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This is how environments should look

PigozzPigozz Member UncommonPosts: 886

Prolly Norn starting area...other game designers should take notes

Oh I forgot there is a big chance Norn will be playable at Pax east (I'm assuming more from pictures than from the interview, but interesting read anyway:D )

I think I actually spent way more time reading and theorycrafting about MMOs than playing them

Comments

  • Zeus.CMZeus.CM Member, Newbie CommonPosts: 1,788

    awesome screenshot. definately a norn area. can't wait to see it myself :)

  • SweetZoidSweetZoid Member Posts: 437

    Sweet! i love Norn and their lands :)

  • tavoctavoc Member UncommonPosts: 257

    all of the enviormental screenies from gw2 are simply stunning.. i cant get over any of them myself. Which makes me think 2.. graphics+gameplay+invovations+btp.. Im having a hard time justifying paying a sub for any of the games i used to play.. nothing compares to this imo.. again.. im just beside myself on the details anet put in the enviorments.. cant wait to have that baby running on my 27' 1080 hd moniter on max graphics! the thought makes me drool

    image

  • Grotar89Grotar89 Member UncommonPosts: 347

    Definitely Norn starter, right click view image Norn-starter-2 :)

  • RameiArashiRameiArashi Member UncommonPosts: 294

    Makes sense, those statues are bear,  wolf, raven and snow leopard,  the  four most honored nature spirits among the  norn.

    image

  • EricDanieEricDanie Member UncommonPosts: 2,238

    I don't know. Image 2 looks to be a Sylvari area (well, Maguuma Jungle, but AFAIK it was there that they were born), but I was definitely not expecting to see Sylvari playable anytime soon considering how mysterious they have always been about them.

    Image 1 & 3 are definitely Norn.

    Sure, it's about time we get to see other races, I am just saying not to get the hopes too high because of the Sylvari area image.

    And damn, I wish they'd provide a worldwide demo, it would give me something to dream about for the months to come until the game releases. It would also probably make me focus on work, since no other game would feel like worth playing after a GW2 demo =P

  • DubhlaithDubhlaith Member Posts: 1,012


    Originally posted by tavoc
    all of the enviormental screenies from gw2 are simply stunning.. i cant get over any of them myself. Which makes me think 2.. graphics+gameplay+invovations+btp.. Im having a hard time justifying paying a sub for any of the games i used to play.. nothing compares to this imo.. again.. im just beside myself on the details anet put in the enviorments.. cant wait to have that baby running on my 27' 1080 hd moniter on max graphics! the thought makes me drool

    That is their plan. You can see from their interviews part of their goal is to make players and other developers question the model that has prevailed so far. I do not remember which one it is, but someone says something along the lines of "you cannot justify a monthly fee for the services offered by most MMOs. I know, you know, the players know it." And we do, or should, know that by now. With GW2, hopefully people will see that the quality of a game is not dependent on a monthly fee.

    People say this could be a secondary game, and sure, it could be, with no fee, but why. If you can buy a game and not pay a fee, and get as much game as something with a fee, why would you not do that. Sure, you will pay money for content, and probably for cute costumes or extra characters/storage, but so what? You will still come out ahead in the numbers, and you do not have to schedule your payments. You buy what you want when you want it, and then it is yours. That is how buying things should always be.

    "Gamers will no longer buy the argument that every MMO requires a subscription fee to offset server and bandwidth costs. It's not true — you know it, and they know it." —Jeff Strain, co-founder of ArenaNet, 2007

    WTF? No subscription fee?

  • romanator0romanator0 Member Posts: 2,382

    Originally posted by Dubhlaith

     




    Originally posted by tavoc

    all of the enviormental screenies from gw2 are simply stunning.. i cant get over any of them myself. Which makes me think 2.. graphics+gameplay+invovations+btp.. Im having a hard time justifying paying a sub for any of the games i used to play.. nothing compares to this imo.. again.. im just beside myself on the details anet put in the enviorments.. cant wait to have that baby running on my 27' 1080 hd moniter on max graphics! the thought makes me drool




     

    That is their plan. You can see from their interviews part of their goal is to make players and other developers question the model that has prevailed so far. I do not remember which one it is, but someone says something along the lines of "you cannot justify a monthly fee for the services offered by most MMOs. I know, you know, the players know it." And we do, or should, know that by now. With GW2, hopefully people will see that the quality of a game is not dependent on a monthly fee.

    People say this could be a secondary game, and sure, it could be, with no fee, but why. If you can buy a game and not pay a fee, and get as much game as something with a fee, why would you not do that. Sure, you will pay money for content, and probably for cute costumes or extra characters/storage, but so what? You will still come out ahead in the numbers, and you do not have to schedule your payments. You buy what you want when you want it, and then it is yours. That is how buying things should always be.

    http://www.guildwars.com/events/tradeshows/gc2007/gcspeech.php

    I believe this is the speech you are talking about. It's by Jeff Strain.

    image

  • OrthelianOrthelian Member UncommonPosts: 1,034

    I don't get it. The color scheme is pleasant and the composition is good, but there's a lot of primitive stuff going on there that really rears its outdated head at me. Most notably the flora. It's weird that there hasn't been non-cardboard flora since Vanguard and Age of Conan. Everything else has improved, but flora keeps hovering around the nasty WoW-LotRO range.

