~ AoD Screens ~

[SuicideBunny]

The ingame screenshots look like the ambient lighting is jacked up way too high. Where are the shadows?!

Torque and outdoor shadows don't play well together.

how about cheating by darkening some of the textures instead?
for example the whole inside of the canyon.

 

[Claw]

What will be the DRM on this game? This question is becoming one of the first things I want to know these days.

No pathetic DRM or other things like that. Grab unoficial FAQ for more.

I wouldn't be certain of that. VD has stated that he's considering offers from publishers, which will most likely want some form of DRM.

 

[Vault Dweller]

We'll be able to sell the game through our website. This part is non-negotiable. If you buy the game directly from us, it won't have any DRM crap. It will have have a traditional "enter the activation code" setup similar to Spiderweb games.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

We'll be able to sell the game through our website. This part is non-negotiable. If you buy the game directly from us, it won't have any DRM crap. It will have have a traditional "enter the activation code" setup similar to Spiderweb games.

Where do you want to insert your penis, master?

 

[Elhoim]

The ingame screenshots look like the ambient lighting is jacked up way too high. Where are the shadows?!

Torque and outdoor shadows don't play well together.

how about cheating by darkening some of the textures instead?
for example the whole inside of the canyon.

It's not possible since I can only use 6 textures for terrain, and in that scene they are all taken.

 

[Pastel]

We'll be able to sell the game through our website. This part is non-negotiable. If you buy the game directly from us, it won't have any DRM crap. It will have have a traditional "enter the activation code" setup similar to Spiderweb games.

Uh, so what happens if you run out of AoD unlock codes?

 

[Kingston]

The ingame screenshots look like the ambient lighting is jacked up way too high. Where are the shadows?!

Torque and outdoor shadows don't play well together.

how about cheating by darkening some of the textures instead?
for example the whole inside of the canyon.

It's not possible since I can only use 6 textures for terrain, and in that scene they are all taken.

What kind of gayass limitation is that? Six textures? D:

I think sacrificing some detail on the ground to make the canyon darker would be worth it. The canyon should be the centre of visual attention imo.

 

[Pastel]

What kind of gayass limitation is that? Six textures? D:

That's the case in the NWN2 toolset, as well, as far as I know.

I think sacrificing some detail on the ground to make the canyon darker would be worth it. The canyon should be the centre of visual attention imo.

Without a doubt. Great suggestion.
Maybe simply making the brown texture darker would be enough?

 

[Kingston]

I think sacrificing some detail on the ground to make the canyon darker would be worth it. The canyon should be the centre of visual attention imo.

No! Do not, I repeat, DO NOT CHANGE THAT AREA IN ANY WAY. It is perfect.

I wouldn't say its perfect. The canyon doesn't look all that steep. Compare to the concept art - in the concept art it's clear that the buildings are very high. It's a deep canyon with hard rock walls. The in-game one looks more like a sandy hill. There is no sense of intimidation. The dark canyon also has an older look, it's stood there for generations, while the in-game one reminds me more of a construction site. The in-game one is indeed good, but there is always room for improvement.

The concept art also shows the ground as more of a chalky substance (I don't know much about geology). Its a single colour, but rather vibrant. Especially with the trees it looks a lot more alive than the desert look of the in-game one. If you took the chalky route you could maybe use less colours on the ground without a huge impact on the overall aesthetic.

 

[Applegate's Breasts]

Mega-textures, baby.

 

[Hory]

While the screenshots look relatively good, I can't help but notice how much better the concept art looks.

 

[Hory]

While the screenshots look relatively good, I can't help but notice how much better the concept art looks.

Of course it looks better, it's concept art!

 

[Hory]

Of course it looks better, it's concept art!

But why can't game graphics be based on that rather than the simulationist, scientifically-accurate 3D?

 

[Hory]

But why can't game graphics be based on that rather than the simulationist, scientifically-accurate 3D?

Because concept art is static, and doesn't support very well dynamic, active elements such as NPCs or the player characters.

 

[Hory]

Because concept art is static, and doesn't support very well dynamic, active elements such as NPCs or the player characters.

You mean those small, ugly representations of people running around? I don't see how their presence has a more powerful effect than the artistic value of 2D art. Not to mention that it takes a lot more time to develop them. Take KGB, the game, for example. One of the most dynamic games ever, and it's all 2D. Or a game could, at least, have the backgrounds in 2D, like many other RPGs have done. I know it's too late for this in AoD, so I'm speaking generally.

 

[Hory]

You mean those small, ugly representations of people running around? I don't see how their presence has a more powerful effect than the artistic value of 2D art. Not to mention that it takes a lot more time to develop them. Take KGB, the game, for example. One of the most dynamic games ever, and it's all 2D. Or a game could, at least, have the backgrounds in 2D, like many other RPGs have done. I know it's too late for this in AoD, so I'm speaking generally.

I guess you're right.

 

[Severian Silk]

The ingame screenshots look like the ambient lighting is jacked up way too high. Where are the shadows?!

Torque and outdoor shadows don't play well together.

how about cheating by darkening some of the textures instead?
for example the whole inside of the canyon.

Yeah, I've heard of people baking lights into textures. I suppose you could do the same thing with shadows--especially if the main light source remains fixed (no day/night cycles). Some of your test renders were done in 3DSMAX, right? And this program is capable of doing it automatically, isn't it?

[edit]

It's not possible since I can only use 6 textures for terrain, and in that scene they are all taken.

Er, crap! It *looks* like you're using more than 6 though...

Also, I guess baking would only work well if all your surfaces were convex instead of flat/concave. Too many textures to bake.

 

[Severian Silk]

Because concept art is static, and doesn't support very well dynamic, active elements such as NPCs or the player characters.

You mean those small, ugly representations of people running around? I don't see how their presence has a more powerful effect than the artistic value of 2D art. Not to mention that it takes a lot more time to develop them. Take KGB, the game, for example. One of the most dynamic games ever, and it's all 2D. Or a game could, at least, have the backgrounds in 2D, like many other RPGs have done. I know it's too late for this in AoD, so I'm speaking generally.

You can't mix 2D and 3D without isometric projection (unless you're Joseph Hewitt), which is something AoD ditched pretty early on.

 

[oldschool]

Torque has taught us the meaning of pain, but it's a decent engine as you can [hopefully] see from the combat videos. Making a custom engine is always better, but it's not an easy option. So, unless you are really, really good at building 3D engines out of common household items, I'd recommend TGE or TGEA.

Yeah, it looked like it might be a pain to work with. Still, if it gets the job done, it's worth it. I'll definitely explore my options when I get down to Serious Business. I'm not particularly good at anything, so, I've got that going for me...

Anyway(s), AoD is looking good. Looking forward to playing it.