Lackluster Graphics in FFXIV

[Abriael]

Those cliffs still look absolutely horrible though.

I wouldn't say so. They look pretty realistic stratified cliffs to me, and the normal mapping improves the visuals very nicely.
Sure they'd look even better with tassellation, but that kind of effect is probably too heavy for a MMORPG.

Maybe they're a tad too clean, and could use some weathering/vegetation (even if volcanic cliffs in very windy area actually tend to be quite clean, and limsa is a volcanic area, and very windy).
But as I already said that's a matter of art direction, not of quality of the graphics.

I remember Bastok and its "greys" indeed but like you'll see in this image, they are fragmented and merged with "whites" and other colors around:

That's an extremely zoomed out image (that I believe couldn't even be seen in game from that perspective. Might be wrong, but I'm 99% sure). Looking with a nearer perspective the grey was very, very strong.
I actually find limsa quite a lot warmer, thanks to the the use of a lot of dark wood (which is actually used in modern architecture to "warm" concrete/steel interiors that tend to be extra cold), an element that was pretty much absent in Bastok.

Mind you, even some areas of Jeuno that were designed much later than bastok were strikingly grayish and "clean".
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4109/...5567c876_o.jpg

[Sinzfeldt]

Thing is though, no matter how many polygons you added to that cliff it would still look crap because the texture is low res as hell because of the crappy curtain LOD.

[Munba]

Mind you, even some areas of Jeuno that were designed much later than bastok were strikingly grayish and "clean".
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4109/...5567c876_o.jpg

And also in Jeuno that white/yellow in the floor 'softens' the general grey atmosphere. LL becomes a bit warmer only during the sunset and dawn, for obvious reasons.

[Munba]

I think graphics are pretty nice generally (technically speaking) with some letdowns here and there indeed (like the bad res of trees that makes them like 'paper' made sometimes).. BUT the game lacks about "warm" (and so immersion) in several Areas.

Take Limsa Lominsa. It's very cold and bland in this state... too GREY around. When i saw for the first time the art of it, i imagined it with Santorini colors (and maybe some mosaics on walls), lights from the sea surface in the night and trees around also from the water (i presume a sort of mangroves), like the above image suggests:




Gridania is instead a perfect example of a warm and immersive area, much more detailed than LL if you ask me. It's all matter of colors and details around. A perfect example is the Tavern, with colored-glasses. A little masterpiece imo.

Uldah, in the end, is in the middle. Several streets are empty and bland but there are some plazas rich of colors and the market street, with th stands, gives a sense of warm indeed.


Concluding, some areas need a restyling about colors and details, adding stuff (flora, fauna, objects) to make the enviroment more alive... not so cold and sometimes 'artificial'. I don't like to make comparisons usually, but FF11 was FULL of warm and details in every corner. Why FF14 is sadly a (long) step backward in this departement? Btw i have still faith and hope devs will make something about it in the future..

[Abriael]

Take Limsa Lominsa. It's very cold and bland in this state... too GREY around. When i saw for the first time the art of it, i imagined it with Santorini colors (and maybe some mosaics on walls), lights from the sea surface in the night and trees around also from the water (i presume a sort of mangroves), like the above image suggests:

That's a matter of art direction, not of graphics. Limsa is basically a pirate cove. Pirates aren't exactly known for their artistic exploits. Also, the grey cliffs do have a nice effect. They pick up lovely hues with sunset/sunrise (and even night actually) light conditions.

Concluding, some areas need a restyling about colors and details, adding stuff (flora, fauna, objects) to make the enviroment more alive... not so cold and sometimes 'artificial'. I don't like to make comparisons usually, but FF11 was FULL of warm and details in every corner. Why FF14 is sadly a (long) step backward in this departement? Btw i have still faith and hope devs will make something about it in the future..

Might really want to polish your FFXI memories a little. Try to remember Bastok. It was basically the same as Limsa. Actually even much worse, due to the much smaller presence of water and vegetation.

It is, by the way, a pretty common problem with MMORPGs. Since almost no team designs all the areas at once, areas designed first tend to be less impressive than those designed later, as the team starts to pick up the style and the art direction of the game, and becomes more confident with the tools.
You can also look at Coerthas and Mor Donha. They look a TON more beautiful (and less monotonous) than Thanlanan, Black Shroud and La Norsca.

Your PC is very good. Believe me, if I didn't have to buy this I'd be upgrading my system every generation.

I didn't say it's bad, but it's definitely not near the top as well. Currently it's pretty much a mid-range gaming PC. I built my girlfriend an identical setup (just changing the motherboard because she wasn't interested in a future SLI expansion) for 800 bucks.

[Munba]

Might really want to polish your FFXI memories a little. Try to remember Bastok. It was basically the same as Limsa. Actually even much worse, due to the much smaller presence of water and vegetation.

I remember Bastok and its "greys" indeed but like you'll see in this image, they are fragmented and merged with "whites" and other colors around:

http://images.wikia.com/ffxi/images/5/56/Nm02.jpg

You'll notice the general effect is different from LL and warmer indeed.

[BelgianRofl]

Your PC is very good. Believe me, if I didn't have to buy this I'd be upgrading my system every generation.

[DAOWAce]

I created this in beta, but the flaws are still relevant in present time: http://forum.daow.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=23

[BelgianRofl]

I created this in beta, but the flaws are still relevant in present time: http://forum.daow.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=23

Yes, the game is running a horribly optimized engine, and the lighting is just atrocious. The characters look ok (except for the lighting), but the world just looks horrible - especially limsa.

FFXI looks better because the graphical technologies all fit together - like a toyota camry with stock rims. here it's like putting doughnuts on a ferrari - and that just ruins the whole image.

[Ilean]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G9anRoYGko

Tessellation based water