Man, its been said already, but holy shit are the GW2 screenies bi-polar. One will look like the most generic MMO from 4 years ago and then the next will look wonderful.
The don't compete with the sheer absurd beauty of the TERA screens, but the good ones at least certainly stand on their own merits.
Because the characters are fairly awful, but the environments are very well done.
Also, many people posting on low, because they thought that lowering their settings would help the framerate (it doesn't).
Most of the human characters look like crap, Textures look plain and it's just meh. I think the Charr look great though and I suspect the Asura and maybe even the plantpeople will look cool as well
Interesting. I think the humans look fine in GW2, but the Charr stand out like a sour thumb.
Also, as I mentioned before, it's clear that whoever textured the animals in the game didn't work on anything else, as they really stand out from the scenery (looking more photo realistic than the rest, which looks more painted or rendered...)
I guess the art director failed a bit in one of his tasks...
eobet on
Heard the proposition that RIAA and MPAA should join forces and form "Music And Film Industry Association"?
All of my screenshots were taken at 1080P and near-max settings straight from the game (Steam screenshots). The main thing mine are lacking is anisotropic filtering which is noticeable in some cases.
I've noticed a number of people posting screenshots that had lower settings, so that is probably why there is a mixed feel.
the HD screenshot button is magical and amazing once you knew of it's existence.
Most people didn't. Hell, I didn't know about it until somewhere towards the end of the second day (middle? beginning of third? it's all blurred together).
Mostly just huntin' monsters.
XBL:Phenyhelm - 3DS:Phenyhelm
Ok, so I really want GW2 to be successful and such...and I'll definitely play it but I do fall into the camp of people who thinks something is wrong with the screen shots. Here's how I see the problem based on the last presented screenshot.
Maybe I'm wrong here, but to my mind (and my eye) it feels like a lighting issue. This picture is the least criminal (there are some in this thread where the background is lit, and the character is unlit), but it's still tricking me into seeing several different light sources without actually showing the light sources.
Edit: I missed the statute. The statue is also lit at a different angle than the vines.
Ok, so I really want GW2 to be successful and such...and I'll definitely play it but I do fall into the camp of people who thinks something is wrong with the screen shots. Here's how I see the problem based on the last presented screenshot.
Maybe I'm wrong here, but to my mind (and my eye) it feels like a lighting issue. This picture is the least criminal (there are some in this thread where the background is lit, and the character is unlit), but it's still tricking me into seeing several different light sources without actually showing the light sources.
Edit: I missed the statute. The statue is also lit at a different angle than the vines.
I think you may have pinpointed my issue with them as well (aside from the ones that are just low res, or low settings) I knew something felt "off" but I couldn't pinpoint it.
NNID: delphinidaes Official PA Forums FFXIV:ARR Free Company <GHOST> gitl.enjin.com Join us on Sargatanas!
I think that's called "angel light". It's a fairly recent trend in video games to make things "pop" more from the background.
Shadow of the Collossus was the first game to use it, I believe (or was it Ico?) and I even think I've seen a quote that Myamato saw it, liked it and used in Super Mario Galaxy.
Heard the proposition that RIAA and MPAA should join forces and form "Music And Film Industry Association"?
Yeah the different lighting for the character is deliberate to make them pop out from the more painterly landscape. Funny thing is for a lot of things out in many zones, if you look really close you can see it actually looks like it was painted.
I think the HD screenshot mode adds in extra lighting too. When you make the hot key and hit it it takes a while to make the screenshot. Some of that is uppin ghte game settings but I wouldn't be surprised if some of it wasn't also applying extra lighting.
Mostly just huntin' monsters.
XBL:Phenyhelm - 3DS:Phenyhelm
0
Options
BeezelThere was no agreement little morsel..Registered Userregular
Ok, so I really want GW2 to be successful and such...and I'll definitely play it but I do fall into the camp of people who thinks something is wrong with the screen shots. Here's how I see the problem based on the last presented screenshot.
image
Maybe I'm wrong here, but to my mind (and my eye) it feels like a lighting issue. This picture is the least criminal (there are some in this thread where the background is lit, and the character is unlit), but it's still tricking me into seeing several different light sources without actually showing the light sources.
Edit: I missed the statute. The statue is also lit at a different angle than the vines.
