.
In general I think the artwork looks little to cartony and to much bright color. Yeah, I know we can't really judge the game yet, but the artwork is the only we can judge now. So I hope the graphic will look more realistic than what the artwork show us.
Other things not related to artwork:
I hope they will introduce camping and how looting worked in EQL (bosses had small looting table) than the shit we have seen in other games. I also hope the game have some soft level restriction (if any) on items. I really like twinking and hate the colored items WoW has. All weapons felt basically the same. Opposite of EQL were most weapons was different. None or just few had same DPS or Armor. I also hope we will just see common mobs and bosses in dungeons and not so called elite mobs as in Vanguards Saga of Heroes and WoW. So if you have a group you can take greater challanges (higher level dungeons) and still be able to loot and directly equip the items who drops. If you are solo you can also enter dungeons for your level. I hope dungeons will not be instanced, so the world becomes more open.
Comments
That's really something you're concerned about? Terrorism in your MMO?
Really all of your opinions and suggestions sound like nothing but scorn. If you think your ideas are at all valid then go to school to become an artist. Then apply to SOE and hope they some how could agree with that rambling mess you've posted there.
I kill other players because they're smarter than AI, sometimes.
I thought the same thing when I saw the screenshots of Freeport they showed. A few things the lady on the panel said that jumped out at me was "more colorful" and I believe the other was "pretty" (Second day, Video Two). She has been with the company for a while but her most recent project I believe was Freerealms, which may be the reason for the "cute" feel to Freeport.
The other thing that has me concerned is the guy that is leading this thing is a solo and casual player. I hope that doesn't have much of an impact on the design decisions with the game.
I'm not too concerned since this is the only info we have on the game at the moment and it isn't much. That and the fact it is still in development.
I think they may have gotten enough comments on the art style reminding too many people about "Freerealms" to maybe change the feel of the art. Who knows. It bothered Smedly enough to go out of his way to make a comment about it. That and not being targeted to kids like Freerealms as well.
I am glad I am not the only one who feels like that about the cartony artwork.
I have no problem that the game is targeted little more toward casual players than EQ was where you couldn't do almost "anything" without a full group.
Another thing which I have noticed on at some of the artwork is that the shoulder armor looks really large. It would be great if the game didn't go the same path graphic wise regarding how large things are (weapons and armor in general) as in WoW. Make them instead more beautiful and great looking the higher level you become and not unrealistic large like in the artworks.
Make also magical equipment quite hard to get, so you really feel rewarded when you eventually find them. Make so they last more levels than in WoW where they feel old already after 4-5 levels.
I love the artwork. Kelethin and Freeport look amazing imo. They turned the bloom up to all hell for the screenshots, so maybe that's what's turning some poeple off.
I commented on the art on the thread in the Pub, but I will recap here --
I actually don't mind the colorful, somewhat cartoony look. It will matter more to me if the art is good and the style consistent. I think they may tone it down just a little and possibly de-cartoonify it a bit even before beta, since they've already had to defend it as "not made for kids".
I don't like the hugely pointy ears on the dark elf. I thought they looked silly in L2, I think they look silly in WoW, and I am still not going for it. Big, sure. Pointy, sure. That big and that pointy? Too much! I think EQ1 AND 2 dark elves (and other elves) are more in line with what I'd like to see. They can go thinner, sure. Just leave the rabbit ears to the rabbits.
I really hate the idea of going big in the shoulder area with armor, as mentioned on the panel. I mean, a few sets of big, impressive shoulders might be okay on a tank, but I would really rather see more diversity and creativity in visible armor sets. The huge, stupid shoulderpads are one of the things that bugs me about WoW, and the diversity in "fashion" sets is one of the more interesting things about item mall games.
Having choices about how you look was one of the things I liked about EQ2 the last time I played, particularly when I got a set of black display armor for my assassin. Nice! I hope the big shoulder items are at least optional.
I will definitely be checking out the concept art and screenshots that come out of the EQNext project as it progresses.
I suppose a valid point has to be that the "strengths" of any of the EQ games have never really included artwork. EQ had some truely horrid models and bad graphics and EQ2, while neat in places really wasn't anything that great either. So on that basis, it hardly matters what they do graphics-wise.
That said, I absolutely HATE the "cartoony" style of graphics that WoW introduced to MMOs. I think it is childish and ugly. Obviously that is purely opinion, but it is a significant factor in games that I choose to play, so if "EQ next" goes that way it will virtually guarantee that I will not be buying into it.
I can also understand why SOE might choose to go that route; everyone seems to be racing to the lowest common denominator in the rush to get the "borderline" gamer masses from social apps.
Looks fine to me. Much better than anything EQ2 offers.