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[POLL] Should ESOs art style be more stylized and cartoony?

SengiSengi Member CommonPosts: 350

There is a new trend in MMORPG design towards more stylized and cartoony graphics. With Everquest Next and Wildstar, and to some extent also Guild Wars 2, several big titles have taken this route. Furthermore WoW was very successful with its art style for many years.  ESO is somewhat swimming against the tide with its more realistic and grittier graphics.   

There are many arguments that speak for stylized cartoony graphics especially these:

  • Stylized graphics age much better then more realistic ones. ESOs graphics might look dated after a couple of years.
  • Less realistic graphics avoid the "uncanny valley".
  • Cartoony graphics are much better for expressing emotions. Emotes will be better visible from afar.
  • WoW has reaches 11 mil subscribers with this kind of art style.  
  • Cartoony and non violent graphics appeal to all audiences and are more family friendly.

What do you think, would you like ESO to adopt this new art style too?

«1

Comments

  • Balkin31Balkin31 Member UncommonPosts: 224
    Hell no to stylized... 
  • DrakynnDrakynn Member Posts: 2,030

    My criteria for choosing preferred art style centers around end game and RvR.

    If  the chosen graphic style means that the majority of players get bad performance during large scale RvR then they should of  gone for an art style that allowed for less polygons and rendering power needed but still looks reasonable.

    Otherwise I don't really care as long as the game itself is good.

  • IridescentOrkIridescentOrk Member Posts: 157
    I think it's fine as it is.

    gameplay > graphics

  • BookahBookah Member UncommonPosts: 260

    Thank god a game for all of us who want a more realistic look :)

    So many cartoon like games atm, ESO is coming @ just the right time.

    image
  • udonudon Member UncommonPosts: 1,803

    I have no issue with stylized graphics but Elder Scrolls has it's own art style and the developers would be risking a lynching if they ever tried to go against it.

    I personally think that Elder Scroll games graphic style boarders on creepy with it's uncanny valley appearance but it's a important part of what makes it a Elder Scrolls game so I wouldn't want to see it changed other to move more and more towards true realism.  

  • IselinIselin Member LegendaryPosts: 18,719

    Wildstar can do it because there is no style associated with the IP that needs to be maintained. It worked for WOW because it was consistent with their Warcraft series art style. FFXIV didn't do it because they do have a style already established that is associated with the IP. Same for ESO.

     

    EQN is the only one that chose to create a cartoon style that is inconsistent. And it's a very weird decision that undermines all the other exciting new things they're trying to accomplish. It's not a huge deal to me and I'm still very much interested in EQN. But I'm interested despite their art style choice, not because of it. 

    "Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”

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    ― CD PROJEKT RED

  • SovrathSovrath Member LegendaryPosts: 31,937

    I put more gritty and realistic.

    Otherwise, fine as it is would suffice. I prefer a more "realistic" art design.

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  • HomituHomitu Member UncommonPosts: 2,030

    I have absolutely no problem with ultra-stylized games like Borderlands, or WoW, or Bastion.  I've probably put more hours into games with cartoony styles than any other.  But the Elder Scrolls series has already created its own darker style and expressed it in a series of 3D open worlds that aren't at all dissimilar to the worlds of MMOs.  To change it would risk making it not feel like an ES game at all.  There's no reason to change it just because we're calling this one an MMO.  

    Every game can't have the same artistic style.  

  • RocknissRockniss Member Posts: 1,034
    Waffles please, no point in what it should be at this point in time.
  • RemyVorenderRemyVorender Member RarePosts: 3,991
    The graphics and art style are two of the very few positives the game has going for it IMO.

    Joined - July 2004

  • RusqueRusque Member RarePosts: 2,785

    I voted for slightly more colorful and stylized. I generally like the TES aethetic, but if I'm honest the games on their own look a bit drab and don't start looking amazing until player mods come out. Player aethetic mods often add stylized armors (do not read: cartoony) and more vibrant game world.

    I usually go for those mods myself.

  • rodingorodingo Member RarePosts: 2,870
    Originally posted by Iselin

    EQN is the only one that chose to create a cartoon style that is inconsistent. And it's a very weird decision that undermines all the other exciting new things they're trying to accomplish. It's not a huge deal to me and I'm still very much interested in EQN. But I'm interested despite their art style choice, not because of it. 

