First of all Dick, you know what I ment so no need to go all ballistic there.
Ok. thanks, now you got ur panties back out of that twist we can continue.
He was talking about a vast open world as far as your eyes could see. Nice, but not completely open since ... you hit hidden walls.
Now you can say, but you'll die going off that cliff. So what, at least give me the freedom to find a way down, and mayb I'll die, maybe I won't. But an imaginary wall ... tssss.
A lot of games give you this freedom, and sometimes you find shortcuts and whatnot.
Do you now know what I mean Dick?! Or should I say twat?
Or do you need a picture? Well you allready got a picture didn't you? One of a vast beautifull open country.
Yeah right.
Wow, gotta say, if anyone just made a Dick out of themselves... it was you.
And why is that, because I don't seem to worship this game to death and not seeing the flaws, or because I use the word dick?
Not at all. Your post reads as the one who's actually going "ballistic" and the condecending douchebaggery of the entire post is what led me to make my observation.
And whover said something about GW graphics being better than w0w (and I'm no w0w fan, not by a long shot), to me is almost laughable. GW = worst $50.00 I ever spent on a new game, LOL.
the graphics in GW is easily better than WoWs. Whether you like the game or not is not relevant in this matter.
I haven't seen much from FFXIV but it does look pretty nice graphically.
First of all Dick, you know what I ment so no need to go all ballistic there.
Ok. thanks, now you got ur panties back out of that twist we can continue.
He was talking about a vast open world as far as your eyes could see. Nice, but not completely open since ... you hit hidden walls.
Now you can say, but you'll die going off that cliff. So what, at least give me the freedom to find a way down, and mayb I'll die, maybe I won't. But an imaginary wall ... tssss.
A lot of games give you this freedom, and sometimes you find shortcuts and whatnot.
Do you now know what I mean Dick?! Or should I say twat?
Or do you need a picture? Well you allready got a picture didn't you? One of a vast beautifull open country.
Yeah right.
Wow, gotta say, if anyone just made a Dick out of themselves... it was you.
And why is that, because I don't seem to worship this game to death and not seeing the flaws, or because I use the word dick?
Not at all. Your post reads as the one who's actually going "ballistic" and the condecending douchebaggery of the entire post is what lead me to make my observation.
Allright, then you are forgiven not to see his condecending tone and douchebaggery in his first reply to me.
Originally posted by Seffren And why is that, because I don't seem to worship this game to death and not seeing the flaws, or because I use the word dick?
Invisible safety rails and the inability to jump might have made it easier to design the playfield and avoid exploits but it is lame and takes away from immersion in my honest opinion.
I don't understand why SE didn't realize that their fanbase has matured over the last 15 years and that as such they should have shifted the appearance of the mobs away from cartoony Mario Brothers mobs and closer to more fierce, gritty and ugly appearances instead.
While AoC is beatiful, not sure if I would say that it's 100x better...
And imo, from playing in the OB, not being able to jump... hasn't changed my opinion of this game. Never jumped in a FF game, and haven't felt the need to jump in this one. I will admit though, there have been a few occasions where I would have liked to been able to walk off a low ledge but have to go around. Still not a gamebreaker, for me
Third point, haven't seen any mobs but the starting ones in OB, from some of the videos I've seen though, they do get better, and besides FF as a series hasn't ever been "gritty and ugly" so... meh.
First of all Dick, you know what I ment so no need to go all ballistic there.
Ok. thanks, now you got ur panties back out of that twist we can continue.
You were talking about a vast open world as far as your eyes could see. Nice, but not completely open since ... you hit hidden walls.
Now you can say, but you'll die going off that cliff. So what, at least give me the freedom to find a way down, and mayb I'll die, maybe I won't. But an imaginary wall ... tssss.
A lot of games give you this freedom, and sometimes you find shortcuts and whatnot.
Do you now know what I mean Dick?! Or should I say twat?
Or do you need a picture? Well you allready got a picture didn't you? One of a vast beautifull open country.
Yeah right.
If there was a shortcut or path, you would see it. If there was a cave or ledge you could slide down to, you could. I still don't see your point as this beeing and argument or limiting in any way.
