Screenshot thread

[NecroLord]

And the Bozar.

 

[jackofshadows]

Bozar is awesome w/o (before) sniper because of its "piercing" round and because of its accuracy (which is good while your skill is low or you lack PER). Later on it's clearly lose to other miniguns, I did use Bozar at the Rig just because did buy out way more ammo for it beforehand.

 

[JarlFrank]

Another questionable texture change in Tomb Raider Remastered.

The original Palace Midas map was set completely underground, as you can see from the ceiling texture.
The remaster changed it to be open air. You can see the blue sky above you. This completely changes the vibe of the area, and not necessarily for the better because it doesn't make a lot of sense. Up to this point, you've been progressively going deeper underground. Saint Francis Folly is a mountaintop church and its main attraction is a vertical pit with several mythology-themed trap rooms (Neptune, Atlas, Thor, Damocles). You descend to the bottom of this pit to progress to the next level, the Colosseum.
In the Colosseum level, you again go downward to reach the next location.
It makes sense for everything to be underground.

But they made it open air for no reason.

 

[Machocruz]

 

[The Jester]

 

[Strig]

It's time to explore some ruins and find Atlantis.

Indiana hasn't been eating well.

Strong Tomb Raider vibes in this one.

Fick ja!

The blast shield is on the wrong side on this Panzerschreck. Credit where credit is due, it's not mirrored, but upside down, how it would be when placed on the right. And it was possible to move it, but it serves no function in this position.

There was a German soldier in that blast somewhere.
And then he was everywhere.

Seriously, where's Lara?

Angry gummy bear.

Unfortunately with hardware rendering the skyboxes glitch out, so I'm stuck with this blurry mess. Apart from that it all looks pretty great.

Conquista didn't pan out for these niños.

 

[Fedora Master]

 

[NecroLord]

It's time to explore some ruins and find Atlantis.

Indiana hasn't been eating well.

Strong Tomb Raider vibes in this one.

Fick ja!

The blast shield is on the wrong side on this Panzerschreck. Credit where credit is due, it's not mirrored, but upside down, how it would be when placed on the right. And it was possible to move it, but it serves no function in this position.

There was a German soldier in that blast somewhere.
And then he was everywhere.

Seriously, where's Lara?

Angry gummy bear.

Unfortunately with hardware rendering the skyboxes glitch out, so I'm stuck with this blurry mess. Apart from that it all looks pretty great.

Conquista didn't pan out for these niños.

Now that looks awesome.
What's the name of the WAD?

 

[Kabas]

It's Venturous.

 

[Strange Fellow]

Playing Tomb Raider Remastered.

Here's an interesting comparison shot of the original graphics vs remastered graphics.
Notice any difference in the textures?

Ignore Lara's character model, I'm using a mod that makes all her outfits barefoot
Just look at the wall textures, particularly the trim at the bottom of the wall...

What's the best way to play the original Tomb Raider these days? I gather you don't approve of the remaster.

 

[NecroLord]

Kabas Have you ever heard of or played VietDoom, mate?

 

[JarlFrank]

What's the best way to play the original Tomb Raider these days? I gather you don't approve of the remaster.

The remaster isn't bad, actually.

I replayed the original on Steam out of the box last year, Steam runs it through DOS Box. There are a few minor graphical glitches but it runs stable and you get the full original 1996 experience.
Many people recommend using fan patches to polish up the original, but those patches increase the view distance, and limited view distance is a BIG factor in some levels' atmosphere (particularly Saint Francis' Folly).
If you want the truest TR1 experience, just buy it on Steam or GOG and play it straight out of the box without any modern patches.

As for the remaster, I only have an issue with their design decisions regarding the overhauled graphics.
Some areas have their entire vibe changed, like the example I posted of Palace Midas now being open air rather than underground.
The new textures often look significantly different to the originals, usually not in a good way. Some textures are even quite obviously AI upscaled and look hideous.
Lara's character model looks great (and there's barefoot mods available so that obviously gets my approval ) because it's based on the original cutscene model of Lara, this is the one visual overhaul the remaster devs actually did right. Character models in general look great. However, animals look goofy as fuck, just look at this fucking shot taken straight from the Steam store page lmao:

But the worst element of the new visuals is how key items are MUCH harder to spot now. Keys are much smaller and more realistic-looking, so they blend in with the environment. Same with some other key items, like the iron ingots in Palace Midas:

You may also notice how the lighting in the remastered graphics is more subtle and realistic. The original's lighting looks much brighter and more uniform, while the new lighting is more about keeping it dark and moody.
It may look better, but it makes reading the room harder, which isn't a good thing in a game all about reading the environment in order to solve jumping puzzles.