    Maybe the EQN art team is a completely different group of people (I have no idea) than who worked on their previous titles. One thing for sure though, at least for EQ2, their armor/clothing design was just terrible looking not to mention the material they assigned to the textures looked like either Blinn or Phong shader models.  It just gave it an overall plastic look.  It looks like they are trying to distance themselves for that and trying something new.  If anything, the stylized look of the characters will allow them to have more extreme and interesting looking animations all around.

    "If I offended you, you needed it" -Corey Taylor

  • zaylinzaylin Member UncommonPosts: 794
    Thing is about the MORE realistic, is its more intense on systems, and as devs are trying to attract more players, realisticly speaking, unless its a niche game, we more than likely will not see an MMO with high end realistic Graphics. as long as the color palette stays similar to The ES Series it should look fine/be fine.
  • SimonVDHSimonVDH Member Posts: 178
    Originally posted by Sengi
    • Cartoony and non violent graphics appeal to all audiences and are more family friendly.

    This is false. First: nothing appeals to all audiences, second: there are many people that hate cartoony graphics. Developers choose it because it's easy to make and modify. I would love SWtOR if it had ultra realistic graphic style.

  • IselinIselin Member LegendaryPosts: 18,719
    Originally posted by rodingo
    Originally posted by Iselin

    EQN is the only one that chose to create a cartoon style that is inconsistent. And it's a very weird decision that undermines all the other exciting new things they're trying to accomplish. It's not a huge deal to me and I'm still very much interested in EQN. But I'm interested despite their art style choice, not because of it. 

    Maybe the EQN art team is a completely different group of people (I have no idea) than who worked on their previous titles. One thing for sure though, at least for EQ2, their armor/clothing design was just terrible looking not to mention the material they assigned to the textures looked like either Blinn or Phong shader models.  It just gave it an overall plastic look.  It looks like they are trying to distance themselves for that and trying something new.  If anything, the stylized look of the characters will allow them to have more extreme and interesting looking animations all around.

    Regardless of their reasons it was a 180 degree change that caught many by surprise. I understand the facial expression SOEmote reasons they have cited. But their decision has steered a lot of the EQN discussion away from the innovative core gameplay features and into an endless, pointless debate about cartoon art style.

    Just like with corporate logos, a decision to change the visuals that people identify with a product should never be done lightly, and only if the new look is a significant improvement over the old. I can't say that about EQN. Refining and improving their trademark look would have been a better choice.

    "Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”

    ― Umberto Eco

    “Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” 
    ― CD PROJEKT RED

  • SinsaiSinsai Member UncommonPosts: 405
    It's absolutely fine just the way it is IMO
  • TheLizardbonesTheLizardbones Member CommonPosts: 10,910

    I think the art style is probably fine, as long as it pulls from the same style or styles of Skyrim. That said, as long as the color palette is more than "gray", it should be fine.

    I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.

  • keithiankeithian Member UncommonPosts: 3,191
    If this game had gone that route of WildStar, I would have quit MMO gaming altogether in ultimate dispair, realized that there are no longer MMOs geared toward adults, and completely gone back to Single Player Games which is kinda what I am doing for the moment. Though Final Fantasy isn't realistic, the artistry is so detailed and vibrant that it still appeals to me, as does Black Dessert...and even GW2 for that matter.because they all seem like the kinda art where you still want to explore to see the beautiful vistas. They just technically have the right balance with the lighting, weather effects, colors, etc. If I am an explorer in a cartoon, it just feels so juvenile to me that I just loose all interest in exploring. I totally get that many don't agree with this, but I really tried hard in Cartoon like worlds to want to explore and I just can't force myself to want to.

    There Is Always Hope!

  • ElikalElikal Member UncommonPosts: 7,912

    I prefer realistic at ANY day. BUT: I want the world still to be lush and with atmosphere. The TESO videos I saw were way too many grey and brown and OH LOOK more grey and brown. I do NOT want TESO more stylized, so there wasn't any answer that applied to me for real.

    In the end I need to SEE it ingame (and EQN as comparison, too) to really say.

    As I said, I want realism, but please not like all colour bled out.