I am not playing a MMO to jump down cliffs, die, run to the next cliff and do it all over again. Seriously, i don't get it.
I bet you anything that if you could fall down everywhere, we would have people complaining they die too often from falling down beause the terrain is too hard to navigate or complicated.
"Give players systems and tools instead of rails and rules"
Graphics is FFXIV is definitely beautiful,my favourite area is Gridania...the forest looks stunning, I often just stop and look around and enjoy the view. It looks wonderful in the moonlight too, on the other day the weather is foggy, very realistic and nice. The animations are great too, and I love the dust effect.
Allright, then you are forgiven not to see his condecending tone and douchebaggery in his first reply to me.
Well, you are correct that I didn't see... because I didn't read it. Apparently what I saw was A Pot calling A Kettle Black... and of course felt the need to jump in and call you on it. XD
First of all Dick, you know what I ment so no need to go all ballistic there.
Ok. thanks, now you got ur panties back out of that twist we can continue.
You were talking about a vast open world as far as your eyes could see. Nice, but not completely open since ... you hit hidden walls.
Now you can say, but you'll die going off that cliff. So what, at least give me the freedom to find a way down, and mayb I'll die, maybe I won't. But an imaginary wall ... tssss.
A lot of games give you this freedom, and sometimes you find shortcuts and whatnot.
Do you now know what I mean Dick?! Or should I say twat?
Or do you need a picture? Well you allready got a picture didn't you? One of a vast beautifull open country.
Yeah right.
If there was a shortcut or path, you would see it. If there was a cave or ledge you could slide down to, you could. I still don't see your point as this beeing and argument or limiting in any way.
I am not playing a MMO to jump down cliffs, die, run to the next cliff and do it all over again. Seriously, i don't get it.
I bet you anything that if you could fall down everywhere, we would have people complaining they die to often from falling down beause the terrain is too hard to navigate or complicated.
Ok, this is better.
This may seem so to you, but to me it feels like clipping my moving freedom.
Just yesterday, when running north upto that mine, dunno what is is called, I could see it down in the valley, but I could only get to it by a specific path. One specific path.
The hidden walls kept me from trying to find another way down. Again, sure I might fall, or I could turn back, but at least give me the freedom to choose.
So yes, the picture shows you a wide open country (and I'm not debating the beauty coz I like it), but it's not completely open as some points you just cant get too.
What I'm trying to say is, you lack freedom of movement. It's like the game decides how you can reach a certain point.
Invisible safety rails and the inability to jump might have made it easier to design the playfield and avoid exploits but it is lame and takes away from immersion in my honest opinion.
I don't understand why SE didn't realize that their fanbase has matured over the last 15 years and that as such they should have shifted the appearance of the mobs away from cartoony Mario Brothers mobs and closer to more fierce, gritty and ugly appearances instead.
I don't know about you but i have been having nightmares ever i saw this mob in game.
Personally, jumping/non-jumping isn't an issue to me: I've played GW where you had instances and couldn't jump nor swim, but still it's one of the MMO's (CORPG, whatever) that I had the greatest fun with. It looked great, it played great, I got used to no jumping very quickly and didn't miss it after those first moments.
While I agree, that being able to jump is a selling point - or nonselling point in this case - to some MMO gamers who'll feel too restricted in their movement, it's not what the topic is about, and that is the graphical quality of FFXIV's world, not the free open-world feel of the game, which can be another interesting discussion - only not what this thread is about.
NB: yes, I think Vanguard has great graphics too for its time, but it starts to show its age. If SOE hadn't treated Vanguard as a stepmother a Cinderella, then I think Vanguard would have done great up till now, and with a graphic polishing with DX10/DX11 even more marvelous and maybe even the best - but it isn't the case.
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums: Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
Though i can think of a few things that i dont like about FFXIV i have to say the graphics are one of the best Visualy that i have seen in a long time they are crisp and nice looking like most the ff games.
Current games; Star treck online Rift Eve online Firefall
And whover said something about GW graphics being better than w0w (and I'm no w0w fan, not by a long shot), to me is almost laughable. GW = worst $50.00 I ever spent on a new game, LOL.
