I've noticed that games these days all design their armor to look mean and evil, Im more a fan of the righteous/valiant/pure look, Im curious to others opinions on this and also maybe the devs views on armor designs, will they lean more towards an evil presence or pure presence?
practical armor is never shiny or pretty looking. reminds me of this line i read in a book about how some knights felt ashamed in their clean freshly buff radiant armor compared to the knights who had just returned from the field had damage, blood, and wear on their armor. how romantic is that?
This brings up a larger question: Is PRotF aiming for more realism or toward fantasy?
EQ2 aimed squarely at realism. Though they missed the mark to some degree (super shiny plate armor, etc) they nailed the uncanny valley and it was one of the most realistic graphics games yet produced, certainly in the MMORPG genre.
WoW went for the cartoony, kid-friendly look. Everything was exaggerated, stupidly colorful and well over the top. Realism wasn't even a tertiary concern for Blizzard's art department.
Though I really enjoyed the realism in EQ2 (city guards would even turn their heads to watch you as you passed, often making some comment) it changed how I viewed playing the game. I expected realism everywhere, not just in the graphics. And when that realism didn't exist, e.g. why can't I throw anything? how come I can't sit in a chair and quaff an ale?, it lowered my perception of the game as a whole.
WoW, on the other hand, took player focus completely off of realism and players simply accepted the world and the way it worked without question. Nobody got upset when they couldn't pick up any random rock and throw it. Your skills and abilities were whatever appeared in your skill book, period, and that was ok. The game itself was the entire focus.
Countless other games have fallen somewhere between those two points with varying degrees of player expectations with regard to realism. But those expectations seem to be driven by the graphics and how interactive the game world was designed to be. There's no "happy medium". Players either don't pay any attention to a total lack of realism or they are guided to expect full-on realism. While I'm a fan of less fantastical/more sensible art the designers do have to be careful not to veer too close to reality lest the player base expect far more than is practical.
art is shaped by the consensus and move on to another when the consensus becomes tired of the current shape. i would say we are shifting to a moderate renaissance style. art has become extreme as of late. i guess you can say: we tired of of the ultra sweet koolaid and would like a cup of natural organic tea with honey.
While I don't love the art style of WoW it did allow the game to age gracefully. Since it was a cartoony appearance to begin with it looks less dated that EQ2 imo. I loved that in EQ Epics had static effects and pretty much nothing else did. It made them stand out. Overall I like the simplistic style of EQ compared to other games.
I think it is realistic for city guards espicially the ones posted at important places like the main gate in and out of the city to be in ultra polished armor that would reflect sunlight and draw attention to themselves.
A city guard would want to appear clean and tidy to give the impression they are above reproach, I think all of that also applies to paladins.
As far a adventurers in normal attire would be drab and dirty from time spent mucking around in the wild for days and weeks at a time.
While adventurers in magical attire might appear clean and polished for obvious reasons.
A lot of ways to be realistic in a fantasy world. I'm not worried, I'm sure artists and staff working on the games fit and finish will find both balance and diversity in our characters appearance throughout our time in Terminus.
Armour is functional - it is neither good nor evil. It is to keep your insides from becoming your outsides during a fight.
Few people think of themselves as evil.
Few societies seek an "evil" symbol to place on their armour.
Symbols, like the swastika, tend to be associated with good or evil afterwards if the groups that used them become associated with good or evil.
As someone who enjoys history, and who participated in the Society for Creative Anachronisms at one point in my life, I actually appreciated EQ2's attempts at historical realism when it came to their armor.
However, I also found that many players felt that a lot of EQ2's armor, especially early on, was ugly and bland in appearance.
Vanguard I think did a slightly better job of realistic-looking armor with some fantasy flair.
I think we've only seen the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Pantheon's armor, but I think they're headed in a similar direction as Vanguard.
Nephele why am I not surprised you were a Scadian. I haven’t had time for it for years either but there is nothing like being on a war battle field with 100s of other idiots in semi authentic armor prepping to beat each other with rattan weapons. Good times. First rule of drum circles is you don’t talk about what happens at drum circles.
Back on topic. Shiny armor and even intentional stylistic bling is not bad and even encouraged. What I really do not want to see is particle effects (except maybe on relic level mage staves) stuck on wings, and shoulder pads the size of VW beetles. I’m not against skimpy gear for either gender but they should be an optional visual toggle (Id wear that but the speedo of speed just clashed with my breastplate of fortitude) or restricted to leather and cloth gear where thematically appropriate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vI5tdORhC0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obAd0zAFMTI&list=PLSMETuURtTXCzW7Q_ZIy4QzEnyUG8totf&index=23
i think it would be so sweet if your cloak was actually used for the enviroment. Like if its cold or raining you wrap your cloak closed and put the hood up or if its sunny you have it open or completly off, or even other situations such as hiding your identity etc...