I dunno. I think that is at night which might be causing different lighting (maybe light sources not in the shot). To me it looks like there is a general "glow" from above, but not the sides. In the day time shots I took myself the shading on my character matches up with the shadow he is throwing on the ground, and looks pretty natural.
As for lit background with unlit character, that could be the character standing in shade? The engine has true environmental shadows.
Crazy beautiful in fact. I remember how they say such detail couldn't be possible in MMO's due to slowing everything down (plus machines at the time wouldn't be able to handle it).
Crazy beautiful in fact. I remember how they say such detail couldn't be possible in MMO's due to slowing everything down (plus machines at the time wouldn't be able to handle it).
The thing that surprises me the most about tera's visuals is that the game has been out since the beginning of 2011 in korea and even now still looks so good.
What surprises me is not only how good it looks (I constantly run into new areas that surprise me with their visuals) but how AMAZING it runs. Which makes it frustrating when things like EQ2 and SWTOR run the way they do.
Side effect of the current console generation getting long in the tooth and multiplatform releases that have to run on said consoles. You pretty much need a PC-only large budget game to really get anything that pushes hardware.
[edit] And god, TOR runs like crap. I can't believe Bioware basically said "bua bua, your hardware is too slow".
Side effect of the current console generation getting long in the tooth and multiplatform releases that have to run on said consoles. You pretty much need a PC-only large budget game to really get anything that pushes hardware.
[edit] And god, TOR runs like crap. I can't believe Bioware basically said "bua bua, your hardware is too slow".
TOR's issue is that they HAD to go with the Hero Engine, they had to basically go with some untested new engine in order to do what they wanted. I really wish developers would just go with what works and utilize it to the best of their ability.
NNID: delphinidaes Official PA Forums FFXIV:ARR Free Company <GHOST> gitl.enjin.com Join us on Sargatanas!
0
Options
Just_Bri_ThanksSeething with ragefrom a handbasket.Registered User, ClubPAregular
Can we have a screen in GW2 that has the same character in the same place using both screen shot techniques?
...and when you are done with that; take a folding
chair to Creation and then suplex the Void.
XD Me either ~ I retook some in the same locations, but, the time of day also affects lighting, so they still wouldn't show a concise comparison. And yeah the angel lighting, because my girl was blonde and light skinned, she angel'd-up something fierce in a lot of areas.
0
Options
Just_Bri_ThanksSeething with ragefrom a handbasket.Registered User, ClubPAregular
edited May 2012
Wrong thread.
Just_Bri_Thanks on
...and when you are done with that; take a folding
chair to Creation and then suplex the Void.
I think that's called "angel light". It's a fairly recent trend in video games to make things "pop" more from the background.
Shadow of the Collossus was the first game to use it, I believe (or was it Ico?) and I even think I've seen a quote that Myamato saw it, liked it and used in Super Mario Galaxy.
It was SotC:
And it was used for Super Mario Galaxy:
Notice the white borders on the models. Look familiar?
For Guild Wars 2, it's fantastic not only for letting characters pop out of the background, but for distinguishing them from the visual/spell effects as well - they don't use the effect, so the result is akin to how in old-fashioned Hanna Barbera cartoons, you can tell exactly what's going to be used in a scene because of the contrast of objects they actually have to draw into the scene instead of the background.
Because I bound my high-res screenshot key to the same key as my Bandicam screenshots, I more or less got both at the same moment (keeping in mind that there's a slight delay when taking a high-res screenshot, so they are not exactly simultaneous):
Does the game do any extra processing (like the halo glow on your char) when you take normal screenshots? Because if so, those comparisons aren't technically valid since the Bandicam shots are from outside the game.
Does the game do any extra processing (like the halo glow on your char) when you take normal screenshots? Because if so, those comparisons aren't technically valid since the Bandicam shots are from outside the game.
Well, I had to go back and look, and finally found two near-simultaneous low-res shots I took - one from in-game and the other from Bandicam. They look the same to me.
Great. Now I'll be grinding gathering for that halo...
Say, those preorder bonuses, do they all work on all races? I'm almost tempted to throw money at the digital SE edition, just for the eyepatch. Popori with eyepatch would be badass.
Seems to be. Sadly the online digital version is expensive as hell. Too expensive to be worth it on top of the boxed version. But man, Popori with glasses or with the eyepatch would be so boss.
Posts
Because the characters are fairly awful, but the environments are very well done.