Wow, you made me spew because I couldn't believe someone actually said this about GW.
GW is easily one of the best games ever made. It's 5 years old now, but I'd still wholehearted recommend it to absolutely anyone. For its time, GW is gorgeous, especially considering just how well it performs on a wide range of computers. Even now, it looks great compared to lot of new games.
There is a reason why GW2 is one of the most highly anticipated games in recent years. ArenaNet has only made one game, but in my mind, ArenaNet rivals the very best development houses.
You must be blind and gaming impaired to think that GW was a waste of money.
GW was crap, pure unadulterated crap. (Sunny!) I wouldn't recommend it to my dog, who is dead, I just don't want to waste the poor things time like that.
Also anyone who refuses to admit that FFXIV is the best looking MMO out is clearly just trolling the game.
FFXIV is definately a gorgeous, gorgeous game. It gorgeousness comes at a bit of a price in that you can't have too many NPC/PCs on screen at once and it requires a pretty powerful system to run, but there's so much mind-numbingly good details in the game that it's incredible.
For example, try this: get in the game, pan the camera around to face your character, zoom in reasonably close, and do an emote. Pay attention to the facial expression. Note the audio queue. Now, find me another MMORPG that put that much work into their emotes.
Or note that when you equip jewelery, you can actually see it being worn by your character. I'm pretty sure every little thing, no matter how minute, you can equip on your character is actually visible on your character model. This is a first in MMORPG history. At least that I can readily recall. (if there was an MMORPG did this but really limited the slots on your character, in which case theirs is a lesser accomplishment.)
This is say nothing for the absolutely gorgeous scenery, which has taken my breath away more than once.
Now, if you have the hate the game, go ahead and hate that the GUI doesn't play like you want, or that it doesn't lead you around as much. Fine, if these are things you absolutely must have in your MMORPGs, you missed the boat when they made Final Fantasy XIV. However, if you say the game is ugly, sir... well, I suppose beauty is in the eye of the beholder...
Or note that when you equip jewelery, you can actually see it being worn by your character. I'm pretty sure every little thing, no matter how minute, you can equip on your character is actually visible on your character model. This is a first in MMORPG history. At least that I can readily recall. (if there was an MMORPG did this but really limited the slots on your character, in which case theirs is a lesser accomplishment.)
Haha, this is so funny.
People rag so much on SoE, but they forget just how awesome Star Wars Galaxies used to be. The team that made that game had balls...they were willing to take some major risks.
SWG still has one of the best clothing/customization options of any MMORPG and the game is seven years old. And yes, you can see any jewelry you are wearing. Heck, you can customize and color the jewelry too.
Among all MMORPG's, SWG most definitely ranks as one of the most ambitious and revolutionary. Honestly, in some ways, SWG is still too ahead of its time...right now. Too bad the flaws (horrible flaws) dragged it down so much.
Anyways, no doubt that FFXIV is a great looking game. Much of it has to do with SE. They have so much experience creating beautiful games with great atmosphere. Too bad this also means the system requirements are pretty hefty.
It is very pretty but as usual SE focused way to much on graphics and not near enough on the other aspects of the game, like gameplay etc.
"An MMORPG could be completely diffirent from WoW. Just look at games like Dofus, Wizard101 or EVE. But as it is, most of the Western MMOs are trying to succeed by out-WoWing WoW. It's like an army of 10 sports games made about same sports, and barely none about other sports. WoW clone is an accurate description of those games, it manages to convey much information with only two words." -Poster on mmorpg.com
Rift: World of Warcraft clone #9321 Nothing special to see here move along.
Best looking, are you serious? Who's paying you to say this? can i get in?
1.the graphics system is out dated..........inefficient..........and the renderings are lame.
2.there is a lot of fantastic detail on items pouches etc. but where is the detail in the combat system.
not meaning to sound like a troll, but cmon, Guild Wars 2 looks fantastic and so refreshing, just like WoW when it first came out, too bad they didn't just ditch it and go to WoW 2 wud have killed.
i almost could have predicted this post would come up....gamers you have let me down...and the dodo
Best looking, are you serious? Who's paying you to say this? can i get in?