     

     

    "Such are the 'new realism' games: what isn't brown is grey, and what isn't grey is too dark to make out!"

    - Yahtzee, Zero Punctuation

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  • EntinerintEntinerint Member UncommonPosts: 868
    Pretty good as is, but for me there's no end to the amount of dark gritty realism I want.    I voted for MORE dark gritty realism PLEASE!
  • ElikalElikal Member UncommonPosts: 7,912
    Originally posted by Entinerint
    Pretty good as is, but for me there's no end to the amount of dark gritty realism I want.    I voted for MORE dark gritty realism PLEASE!

    Noooooooo! You're mean! You only say that to tease me! Shoo! I can't hear you! LALALALALALA!

    XD

    People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert

  • keithiankeithian Member UncommonPosts: 3,191
    Originally posted by Elikal

    I prefer realistic at ANY day. BUT: I want the world still to be lush and with atmosphere. The TESO videos I saw were way too many grey and brown and OH LOOK more grey and brown. I do NOT want TESO more stylized, so there wasn't any answer that applied to me for real.

    In the end I need to SEE it ingame (and EQN as comparison, too) to really say.

    As I said, I want realism, but please not like all colour bled out.

     

     

    "Such are the 'new realism' games: what isn't brown is grey, and what isn't grey is too dark to make out!"

    - Yahtzee, Zero Punctuation

    To be honest, I felt skyrim has a lot of earth colors in general..a lot of browns, greys, and earthy green blends. It suited the game to me. I installed that tropical jungle mod which made it super colorful  and the game felt completely out of place so I uninstalled it. I think we will find with ESO some locations are more vibrant than others, but I hope they stick with the earthy color scheme.

    There Is Always Hope!

  • marsmercermarsmercer Member UncommonPosts: 26
    I voted perfect as it is. . .I have recently returned to Warhammer Online and Age of Conan to git my grim and gritty fix in. I currently also have Rift and TSW in my rotation. I love the recent population growth I'm seeing in Warhammer Online and Age of Conan. My hope is that ESO continues with the grit!

    image
  • ropeniceropenice Member UncommonPosts: 588
    Originally posted by Iselin
    Originally posted by rodingo
    Originally posted by Iselin

    EQN is the only one that chose to create a cartoon style that is inconsistent. And it's a very weird decision that undermines all the other exciting new things they're trying to accomplish. It's not a huge deal to me and I'm still very much interested in EQN. But I'm interested despite their art style choice, not because of it. 

    Maybe the EQN art team is a completely different group of people (I have no idea) than who worked on their previous titles. One thing for sure though, at least for EQ2, their armor/clothing design was just terrible looking not to mention the material they assigned to the textures looked like either Blinn or Phong shader models.  It just gave it an overall plastic look.  It looks like they are trying to distance themselves for that and trying something new.  If anything, the stylized look of the characters will allow them to have more extreme and interesting looking animations all around.

    Regardless of their reasons it was a 180 degree change that caught many by surprise. I understand the facial expression SOEmote reasons they have cited. But their decision has steered a lot of the EQN discussion away from the innovative core gameplay features and into an endless, pointless debate about cartoon art style.

    Just like with corporate logos, a decision to change the visuals that people identify with a product should never be done lightly, and only if the new look is a significant improvement over the old. I can't say that about EQN. Refining and improving their trademark look would have been a better choice.

    Yeah, I'm not sure I'm buying that as their real reason for using the cartoony art. Seems more likely it's to attract WoW players and younger gamers, ie more numbers. I don't even see the appeal of the SOEmote. Not that many people RP deep enough to watch for or need facial emotes and in pvp battle will people really be looking at each others faces or will they be concentrating on the fight. Besides a first glance to see what a character looks like, I can't remember ever looking at faces much. Seems like a waste of resources that could've gone towards other things. Oh well, maybe their is a large amount of people that desire it in game.

  • AmbrosiaAmorAmbrosiaAmor Member Posts: 915
    Originally posted by Balkin31
    Hell no to stylized... 

     

    Hell no to Disney! I hate you Disney! I love Goofy and Eeyore though. An Eeyore plushie... omg I would melt. ESO is fine the way it is. Business model on the other hand... O-hohohoho.

    image

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