Cartoony style graphics....

[Payadopa]

Great post. I will not miss 1.0 though, can't wait for it to go away. :P

It's still beyond me how people can see these screenshots and still claim ARR is a graphical downgrade.
The pics above make it blatantly obvious. V1.x looks almost sterile in comparison.

[Sagagemini]

Rokien, you are really stupid.

[ZakarnRosewood]

I'm going to say something no one is going to like, but according to some people, non FF fans, Final Fantasy graphics ARE always cartoony, lovely, high quality, but cartoony. Of course the right word is stylized.

Personally FF graphics is that perfect balance between realism and the animated look. It's so well done it looks like it could be real, but it's not. That said Rokien you are on crack if you think ARR's graphics are any more stylized then what we have now. :P

I whole heartedly agree. I kind of miss the super-deformed chibi animations. it was why i loved FFIX so much. I hope they bring them back again in their next offline numbered installment.

final fantasy was never about the graphics until FFVII came along but the one feature that has stayed constant, and is one of the things they have said is an important feature, is the story. as well, they like to add in new and original leveling systems and battle systems. looks like they are going to be keeping that at least. but the new fans that came in around FFX seem to be the ones wanting the "great graphics" more than most. oh, and the speaking. so many of the die-hard fans were upset with SE for voice acting FFX because it stopped them from having their own version of the voice in their head.

Yoshi-P explaining the story aspects of FFXIV: ARR
"There will be three major storylines included in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. The first is a large, overarching story, one not alike what you find in World of Warcraft. Basically, it covers the Garlean Empire and how they've invaded and how the people of the Realm are attempting to get their Realm back.
The second story is going to be a sto
ry surrounding the Primals which are the summons in Final Fantasy XIV and how there are many different Beast Tribes that worship these Primals and how these Primals, when summoned, drain the lifeforce of the planet. Whenever they're out, they weaken the place. Thus, the second story is going to revolve around how the people of the Realm are fighting the Beast Tribes and how they're attempting to stop the Beast Tribes from bringing this threat to the planet. There's also a bit on how the Garlean Empire is kind of involved in this as well.
Finally, we're going to be looking at a continuation of what is going to happen at the end of the current version. A giant entity in the sky, Dalamud, (the big red Meteor) is coming towards the planet and it's threatening all life there. Basically, what's going to happen at the time Dalamud comes and the period after that, we have the story solve all those mysteries that were left untied at the end of the story.
Of course, the story will be told through many, m any different quests. We have a large number of questions that we will be implementing and these will range from very short quests that will only hint at the background story to very Final Fantasy-esque high quality cutscenes with lots of dialogue and exposition."

This is what i'm more focused on than the grass or being able to see the pores on my chr's face. i'm not going to really care about that for 90% of my playtime. i'm going to be too busy surrounding my chr in battle effects. bottom line, FF series means something different to everyone who plays it. I feel the younger generation feels a bit more entitled than most but that is not restricted to them alone.

I am happy with the changes they have been making so far and look forward to seeing a more complete project as the months roll on.

[Rokien]

Rokien, you are really stupid.

Oh, I'm happy to know what I SEE makes me stupid....

[Starlord]

Oh, I'm happy to know what I SEE makes me stupid....

What you "SEE" is Rokien Vision! Which means "what Rokien sees as the absolute truth so help me god." Graphics is all opinions. We respect yours, but don't come off as your "Opinions" are facts.

[Babydoll]

After seeing those screens on the last page...ARR looks a LOT better then 1.0.

Heh, 1.0..you will not be missed.

[Rokien]

After seeing those screens on the last page...ARR looks a LOT better then 1.0.

Heh, 1.0..you will not be missed.

it's only the lighting.....

[Starlord]

it's only the lighting.....

There you go with your "opinions" as facts again...

[Zezlar]

The pictures do the graphics a lot of justice. I still would like to see the difference between low-max settings. The live video does give off a slight sense that it may be a graphical downgrade, but even in the video it's mentioned that it looks very grainy, and not that good. It's so hard to judge quality from a video. I can't wait until the benchmark comes before the beta. That will give us a very good impression of the graphical quality we will see.

[Payadopa]

it's only the lighting.....

Right...
It certainly has -nothing- to do with the whole forest being totally revamped.