The new concept screenshot is a real-time in-game render!

[nasomi]

Is there any way to perma-lock scroll lock? I'd love to play that way.

On my laptop I can, but it doesn't seem to want to on my desktop. And kind of hard to see your spells and such without it.

[Tsukino]

If thats really an in game image then sort the dragons left head out. Looks like a horse was tangoed, the rest looks good.

...it's a chimera. That's its evil goat head.

[UnrealTai]

I thought it was a artist render too, not real time actual game engine graphics.
It almost looks like it will end up more demanding, but maybe optimized this TIME lol.

At any rate, the only thing that worries me....
Cartoonish. If this ends up looking cartoony like wow I'm shooting someone. While the pic looks awesome, it also has a little cartoony feel to it, its slight, but its there. *Is worried*

If we wanted to play wow we would go play wow.
I pray to god this is not going to be cartoony as it seems in that screen, cause I'm sure people will rage. I'll join in lol.

[Jinko]

That's kind of terrible. There's a lot i hate about that screenshot. For one, I hope it's a boss fight, toherwise I see no reason to have that many people in a party. What's witht he crap around the map? Multiple toolbars? I can't see what that stuff is in the lower right. Looks very non-controller friendly, sort of like what a friend had up in wow, when he was just mashing buttons left and right. I hope it doens't look like that at all. I like the simplistic look, less is more.

It looks like its a quest or leve mob (noted the text under the map and the timer)
The grid in the lower right is inventory space I'm betting, colour coded to show different stuff, like armour, materials and consumables maybe.
Wouldn't surprise me if you click a grid and open that individual bag (gobby bags ? XD), im sure they plan a separate UI for PS3 and controller users.

I have no doubt that its real time, looking how good FF14 looks at the moment its easy to imagine with a better graphics engine and some added effect, better lighting and shadowing it could look that good.

Btw is the second action bar on the screenshot the supporting system he talked about? To control the chocobo in battle?

Yup

At any rate, the only thing that worries me....
Cartoonish. If this ends up looking cartoony like wow I'm shooting someone. While the pic looks awesome, it also has a little cartoony feel to it, its slight, but its there. *Is worried*

Final Fantasy was doing Cartoony long before WoW.

I would actually say that over the top art and animation is a Final Fantasy trade mark, just go look at at trailer of FF13-2

[Dragonheart]

Strange that no one already said: OMG glowing PLD's sword it's not realistic and doesn't fit in this game !!11!11!!!1

[Ilethius]

lol @ the realism ramblers.

If SE would follow realism rules there would be nothing 'final fantasy' in the game and the only thing players would be battling is starvation or the bubonic plague....

[Zenaku]

Strange that no one already said: OMG glowing PLD's sword it's not realistic and doesn't fit in this game !!11!11!!!1

That look like he about to do a WS maybe that the reason. Seeing how SE done some good Glowing wep with ifrit i don't see why they would do wowish version.

I still hoping that not really ingame and if it does look Cartoonish Because then FFXIV version 1 look 100000x better then FFXIV version 2 even if look nice by many people eyes if it look like aion,rift,tera then it a downgrade and pretty much people would rage.

[UnrealTai]

Final Fantasy was doing Cartoony long before WoW.

Um no lol. FF games have been as realistic as they could be at the time the game was made, the only except was 9 out of the main stream line. Early versions made due the best they could, but lets be honest the graphics limitations in the past hindered, and they still tried to make thing realisticlly believable despite it being fantasy.
Yes its fantasy, fantasy isn't a cartoon its a genre..... If mithras actually existed people can imagine "this" is what they would actually look like. That is what has been so special about Final Fantasy art style. Because it pulls and draws you into it by saying hey if this WAS real, I bet this would be a pretty damn good example of what this thing would actually look like. No one watches a cartoon and goes hey if this race was real (say a demon) I bet that is what they would look like.......this is not a hard concept to understand lol.

If you go play wow how many times have you said hey, if a troll actually existed i bet THIS is what it would look like. Probably none, because its car too nyyyyyy

So positive notes? it doesn't look like flat grass, the sky looks way more detailed (although current clouds at dusk are gorgeous) and I guess just more detail in general, but the style, lil less crayon, lil more pencil please.

[ellohwell]

That was the whole point of FFXIV to trash the realism seem like a downgrade and just trying to make wow players join because they like that type of art concept.

I kind of agree. FFXIV at the moment is really subtle.

I look around the camps and hamlets and see peasants dressed in rags and old-fashioned attire, and I hope that degree of unassuming fantasy isn't lost when they try to make this game a flamboyant wreck just to appease the players that wanted "moar colours".

I mean, I'd hate to see those people's wardrobes, is all I'm trying to say.

Sometimes muted subtlety is better than flamboyant colours. (sometimes=always). I just hope they don't compromise the artistic integrity of the game in the process of trying to revamp it. There's a reason I won't be playing TERA (even though I think the combat system is a huge step forward for MMOs).

[nibelunc]

Hm I don't think they will change the entire graphic style. They try to improve it, to update the graphics to 2013. It was difficult and took a long time to implement new stuff into the game with the actual graphic engine and maybe it will be better and faster with the new. And the new areas are going to be smaller in their range but versatile and beautiful. I'm looking forward for these changes. What I don't like on this screenshot are the FFXII/FFXIII kind neon fonts and colors and the WOW stuff. But since we are able to change these things and make it a bit more neutral it's not that bad.

Maybe the situation on this screenshot is part of the content of defending Ishgard from a dragon invasion. I think I have read something like this somewhere.