Glowing weapons

[Rhianu]

I'm just trying to point out that XIV is stylisticly diffirent from WoW and in my opinion, does not lend itself well to glowing weapons.

Well obviously WoW and FFXIV have different artistic styles from one another. WoW is intended to look like a painting, which is a style that it actually captures very well, while FFXIV seems to be striving for hyper-realism as much as possible.

However, you are wrong to say that glowing things cannot fit in with a more realistic and lifelike art style. As I said several pages ago, a glow is nothing more than light, and there is no such thing as an art style in which light feels out of place or does not fit, not even a lifelike art style.

They have a diffirent style, a diffirent way of presenting and handling lore and characters. WoW is more like a Medival Fantasy or a Swords and Sorcery Fantasy (and that is NOT a bad thing at all). It's a more excited and energetic style of the Western RPGs they base it from (most spesifically the warhammer series). I am of the opinion that consitantly glowing magical weapons are better suited for games in the asthetic style of WoW.

Uh... FFXIV is a medieval fantasy with swords and sorcery just as much as WoW is. >_>

Besides, glowing weapons can fit into absolutely any style of fantasy game, regardless of setting or visual style. Saying that there is any such thing as any setting where glowing things don't fit is absurd. Hell, we already have the lantern shield, which looks awesome and totally fits in with FFXIV's art style, thus proving that glowing things can be perfectly at home in FFXIV.

Even FFXI had a shit-ton of glowing things all over the environments, not to mention all the summons and several bosses, too.

[Gramul]

However, you are wrong to say that glowing things cannot fit in with a more realistic and lifelike art style. As I said several pages ago, a glow is nothing more than light, and there is no such thing as an art style in which light feels out of place or does not fit, not even a lifelike art style.

It's just my opinion.
As such it can neither be right nor wrong.

I'm still not convinced you're familiar with fantasy sub-genres, but as I said earlier, it doesn't really matter in this case.
That aside, I thought you might like to learn more about them so here are some links:

http://www.cuebon.com/ewriters/Fsubgenres.html
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Fantasy
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?...ldid=318795990
(Note that the Wikipedia article is an older version of the page. I've linked it to make it easier because they decided to move all literary sub-genres to one page for whatever reason. Please enjoy.)

[Rhianu]

It's just my opinion.
As such it can neither be right nor wrong.

Maybe opinions can't be technically wrong, but they can certainly be biased, misinformed, and ignorant.

I'm still not convinced you're familiar with fantasy sub-genres, but as I said earlier, it doesn't really matter in this case.
That aside, I thought you might like to learn more about them so here are some links:

Genre is irrelevant, because what we're really talking about here is visual direction and artistic style, which is a totally different subject than genre.

EDIT: By the way, I looked through those links you provided, and not a single one of them said anything about glowing weapons, or that glowing things can only appear in certain genres. So good job on trying to shoehorn your own biased misconceptions into documents that really don't even mention your stance in the first place, let alone support it.

[Gramul]

Maybe opinions can't be technically wrong, but they can certainly be biased, misinformed, and ignorant.

Is it really that important to you? Does the fact that I don't want glowing weapons in Final Fantasy Fourteen really bother you enough to make implied accusations about my views? That I'm somehow ignorant or misinformed about something as arbitrary as personal taste?

Why do you care? I just don't agree with you. It doesn't make me any better or worse than you are and I am surprised this conversation has gone on as long as it has.

Let's just agree to disagree and move on before we clog up this topic any more with our ranting.

[Rhianu]

Is it really that important to you? Does the fact that I don't want glowing weapons in Final Fantasy Fourteen really bother you enough to make implied accusations about my views? That I'm somehow ignorant or misinformed about something as arbitrary as personal taste?

Why do you care? I just don't agree with you. It doesn't make me any better or worse than you are and I am surprised this conversation has gone on as long as it has.

Let's just agree to disagree and move on before we clog up this topic any more with our ranting.

I care because I want to see FFXIV grow and improve and become a better game, and one of the ways to accomplish that is by creating weapons and armor that have unique and interesting visual flair to them. And one of the most powerful visual effects in any artist's arsenal is light. If you take away that tool, and say that the artists can't use ever that tool under any circumstances no matter what, just because you have some irrational personal bias against the tool, what you're doing is crippling their creative freedom and limiting not only the potential of the artists, but the potential of the game itself.

No one is "scared of it", it looks painfully tacky seeing everyone running around like a lightshow. It's not cool, it's not epic in any way.

If it's on EVERY weapon in the entire freaking game, then yeah, it would lose a bit of its luster, since it would no longer be special. But as I pointed out earlier, even in WoW most of the equipment doesn't glow at all. Glowing effects are generally reserved for only a few weapons here and there, so that it remains special and unique.

By the way, a lot of you guys must really hate the Fourth of July. All those vibrant colors, bright bursting lights, and blazing fireworks must all look so tacky to you. </sarcasm>

[Gramul]

And one of the most powerful visual effects in any artist's arsenal is light. If you take away that tool, and say that the artists can't use ever it under any circumstances no matter what, just because you have some irrational personal bias against that tool, what you're doing is crippling their creative freedom and limiting not only the potential of the artists, but the potential of the game itself.

When did I say I had anything against using light as a tool? I'm fine with them using it when it makes sense and plays well into design.