1.the graphics system is out dated..........inefficient..........and the renderings are lame.
2.there is a lot of fantastic detail on items pouches etc. but where is the detail in the combat system.
not meaning to sound like a troll, but cmon, Guild Wars 2 looks fantastic and so refreshing, just like WoW when it first came out, too bad they didn't just ditch it and go to WoW 2 wud have killed.
Read my posts in this thread, as I said before I only compared with MMO's that are out, not ones that are upcoming, and of those only AoC's graphics are on par with FFXIV. This screenshot thread says enough.
Graphics system outdated? Lol, SE managed with it to do what no other MMO company has achieved so far: graphics of a detail and texture quality of an AoC but then all seamless travelling, no instances, and this all on a crossplatform MMO.
That's an achievement, however you like to twist it.
And btw, you're saying GW2's devs should have gone to WoW or WoW2?! Surely that is a joke, I think they achieved more with GW2 than just some copy paste with some polish added.
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums: Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
I remember what they said about APB being pretty and we all know where that ended up. Same with Aion, pretty is as pretty does in the case of FFXIV
As good as all MMORPG's released post-WoW failed to live up to expectations. Besides Aion is still doing great in Korea, their main target audience.
Graphics is never the deciding factor whether people keep playing a game, WoW is the best example for that, and neither is the first levels experience a sign how gameplay experience in later levels is; but it sure makes it more enjoyable to spend your time in a MMO world when it looks stunning and beautiful.
At least to the people who can appreciate such visuals of course.
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums: Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
If we are only comparing games in late beta phases and release then only AoC can give FFXIV a run for it's money. Both games have their advantages and weaknesses when it comes to graphics. Both use motion capture for their animation which looks very nice and fluid. Vindicitus also looks very good, but I'm not sure if that's up for comparison here.
As far as upcoming games there are a lot that will probably blow FFXIV out of the water: The Secret World, TERA, Blade & Soul, Archeage, and Guild Wars 2 all look fantastic. I'm sure there are a few more that can be added here too.
Sorry, but Vanguard doesn't come anywhere close to AoC or FFXIV's level of graphic's quality. Sure, it has great looking terrain, but in my opinion the character models and some of the animations look terrible in comparison. Lighting effects look nowhere near as good. It's mostly due to the game's age, because for it's time Vanguard's graphics were incredible.
I only compared with the current MMO's. When it comes to the upcoming MMO's, let's face it, ALL the current MMO's will have a run for their money when the next batch of MMORPG's arrive on the scene the next year, and also on the graphics level: GW2, Vindictus, Rift, TERA, TSW, and shortly after that WoD and Archeage. Those are some major contenders when it comes to graphical quality.
When it comes to repetitiveness of terrain objects, as far as I've seen the remarks and comments of beta players go, some people have a problem with it, some find it trivial and have no issue with it, some people didn't even notice it and some use it merely as a front/camouflage argument to bang on FFXIV, as far as I'm concerned it's a matter of taste and personal priorities in game enjoyment, just like that some people find the controls of any other MMO besides WoW unresponsive and clunky and therefor too annoying to play.
No matter someone's personal preference in this, the simple fact remains that SE has achieved with FFXIV what no MMORPG has done so far: that is an MMO world with the AoC-level of graphical quality, but then with full seamless transitioning, no instancing or loading screens at all.
So far it has been an "either... or" situation, either you have the cartoony/stylised MMO world with seamless transitioning, or you have the highly graphically detailed MMO world but with loading screens and instances.
Just to insert some facts here I played AOC and as far as Graphics go it is superior to FFXIV the main reason for this is that FFXIV used a tile set graphics style while AOC, LORTO, wow and most MMO on the market use a mesh style design. The reason for using a mesh over a tile set is the terrain does not repeat over and over. While they all copy paste trees buildings and caves over and over while you walk through the world the terrain varies as you go. Now in the developer’s defense they could not run the mesh style with that level of graphics detail on most peoples current desktops. You would have to have a bleeding edge gaming rig to run the game anything less would be unplayable.
