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Critical question, VD

MountainWest

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May 29, 2006
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Over there
VD said:
Anyway, tell me how to improve this picture. We've been tweaking it for awhile, but I'm still not pleased.

Looks good. Actually it exceeds my expectations by a far margain. The one thing it lacks is life. It doesn't look like a place where people live.

Some suggestions (of course, if it's a strictly military compound then I guess it should look sterile):

*Flags (or whatever those flag-like military things are called) from the top of the walls. See upper left corner of the pic below.

* Instead of the two trees growing behind the first wall, place broken down statues or the remains of flowerarrangements. The fact that the trees behind the wall are of the same sort as those standing infront gives an 'overgrown' impression.

*The 'wild' vegetation infront of the castle strikes me as strange. If I'd have to guess I'd say the castle is abandoned, or has been abandoned and is now functioning as a temporary base for rebells. I suggest you clear up outside the walls and instead plant a garden or a stable. If not, at least get rid of the trees (perhaps replace them with tree stumps). They provide excellent cover for thieves and spies.


Hmm, taking another look at the picture. Walls crumbling... moss growing beneath windows... The suggestions I'm thinking of might be totally wrong for the purpose of the castle. It'd be easier if you gave us a hint of the history of the castle and its current use.


castles.jpeg
 

Ismaul

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Nice. The castle is already quite good, and the ground is really better than I thought it'd be.

If you want to improve it, like sabishii said, the walls look a bit thin.
Second, there's too much white/shiney, unless that's what the setting calls for. The destruction is there, but barley noticeable. Places with significant damage should be darkened and the region around them too if the damage was not the work of time. If time and lack of maintenance are the reason for the castle's state, add some brown/dirt and even moss and/or climbing plants.

Actually, it's not really that there's too much white, but that it's constant and even. I think there should be varying tones for the stone anyways, from discoloration, damage, dampness, plants, dirt, even different stone color. Exagerate some things depending on the cause for wear. Right now it looks a bit like the castle was newly built and sieged, but even if that was true the stones' color would still look too even.
 

Sir_Brennus

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sabishii said:
Bloom.

Okay, serious time. The walls could be thicker. Mainly the front one with the arched gateway set in it.

I think the rest of it is fine.

I second that.

Also, what a bout a tiny wood shed on the inner walls? Where do those archers and riders staple their stuff? Would make the feeling of the castle "more alive".
 

Ander Vinz

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May 25, 2007
Messages
645
Lack of polygons on this picture reminded me of 2001's era in computer games. Not a bad thing. Seems like only 6 years ago AoD's graphics would have been up to date.
 

AnalogKid

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Vault Dweller said:
We've been tweaking it for awhile, but I'm still not pleased.
My god, but you've been caught up in graphics whoredom! That screen looks soooo much better than the first few screens I saw! (what, almost 2 years ago? Maybe just 1?)

I only hope that when you say "We've been tweaking it for awhile" that you really mean "They've been tweaking it for awhile, while I have continued to polish the story, plot, and gameplay (systems)."

I know everyone's different, but for me personally, those graphics are so far around the corner of diminishing returns that you shouldn't waste another 0.1 seconds on them.
 

Nedrah

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If you're actually talking about the picture, how about removing the black nothing on the upper right? ;)

The walls seem ok to me, but i too think that it needs to look more alive - a tent or two in the courtyard, maybe a small hut for the cook (I think in many castles they would have the kittchen outside so the place wouldn't go up in flames when the ancient oven exploded).
None of the towers ought to be completely destroyed, but there could be a big hole patched up with some boards or raw stones - well, once again obviously depending on the history and current use of the place.


But, you know... I think actually it's perfectly workable and I don't believe anyone will really see anything wrong with it as we play. Just.Release.The.Damn.Game :-p
 

Globbi

Augur
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Jan 28, 2007
Messages
342
I'd say the brown ground outside the castle should be more random. The road on the other hand should be more regular. If it was done on purpouse by people then it should be quite straight, otherwise it wouldn't be so wavy anyway.
 

Claw

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Project: Eternity Divinity: Original Sin 2
Vault Dweller said:
Anyway, tell me how to improve this picture. We've been tweaking it for awhile, but I'm still not pleased.

Too green. I've settled for AoD = yellow, so that's very confusing. :?


I guess just about everything I can think of has been said already. How the castle should look depends on how it's used. Right now it only has very little, very localized damage. Maybe the edges could be made to look a little ragged? And yeah, it should look like the path is straight, only the edges being uneven. Oh, and the two trees next to the gate look very evenly placed. Is that intentional?
 

MetalCraze

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When to expect demo? at least 2 hrs of gameplay just to feel taste of actual aod roleplay and stat/perk/skill system?

goddamit, VD, when?
 

Vault Dweller

Commissar, Red Star Studio
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MountainWest said:
Looks good. Actually it exceeds my expectations by a far margain.
Thanks.

