Cartoony style graphics....

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Originally Posted by KiriA500

What everyone sees:
http://i.imgur.com/EXoQM.jpg

What Rokien sees:
http://80scartoonpodcast.com/wp-cont...pet_Babies.jpg

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A Muppet Babies MMO...hmm...

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Originally Posted by Gramul

A Muppet Babies MMO...hmm...

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Gonzo is sooooo overpowered!

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Originally Posted by neorei

PC and PS3?

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People keep assuming this to hope they're right instead of their fear it's just getting lower and lower in quality. Also SE stated time and time again:

"We don't use high settings and all the bells and whistles"

Whenever they show things off, even Yoshida stated they're using fairly lower spec comp/laptop for the presentations. Seriously though, going from low > high won't suddenly change the graphical direction, so they're either downgrading the overall detail or they're really hoping their shaders work magic.

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Originally Posted by Matsume

Man, Rokien... You do this thing where my brain is unable to function. Long time no see buddy.

Did you know if you google "rokien" you come up with this: http://i.imgur.com/hT6Vb.jpg

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And this: http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instanc...x/25241880.jpg

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Originally Posted by Elexia

People keep assuming this to hope they're right instead of their fear it's just getting lower and lower in quality. Also SE stated time and time again:

"We don't use high settings and all the bells and whistles"

Whenever they show things off, even Yoshida stated they're using fairly lower spec comp/laptop for the presentations.

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That's how it should be.

Imagine if they showed a new screenshot/video for the game that looked like this:
http://forestry.ky.gov/Kentuckysstat...tateForest.jpg

The hype would go through the roof! OMG BEST GRAPHICS EVER!! But oh wait, I don't have a NASA super computer...so my game turns out looking like this:

http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/0...5-elddar04.jpg

That's a HUGE turn off for many people, especially for console gamers who might not be into dropping tons of money for new 3D cards just for one game. If you show things with an average appearance, it's better off than showing the top.

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Originally Posted by Elexia

Seriously though, going from low > high won't suddenly change the graphical direction, so they're either downgrading the overall detail or they're really hoping their shaders work magic.

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http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/57...A5C9E4E108545/
http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/...B50207858DF8B/

Two screenshots of the same game, one on maximum settings (top), one on lowest settings (bottom). One looks drastically worse than the other, yet the game remains the exact same! Shocking! A lot of people here seem to forget that graphics don't make the game. Yes, nice graphics ARE a plus, but the game will still be playable on lower settings...so stop with the whole "game looks awful" nonsense.

Now, I'm still personally skeptical on this part, since I remember launch, and still play with graphical settings that don't actually do anything...but remember, this is a PC game. It is possible to alter graphical settings, such as textures and shadows...so to dismiss this stuff as being the best we'll get is silly. If Yoshi-P has taught me anything...it's to put a little faith in him. He turned this game into something I actually enjoy playing...so I don't really see A Realm Reborn having terrible graphical options.

Also, this isn't the first time Square-Enix has shown stuff that isn't on the highest graphical quality.

http://cdn.siliconera.com/wordpress/...ffxiv_jobs.jpghttp://cdn.siliconera.com/wordpress/...ffxiv_jobs.jpghttp://www.zam.com/Im/Image/215734.jpg

Note the lack of Depth of Field, or Ambient Occlusion.

=\ Either they're doing something awkward with the PS3 version or they're at least a year away from a final product -- Looks way too rough and something from the late PS2 era actually.

Aw. And I couldn't even see the trailer. >.<

I wouldn't go with "cartoony", but there's definitely a Team Fortress 2 quality I've seen on occasion even in the Limit Break trailer... However, as much as I wish we didn't have to sacrifice graphics for the sake of a wider game demographic, I'm also tired of each console Final Fantasy looking "sexier" than the last, while the gameplay suffers in the opposite direction...

If SE utilizes some sort of inverse correlation between graphic quality and gameplay quality, then ARR's gameplay should be an improvement over 1.0's .

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Originally Posted by Seig345

I wouldn't go with "cartoony", but there's definitely a Team Fortress 2 quality I've seen on occasion even in the Limit Break trailer...

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(Excuse me)(what?)

http://i47.tinypic.com/314uyd0.jpg
http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/57...CF0D6A157D7A2/

Not even remotely similar.

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Originally Posted by KiriA500

(Excuse me)(what?)

http://i47.tinypic.com/314uyd0.jpg
http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/57...CF0D6A157D7A2/

Not even remotely similar.