So if they wanted to be able to run the game on anything other than bleeding edge computers they had to make some compromises and that means using a tile set graphics design. This style of design loads less information into memory than the mesh style that’s why it's easier on the hardware. The OP is interested in good graphics and that helps his immersion into the game while that is true the people making the game can't expect their customers to all have bleeding edge computers thus the terrain repeat over and over. I for one am one of those that value game play over graphics as a result I like WOW because I feel that the game play is better for the most part.
Back to AOC for a min that game has the mesh style design with top level graphics the immersion as far is graphics go is one of the best out there but you will have to have a top end computer to play it without video lag that's for sure. The sluggishness that a lot of people experience while playing AOC can't be avoided so as a result they quit. The game's Sub numbers have lagged as a result while this is only one reason AOC has had trouble it is a big part of the problem which I would guess FFXIV is trying to avoid.
Aside from all the nay sayers and new game haters.
FFXIV's graphics are suprisingly awe inspiring. Just a background on my opinion. I started playing MMO's when EQ launched. So I have gotten to watch the evolution of these games. And by the way I hated FFXI, avoided WoW for 2 years after it launched. I ducked into the F2P games before they really got popular. I have seen the ugly and have seen the beautiful. I have played, Guild wars, Eve Online, Silkroad Online, RF Online, Warhammer, Age of Conan, and countless others.
Age of Conan & Final Fantasy XIV have the most advanced grapics I have seen in any MMO.
Diffrence is you need 64bit OS to see how nice AoC looks. FFXIV graphics are off the chain, the detail is immense. I thought AoC and warhammer had deep detail. FFXIV has captured my visual appeal, I am mistified how great this game looks with all the textures and effects at max.
The graphics style is very anime like vs the realistic look of AoC or WAR. I like to make a reality check on the GW2 fanbois. GW2 gfx look ugly, all the gfx in that game are just brushed up from thier old engine, they are blotchy and disguised by over used shaders and light effects. FFXIV has combined smooth model detail with amazing lighting and shadow detail, add in thier physics engine and I cannot help but be jaw dropped amazed at how fantastic a job square enix did on this game.
As for the gameplay and combat. Well that will be improved over time like every other MMO. This game has a competitve look and feel for a launch title and I am confident it will hold its own. It will be nice to play something diffrent for a change. And yes I know blah blah grindfest. There isn't a single game out there that doesn't make you grind something. Now stop hating and go play what you want, to each his own.
Aside from all the nay sayers and new game haters.
FFXIV's graphics are suprisingly awe inspiring. Just a background on my opinion. I started playing MMO's when EQ launched. So I have gotten to watch the evolution of these games. And by the way I hated FFXI, avoided WoW for 2 years after it launched. I ducked into the F2P games before they really got popular. I have seen the ugly and have seen the beautiful. I have played, Guild wars, Eve Online, Silkroad Online, RF Online, Warhammer, Age of Conan, and countless others.
Age of Conan & Final Fantasy XIV have the most advanced grapics I have seen in any MMO.
Diffrence is you need 64bit OS to see how nice AoC looks. FFXIV graphics are off the chain, the detail is immense. I thought AoC and warhammer had deep detail. FFXIV has captured my visual appeal, I am mistified how great this game looks with all the textures and effects at max.
The graphics style is very anime like vs the realistic look of AoC or WAR. I like to make a reality check on the GW2 fanbois. GW2 gfx look ugly, all the gfx in that game are just brushed up from thier old engine, they are blotchy and disguised by over used shaders and light effects. FFXIV has combined smooth model detail with amazing lighting and shadow detail, add in thier physics engine and I cannot help but be jaw dropped amazed at how fantastic a job square enix did on this game.
As for the gameplay and combat. Well that will be improved over time like every other MMO. This game has a competitve look and feel for a launch title and I am confident it will hold its own. It will be nice to play something diffrent for a change. And yes I know blah blah grindfest. There isn't a single game out there that doesn't make you grind something. Now stop hating and go play what you want, to each his own.