    Favorites: EQEVE | Playing: None. Mostly VR and strategy | Anticipating: CUPantheon
  • nomssnomss Member UncommonPosts: 1,468

    Originally posted by Pigozz

    Prolly Norn starting area...other game designers should take notes

    Oh I forgot there is a big chance Norn will be playable at Pax east (I'm assuming more from pictures than from the interview, but interesting read anyway:D )

    I give this 7/10. I still liked Tera's better.

  • SwaneaSwanea Member UncommonPosts: 2,401

    Not bad at all.  Not the best, but very near the top!

  • tddavistddavis Member Posts: 159

    Originally posted by Saerain

    I don't get it. The color scheme is pleasant and the composition is good, but there's a lot of primitive stuff going on there that really rears its outdated head at me. Most notably the flora. It's weird that there hasn't been non-cardboard flora since Vanguard and Age of Conan. Everything else has improved, but flora keeps hovering around the nasty WoW-LotRO range.

    all games use billboards for plants. what really determines realism and not coming across as dated is polygon plane density. This is mostly determined by the render engine and the performance of the machine it runs on. it is a hardware limitation. most things like grass is actually done procedural where it increases the density for you based on your machines capabilities.

  • skeaserskeaser Member RarePosts: 4,179

    I was debating what race I would start with but this pretty much seals the deal for me.

    Norn all the way!

    Sig so that badges don't eat my posts.


  • tavoctavoc Member UncommonPosts: 257

    Originally posted by romanator0

    Originally posted by Dubhlaith

     




    Originally posted by tavoc

    all of the enviormental screenies from gw2 are simply stunning.. i cant get over any of them myself. Which makes me think 2.. graphics+gameplay+invovations+btp.. Im having a hard time justifying paying a sub for any of the games i used to play.. nothing compares to this imo.. again.. im just beside myself on the details anet put in the enviorments.. cant wait to have that baby running on my 27' 1080 hd moniter on max graphics! the thought makes me drool





     

    That is their plan. You can see from their interviews part of their goal is to make players and other developers question the model that has prevailed so far. I do not remember which one it is, but someone says something along the lines of "you cannot justify a monthly fee for the services offered by most MMOs. I know, you know, the players know it." And we do, or should, know that by now. With GW2, hopefully people will see that the quality of a game is not dependent on a monthly fee.

    People say this could be a secondary game, and sure, it could be, with no fee, but why. If you can buy a game and not pay a fee, and get as much game as something with a fee, why would you not do that. Sure, you will pay money for content, and probably for cute costumes or extra characters/storage, but so what? You will still come out ahead in the numbers, and you do not have to schedule your payments. You buy what you want when you want it, and then it is yours. That is how buying things should always be.

    http://www.guildwars.com/events/tradeshows/gc2007/gcspeech.php

    I believe this is the speech you are talking about. It's by Jeff Strain.

    I know the speach, i have heard it before, along with i belive atleast 80% of the others. But it still holds true, and this has been my side of the arguement for a while now with people saying "oh i will just keep my sub". I dont see why they would try and play this and another game since i can plainly see only from what we know NOW that this game already has more then 85% of PTP games out there. Also every area screenshot i see, or hd video i see or so on.. i know from a testing point of view most of this isent even captured on 100% graphical properties. On a buisness side they dont do that because if somone running a low end rig sees this amazingsly beautifull screenshot... buys the game and logs in they realize that they cant even see that type of game and they will get mad.. and for a GOOD reason not a common flame. = bad juju.

    Anyway, im still looking at all the screenies and even on the ones ive seen 100x.. im still speachless as to what anet has accomplished off of their own engine..

    image

  • DataDayDataDay Member UncommonPosts: 1,538

    Yes and no, OP (in regards to title).

     

    What they did right, considering the genre, is make it feel epic and more important than the player. The larger scope and epic feeling in other words.

    That said, even with that one key element, I would have to disagree it is done well. Honestly the animals and the cluttered spacing of them along side fairly generic height map created landscape is well...to the trained eye not so impressive.

    They are going after the right feeling, I just think it wasnt executed very well based off that one screen shot. I hope the rest of the game features a bit better art direction in that department.

  • PigozzPigozz Member UncommonPosts: 886

    Originally posted by Saerain

    I don't get it. The color scheme is pleasant and the composition is good, but there's a lot of primitive stuff going on there that really rears its outdated head at me. Most notably the flora. It's weird that there hasn't been non-cardboard flora since Vanguard and Age of Conan. Everything else has improved, but flora keeps hovering around the nasty WoW-LotRO range.

    At least in GW2 the grass moves as you run through it..little detail but immersive one..

    I think I actually spent way more time reading and theorycrafting about MMOs than playing them

  • RageaholRageahol Member UncommonPosts: 1,127

    BEAR, WOLF, SNOW LEOPARD, RAVEN 

     

    Norn Master Race !   Can't wait for some videos.   GW has been/ always will be Beautiful from pre-searing onward!

    image

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