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I... Don't know humanity anymore @.@

I'm surprised how everybody seems to acknowledge the slight sloppyness of those graphics but at the same time certain that it's wip or "lowest settings mixed with good settings footage".

After all this is all based on your good faith in SE not facts.

Why would any pr material for any game ever be released showing low settings (and no disclaimer saying that) is beyond me.
If it is true then I'll be shocked. I haven't heard any major publisher doing that or even recommending it to be done.

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Originally Posted by KiriA500

Note the lack of Depth of Field, or Ambient Occlusion.

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Originally Posted by Elexia

"We don't use high settings and all the bells and whistles"

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Originally Posted by Elexia

so they're either downgrading the overall detail or they're really hoping their shaders work magic.

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Yeah..pretty sure I've already said that.

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Originally Posted by KiriA500

(Excuse me)(what?)

http://i47.tinypic.com/314uyd0.jpg
http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/57...CF0D6A157D7A2/

Not even remotely similar.

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Yes, because I said they looked 100% identical down to the last detail. Good job going overboard there...

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Originally Posted by Elexia

Yeah..pretty sure I've already said that.

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So why is it suddenly the biggest deal? You know they do this...so it shouldn't be an issue.

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Originally Posted by Seig345

Yes, because I said they looked 100% identical down to the last detail. Good job going overboard there...

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You're the one going with a completely different art style, lol. I'm just pointing out how wrong that statement was.

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Originally Posted by KiriA500

So why is it suddenly the biggest deal? You know they do this...so it shouldn't be an issue.



You're the one going with a completely different art style, lol. I'm just pointing out how wrong that statement was.

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Guess I'll quote myself here...

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Originally Posted by Seig345

I wouldn't go with "cartoony", but there's definitely a Team Fortress 2 quality I've seen on occasion even in the Limit Break trailer...

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I said that on occasion there was a TF2 quality to the graphics. I said nothing about the actual art style, let alone anything about it being completely anything, let alone different.

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Originally Posted by KiriA500

So why is it suddenly the biggest deal? You know they do this...so it shouldn't be an issue.

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The issue comes from this one statement:

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Originally Posted by Rukkirii

While the animations were nice, the development team's number one focus in A Realm Reborn is on gameplay so even though they were nice animations, the team made the decision to remove them.

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We know SE is willing downgrading certain aspects, so is it a case of just them no going all out? Or is it the case of them just simply continually dowgrading?

Yoshida touted the "best graphics in the genre", so far this looks just barely early PS3 when FFXI actually had a more polished looked for it at it's time. Is it because it's Alpha? Or is it really because that's the direction they're going with?

Why wouldn't they go all out to show off said 'best graphics'? We know internal builds are usually further than what they'll even let us test, so it shouldn't be a problem.

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Originally Posted by Seig345

I said that on occasion there was a TF2 quality to the graphics. I said nothing about the actual art style, let alone anything about it being completely.

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Well, TF2 is a high quality game in pretty much every way (graphics, sound, etc.), so I take it that's a compliment?

(I still have no clue what you're talking about. I see no similarities in any way/shape/form)

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Originally Posted by Elexia

We know SE is willing downgrading certain aspects, so is it a case of just them no going all out? Or is it the case of them just simply continually dowgrading?

Yoshida touted the "best graphics in the genre", so far this looks just barely early PS3 when FFXI actually had a more polished looked for it at it's time. Is it because it's Alpha? Or is it really because that's the direction they're going with?

Why wouldn't they go all out to show off said 'best graphics'? We know internal builds are usually further than what they'll even let us test, so it shouldn't be a problem.

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http://i.pbase.com/o2/25/583725/1/10...adeadhorse.gif

Removing something isn't a downgrade when it's seen as a problem. When Rukkirii said "the development team's number one focus in A Realm Reborn is on gameplay," that means they saw those animations as something that didn't help gameplay. Bitch and moan all you want, it was their decision to remove them. Same goes for most of the UI crap we've had to deal with. Those aren't downgrades, they're clearly upgrades.

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Originally Posted by KiriA500

Well, TF2 is a high quality game in pretty much every way (graphics, sound, etc.), so I take it that's a compliment?

(I still have no clue what you're talking about. I see no similarities in any way/shape/form)

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It wasn't a compliment or an insult, it was a personal observation and opinion. But if you were offended, I apologize.

Edit: If it helps, I also happen to be a huge fan of TF2.

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Originally Posted by Seig345

It wasn't a compliment or an insult, it was a personal observation and opinion. But if you were offended, I apologize.

