Game News GB Feature: Icewind Dale: The Past, Present, and Future

[Oriental European]

3d allows much more wider range of movement and exploration. Also, only 3d can give that feel of another world. World, not a painting on a wall.
All people above are graphics whores, btw.

 

[Carceri]

Actually, I find that the feeling of a vast 'world' is better rendered through detailed bits of lore. For example, PST left for me such a feeling, I really had the impression there's a huge world in there despite the somehow limited locations you get to visit. All those stories you get to hear, the description of the items and the background of the NPC's you interact with have a far more deeper impact on creating the illusion that there's more than, let's say, be able to run in any direction on some crappy hills with grass and rocks. It has nothing to do with the 2D or 3D type of graphics, imo.

And on the shown pics BG2 looks far better, IMO. I find it hard to believe anybody would think otherwise.

Say what? The scenery is overwhelmingly beautiful.

http://www.ultimaaiera.com/wp-content/nwn2-scenery.jpg

Well, usually if it's mentioned in a review, then it must be true.

 

[TalesfromtheCrypt]

Actually, I find that the feeling of a vast 'world' is better rendered through detailed bits of lore. For example, PST left for me such a feeling, I really had the impression there's a huge world in there despite the somehow limited locations you get to visit. All those stories you get to hear, the description of the items and the background of the NPC's you interact with have a far more deeper impact on creating the illusion that there's more than, let's say, be able to run in any direction on some crappy hills with grass and rocks. It has nothing to do with the 2D or 3D type of graphics, imo.

I agree. That's why I prefer the Infinity Engine/ Fallout/ Arcanum etc. model of having a limited number of locations over small, custom-made sandbox worlds like Oblivion. That being said, the custom-made sandbox approach can actually work if you adjust the setting to it. In Morrowind and the first two Gothics for example the limited free-roaming game world made sense in those games you're on islands/ prison colony shutt-off from the outside world. But in games like Oblivion or Fallout 3 this makes the whole world unbelievable. It's just to small to make any sense, and you can't rationalize it by saying "there is more but it isn't shown in the game", because what you actually see is supposed to represent the whole gameworld.

And on the shown pics BG2 looks far better, IMO. I find it hard to believe anybody would think otherwise.

Say what? The scenery is overwhelmingly beautiful.

 

[Jaesun]

Actually the scenery is fucking fantastic in MotB. The NWN2 OC is ok.

 

[Shannow]

Say what? The scenery is overwhelmingly beautiful.

And on the shown pics BG2 looks far better, IMO. I find it hard to believe anybody would think otherwise.

3d allows much more wider range of movement and exploration.

Yeah, the first thing people say when they comment on NWN2 is: It has an incredibly shitty camera. Finally a game that overcame BG2's restrictions on exploration.

 

[Oriental European]

Wha.. i wasn't speaking about NWN2. I had in mind 3D in general and games like Gothic, VTMB.

Spoiler

NWN2 has an incredibly shitty camera.

Actually, I find that the feeling of a vast 'world' is better rendered through detailed bits of lore.

It has nothing to do with 3d or 2d, it's just... well, lore. 3d and 2d it's like Hollywood movie and an animated film, but they both must have script and story.

 

[laclongquan]

puberty

k, have fun with that

He sound like a heavy case of blue balls to me. Get your asses haul, yo!

 

[Shannow]

Wha.. i wasn't speaking about NWN2. I had in mind 3D in general and games like Gothic, VTMB.

So you were making general comments that had nothing to do with the discussion at hand...Why?

 

[Oriental European]

that had nothing to do with the discussion at hand

Bullshit. The guy in the first post on this page whines about shitty 3D so I've decided to intervene.

 

[Carceri]

Say what? The scenery is overwhelmingly beautiful.

And on the shown pics BG2 looks far better, IMO. I find it hard to believe anybody would think otherwise.

Yeah, I was just trying to emphasize your point, but I guess I failed or something.

 

[visions]

But in games like Oblivion or Fallout 3 this makes the whole world unbelievable. It's just to small to make any sense, and you can't rationalize it by saying "there is more but it isn't shown in the game", because what you actually see is supposed to represent the whole gameworld.

How was the limiting of the game world handled anyway in these games , with invisible walls? Unpassable mountains?

 

[deus101]

that had nothing to do with the discussion at hand

Bullshit. The guy in the first post on this page whines about shitty 3D so I've decided to intervene.

Hey MORON! The talk is about 3D in the IE games, NWN and the like, where you interact using select/click through a tactical frustum.

You only bring in 1st/3rd person arpg's if you are a fuckwit.

 

[Shannow]

that had nothing to do with the discussion at hand

Bullshit. The guy in the first post on this page whines about shitty 3D so I've decided to intervene.

Hey MORON! The talk is about 3D in the IE games, NWN and the like, where you interact using select/click through a tactical frustum.

You only bring in 1st/3rd person arpg's if you are a fuckwit.

Hey, don't confront the troll with reason. It is not polite.
Seriously, (assuming you're not trolling, "OE" (though I still think you're CF's alt)) comparing apples to oranges is really bad form.

 

[deus101]

Anyway, my views on the subject.

I remember when i first played baldurs gate, i was blue eyed, woefully trapped in fantasy world and all the locations...

And i remember thinking..."Wouldn't it be amazing if i could see these locations in full 3D, beautifully vistas of the fortresses, temples and landscape"..

Well...years later...my dreams came through and turned into a nightmare....

http://rpgcodex.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php ... sc&start=0


Mostly hyperbole but it is what it is.

3D need not be completely terrible, its just that i have not found a decent implementation of 3D maps that can give decent visual orientation of (N)PC locations and events and have decent aesthetics and variations thereof.

Landscaping natural environments in NWN is fine but for everything else its template, template, template.

You just can't beat an artistically drawn/rendered map, add correct use of ambient sound and music, and that's all that is needed.


Another reason in favor of Obsidian using the IE engine, is simply because its cheaper.

There need to be trend where you don't budget the titles you make into the AAA category from the get go.

Cheaper budgets means more profit margins per sale, and less pressure to make it "accessible" for the storyfags.


OH and of course they should make the combat TB

 

[Oriental European]

The following is just a response to couple of dorks, nothing interesting, if it doesn't concern you, don't highlight it.

Spoiler

Wow, you two are dumbfucks Real Codexers!
"Oh no, someone disagrees with me or posts something that i don't like! I'll call him a troll and a newfag, and then if he'll respond i'll be like "Lol buthurt, my job is done here :.smug.:"".

The talk

is only in your head. The guy in the first post on this page uses Crysis and Zelda in his argumentation, and he was speaking about 2d and 3d in general.