I actually think this is the part that will remain exactly the same. The gameplay and combat are one of the things that separates it from the rest.
Comments
Not at all. Your post reads as the one who's actually going "ballistic" and the condecending douchebaggery of the entire post is what led me to make my observation.
edit for spelling
the graphics in GW is easily better than WoWs. Whether you like the game or not is not relevant in this matter.
I haven't seen much from FFXIV but it does look pretty nice graphically.
Allright, then you are forgiven not to see his condecending tone and douchebaggery in his first reply to me.
Just rage quit while yer ahead.
Shadus
While AoC is beatiful, not sure if I would say that it's 100x better...
And imo, from playing in the OB, not being able to jump... hasn't changed my opinion of this game. Never jumped in a FF game, and haven't felt the need to jump in this one. I will admit though, there have been a few occasions where I would have liked to been able to walk off a low ledge but have to go around. Still not a gamebreaker, for me
Third point, haven't seen any mobs but the starting ones in OB, from some of the videos I've seen though, they do get better, and besides FF as a series hasn't ever been "gritty and ugly" so... meh.
If there was a shortcut or path, you would see it. If there was a cave or ledge you could slide down to, you could. I still don't see your point as this beeing and argument or limiting in any way.
I am not playing a MMO to jump down cliffs, die, run to the next cliff and do it all over again. Seriously, i don't get it.
I bet you anything that if you could fall down everywhere, we would have people complaining they die too often from falling down beause the terrain is too hard to navigate or complicated.
Graphics is FFXIV is definitely beautiful,my favourite area is Gridania...the forest looks stunning, I often just stop and look around and enjoy the view. It looks wonderful in the moonlight too, on the other day the weather is foggy, very realistic and nice. The animations are great too, and I love the dust effect.
Well, you are correct that I didn't see... because I didn't read it. Apparently what I saw was A Pot calling A Kettle Black... and of course felt the need to jump in and call you on it. XD
Ok, this is better.
This may seem so to you, but to me it feels like clipping my moving freedom.
Just yesterday, when running north upto that mine, dunno what is is called, I could see it down in the valley, but I could only get to it by a specific path. One specific path.
The hidden walls kept me from trying to find another way down. Again, sure I might fall, or I could turn back, but at least give me the freedom to choose.
So yes, the picture shows you a wide open country (and I'm not debating the beauty coz I like it), but it's not completely open as some points you just cant get too.
What I'm trying to say is, you lack freedom of movement. It's like the game decides how you can reach a certain point.
I don't know about you but i have been having nightmares ever i saw this mob in game.
Nightmare
...on a more serious note, I think they qualify for gritty and ugly:
Morbol using bad breath attack
Morbol
Personally, jumping/non-jumping isn't an issue to me: I've played GW where you had instances and couldn't jump nor swim, but still it's one of the MMO's (CORPG, whatever) that I had the greatest fun with. It looked great, it played great, I got used to no jumping very quickly and didn't miss it after those first moments.
While I agree, that being able to jump is a selling point - or nonselling point in this case - to some MMO gamers who'll feel too restricted in their movement, it's not what the topic is about, and that is the graphical quality of FFXIV's world, not the free open-world feel of the game, which can be another interesting discussion - only not what this thread is about.
NB: yes, I think Vanguard has great graphics too for its time, but it starts to show its age. If SOE hadn't treated Vanguard as a stepmother a Cinderella, then I think Vanguard would have done great up till now, and with a graphic polishing with DX10/DX11 even more marvelous and maybe even the best - but it isn't the case.
The ACTUAL size of MMORPG worlds: a comparison list between MMO's
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums:
Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
Though i can think of a few things that i dont like about FFXIV i have to say the graphics are one of the best Visualy that i have seen in a long time they are crisp and nice looking like most the ff games.
Current games;
Star treck online
Rift
Eve online
Firefall
Wow, you made me spew because I couldn't believe someone actually said this about GW.
GW is easily one of the best games ever made. It's 5 years old now, but I'd still wholehearted recommend it to absolutely anyone. For its time, GW is gorgeous, especially considering just how well it performs on a wide range of computers. Even now, it looks great compared to lot of new games.
