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Friday with Means - October 2nd, 2009
burmese
Member Posts: 546
http://forums.anarchy-online.com/showthread.php?p=5627352&posted=1#post5627352
Friday with Means - October 2nd, 2009 - A week of daring escapes
It has been a week of escapes. After a reasonably quick update to solve some hefty/horribly random issues from the 2003 to 2005 conversion of the entire client it seems like thing are reasonably back to normal. That and of course it is great that we are still all at our desks. Macrosun tells me he wants to quit at least three times a day...so work on the mail system must be going well.
Engine
At the bottom of this thread I have attached some of the first "new engine vs. old engine" screenshots. The engine guys are working very hard on getting this together and it is fantastic to see it really starting to get that AO "feel"...but now with proper shadows, bump mapping on the ground, and general improvement on all texture rendering in general. I can't wait for them to tell me the new grass and water is "ready" for me to be able to show it...I don't like waiting either...but you know how people are with "works in progress". These screens show the "nuts and bolts" of the new engine working (ground, mesh and shadows)...I can't wait until we get to show the new shinies that this conversion is going to give us. I know it doesn't feel like it...but this is going way faster than I ever would have imagined.
Balancing
This week we have had Metaing in the office for lengthy balance discussions with the entire team. After purchasing new helmets these discussions will continue all next week. Next Friday we will be posting a document containing all the proposed changes to existing perks and descriptions of new ones. This will give us all a chance to examine these changes in detail before implementation in the coming weeks.
Nightclub Opening
The grand opening of "The Grind" will be on Friday October 23rd. Watch the launcher for the time closer to the event. Halloween is traditionally the largest AO party of the year...what other time would be better to open the new club? Anything else would be wrong.
Pants. Definitely Pants. I am really tired. This FWM was brought to you by Tylenol - Extra Strength.
Attached Images
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__________________
This "Means" Jetlag
Game Director
~\_/~\_O
Comments
Some nice updates in those graphicss. Would love to see some of Rome.
They need to work on adding feet and leg animations. A game where you move on a turntable will always be frowned upon and unappealing. They need to to fix that its the first thing you notice playing ao and the first thing that makes new players say eww old garbage.
As has been noted by Means and others in the past, redoing animations is completely out of budget for the game, and an order of magnitude more costly than making a new graphics engine. I think far more ppl are bothered by the low res graphics than the animations. Personally, I like most AO animations better than, say, WoW animations, especially that 'wobble-foot' turn chars have in WoW.
~\_/~\_O
Honestly, Is it even worth revamping the graphics anymore? Without new animations and UI changes noone new will play the game. Sure you may get a handful of froobs to pay but other than that it seems like a waste.
I love AO and I will play for a couple months sub once this is finished but I just think it's to little to late.
PLaying: EvE, Ryzom
Waiting For: Earthrise, Perpetuum
What we almost have to wonder though, is this the groundwork for an AO 2?
Think about it, they will have the entire world rebuilt into a top line engine, the core of the game is already there. Build new character models (and animations), update the mission system and return to Rubi-Ka in High End graphics is very viable as a new release game.
Are the settings turned down on the last image from the new engine? I hope so, because even though the shadows and such look great, you completely lose the atmospheric element of OA skyline off in the background... the ship sitting in orbit up above. I personally don't find the second shot that impressive without those elements.
One thing AO has always had (to me) even on Rubi-Ka with its outdated engine is really great looking skies and a very atmospheric look to everything. Hopefully that will remain intact.
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
Yeah what's up with that? I didn't notice that until you said something. I'm going to reserve judgment until I see the finished product...
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"Searchers after horror haunt strange, far places..." ~ H.P.Lovecraft, "From Beyond"
Member Since March 2004
Its going to end up looking like an N64 game that is what I think anyway.
The old shots have atmosphere and all other effects engaged. The new shots are solely of the ground and shadows. The rest, such as new grass and atmosphere, are not in place yet, so it naturally looks stark.
~\_/~\_O