Also, many people posting on low, because they thought that lowering their settings would help the framerate (it doesn't).
I'll have to slap you good sir if that is what you're saying.
Also, as I mentioned before, it's clear that whoever textured the animals in the game didn't work on anything else, as they really stand out from the scenery (looking more photo realistic than the rest, which looks more painted or rendered...)
I guess the art director failed a bit in one of his tasks...
Whether they on their own look good or bad, I didn't comment on.
On high graphics settings with the regular screen shot:
On high graphics settings with the HD screenshot (you have to bind it and this is sized down because jfc)
I've noticed a number of people posting screenshots that had lower settings, so that is probably why there is a mixed feel.
Steam (Ansatz) || GW2 officer (Ansatz.6498)
Most people didn't. Hell, I didn't know about it until somewhere towards the end of the second day (middle? beginning of third? it's all blurred together).
XBL:Phenyhelm - 3DS:Phenyhelm
Maybe I'm wrong here, but to my mind (and my eye) it feels like a lighting issue. This picture is the least criminal (there are some in this thread where the background is lit, and the character is unlit), but it's still tricking me into seeing several different light sources without actually showing the light sources.
Edit: I missed the statute. The statue is also lit at a different angle than the vines.
I think you may have pinpointed my issue with them as well (aside from the ones that are just low res, or low settings) I knew something felt "off" but I couldn't pinpoint it.
Official PA Forums FFXIV:ARR Free Company <GHOST> gitl.enjin.com Join us on Sargatanas!
Shadow of the Collossus was the first game to use it, I believe (or was it Ico?) and I even think I've seen a quote that Myamato saw it, liked it and used in Super Mario Galaxy.
XBL:Phenyhelm - 3DS:Phenyhelm
"...only mights and maybes."
I dunno. I think that is at night which might be causing different lighting (maybe light sources not in the shot). To me it looks like there is a general "glow" from above, but not the sides. In the day time shots I took myself the shading on my character matches up with the shadow he is throwing on the ground, and looks pretty natural.
As for lit background with unlit character, that could be the character standing in shade? The engine has true environmental shadows.
Steam (Ansatz) || GW2 officer (Ansatz.6498)
Very flashy.
I am getting closer to the castle look. Surely now you will upgrade me to "small, defended keep on a hill"?
Crazy beautiful in fact. I remember how they say such detail couldn't be possible in MMO's due to slowing everything down (plus machines at the time wouldn't be able to handle it).
The thing that surprises me the most about tera's visuals is that the game has been out since the beginning of 2011 in korea and even now still looks so good.
[edit] And god, TOR runs like crap. I can't believe Bioware basically said "bua bua, your hardware is too slow".
TOR's issue is that they HAD to go with the Hero Engine, they had to basically go with some untested new engine in order to do what they wanted. I really wish developers would just go with what works and utilize it to the best of their ability.
Official PA Forums FFXIV:ARR Free Company <GHOST> gitl.enjin.com Join us on Sargatanas!
chair to Creation and then suplex the Void.
It's something I can do next BWE. I didn't think about it this last time.
XBL:Phenyhelm - 3DS:Phenyhelm
chair to Creation and then suplex the Void.
It was SotC:
And it was used for Super Mario Galaxy:
Notice the white borders on the models. Look familiar?
For Guild Wars 2, it's fantastic not only for letting characters pop out of the background, but for distinguishing them from the visual/spell effects as well - they don't use the effect, so the result is akin to how in old-fashioned Hanna Barbera cartoons, you can tell exactly what's going to be used in a scene because of the contrast of objects they actually have to draw into the scene instead of the background.
Low-res:
High-res:
Low-res:
High-res:
Low-res:
High-res:
Low-res:
High-res:
Well, I had to go back and look, and finally found two near-simultaneous low-res shots I took - one from in-game and the other from Bandicam. They look the same to me.
Bandicam:
In-game normal screenshot (printscreen):
Unless I'm misunderstanding you?
Say, those preorder bonuses, do they all work on all races? I'm almost tempted to throw money at the digital SE edition, just for the eyepatch. Popori with eyepatch would be badass.
Alas, I got boxed...
[edit] Might be EU only. You get them along with the golden weapons.
http://community.tera-europe.com/home/news/article/bonus-for-upgrading-and-existing-customers.html