* Instead of the two trees growing behind the first wall, place broken down statues or the remains of flowerarrangements. The fact that the trees behind the wall are of the same sort as those standing infront gives an 'overgrown' impression.
That's the look we were going for, but I didn't think we succeeded. Neglect is the theme here. The castle isn't abandoned though.

We'll remove some of the walls vegetation and try this instead:

walls01dv6.jpg


AnalogKid said:
My god, but you've been caught up in graphics whoredom!
I'm not trying to improve the graphics, I'm trying to improve the art and the "atmosphere", for the lack of a better word.

I only hope that when you say "We've been tweaking it for awhile" that you really mean "They've been tweaking it for awhile, while I have continued to polish the story, plot, and gameplay (systems)."
That is correct.

skyway said:
When to expect demo? at least 2 hrs of gameplay just to feel taste of actual aod roleplay and stat/perk/skill system?
Due to the shareware nature of the game, when it's done. We may release a combat demo first to tweak the combat system, but that would take time and we have a truckload of stuff to do in the near future.

An article showing some locations and what to expect exploration-wise is coming, and so is a new combat video, reflecting the feedback we received after the first video.
 

EliotW

Educated
Joined
Oct 26, 2006
Messages
53
sabishii said:
The walls could be thicker. Mainly the front one with the arched gateway set in it.

The might just be the battlements obscuring the walkway and the true depth of the wall.
 

GeneralSamov

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EliotW said:
sabishii said:
The walls could be thicker. Mainly the front one with the arched gateway set in it.

The might just be the battlements obscuring the walkway and the true depth of the wall.

Indeed, at a first glance I also thought that the wall is just thick as much as the top of it, not taking in consideration the fact that the arhed gateway's wall is a lot thicker, apart from the side walls. From this perspective, the walls look thick and faithful enough to medieval architecture.
 

chiefnewo

Liturgist
Joined
Jun 18, 2003
Messages
118
Vault Dweller said:
Since you insist...

sabishii said:
I need this question answered fast, I need it answered now:

Just how awesome will Age of Decadence be?
AoD's awesomeness is questionable. I'll give it 7/10. Why? I guess one's more critical to one's own work. I would recommend it to a friend though.

Anyway, tell me how to improve this picture. We've been tweaking it for awhile, but I'm still not pleased.

castle12sl1.jpg

My only minor complaint is that the dirt patches don't blend well with the surrounds, they are too square and therefore look placed instead of natural.
If they could be shaped to look a bit more organic that would be great.
And if it would be too much trouble, like I said it's a minor complaint.
 

Grog

Educated
Joined
Jul 15, 2006
Messages
80
What sort of climate is this supposed to be taking place in? The setting is supposed to be inspired by ancient Rome, so that makes me think Mediterranean climate. If that's the case I'd expect to see more saturated light levels. With the generally dark look to everything, this looks more like Germany or possibly Britain to me. Though maybe it's just the big black patch off in the corner that's tricking me into thinking the picture is too dark...

Also every Italian castle I saw was perched on top of a hill somewhere. The flatness surrounding the walls seems strange.
 

Jedi_Learner

Liturgist
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
894
Also every Italian castle I saw was perched on top of a hill somewhere. The flatness surrounding the walls seems strange.

Look at the top right of the picture. See the blackness? Now look straight left. What do you see?
 

Vault Dweller

Commissar, Red Star Studio
Developer
Joined
Jan 7, 2003
Messages
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It *is* sitting on top of a hill, with the town built around it.

town3nt7.jpg


While we can't do an exact 3D copy of what you see on the concept art, we come very close. Our modeler is very good, and you already know what Oscar can do with textures.

The slight difference between this castle and our model is due to the fact that our modeler worked with a photo of the castle (that's actual Roman castle), while the artist tweaked it a bit. Anyway, in-game the hill and different levels of the town presented properly (i.e. you can tell that it's a castle on top of a hill without looking at the concept art).
 

Jora

Arcane
Joined
Mar 14, 2003
Messages
1,115
Location
Finland
When I first saw the castle screen, I too thought it was from another game. Good job. I get the feeling you're aiming for.

Have you done any work on improving different skill options in side quests?
 

fastpunk

Arbiter
Joined
Mar 31, 2007
Messages
1,798
Location
under the sun
Vault Dweller said:
Anyway, tell me how to improve this picture. We've been tweaking it for awhile, but I'm still not pleased.

castle12sl1.jpg

Shadows would help. :wink:

BTW, what engine is this that you are using for AoD? Or did you build it yourselves?
 

The_Pope

Scholar
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Nov 15, 2005
Messages
844
I think it would look a bit better with the banners moved down a little. Having them at the very top of the wall looks kind of weird for some reason.
 

Paranoid Jack

Scholar
Joined
Jul 3, 2006
Messages
186
Looking damned good. Keep it up. I'm dying to play the game but I want it to be as good as it gets. So stick to your guns because "when it's done" works for me. It already looks better than I had hoped but don't stop what you're doing... keep tweaking it. In other words make us proud. :wink:

Is that a good representation of how far out the camera will be able to pull back? Or will we be stuck closer to the ground as far as the out of the box settings?
 

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