Game News Torment Kickstarter Update #12: First Screenshot

[CappenVarra]

Todd-Sothoth knows the gate. Todd-Sothoth is the gate. Todd-Sothoth is the key and guardian of the gate.

 

[hiver]

To be honest the screen shot is a wee bit underwhelming, but my expectations were impossibly high so there was really no hope. Parts of it look good (bridges, shrine thing), while other bits are kind of a mess (perspective, coherence).

Yeah. The color range is very uninspiring too. That brown has no place there at all.
It looks too small, too narrow, too constrained. Angle is wrong. Details are blurry... like some low res screenshot...

I'll reserve judgement though, since it's both (presumably) a mock-up and not yet animated.

Pretty much.

 

[861129]

The answer is convenient. The future will be convenient. In other words no physical wiring, that's for sure.

As I've understood it, the setting is a world of broken relics from forgotten high-tech cultures. The current age doesn't actually command that technology, so wiring streetlights, adding more rudimentary technology where the old is breaking down, makes sense.

 

[Wizfall]

Very nice.
Add light effects and characters and it should look like even better/more atmospheric.
I already like it better that the PE "screenshot".
It does not seem to have the same effect on the amount of pledge that with the PE campaign though.
But it's not that surprising, the "screenshot" was expected unlike with PE (at least if remember well).
Also Torment is not BG and i think backers have already pledge quite a lot.

 

[winterraptor]

The answer is convenient. The future will be convenient. In other words no physical wiring, that's for sure.

Convenience x 1 billion years of the development of convenience without convenience breaking down many times over sounds effective (i.e. utopia) and boring enough that the supergodchildimmortals would just manufacture a non-boring artificial reality where interesting things happen (as apposed to their perfect eternal convenience), and even a million years of tech could produce who knows what levels of realism, maybe whole other alternate dimensions, and voila, the setting can be whatever it wants.

I'd say whatever they put in can be 'explained' (as if that would ever really be the goal anyway).

 

[hiver]

Lets compare a few things.

against:

Notice the obvious, huge amount of detail in D:OS pics. Notice the lack of detail in the T:ToN mockup shot.
Is it just that hand painted additional detail hasnt really been done?
I certainly hope so.

Clearly there is a LOT of work to be done there. P:E screenshot looked as good or better then D:OS screens. Which is the credit to Larian skills, certainly.
But im sure we all dont want to see T:ToN looking literally like some old games. Notice the blurry textures... The diffuse lighting, almost no shadows.
It looks very flat as a result.

Lets compare the color diversity and range.

against :

Where are the grays? The blue-greenish tints? Why that dull brown and so much of overblown organic flesh feel? Bloom isnt supposed to be just a slab of meat, right?
Sure it may be "organic", partially or otherwise but "flesh"? Isnt that overdone already?
Shouldn't it be something more solid on the surface at least? Even if its "organic" that doesnt mean its just ordinary flesh.

And if it isnt - then it shouldnt look like it is.

 

[FeelTheRads]

How about comparing it with W2 instead since that's what they'd have if they did 3D?

hiver =

And that organic look in 3D? No way.

 

[Diablo169]

I agree with Hiver about the colors though.

 

[Tigranes]

On one hand, it's a first shot from pre-production. On the other hand, they showed it, so fair game to criticise; I think they could have picked a more impressive kind of 'area' to prototype, if we're tlaking a specific cross-section of the Bloom. I do like most of it, just the blurry textures and maybe something a bit more fantastical or surreal in terms of colour and lighting choices.

 

[Infinitron]

CODEX HOBBY: Comparing nearly-finished games with pre-pre-pre-alpha WIP tech demos

 

[Zed]

considering the background is in fact using a part of the concept art, the colors are there. the foreground scenery could be a special case of candle-lit bloom environment. I wouldn't twist my balls over it.

 

[Rake]

P:E screenshot looked as good or better then D:OS screens.

Yes, P:E looks awesome. But there is a reason that Obsidian choose to go with an exterior area. I'm realy curious is they manage to make their indoor areas to look as awesome as the exterior areas.
And i don't like to have P:E as the standard for inXile. Its like IGN criticizing games for not having GTA V grafics.
IWD2 or ToEE level backrounds are good in my book. Everything above that is a nice bonus, but not essencial.

 

[Grotesque]

some people must have some vulgar, kindergarten grade strident colors in a picture to "appreciate" it. they are blind to subtle use of colors.

"Where are the grays? The blue-greenish tints?"
are you fucking kidding me? the screenshot is full of them

 

[hiver]

ToEE also looked much better then this first pic of TToN.

Of course this is just a first mockup versus much more developed or finished games. Slacken the wedgies people.
But lack of detail is very clear and color scheme could and should be more unique - as the concept art shows.

This is good first run. mkay?
And im looking forward to seeing it brought to full glory.

 

[Volrath]

Whatever, I just want to play these fucking games.

 

[Jaesun]

Whatever, I just want to play these fucking games.

 

[Brother None]

Texture quality and level of detail are really just a matter of iteration and time. Like Tigranes said, it's public for feedback so criticize away, but it's more a show of technical implementation and style rather than of exact texture quality or smudginess.

 

[Diablo169]

Any of the other big gaming websites picking this story up Brother None or are we about done?

 

[Fryjar]

So what are your expectations about the possible ending surge?
Torment's pledge amount per backer is already at 55, while P:E's amount was due to the weaker initial pitch much lower (in the 30s afaik) until the picture (and the great updates) were released. It ended at 54 per backer.
So the question is really, can they get much more from each backer for Torment than they already have? They will probably primarily need to rely on new backers. But then again, P:E' setting is certainly a much more marketable for the majority than the one of Torment.

All in all, I'm a bit doubtful that the ending surge will be as big as some are expecting here, although I certainly hope that I'm going to be proven wrong here.

 

[Brother None]

Any of the other big gaming websites picking this story up Brother None or are we about done?

I dunno, I'm not PR. Most big gaming websites seem to have picked it up. Why do you ask?

 

[Diablo169]

Curiosity mostly. Just want to see the money go up

 

[Grotesque]

some people must have some vulgar, kindergarten grade strident colors in a picture to "appreciate" it. they are blind to subtle use of colors.

Eat shit retarded dumbfuck.

I guess you don't have many circumvolutions; tabula rasa all the way!
oh well...

 

[hiver]

Texture quality and level of detail are really just a matter of iteration and time. Like Tigranes said, it's public for feedback so criticize away, but it's more a show of technical implementation and style rather than of exact texture quality or smudginess.

Im not just saying "oh look its shiiiit!!"

Im just talking about things and saying it could and should look much better.
I know very well this is just a concept mockup.

Obviously it can look even better.

AND THATS A GOOD THING.


btw... how about throwing in the oasis city together with Avellone at 3.5?
just a thought...

 

[hiver]

I guess you don't have many circumvolutions; tabula rasa all the way!
oh well...

a question for circumvolution tier of your special kind:

Is the Bloom concept art done by Chen Yuang a "vulgar, kindergarten strident use of colors"?
and what is subtle in this mockup, color wise?
brown and fleshy tonnes? looking like a slab of meat? thats subtle?

 

[Studio Fawn]

I think the big issue is just the lighting. Right now... I'm not too sure what is going on with that. But I think it is just a first draft, so not really anything to go bananas about I'm sure they will refine the style and workflow pretty quickly.