Shocker

[Capita]

If you want more proof, take a quick look at modern day MMO's and compare them against this game. I know, ive played most of the major ones (even though they lacked what i desired in an MMO - even Guild Wars 2) and comparing this game to them... yes they just dont compare. Hopefully with the PS4 version, the devs will update the graphics to a more quality looking approach, rather than performance required on the severely aging PS3.

... What?

I've played pretty much every modern MMO (including ESO). ARR has better graphics than all of them, except for ArcheAge.

ESO's graphics are muddy and the character models are typical Bethesda models, i.e. crappy until you mod them yourself.

GW2's art style is nice, but the graphics aren't better. The game looks like it was run through an Instagram filter and dumped in a bucket of Contrast. Characters were also extremely floaty. Felt like running on ice skates.

TERA? That game has TERRIBLE graphics! Muddy textures and a poor art style (although this is subjective). Everything's bright and whimsical, which is cool, but the environments and actual quality are subpar.

SW:TOR? Lol...

So tell me what modern MMO has better graphics than ARR. ArcheAge is literally the only modern MMO that I can truly say looks better than ARR in terms of graphical fidelity.

ARR's character models took a definite hit. They're noticeably more muddy and low-res than their 1.0 counterparts. BUT for however many steps back the character models took, the environment took several leaps forward.

[Gramul]

I liked the lighting system better.
Dynamic systems always have this really heavy contrast like the light is always real close and the shadows are so blobby, no matter how high you put the resolution.

[amnie]

the only game I'd remotely compare graphics-wise is The Secret World, which you can't even completely compare either, because the style is just... different (naturally, it's set in the 'real world' while ARR is... well.. final fantasy)

I don't care if this game isn't as good as a current handheld game (though I call ** on that one)
this game will still look pretty 10 years from now simply because the STYLE they chose looks pretty.

you remind me of the people that don't play old FF games because they are waiting for a HD remake. ugh.

FFXI, while having an extremely dated graphics engine, still looks nice today because of the style they used which is identical to the one they used in this game.

*nods* exactly! while waiting for ARR to start I went back to XI to see what's up. granted I noticed the game looks 'older' these days, but I never felt that 'yuck' feeling you get when looking at other games that came out during that time. it definitely aged well - and I'm not concerned. though I don't really play MMOs for that, either. I've been playing SW:TOR for about 2 years now, and while I still strongly dislike the graphics style (the quality is much better with the latest released planets) I'm having immense fun. graphics really really really only plays a very minor part in my enjoyment of a game. and with that I'm going back to level-grinding in FFI :P

[Meleoffs]

the only game I'd remotely compare graphics-wise is The Secret World, which you can't even completely compare either, because the style is just... different (naturally, it's set in the 'real world' while ARR is... well.. final fantasy)

I don't care if this game isn't as good as a current handheld game (though I call ** on that one)
this game will still look pretty 10 years from now simply because the STYLE they chose looks pretty.

you remind me of the people that don't play old FF games because they are waiting for a HD remake. ugh.

FFXI, while having an extremely dated graphics engine, still looks nice today because of the style they used which is identical to the one they used in this game.

[jdnyc]

OMG that combat...I was bored just watching it.

[Yucie]

snip

TSW is actually pretty god-damn hideous. Also, the combat in that game absolutely blows chunks.

[Zantetsuken]

So just out of curiosity i looked up some videos of what the original game was like.

HOLY CRAP, the cutscenes were 10 times better and the graphics look 3 times better in the previous game.

BUT... the combat looks HORRIBLE.

Here is just an example of what i refer to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWcI0CPaLNE

As someone who played 1.0 from Alpha through the final server shutdown, I'll say this:

The cutscenes in 1.0 had more 'heart' to them. The pacing was slower, they were more carefully crafted, and they were meant to evoke emotion rather than impress with flash and drama.

1.0 was a bit of a dreamy place... things were slower, crafting was tedious and intricate, Mobs had interesting personalities and behaviors, gear was simply and realistically designed, but it had ample room to grow, textures and models were detailed, if somewhat bland..., the world zones where huge, but repetitive. Combat was slower but we had more skills and spells to work with, you couldn't jump. and the engine was pretty bad. But overall the game felt more.. realistic and tangible (especially if you played it in 3D )

ARR gave us a vibrant and far more varied world, faster combat, flashier moves, faster leveling, much more content, wild armor and weapon designs, jumping, running, explosive vfx, Limit Breaks, greater and greater (perceived) power for our characters.

But something is lost and something gained in every change...

You could say that in the transition, we traded realistic for fantastic. The devs didn't have to jump into the deep end of fantastic in ARR, they could have easily retained the realistic approach while fixing the problems of copy-paste world, engine, etc. The realistic/fantastic path is a direction/style thing, not tied directly to game mechanics. Personally, I think the realism is the better way to go. It has a much longer lifespan and is a better foundation to build from - You'll find that fantastic becomes ridiculous the further you push it.

You can always start off slow and realistic and ramp up from there, but if you're baseline is fantastic... well, it will be interesting how the devs handle it.

[Bossycow]

1.0 wasn't even that bad, I don't understand what all the fuss is about. Yes, at first, there were no chocobos. There was no real story. There were no NMs, and no end-game...

My problem is that the UI was SO bad in 1.0, that it got in the way of my gameplay! I felt I was very patient with the game, then after spending 15-20 minutes on figuring out how to repair a ring, I was like, "what am I doing still trying to play this game?!" I didn't feel "accomplished," I just felt like I wasted my time, when there's far easier and enjoyable and quicker ways to do the same tasks in other games.

As far as the topic, I actually was able to admire the landscaping MORE in ARR... I do admit I felt characters looked better in 1.0, but eh, it's not by much, and I'm not THAT picky. I still think the landscaping of this game looks really good!

[Caselia]

1.23 combat was actually fun if you played it.
And yes the textures for 1.0 are much higher as well as character models are 10x better, but ARR has better level design. Even so, 1.0 had much better maps imo, ARR maps feel cramped, cluttered, still, lifeless, and horribly out of place for a lot of areas compared to 1.0 which was vast and felt immersible. Not to mention the soundtracks that went along with the map design fit perfectly and played in a loop unlike ARR.

[Althea]

One of the things I think I missed most about 1.0 was the animations - more specifically, the animations in each cut scene. Like now, when your character walks up you do like a 100% full speed power walk then just immediately stop. So many corners cut in that aspect.

Plus the graphics where a lot "cleaner." The HDR bloom they had was fantastic; as well as the higher resolution textures.

But that's literally all I miss. The combat was so ... terrible. And the UI. Rofl.