KickStarter Solasta Pre-Release Thread [GAME RELEASED, GO TO NEW THREAD]

[luj1]

I like the premise of this game, but the aesthetic and UI kinda ruin it for me.

The UI is sterile and art direction is very bland, yes, but I could stomach that if core systems are sound; also, if lighting and verticality are *really* their design pillars and not just a publicity gimmick.

 

[Cryomancer]

I don't know, the visuals of this game just look ...ugly to me, I guess. Or inelegant and unaesthetic. It feels like staring into a black hole. The concept art isn't much better. Verticality sounds like a gimmick.

The visuals are good for me. Mainly the lightning effects.

 

[Dorateen]

Bland visuals keep away casuals and graphics whores. Full party creation tends to repel biodrones like garlic to a vampire.

If Solasta: Crown of the Magister can offend these demographics of players, I will be pleased.

 

[Cryomancer]

If Solasta: Crown of the Magister can offend these demographics of players, I will be pleased.

The demography that they need to piss of more is game journalists. I still remember "i can't hit a swarm with an axe on PF:KM, 0/10" Any RPG that can be played by a modern game journalist is automatically dumbed down and this is not restricted to RPG's. See Cuphead for eg.

 

[The_Mask]

Bland visuals keep away casuals and graphics whores. Full party creation tends to repel biodrones like garlic to a vampire.

If Solasta: Crown of the Magister can offend these demographics of players, I will be pleased.

And deep, inovative mechanics like gameplay elements sensitive to lighting and height, keep the casuals at bay.

 

[Lacrymas]

Bland visuals keep away casuals and graphics whores. Full party creation tends to repel biodrones like garlic to a vampire.

If Solasta: Crown of the Magister can offend these demographics of players, I will be pleased.

Having high poly models and expensive graphics isn't what I'm talking about though. It's about having style and an artistic elegance, or being successfully unusual. One of my favorite games looks-wise of all time is Neverwinter Nights, I find the coherent blockiness endlessly charming. This game, however, saps any kind of aesthetic appreciation.

 

[ArchAngel]

Bland visuals keep away casuals and graphics whores. Full party creation tends to repel biodrones like garlic to a vampire.

If Solasta: Crown of the Magister can offend these demographics of players, I will be pleased.

And deep, inovative mechanics like gameplay elements sensitive to lighting and height, keep the casuals at bay.

That will depend on how punishing these mechanics will be. If not having light will lead to disadvantage on every attack and that will lead to dying often, journalists/casuals will also say Solasta is 0/10. If you can still pass encounters fairly easily they will praise it.
PoE has 10 million status effects and additional mechanics but casuals could ignore them all and still finish the game and they loved it. That was also the reason why we bashed it because we didn't want a game where we could ignore it all.

 

[Lacrymas]

It's the difference between these two paintings for example -

Both are of a fallen male angel with black wings, but one radiates intensity, subdued menace, and style, while the other is kitschy pop, try to guess which is which.

 

[JarlFrank]

One of my favorite games looks-wise of all time is Neverwinter Nights, I find the coherent blockiness endlessly charming.

Ok wow

I think I need to open another bottle of vodka today.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Both are of a fallen male angel with black wings

Bullshit the first one's an owl.

 

[fantadomat]

Both are of a fallen male angel with black wings

Bullshit the first one's an owl.

meh pigeon people

 

[Lacrymas]

Ok wow

I think I need to open another bottle of vodka today.

It's perfect, ambrosia for the soul. Mmmm.

 

[Thonius]

Ew holy shit bro.... it looks like shit. At the release date it was okay.
By the way he word you're looking for is art direction/art style. If you prefer nwn style over solasta you got bad case of nostalgia.

 

[Lacrymas]

I'm purposefully avoiding that combination of words. It's not nostalgia.

 

[luj1]

He is right though. It's not just the art direction, but the interface and how everything ties in together. NwN 1 may be old, but it's charming and warm to the eye.

Meanwhile look at this sterile shit

 

[Lacrymas]

That UI is cancerous. Instead of focusing on graphics, they should focus on style and readability.

 

[Jimmious]

I completely disagree. I found NWN terribly ugly even on release and still do. Early 3D era was disgusting

 

[Myzzrym]

Errrr, y'know folks I'm the first one to say to each his taste, but just don't forget that you're comparing a released game and a game that's still in Alpha. Most of our stuff - especially UI - is still placeholders^^'

I mean hate the game if you want, but there's got to be better reasons to dislike Solasta than dissing our placeholder UI.

 

[GentlemanCthulhu]

Well i'm thinking this is still placeholder UI, otherwise it's too clinically clean for this setting. Maybe it would work in a scifi game.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

there's got to be better reasons to dislike Solasta than dissing our placeholder UI.

That's right, you guys don't have barbarians.

 

[Lacrymas]

I mean hate the game if you want, but there's got to be better reasons to dislike Solasta than dissing our placeholder UI.

I await your finished UI with bated breath. (and some artistic elegance with the visuals)

 

[Myzzrym]

I await your finished UI with bated breath. (and some artistic elegance with the visuals)

Don't hold your breath too much, it might look better but the direction may still not be to your liking considering what you were saying above. That being said I have no idea what it will really look like in the end so again, maybe it will.

That's right, you guys don't have barbarians.

The mind is willing, but the bank account is not.

 

[luj1]

Errrr, y'know folks I'm the first one to say to each his taste, but just don't forget that you're comparing a released game and a game that's still in Alpha.

We are also comparing an early-3D era, 2002 game and a modern (2020) RPG that has had 20 years of free lessons in videogame design to learn from (not counting advances in technology, video game engines and conceptual advantages)

Also games nowadays are labeled by devs as pre-pre-proto-alfa until basically a week before launch so yeah, nice try.

placeholder UI

Cool story bro... Then I guess the whole chargen is also a 'placeholder'

It's totally not what you were going for!

Spoiler

I think Fluent and smaug will believe you

 

[luj1]

Don't hold your breath too much, it might look better but the direction may still not be to your liking

Ah there you have it. So the direction is the same, but it's a 'placeholder'

I think you misread rpgcodex.net as sheeplesummit.net...

Spoiler

It will work on RPGWatch 100% dw

 

[Myzzrym]

So the direction is the same, but it's a 'placeholder'

I think you misread rpgcodex.net as sheeplesummit.net...

Spoiler

It will work on RPGWatch 100% dw

You got me there, what can I say. You know how game dev works better than I do apparently, so I guess I can't really argue with that.