I've been playing early access, but man, I just can't get over how bad these new graphics are. I was absolutely in love with the original graphics and models that are still shown in the media section of this website. The realism and personality of the old models they were using 10 years ago were so far superior to these mobile game graphics they have now. Maybe I'm alone, but it's bothering me so much I had to hop on the forums and see if anyone has been feeling the same way.
Here's an imgur to some pictures of the old models. (IMGUR ALBUM)
How does the game look so much better when it was streamed 7 years ago?
A few years ago, VR had to face the reality that continuing to use the 'photo-realistic' style of graphics they had been using to that point was leading to several unavoidable obstacles with project-ending potential.
1. The Unity game engine they use for Pantheon would be pushed to its limits (and maybe trying to exceed them) to accomplish everything that they wanted to do in Pantheon at that level of detail.
2. The game client for players would have to work very hard to create that world on a players system, and so require a significantly more powerful system than VR was shooting for. Brad's experiences with Vanguard's release in particular had caused him to commit - from the very begining - to making a game that would NOT require a high-end sytem to play on and enjoy. VR has continued that commitment.
3. The man-hours of labor necessary to create all the art assets for such a game was going to be an overwhelming problem for the size of the team and their ongoing financial resources.
So they made a change to the current, less realistic art style. There was a long and angry controversy over it, with much wailing and gnashing of teeth :) And this is what we have today.
They are still working on PC faces. Better variety in visible gear like armor is in the works. The scenery is pretty nice IMO.
Once the new Unity 6 upgrade gets dialed in, the world should look a good bit better.
I was an early donator, and I remember those graphics very well, along with the original ideas from the team. I loved it personally, but somewhere inside of me (that part of me that probably recognizes the reality of development) felt that it was a bit of a reach. So I wasn't surprised (though a bit disappointed) that they made the choice that they did.
Overall though, it was a smart one as Hero, eventually to become Hero6, is a solid engine with lots of potential. I personally don't care if it's stylistic, or even cartoony. I like how Wow looks and other games like Alboin have very cool design. NOT saying that this game needs or should go in that direction. Just pointing out that stylistic choices in design can be very nice and still carry a somewhat realistic element...look at black desert online. lots of fan service, but the models are breathtaking, carry some stylistic aspects to them but also look realistic at the same time.
either way, I'm looking forward to what they do with the models and armor/clothing skins and such. right now I accept that were working on elementary forms since it's all so early. But if all they do is adjust the faces a bit, that will be a big letdown. I'm hoping for a more polished model, different model types and more sliders to adjust said models to be honest. I mean, we have amazing engines like hero6 that they didn't have back in the day. It shouldn't look like a game made back then :) just sayin....
New art is generally terrible. Animations are generally terrible. Swing a main hand blunt weapon. Backhand strike every swing? Ridiculous.
Just seems like a lot of choices have served to reduce the attractiveness of the game overall.
For something that is often spoken of as the "true" successor to EQ, this is a downgrade in almost every way imaginable.
Truly wish it would have been better, as I donated 10 years ago.
I hate to say it, but I am of the camp that finds it hard to get past the graphics. I recently went back to playing ESO and was riding through the Somerset zone thinking, this zone looks so good, the trees and flowers, the buildings, and everything about the way the zone looks is fantastic. I later logged in to Pantheon, played a bit, and logged out. I just don't want to play a game that looks like this. I was a fan of the old graphics, I get why they had to make the call they did and can appreciate them making the call to save the game. So, I am just going to wait for the full release and hope the gameplay is enough to get me interested. I love the fact that the reviews on Steam are positive and hopeful for the success of the game. It just may not be right for me. At this stage of development, the game just doesn't grab me. So, I hope everyone enjoys it, and I hope to see people at the official launch. I plan to use the free months I have coming to try it out.
I am an MMORPG alpha/beta tester and player of old. I have tested for many popular titles over the years starting with EverQuest and beyond. The graphic change may have been necessary but a mistake none the less. What excited me the most about Pantheon was we were getting a game that played like the original EQ and Vanguard SOH with modern realistic graphics and physics.
Well I am with you. I pledged VIP all those 10 years ago, but this is my first visit on the forums since they announced the new graphics.
For some reason I received a Pantheon mail today what triggered me to log in the forums (I recognize nothing) and have a look at what's happening.
While I understand why they did these ugly graphics (not enough development power) , I also understood that this was not a game for me anymore.
Ah well I wasted 1000 $ for something I will never play but don't really regret it because back in time my motivation was mostly to support Brad's project and since he passed it, doesn't matter anyway.
Oh and btw, there used to be a VIP forum which was apparently axed because I can't find it. Anyone knows why ?
They have pretty much abandoned the "Official" forums for the Discord server. We Forum users do still have one voice for us that does pretty good and that would be Jothany who does have the devs ear someplace and can relay info from us forgotten step children of the forgotten Brad vision.
The graphics since the change is horrific. The fog makes the game unplayable. I am not sure on which planet they are on but every rain storm doesn't have to have fog.
I can't stand when they use the old graphics for any promo of the game and the game itself is a tired, washed up version.
Maybe with the new money they can revisit where they were before in a new engine that allows the to make changes easily, with killer graphics.
Thanks Zorkon :)
@Lutorin, I'm sorry the Art changes are so unappealing to you. You're not the only one, a percentage of members did give up on the game and leave because the new graphics were just not what they wanted. You will still receive notice when Pantheon finally releases, and will have the choice to use the game account you're entitled to in order try out Pantheon and see how it has improved. I hope you'll decide to give it a chance then.
As far as the VIP forum, it is still here. It has new posts from a few days ago. There were some very big changes when VR moved their public discourse to Discord, including a reset of status for all members to accomodate them getting Roles in VR's Discord server. Some member's accounts wound up with the wrong status and had to be manually reset. I'll let the CS person know your account should be VIP, not Supporter.
@Garaddor, there are more than a few people who complain about the fog. I'm not especially fond of it myself. We're still early enough in the process that VR may well listen to the voices and dial back the fog a fair bit.
I can't say I agree with you about pantheon being tired and washed up. While it has had some changes over the years, it is still fairly close to the original vision expressed by Brad for it. But everyone is entitled to their opinion.
Pantheon is years past any possibility of changing the Game Engine it runs on. Graphics WILL continue to get polished and improved all the way thru till release, but the art style you see now is what Pantheon will have at release.
I still play the game myself. I am on a bit of a hiatus because of carpal tunnel which will get corrected soon but I was a full time player from when the servers started up in the Pre-Release. I am an original Pledge myself. I want this game to be so much more than EQ, which I had played full time up until March of this year from 1998.
The fog, in certain areas, makes the game unplayable. I love the ambiance what a little fog does, so I hope they do dial it back.
We shall see what we see when it does go live. I, for one, hope for some serious changes over the next year with the additional funding that was recently brought in.