There is a reason why GW2 is one of the most highly anticipated games in recent years. ArenaNet has only made one game, but in my mind, ArenaNet rivals the very best development houses.
You must be blind and gaming impaired to think that GW was a waste of money.
GW was crap, pure unadulterated crap. (Sunny!) I wouldn't recommend it to my dog, who is dead, I just don't want to waste the poor things time like that.
Also anyone who refuses to admit that FFXIV is the best looking MMO out is clearly just trolling the game.
http://xivpads.com/?1595680
http://guildwork.com/users/murugan
FFXIV is definately a gorgeous, gorgeous game. It gorgeousness comes at a bit of a price in that you can't have too many NPC/PCs on screen at once and it requires a pretty powerful system to run, but there's so much mind-numbingly good details in the game that it's incredible.
For example, try this: get in the game, pan the camera around to face your character, zoom in reasonably close, and do an emote. Pay attention to the facial expression. Note the audio queue. Now, find me another MMORPG that put that much work into their emotes.
Or note that when you equip jewelery, you can actually see it being worn by your character. I'm pretty sure every little thing, no matter how minute, you can equip on your character is actually visible on your character model. This is a first in MMORPG history. At least that I can readily recall. (if there was an MMORPG did this but really limited the slots on your character, in which case theirs is a lesser accomplishment.)
This is say nothing for the absolutely gorgeous scenery, which has taken my breath away more than once.
Now, if you have the hate the game, go ahead and hate that the GUI doesn't play like you want, or that it doesn't lead you around as much. Fine, if these are things you absolutely must have in your MMORPGs, you missed the boat when they made Final Fantasy XIV. However, if you say the game is ugly, sir... well, I suppose beauty is in the eye of the beholder...
Haha, this is so funny.
People rag so much on SoE, but they forget just how awesome Star Wars Galaxies used to be. The team that made that game had balls...they were willing to take some major risks.
SWG still has one of the best clothing/customization options of any MMORPG and the game is seven years old. And yes, you can see any jewelry you are wearing. Heck, you can customize and color the jewelry too.
Among all MMORPG's, SWG most definitely ranks as one of the most ambitious and revolutionary. Honestly, in some ways, SWG is still too ahead of its time...right now. Too bad the flaws (horrible flaws) dragged it down so much.
Anyways, no doubt that FFXIV is a great looking game. Much of it has to do with SE. They have so much experience creating beautiful games with great atmosphere. Too bad this also means the system requirements are pretty hefty.
It is very pretty but as usual SE focused way to much on graphics and not near enough on the other aspects of the game, like gameplay etc.
"An MMORPG could be completely diffirent from WoW. Just look at games like Dofus, Wizard101 or EVE. But as it is, most of the Western MMOs are trying to succeed by out-WoWing WoW. It's like an army of 10 sports games made about same sports, and barely none about other sports. WoW clone is an accurate description of those games, it manages to convey much information with only two words."
-Poster on mmorpg.com
Rift: World of Warcraft clone #9321 Nothing special to see here move along.
Best looking, are you serious? Who's paying you to say this? can i get in?
1.the graphics system is out dated..........inefficient..........and the renderings are lame.
2.there is a lot of fantastic detail on items pouches etc. but where is the detail in the combat system.
not meaning to sound like a troll, but cmon, Guild Wars 2 looks fantastic and so refreshing, just like WoW when it first came out, too bad they didn't just ditch it and go to WoW 2 wud have killed.
i almost could have predicted this post would come up....gamers you have let me down...and the dodo
I remember what they said about APB being pretty and we all know where that ended up. Same with Aion, pretty is as pretty does in the case of FFXIV
amen
Read my posts in this thread, as I said before I only compared with MMO's that are out, not ones that are upcoming, and of those only AoC's graphics are on par with FFXIV. This screenshot thread says enough.
Graphics system outdated? Lol, SE managed with it to do what no other MMO company has achieved so far: graphics of a detail and texture quality of an AoC but then all seamless travelling, no instances, and this all on a crossplatform MMO.