I just feel that the beauty of a weapon is in its details, and putting lights on them takes away from that beauty. I think light is a spectacular tool, but I just feel it's better suited for environments and I feel the lore of FFXIV doesn't work well with consistently glowing weapons.

I'm glad you care about this game and I can tell you have a lot of passion for making it the best product it can be in your eyes, and even though I disagree with your opinion, I accept it.

[Rhianu]

I feel the lore of FFXIV doesn't work well with consistently glowing weapons.

There is jackshit in FFXIV's lore that prohibits weapons and armor from glowing. Tell me, what in the bloody hell leads you to believe glowing things wouldn't fit in with the game's lore? Is there some quest with a mystical wizard in a cave and a majestic story-arc that goes into great detail about how all glowing things were eating by the Dread Dragon Elgoroth, the Destroyer of Light? No? There isn't such a quest in the game? Well, then I don't see how you can say glowing things wouldn't fit in with the story of the game, if the game's story makes no specific rules against them.

Sorry if I seem a little harsh, but I really see no logical reason whatsoever for your stance.

[Gramul]

There is jackshit in FFXIV's lore that prohibits weapons from glowing. Tell me, what in the bloody hell leads you to believe glowing things wouldn't fit in with the game's lore? Is there some quest with a mystical wizard in a cave and a majestic story-arc that goes into great detail about how all glowing things were eating by the Dread Dragon Elgoroth, the Destroyer of Light? No? There isn't such a quest in the game? Well, then I don't see how you can say glowing things wouldn't fit in with the story of the game, if the game's story makes no specific rules against them.

Relax. I just personally feel that the lore does not lend itself well to the idea. It's just a stylistic choice that I feel would miss match with the overall theme.

Is there anyone that says you can't have them in the world? No; but there isn't anything that says you can't have flying purple hippos wearing top hats and vomiting rainbows either.

In XIV, everything about the weapons and gear feels hand crafted and real, as if they could actually exist in the Late Middle Ages to the Early Modern Era. I feel glowing weapons would fall away from that. That's what I mean when I say that I feel the lore does not lend itself well to the idea. There is magic that could be used to temporarily enchant weapons, but that's really the furthest extent that I personally care to see.

[Rhianu]

Is there anyone that says you can't have them in the world? No; but there isn't anything that says you can't have flying purple hippos wearing top hats and vomiting rainbows either.

Sorry, but using ridiculous exaggerations doesn't help your side of the argument. At all.

In XIV, everything about the weapons and gear feels hand crafted and real, as if they could actually exist in the Late Middle Ages to the Early Modern Era. I feel glowing weapons would fall away from that.

Eorzea is a fucking fantasy world! We don't have to limit the items in the game so they only resemble real-life weapons when the game's world was never even intended to mimic real-life in the first place. -_-

There is magic that could be used to temporarily enchant weapons, but that's really the furthest extent that I personally care to see.

Why should magic be limited to temporary enhancements? Is there some rule in the game's story that say magic is only temporary, and that it fades with time? No? There isn't such a rule? Alright then.

[Sephr]

If it's on EVERY weapon in the entire freaking game, then yeah, it would lose a bit of its luster, since it would no longer be special. But as I pointed out earlier, even in WoW most of the equipment doesn't glow at all. Glowing effects are generally reserved for only a few weapons here and there, so that it remains special and unique.

Have you even played recently? Every weapon glows at 85. Those that dont naturally are guaranteed to be equipped with one of the blinding new level 85 enchants. Seriously, ever sword looks like a freaking lightning rod.

By the way, a lot of you guys must really hate the Fourth of July. All those vibrant colors, bright bursting lights, and blazing fireworks must all look so tacky to you. </sarcasm>

I have absolutely no idea why you said this, do you want a firework display in your pocket? If it's sarcasm it pretty much goes against what you said before because.. you're agreeing that these overdone effects look stupid?

God I don't know. The bottom line is, a very subtle aura on some of the top equipment occasionally would be kinda cool, but NO to putting it on anything else and it being anything less than the best stuff.

Sorry, but using ridiculous exaggerations doesn't help your side of the argument. At all.

I believe that was pretty much the point of the comment, suggesting that something should be possible because the lore doesnt say it's impossible is a totally stupid point to make.

Eorzea is a fucking fantasy world! We don't have to limit the items in the game so they only resemble real-life weapons when the game's world was never even intended to mimic real-life in the first place

Nack before the game was released (Cant find the interview now, if i can i'll link it) i remember Tanaka and Yoshida (the art designer one, not the new one) saying that their intention behind FFXIV's design was that, on the surface, most things would appear to be physically possible and thus grounded. That said, we also have magic so the point doesn't apply that much, but we're never likely to see them to deter wildly from this style choice.

I don't really know why you're so intent on trying desperately to shoot down other people's OPINIONS, ones that personally I agree with more than yours. Are you scared that a less-than-unanimous decision in the thread won't result in it happening? If that's the case I wouldn't worry, even if it was a whole thread of people wanting swords that shoot rainbows, if the art team says no it's a no.

OK. You win. I'm done.
Trying to explain my opinion is a wasted effort it seems. Please have a good day regardless of our differences.

S/he absolutely doesn't win anything, and if s/he thinks that an overzealous and aggressive way of dealing with others on a subject s/he cares about is going to get the attention of devs, s/he's pretty much lost anyway.