Quotes from the RPGVault Interview :
"Jonric: Are you prepared to provide some details as to what we can expect in these various areas? For instance, what are some of the graphical improvements?
Kevin Saunders: Yes, that's enough vague rambling when you undoubtedly want specifics.
The new genasi appearances look awesome, with great use of specularity and special effects to make them stand out.
In our environments, we specifically designed in vistas that make the most of what our engine and our artists can really do. Wait until you see what Ed Lacabanne and Justin Cherry created for the Astral Plane; we've intentionally kept screenshots of it under wraps. Or the Thayan Academy of Shapers and Binders modeled by Roger Chang.
The new spell effects, many created by animators Jay Bakke and Andrea Bobick, are even more impressive than those from NWN2... what else would you expect from epic level spells?"
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But of course, those eye candy obsessions don't hog any Money/Time/Resources, right ?
And remember, the folks behind NWN2 are *supposedly* less fixated on graphical whoredom being an irremovable #1 priority in the Rpg concept. What does this say about the companies who discard nearly all of the genuine Rpg elements in favor of delivering ORGASMIC levels of visual processing ? Are we to believe that since cutting edge graphics / visual resources & refinement are really not expensive, and they have thrown many of the traditional Rpg elements in the trash for the most part, and the game features a wholloping 35 hours of gameplay, that their Action-FPS-MMORPG clickfests are basically cost free ?
I'll say it again.
Cutting edge graphics and impressive visual effects costs bucks, and depending to what degree they are developed, refined & implemented, they can cost BIG bucks. And usually, genuine *traditional* Rpg elements and GAME LENGTH are subsequently sacrificed to the required degree, to make room (in manpower, time, funds & resources) to develop and deliver top end eye candy.
What they are Oblivious to, is the basic axiom that *Good Rpg's Don't Require Cutting Edge Visuals To Be Good Rpg's*. What good Rpg's require are predominantly in the realm of concepts, complexity, massivity, depth, difficulty, artistry, uniqueness, unpredictability and open-ended imagination (on the part of the writers, designers, developers and players).