That's an achievement, however you like to twist it.
And btw, you're saying GW2's devs should have gone to WoW or WoW2?! Surely that is a joke, I think they achieved more with GW2 than just some copy paste with some polish added.
The ACTUAL size of MMORPG worlds: a comparison list between MMO's
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums:
Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
As good as all MMORPG's released post-WoW failed to live up to expectations. Besides Aion is still doing great in Korea, their main target audience.
Graphics is never the deciding factor whether people keep playing a game, WoW is the best example for that, and neither is the first levels experience a sign how gameplay experience in later levels is; but it sure makes it more enjoyable to spend your time in a MMO world when it looks stunning and beautiful.
At least to the people who can appreciate such visuals of course.
The ACTUAL size of MMORPG worlds: a comparison list between MMO's
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums:
Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
Just to insert some facts here I played AOC and as far as Graphics go it is superior to FFXIV the main reason for this is that FFXIV used a tile set graphics style while AOC, LORTO, wow and most MMO on the market use a mesh style design. The reason for using a mesh over a tile set is the terrain does not repeat over and over. While they all copy paste trees buildings and caves over and over while you walk through the world the terrain varies as you go. Now in the developer’s defense they could not run the mesh style with that level of graphics detail on most peoples current desktops. You would have to have a bleeding edge gaming rig to run the game anything less would be unplayable.
So if they wanted to be able to run the game on anything other than bleeding edge computers they had to make some compromises and that means using a tile set graphics design. This style of design loads less information into memory than the mesh style that’s why it's easier on the hardware. The OP is interested in good graphics and that helps his immersion into the game while that is true the people making the game can't expect their customers to all have bleeding edge computers thus the terrain repeat over and over. I for one am one of those that value game play over graphics as a result I like WOW because I feel that the game play is better for the most part.
Back to AOC for a min that game has the mesh style design with top level graphics the immersion as far is graphics go is one of the best out there but you will have to have a top end computer to play it without video lag that's for sure. The sluggishness that a lot of people experience while playing AOC can't be avoided so as a result they quit. The game's Sub numbers have lagged as a result while this is only one reason AOC has had trouble it is a big part of the problem which I would guess FFXIV is trying to avoid.
Aside from all the nay sayers and new game haters.
FFXIV's graphics are suprisingly awe inspiring. Just a background on my opinion. I started playing MMO's when EQ launched. So I have gotten to watch the evolution of these games. And by the way I hated FFXI, avoided WoW for 2 years after it launched. I ducked into the F2P games before they really got popular. I have seen the ugly and have seen the beautiful. I have played, Guild wars, Eve Online, Silkroad Online, RF Online, Warhammer, Age of Conan, and countless others.
Age of Conan & Final Fantasy XIV have the most advanced grapics I have seen in any MMO.
Diffrence is you need 64bit OS to see how nice AoC looks. FFXIV graphics are off the chain, the detail is immense. I thought AoC and warhammer had deep detail. FFXIV has captured my visual appeal, I am mistified how great this game looks with all the textures and effects at max.
The graphics style is very anime like vs the realistic look of AoC or WAR. I like to make a reality check on the GW2 fanbois. GW2 gfx look ugly, all the gfx in that game are just brushed up from thier old engine, they are blotchy and disguised by over used shaders and light effects. FFXIV has combined smooth model detail with amazing lighting and shadow detail, add in thier physics engine and I cannot help but be jaw dropped amazed at how fantastic a job square enix did on this game.
As for the gameplay and combat. Well that will be improved over time like every other MMO. This game has a competitve look and feel for a launch title and I am confident it will hold its own. It will be nice to play something diffrent for a change. And yes I know blah blah grindfest. There isn't a single game out there that doesn't make you grind something. Now stop hating and go play what you want, to each his own.
Fatetaker Voidwalker
Linkshell founder of Shi Ryu of Aegis & Figaro
Leader of the Bad Wolves Multi Game Community
I actually think this is the part that will remain exactly the same. The gameplay and combat are one of the things that separates it from the rest.