However, the remaster allows you to seamlessly switch between modern and original graphics by hitting F1 on your keyboard.
All these comparison shots I posted are taken from the remaster. It's perfectly playable with original graphics. Keep in mind, however, that the view distance is larger than in the original (this is only an issue for TR1 though, TR2 and TR3 had a higher view distance in the originals too), so it's not a 100% accurate representation of TR1's original 1996 version. It is, however, pretty much exactly the same as playing TR1 with the most recommended fan patches.

For all its faults with the graphical overhaul, I like what the remaster offers: it's the easiest way to play the three original games flawlessly on modern machines, you can switch between original and remastered graphics with the push of a button, and - most importantly - the remaster contains all the expansion packs for TR1, 2, and 3, which contain some of the best level design the original Tomb Raider games have to offer. Those must usually be hunted down from old download sites and are a bit of a hassle to install, so having them bundled and ready to play in the remaster is a huge point in its favor.

Overall, the remaster is solid and I can wholeheartedly recommend it as a good way to play classic Tomb Raider.
My only problem is with the art direction of the new graphics. 99% of the artistic decisions they made here are truly baffling.

 

[Strange Fellow]

Thanks!

However, the remaster allows you to seamlessly switch between modern and original graphics by hitting F1 on your keyboard.

That's excellent, I love it when remasters do this. The Double Fine remasters of the old Tim Schafer Lucasarts games have this feature as well, and it's the number one reason I feel I can recommend them even to a first-time player.

 

[JarlFrank]

There are some negative reviews for the remaster complaining that the modern control scheme sucks and isn't as versatile as the original, but it can be safely ignored.
The original control scheme is perfectly implemented, and I'd recommend playing with the original keyboard-only controls anyway. It might feel clunky initially but once you get used to it, it's just the perfect way to control Lara.

Right hand on arrow keys, left hand on ctrl, alt, space.

 

[octavius]

The mindset of professional Diablo 2 players is scary.

 

[Kabas]

Kabas Have you ever heard of or played VietDoom, mate?

Nope, not on my list yet.
Still not finished with Halo: CE.

 

[JarlFrank]

Keep in mind, however, that the view distance is larger than in the original

Ok that no longer seems to be the case since the latest patch.

Look at this shot I just took in TR Remastered:

Clearly the original graphics now have a shorter view distance, just like the original TR1, where distant terrain fades into black.
Yep, I guess that removes my only caveat - the remaster is the best and easiest way to play classic Tomb Raider today.

And honestly, sometimes the visual changes are kinda cool.
This is supposed to be an aqueduct. In the original, there was just the pool of water, with no outside source to feed it.
In the remaster, they added a little thingie above that feeds it with water. Nice little detail and stays true to the original vision.

I just wish these visual changes were more consistent. Right now it's about 30% good ones vs 70% bad ones.

 

[yellowcake]

Some T&A from DS3:

 

[Kabas]

 

[ferratilis]

 

[BING XI LAO]

What's this game?

 

[Modron]

What's this game?

 

[Strig]

Less talking, more (tomb) raiding!

Excellent placement of the yellow skull key. A nod to Conan and the Atlantean tomb perhaps?

Still looking for Lara.

I've been beset by a pack of wild JarlFranks, they wanted to inspect my feet. I declined.

Nazi zombies, because of course there'd be Nazi zombies.

The bosses look amazing but they are rather easy to dispatch.

Oi, oi, it's them Ahnenerbe fellers!

Museum is one of the smallest levels but it's also unique. Shattering glass cases to pilfer weapons and ammo was a great idea. And shootouts with glass flying everywhere are always fun.

Good doggod.

This mod has an honest to God artstyle. I am extremely impressed.

 

[Machocruz]

Keep in mind, however, that the view distance is larger than in the original

Ok that no longer seems to be the case since the latest patch.

Look at this shot I just took in TR Remastered:

Clearly the original graphics now have a shorter view distance, just like the original TR1, where distant terrain fades into black.
Yep, I guess that removes my only caveat - the remaster is the best and easiest way to play classic Tomb Raider today.

Still prefer the fade to blackness in og, and the illusion of scale and foreboding it evokes, but this is ok. Far better than Anniversary which completely killed both characteristics, among other things.

 

[Darth Roxor]

Welcome to sniper mode, otherwise known as Oswald vision... if you believe some people.

Spoiler