Game News Torment Kickstarter Update #12: First Screenshot

People prefer it because it's much, much better.

Seriously, if a forum member can improve this image so much, what does this say about the graphic artists involved in Torment?

 

A large reason is that from a game play point of view, 3D is much easier to plan around.

You can do things like time of day, more 'organic' randomly generated locations, subtle things like animated trees and water, interactive particle effects (fires can cast light, etc). You can also have level designers not have to be super skilled artists (with having artists focusing on Asset Development, and designers focusing on Design) so you can create larger games in shorter periods of time, taking advantage of peoples specialized skill sets.

2D graphics, of this high end nature, can take MUCH longer to produce then 3D ones, and are extremely difficult to change once they are done.

When it comes to characters, having proper bone blending of animations is incredible. My brother showed me a tech demo he is putting together in UNITY, which is amazing to see how it blends the animations together from running to walking to fighting, all in a fluid motion. That's something which, in 2D, is seriously difficult to achieve in a way that you aren't using thousands of frames of animation, and constantly having to juggle resources.

The best of both worlds is 2D, projected over 3D geometry, and using normal maps to get depth in those images. You of course have limitations, but honestly, the 2D just looks so much better.
For characters, I would have to say that there is no better substitute than 3D.

 

He looks like he belongs. crojipjip do you read?

 

You're crazy, man. Obviously the only thing you should do is gawk at how awesome it is for such an early shot.
The old: You like? No problem. You don't? Too soon, shut the fuck up.

That they have a different view? Just because you think it's better it doesn't actually make it better, you know?

 

HAHAHA. Can you imagine the bloom being filled with Prosper extras? True nightmare!

 

Looks just like borderlands!

And also a good deal like diablo 3

 

Within Bloom, yet without bloom.

 

I disagree. Mostly you were just staring at floors in your 640x480 window.

 

You do understand that there are high resolution mods out there and that people actually use them?



Even in the pictures you showed it is quite easy to notice higher resolution textures of the floors that you are staring at.

 

Great rework! Looks sooo much better. I'm not fan of bloom at all, and colours in your version are classy. Original looks a little bit too much... Diablothreesh Original PS:T was at time a little bit to grey&brownish, inital T:ToN a little bit too bright, this one is balanced in a way a like! Feel yourself brofisted ;-)

 

Mock up video showing lightning and some animation in action (also: Mark Morgan music):

 

Well sure, but even supposing that they want some sort of Escher vibe here it shouldn't have to look jarring. Maybe it's just me though, who knows. I'm looking at it with a fixed-perspective mindset which isn't necessarily the case when you've got 3d-characters. A grid overlay and some props wouldn't hurt.

Woah, watch out for that assgoblin.

 

I'm not sure the ground is flat, I think that's what's throwing people off.

 

That's certainly a possibility. So, you might even have obscured areas in the ground, meaning that an accurate charpath would have to be a mesh with the characters leaning in different directions as they walk over it. Perspective in regards to scale may also be a variable here, at least going by those lamp-posts, with characters varying in size depending on where they are on the map. Without any props to signify these aspects I fall into the habit of trying to look at it from an iso-perspective, so that's probably it.

That said, if they're going for something like this as a general model, I think it'll be a pretty complex stunt to pull off well. Despite what they hinted at in the teaser mock-up, areas with these sort of subtle variances in height and size aren't exactly ideal for phase-based/turn-based combat, where many of your decisions rely on a clear representation of the battlefield. It's also a bit disappointing how this image may be indicative that the pre-rendered backgrounds are going to suffer from the same dilated perspective as other top-down 3d games, rather than maintaining symmetry which, in my opinion, is an advantage of 2d graphics that's as important as the high fidelity.

 

@BrotherNone Is this video already made with Obsidian colloaboration? Considering how far the animation is.

 

Lol, not in 1999.

 

It seems they went with your suggestion after all.
You can see it running at instant 1:01 of the new video

 

Most people in the Kickstarter comments think it's better. In the end, those are the people the game is made for, not for the inXile graphic artists.

 

FFFFuuuu

crojipjip

Your copy right has been infringed!!! By a game that looks like it was made in 1999!

 

The Codex fundraiser should be used to have an prosperian abomination put in the game.

 

And make it a romancible companion.