Edit: If it helps, I also happen to be a huge fan of TF2.

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I too am a huge fan of TF2, I was mostly just wondering what about it reminds you of the game. As a player with 933 logged hours of the game, I can honestly say I saw no resemblance in any way in the Limit Break trailer. I'm actually just curious what about it reminded you of it. Sorry if I appear to be hostile about it, lol.

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Originally Posted by KiriA500

Bitch and moan all you want, it was their decision to remove them. Same goes for most of the UI crap we've had to deal with. Those aren't downgrades, they're clearly upgrades.

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It's not bitching or moaning, as you'd have to be upset about it, I just find it highly humorous after all this time they're taking steps backwards at all rather than all steps forward.

Guys I have to point something out.

You all say how Roken is posting "troll threads" "useless threads" etc etc but most of his threads go hot, not from everyone trolling him, but from people discussing his OP, if all of his threads are all trolling or useless they would not get as much discussion as this.

Not defending him, just an observation I have made.

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Originally Posted by Elexia

It's not bitching or moaning, as you'd have to be upset about it, I just find it highly humorous after all this time they're taking steps backwards at all rather than all steps forward.

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It's not a step backward when it's to help progress the game. :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by KiriA500

I too am a huge fan of TF2, I was mostly just wondering what about it reminds you of the game. As a player with 933 logged hours of the game, I can honestly say I saw no resemblance in any way in the Limit Break trailer. I'm actually just curious what about it reminded you of it. Sorry if I appear to be hostile about it, lol.

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It's not really a very strong reminder for me. To me, ARR's graphics look superior to TF2's. But in terms of comparing ARR's level of detail to 1.0's, it definitely does seem a bit dialed down. Not drastically, and neither am I saying this was unnecessary or a bad thing. There's just a slight simplification of the graphics that remind me of TF2. When I say that, I don't mean it feels like Final Fantasy on the source engine.

To put it another way, I feel that on a scale of 1 to 10 in graphics, with 10 being the best, I would put 1.0 higher on that scale than I would TF2, in terms of graphical quality. (TF2's art style doesn't really demand higher level of detail/quality anyway, the artstyle and graphical level suit eachother) As for ARR's graphical quality... There are some additions they've made that 1.0 doesn't have, but when faced with just the character models themselves, I'd put them a notch lower than 1.0 as far as texture quality.

If it means the gameplay will be improved, then I look forward to ARR, graphics and all.

EDIT: The game could look 8-bit for all I care, if they managed to do that while improving the gameplay, I'd still look forward to ARR. Granted, 8-bit is a bit drastic, they can certainly do better than that without sacrificing gameplay, and that happens to be exactly what the situation is. X)

In the end with the graphics dumbed down and all, It still looks amazing to looking at and the gameplay looks to be better.

Graphics don't make a game as some people stated, They play a part yes, but they only make 25% percent of a game ( my personal beliefs)

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Originally Posted by Starlord

In the end with the graphics dumbed down and all, It still looks amazing to looking at and the gameplay looks to be better.

Graphics don't make a game as some people stated, They play a part yes, but they only make 25% percent of a game ( my personal beliefs)

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You aren't allowed to be positive D:<

Wow... I just woke up guys. I was just wondering why they wouldn't keep the hard realistic feel to it. It ages a lot better than a more cartoony feel. I'm not saying it looks like WoW or other games, but you can tell it's there. Just take a look at FFXI and WoW, what game aged better graphicly? Also, how anyone could like WoW's graphics is beyond me.

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Originally Posted by Rau

You aren't allowed to be positive D:<

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I do what I want, when I want to! XD I love and hate the reaction of the forums lol " Love/hate Relationship!" :P

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Originally Posted by Rokien

Wow... I just woke up guys. I was just wondering why they wouldn't keep the hard realistic feel to it. It ages a lot better than a more cartoony feel. I'm not saying it looks like WoW or other games, but you can tell it's there. Just take a look at FFXI and WoW, what game aged better graphicly? Also, how anyone could like WoW's graphics is beyond me.

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World of Warcraft has a style, which I just happen to not enjoy all that much. It still has some nice landscapes though.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZqNjqFEnT2...GO+VERSION.jpg

I loved the Grizzly Hills! It felt like a huge summer camp!

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Originally Posted by Rokien

I'm not saying it looks like WoW or other games, but you can tell it's there. Just take a look at FFXI and WoW, what game aged better graphicly?

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WoW, because they actually updated the goddamn textures/maps/etc. FFXI looks better visually, but WoW is graphically more impressive. I don't like the cartoon-ish aesthetic of WoW all too much, either.

