Pathfinder Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous Pre-Release Thread [GAME RELEASED, GO TO NEW THREAD]

[Trashos]

The portraits and the characters mostly look fine in Kingmaker. Amiri is unbearable to look at or listen to, and Valerie is not as hot as she is supposed to be (she is OK but not outstanding), but nothing is perfect. Octavia looks feminine and hot, Linzi looks like a sweet kid, Jaethal looks like a... hot undead Inquisitor. Which she is. I appreciate the fact that they did not make them fucking ugly, as American dangerhair companies tend to do.

Regongar above is romanceable by both men and women. It would not make sense to make him uglier, and I think he generally looks OK. Cool dude, other than being bi.

I also like a lot how the Goblins are portrayed. They look and behave silly in a very Fallouty way, I love it!

As for Kingmaker not looking gritty enough, yeah, maybe there is a point there. I do not know what aesthetics the kids are into these days (and I am talking about normal kids, not the SJWs).

However, this:

The sad thing is that Kingmaker's art looks almost sane when put next to most other Pathfinder artwork. Nearly all of it is far too over-designed and far too busy. I mean just compare the Pathfinder Iconics with some of Larry Elmore's old artwork to see what I mean. One looks like a group of adventurers while the other looks like they're getting ready for an anime convention.

Spoiler

... looks like Paizo's artists went through severe brain incidents.

 

[Bah]

Do you not call the children of adoptive parents (or from surrogate mothers, or perhaps even just a child from a previous partner) their children where you are from? Genuine question.

I do not recognize the authority of a government to declare that someone without a blood relation is your "child". They are a ward, nothing more.

 

[deuxhero]

... looks like Paizo's artists went through severe brain incidents.

That's all one artist (who is unfortunately the main one). Some of the other artists they use produce pretty reasonable work.

Spoiler

Hell, even when they use their main artist he's actually capable of better than he does in the iconic portraits.

Spoiler

(THis is all just randomly chosen images from the wiki because I can't be assed to rip and upload anything than anything I'm particularly fond of)

 

[Shadenuat]

is it me or her elbow is dislocated but hair is used to hide it.

 

[Junmarko]

Is this some sort of attempt to deny there is an anti-gay law in Russia or argue that it's somehow better than it actually is?

It's "intended" to "protect children" in the sense that it's so ambiguously worded that it's effectively a ban against any LGBT references. Even if slapping an 18+ rating on it counts, you are backing yourself into a corner if you release a game like PF:KM with an 18+ rating, which means it's gonna be censored.

The West is the place where people actually ended state discrimination, only to be spat on for it. Don't act so surprised when no one jumps to the aid of this cult, now that a foreign producer ignores the "inclusivity quotas" and goes unphased by the ridiculous threats of "bigotry". It's refreshing. Lol.

 

[RNGsus]

It looks like Pathfinder's always had exaggerated, anime kind of art. Most of these artists work for GW and of course WotC. None of them really seem to branch out, although a few have historical paintings as well. They love busy covers and Matrix stunts.

 

[Grunker]

My biggest gripe with Kingmaker is not the in game art style alone, which without a doubt, could be better, but the way characters themselves look and behave as if they just ate a big bag of skittles. There were silly in kingmaker, and based only on the new illustration above, it doesn't seem that they are willing to change that at all. At best, they may trade dorky-ness with edgy-ness, just look at that motherfucking murdering gnome/halfling with purple hair and double hammer, isn't he nice? I just miss the more subdued tone of old dnd, here's why:

Kingmaker

vs

Icewind Dale

You took a bad example. The orc of Icewind Dale is just uglier, the portrait doesn't even look better, it just has less color saturation. At least the portrait of Kingmaker represents a character that is not a monster, which is important because you need to be capable of have some trust in him, he is a companion after all.

If these characters were both female, I doubt that someone would preferer the one in the bottom. So the same metric should be applied for males.

get the fuck outta here

 

[vonAchdorf]

Slapping an 18+ rating due to ideological reasons is censorship or an attempt to limit distribution. It might not be effective if people don't care about ratings over there, but the intent is clear. It's also obvious these games aren't made primarily for a domestic market, but for the international one.

Censoring content and limiting distribution is the whole point of "youth protection laws" - in Russia and elsewhere. Australia and Germany being the most well known countries for that in the gamin scene. "Banned in Germany" used to be a seal of quality.

Ugh, how is pointing out the whitewashing of ridiculous laws and their harmful, unjustifiable effects full activist mode?

It was about pointing out that despite the law, Owlcat is neither in legal trouble nor has to censor its games in Russia, even if Pink News told you otherwise. Personally I prefer the law over the Western custom of bringing kids to pride parade to see naked men in fetish outfits. But that's a discussion better continued in your thread in GD.

 

[Lacrymas]

Slapping an 18+ rating due to ideological reasons is censorship or an attempt to limit distribution. It might not be effective if people don't care about ratings over there, but the intent is clear. It's also obvious these games aren't made primarily for a domestic market, but for the international one.

Censoring content and limiting distribution is the whole point of "youth protection laws" - in Russia and elsewhere. Australia and Germany being the most well known countries for that in the gamin scene. "Banned in Germany" used to be a seal of quality.

Ugh, how is pointing out the whitewashing of ridiculous laws and their harmful, unjustifiable effects full activist mode?

