Arcanum hates my guts

So, the game is running, main menu is atmospheric, main theme awesome, character creation interesting, manual fluff inspired, and the technology path promising.

Even better, the intro plays properly and the game proper doesn't crash on startup either!
However, any attempt to scroll the view around blends all the parts of the main view that aren't animated into unintelligible striated mess.

Now, the game is quite fucking ugly, with graphics being inexplicably coarse, yet sterile, so this wouldn't be that much of a loss, was it not for the fact that I bloody need to see where am I going and what am I doing and refreshing the screen by opening and closing the inventory unfortunately recenters it on my character, resulting in an interface-imposed severe myopia.


Additionally, why there is no falloutish text box and examine function? I want my text box somebody bring back my text box filled with florid descriptions and delicious text in the box prettypleasewhereismy textbox!!!1

HALP?

 

Huh? Never played it until now?

updated my DraQ.txt

You graphical problem could probably be solved by launching the safe mode executable.

 

I had that problem too the first time I ran it.
Can't remember how I fixed that though.
!
I bought a new GPU.

 

Works, thanks.

I seem to be getting into this game quite fine. Pity the visual side is so bad - it would have helped the atmosphere immensely if it looked at least as good as Fallout did.

 

I quite like how it looks. The only problem I have is that the graphics are too blurry. Looks better on a smaller CRT monitor, though.

 

What's there to tell? Some hack&slash module supposedly made for multiplayer. Tried it single player, killed all the stuff I found and suddenly I couldn't find anything else to do... I don't know...

 

I don't like it looks very sterile, yet at the same time coarse and heavily outlined.

Fallout looks much better with its level of detail adjusted to its resolution - much more interesting, realistic and grittier. Arcanum can't fill its increased resolution with sufficient detail and ends up looking very bad. The unconcealed and raw blockiness of its tiles doesn't help either.

 

A graphics whore on the Codex? No way!

 

Yeah! Damn him for wanting the game to look like Fallout!

 

At least 1/4 of codex is graphic whores

 

Has anyone ever played the game wholly with TB-combat? I remember trying it at one point but switching over to real-time eventually.

Someone refresh my memory, does TB suck as much as real-time in this game?

 

Fast TB (without walking animations) is the most tolerable.

 

I played with turn based combat only, real-time sucked too much and I couldn't stand it's dumbfuckery.

 

I tried both and both sucked so much I couldn't stand their dumbfuckery.

 

I found real-time more useful for gunslingers, it was easier to avoid engaging in melee with enemies in real-time.

 

Basic game, updated, with bundled Vormantown mod, but I can't say that I'm using the latter.

 

well, this explains black_willow's signature... >;(

I found TB to be useful when dealing with enemies one-on-one (as you should most the time) and for picking off enemies from a distance using ranged attacks.

However, against some enemies (like any golems or draconians) it was best to switch to real time as you got more attacks off while they had slow movement.

 

That's why I like its graphics.

 

Arcanum's character models look a bit like clay figurines, to be honest.

 

Wait, you like sterile graphics that is utterly incapable of matching detail to it's raw technical capabilities?

Arcanum graphics suffers from severe oblivion syndrome.

 

I think Arcanum is a good example of beautiful 2D. The animations are poor, but I love its art style.

 

I think it looks reasonably good in some places, like Tarant, but wilderness areas are pretty bad.

I like the browns and greys though.

And the soundtrack is excellent of course.

 

Judging from the screens some areas do indeed look great in terms of art direction, items and such also look cool, but overall, graphics wise, it's one of the shittier games I've ever played.

It has this thing I often criticize in shitty looking indies, but some high-buget titles as well - takes resources, completely fails to utilize them.

It looks as if someone ported the looks of some old DOS title to much higher resolution while conserving the amount of detail. As a result something that looked good in low res now is awfully sterile and plastic looking.

Well, duh.
One of the better I've ever heard, in fact.

 

That settles it - you really ARE a graphic whore

Seriously, yeah graphics were pretty ugly for a 2001 game but I honestly didn't care. I've played much uglier games.