I still can't see 20 feet in front of me on FFXI without having windower.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/62441920/Pics/summercamp.jpg

Rokien, you seem to forget the "presentation" part of graphics. While Final Fantasy XIV clearly has a higher polygon count than World of Warcraft...it lacks all personality, thus making it boring and uninspired. Yes, WoW looks like a bucket of turds, but it presents itself so well that it works.

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Originally Posted by Ruisu

I still can't see 20 feet in front of me on FFXI without having windower.

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PS2 game ported to the PC, ported to the 360 with very little changes to it.

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WoW, because they actually updated the goddamn textures/maps/etc.

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That's not what aging well means, it means to age without updates. N64 graphics hasn't aged well nor has early Playstation game graphics aged well for example.

AAR isnt doesnt/isnt going to look 'cartoony'...

To me it's weird that people are assuming that either these are the PS3 graphics or that the "real" graphics will be somehow a lot better. And people saying "but the previous screenshots and videos have looked a lot better" make me feel like I'm seeing completely different materials than most of the posters here are.

For example, people have been posting this image as an example of these "higher quality" graphics:

http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/img/sc...UB_0901_09.jpg

It looks slightly better, yes, but the characters still feel really plastic-y to mee (they're like from some wax cabinet) and their gear doesn't look like it's made of any real material (I love the way all the clothing looks like it's made of actual fabric in the current version!). Also, to me this screenshot looks like it's from a dungeon cutscene...

This one, for example, does seem like it's from actual gameplay:
http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/img/sc...ARR_PUB_05.jpg

I don't know, does that really look better than the current graphics to some people?

Here's a comparison of the level of detail on character model:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7117/7...f7c705cc_b.jpg

When I look at those screenshots and videos - other than the cutscene parts which are breathtakingly beautiful - I feel like I'm looking at a much older game, certainly not the best-graphics-on-the-market MMO. All the 2.0 materials I've seen so far have left me with a feeling they're taking a huge step backwards.

Does it matter? Not for some. To me, yes. Of course it's difficult to judge when I haven't really seen it with my own eyes while playing the game - as playing something yourself leaves you with a different impression than watching the same thing from screenshots or video.

I just hope they'd release some screenshots and gameplay material with the highest graphics. Then we could stop arguing whether the high-end graphics will truly be on the next level compared to the stuff we've seen so far or not.

I dunno... It seems to me that any time the across-the-board quality of graphics takes the next step, everything before it looks dated, in a negative way. Heck I don't think we even had individual fingers in FFXI, the thumb was the only individual digit, possibly an index finger for pointing... Then again, it didn't help the graphic quality was 20% cooler in the character creator, so maybe my memory is just skewed...

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Originally Posted by Seig345

I dunno... It seems to me that any time the across-the-board quality of graphics takes the next step, everything before it looks dated, in a negative way. Heck I don't think we even had individual fingers in FFXI, the thumb was the only individual digit, possibly an index finger for pointing... Then again, it didn't help the graphic quality was 20% cooler in the character creator, so maybe my memory is just skewed...

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http://i48.tinypic.com/2u7rfy8.jpg

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Originally Posted by Elexia

http://i48.tinypic.com/2u7rfy8.jpg

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Guess I'll go with Skewed, probably those stupid mittens my taru was always wearing X3

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Originally Posted by Seig345

Guess I'll go with Skewed, probably those stupid mittens my taru was always wearing X3

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Tarutaru didn't have individual fingers.

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Originally Posted by Matsume

Man, Rokien... You do this thing where my brain is unable to function. Long time no see buddy.

Did you know if you google "rokien" you come up with this: http://i.imgur.com/hT6Vb.jpg

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I'm sorry guys! Every time someone makes a post, it bumps up a pointless thread just to point out it's a pointless thread and I'm guilty of this. -.-;; (forgive meh!!!)

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Originally Posted by Rokien

Wow... I just woke up guys. I was just wondering why they wouldn't keep the hard realistic feel to it. It ages a lot better than a more cartoony feel. I'm not saying it looks like WoW or other games, but you can tell it's there. Just take a look at FFXI and WoW, what game aged better graphicly? Also, how anyone could like WoW's graphics is beyond me.

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Really? I've always found that games with realistic graphics tend to age horribly compared to those with stylized "cartoony" graphics. I mean in my opinion Windwaker and Okami have held up better than most "realistic" shooters which prided themselves heavily on graphics upon release.