Breaking down some of the screenshots

[bobbygunz]

Pick Picky Picky! Downgrade or not Graphics still look amazing, and the Diversity in each area is out of this world from what I see From Forest to Desert, and all of the Rocks, Grass, Cacti etc are not all in the same place every 5 secs you walk ahead! So in the end this so called " Downgrade" of graphics is def. a better trade off to get Better looking zones in general. ( And for all you know this is just the graphics of the standard user, and higher ups can experience it X10 better than what were seeing now.)

They don't look "amazing". They look average now. They're still good enough for today's MMO landscape, but they're definitely not the best anymore. FFXIV used to have the best graphics, now it looks just like Blade and Soul and TERA. That desert landscape looks like something copy-pasted out of Red Dead Redemption. Current Thanalan is much more original and interesting. It's not just a generic desert landscape ripped straight from Red Dead Redemption or someplace. So hopefully there is still a place in 2.0 for an area that looks like present-day Thanalan.

And I think you're over-estimating the degree of copy-paste in FFXIV if you think copy-paste is visible in Screenshots. I've never seen a screenshot of current FFXIV and thought "copy paste!".

Obviously a compromise was needed to allow us to have dynamic shadows, and also to avoid copy-paste during zones. However, I had been expecting that the smaller zone size would be that compromise, and in 2.0 we'd still maintain everything else we have in 1.0 (i.e., high res textures, superior normal mapping, polygon count). Obviously not!

I thought more people would notice all this.

[Starlord]

They don't look "amazing". They look average now. They're still good enough for today's MMO landscape, but they're definitely not the best anymore. FFXIV used to have the best graphics, now it looks just like Blade and Soul and TERA. That desert landscape looks like something copy-pasted out of Red Dead Redemption. Current Thanalan is much more original and interesting. It's not just a generic desert landscape ripped straight from Red Dead Redemption or someplace. So hopefully there is still a place in 2.0 for an area that looks like present-day Thanalan.

And I think you're over-estimating the degree of copy-paste in FFXIV if you think copy-paste is visible in Screenshots. I've never seen a screenshot of current FFXIV and thought "copy paste!".

Obviously a compromise was needed to allow us to have dynamic shadows, and also to avoid copy-paste during zones. However, I had been expecting that the smaller zone size would be that compromise, and in 2.0 we'd still maintain everything else we have in 1.0 (i.e., high res textures, superior normal mapping, polygon count). Obviously not!

I thought more people would notice all this.

Like I said " If it is a so called (Downgrade)" I take that and get better looking zones anyday. But I seriously think your underestimating those Screens anyhow, The res is 720p at best.

[Otaku]

They don't look "amazing". They look average now. They're still good enough for today's MMO landscape, but they're definitely not the best anymore. FFXIV used to have the best graphics, now it looks just like Blade and Soul and TERA. That desert landscape looks like something copy-pasted out of Red Dead Redemption. Current Thanalan is much more original and interesting. It's not just a generic desert landscape ripped straight from Red Dead Redemption or someplace. So hopefully there is still a place in 2.0 for an area that looks like present-day Thanalan.

And I think you're over-estimating the degree of copy-paste in FFXIV if you think copy-paste is visible in Screenshots. I've never seen a screenshot of current FFXIV and thought "copy paste!".

Obviously a compromise was needed to allow us to have dynamic shadows, and also to avoid copy-paste during zones. However, I had been expecting that the smaller zone size would be that compromise, and in 2.0 we'd still maintain everything else we have in 1.0 (i.e., high res textures, superior normal mapping, polygon count). Obviously not!

I thought more people would notice all this.

1. As its been said you're comparing alpha/pre-alpha SS's of XIV (no AA/AO and low rez textures on basic unneeded things like ground/fauna) to B&S/TERA, if that's the case I imagine retail version will still be the best looking MMO on the market even if it looks slightly downgraded from what we have now.
2. In the forest SS alone I see 12 unique trees, I don't know if we even have 12 unique trees in the game atm ><

[Psion]

also, i think those rings are actually gold, not green, it's just that the far distance and low quality of the screenshot distort the color a bit. The blue sky and crystal background isn't helping any.

Chances are with higher settings and closer up it would look golden.

[Doho]

not sure if this has been mentioned but.. did anyone notice that the Man'qote carpenter running through the woods has HP and CP?? (which i assume is crafting points?) and also new crafting icons. what's that all about I wonder.

[Hyrist]

Remember when I said in another thread (I beleive it was the "Leveling is too fast!" Thread.) That when people realize that their opinion is in a stark minority on the internet, they feel this incessant urge to try to justify their views and feelings above the others by repeatedly trolling and crying?

Right now, that's bobbygunz.

And it would be really nice if you'd all stop feeding the troll.


Graphic wise? I'll be plain - I don't care what other people think, those graphics look nice to me. I wasn't asking for photo-realism. Hell, I wasn't expecting anything after-being told the trailer wasn't going to be shown at E3.

The point of the photos was to show off the environments and UI, as well as some of the new effects. And they look good. I like the feel they're producing with the visuals of 2.0 here, and I'm anxious- no, excited to see more.

[viion]

Current Thanalan is much more original and interesting.

.....ROFL

ok please stop, you have to be trolling.

*Steps outside Uldah*
*Looks at the Landscape*

I have no successfully seen ALL of Thanalan as its no different from the moment you step outside the door of Uldah.

Please show me these "Interesting" places, unless you think HIGH RES ROCK TEXTURE is uber..

Here is how badly XIV is copy-pasted

[KiriA500]

Right now, that's bobbygunz.

And it would be really nice if you'd all stop feeding the troll.

THANK YOU!

[Otaku]

not sure if this has been mentioned but.. did anyone notice that the Man'qote carpenter running through the woods has HP and CP?? (which i assume is crafting points?) and also new crafting icons. what's that all about I wonder.

If crafting/gathering becomes more like battle with skills and/or CP usage I just might start enjoying it (also this is gonna kill anyone bot crafting)

[Felis]

also, i think those rings are actually gold, not green, it's just that the far distance and low quality of the screenshot distort the color a bit. The blue sky and crystal background isn't helping any.

Chances are with higher settings and closer up it would look golden.

I think you are right
In this artwork they are definitely not green ^^