It was about pointing out that despite the law, Owlcat is neither in legal trouble nor has to censor its games in Russia, even if Pink News told you otherwise. Personally I prefer the law over the Western custom of bringing kids to pride parade to see naked men in fetish outfits. But that's a discussion better continued in your thread in GD.

They have to censor them if they don't want an 18+ rating just for being able to romance Regongar as a man, lol. It's also an attempt to brainwash children with no scientific evidence (or any kind of evidence) to back it up. I criticize Germany for banning Mortal Kombat (for example) outright, I can't buy it anywhere here, including online, so it's even worse than slapping an 18+ rating on it. But at least there are no groups of skeleton or gore people who are going to suffer because it's banned. In the end, it's a law to discriminate against gay people, not to "protect children", that's just an excuse to be cruel and to facilitate further unnecessarily brutal laws, like it already happened with domestic violence. Unjustifiably treading on groups who already suffer increased violence and discrimination is not a virtue. It's like beating up a scrawny kid as a bodybuilder, you just show how corrupt and low you are.

So, yes, it affects Owlcat in some capacity. I'm sure they don't care because their market is not the domestic one, so whatever.

As for Regongar vs the orc from IWD, Regongar is simply overdesigned, that's a problem with many fantasy paintings. His clothes don't look practical and the colors are a bit of an eyesore.

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

The West is the place where people actually ended state discrimination, only to be spat on for it

Apparently the west doesn't understand that this sort of discrimination was there for a reason. It was the consequence of the ACTIONS of that scum. If you want a healthy society, sick and perverted elements need to be removed for the benefit of everybody else.

 

[Daidre]

P:K is already rated 16+ in Russia for violence and what not. Do you really think that hypothetical raising to 18+ would stop some real leaving breathing teens, in any country of the world, from playing it?

Also, you seem to forget that Russia is a huge county, and attitudes (and law!) varies wildly between regions and, often autonomous, subjects.
Gay couple kissing in some public place of St. Petersburg would often get away with a couple of nasty looks from passerbies but in Chechen or Northern Caucasus in general?
Public execution is not out of realm of possibilities. Some really complicated history there.

 

[Lacrymas]

It's the principle and intent coupled with the context of historical systemic discrimination and the actual consequences of increased violence that counts, not whether teenagers can play the game or not. This just continues the whitewashing, trying to minimize and excuse the effects of the law. It's also still not clear what you are trying to say. The law is ok/justifiable/needed/not so bad/whatever because gay people get killed in Chechnya/Chechen and that's worse? Having such laws just shows the state is on the side of these extremists and they are obviously going to get emboldened by them and continue.

 

[Fedora Master]

Pathfinder was always known for its terrible art.

 

[Pink Eye]

Pathfinder was always known for its terrible art.

Ok, I think I am going to be sick.

 

[Pink Eye]

Pathfinder was always known for its terrible art.

What the heck is wrong with her hands? The fingers are fusing with each other...

 

[Pink Eye]

Why does she have two thumbs on each hand? So many questions.

 

[Daidre]

The law is ok/justifiable/needed/not so bad/whatever because gay people get killed in Chechnya/Chechen and that's worse?

I think people should be allowed to do whatever they want to do to each other, consensually, behind the bedroom's closed doors as long as they leave it where it belongs, behind the door.
So I see no need to "whitewash" this law, because among the tons of shitty and stupid Russian laws, this one - against "LGBT propaganda" seems useful and rational.

PS I was quite sympathetic toward their plights back in Uni, but after ten years of exposure to western media I am... neutral, at best. In good days.

 

[Lacrymas]

I think people should be allowed to do whatever they want to do to each other, consensually, behind the bedroom's closed doors as long as they leave it where it belongs, behind the door.

Ok, I'm all for that, as long as it applies to heterosexual couples as well.

 

[Heroic Liberator]

Ok, I'm all for that, as long as it applies to heterosexual couples as well.

The witnessing of romantic heterosexual interactions in a public setting does not negatively impact the early socialization process of a child.

 

[Daidre]

Ok, I'm all for that, as long as it applies to heterosexual couples as well.

I cringe a bit when I see heterosexual couple rabidly smooching each other in the public too.

 

[Lacrymas]

Ok, I'm all for that, as long as it applies to heterosexual couples as well.

The witnessing of romantic heterosexual interactions in a public setting does not negatively impact the early socialization process of a child.

Give me the (non-biased) indisputable research which shows seeing homosexual ones has a negative influence.

 

[Pink Eye]

Some artists that Paizo commission do a better job. Take a look at this guy:

Spoiler

His art thingy if you want to see more: https://www.artstation.com/liesetiawan

 

[Fedora Master]

The basic design of the iconic characters is still overwrought like it's a fucking anime (or Darksiders) though, even an artist with actual knowledge of anatomy and perspective can't change that
Also this weird obsession with kinda-but-not-really cheesecake

 

[Heroic Liberator]

Give me the (non-biased) indisputable research which shows seeing homosexual ones has a negative influence.

There's nothing to give since it is not the understanding of the socialization process on which we disagree, but rather the normative value of my statement in defense of the cultural values which are being transmitted. I do not want to lift the social stigma associated with homosexuality, while you do.

 

[Pink Eye]

The basic design of the iconic characters is still overwrought like it's a fucking anime (or Darksiders) though, even an artist with actual knowledge of anatomy and perspective can't change that
Also this weird obsession with kinda-but-not-really cheesecake

I tried to search for iconic characters that looked good, but I couldn't find any. Most of the official stuff looks really weird.