Because the Mabinogi movie has the really annoying habit of bursting into song when all you want to do is read the article, I’ve hidden it beneath the fold. So click through to read how EQ2 could take some lessons from Mabinogi in making their world seem fun and inviting.
EQ2 horse movie:
Mabinogi horse movie:
Both games have horses. They’re even pretty similar horses. But one tells a story, and one looks a whole lot better than the other. Granted, the EQ2 movie is from EQ2’s beta, and Mabinogi is a much newer game, but can you imagine EQ2’s stellar gameplay matched with an art style that’s a little more fun?
Even four years in, EQ2’s world looks drab compared to its competitors. But then it’s my feeling that system-straining, high-overhead games are not a good match for MMOs anyway. While I don’t think EQ2 should go for the anime style of Mabinogi or the cartoon style of World of Warcraft (sigh, hello spammers…), I’m sure the SOE artists could come up with something cool. The Agency, for instance, looks a little more stylized, a little less demanding of your computer. Something like that.
High end graphics on MMOs is just not a good business move. The majority of WoW players don’t have a high end machine, so any company wanting photo-realistic graphics are already cutting a huge chunk of customers away from their product. I would love to see a revamped art scheme to EQ2, but don’t touch old school EQ1. I would get all sad like I did when they changed Nektulos Forest =(.
At least they changed it back from that horrid atrocity that was Nektulos when Fepths of Darkhollow came out. /shudder.
Wish they’d realize how much better Freeport was before they changed it for Prophecy of Ro… and change IT back.
You should just invert the dubya’s on Warcraft and make it Morld of Marcraft.
I actually kind of enjoy the gritty realism of EQ2’s graphics. There are some great looking zones and plenty of variety between zones. That being said, I would gladly trade it for something you don’t have to make look like poo to run well at all times. So yeah, I guess I agree it would be cool to transplant those easy to run, but fun to look at styles to EQ2’s gameplay. Can it be done and not be too cartoony?
You know, the place where I most appreciate the high-end art of EQ2 is in my house, actually in the apartment I had in Qeynos Harbor. The lighting effects in there were very beautiful. Wonderful chiaroscuro stuff.
The AD or EQ2 seemed to consist of “do everything that’s possible, and make it look as real as you can.” Which consists of not making critical choices about how to spend resources to project mood. Which means the best stuff ends up being turned off most of the time, because it’s too expensive. Somebody needed to say to the artiststs, “No, you need to make it look its best at this level of performance. Spend your time on that.” I don’t think anyone realized the business importance of low system requirements until WoW launched. And the Vanguard team still didn’t get the memo.
The house stuff DOES look wonderful. Then you walk into someplace like Old Sebilis or Veksar and everything is nearly monochrome and hard to distinguish. Even EQ did those two zones better, with a strong, colorful and realistic (as far as possible given the age of its engine) look.
Befallen is similar; the EQ2 one looks far more “real”, I guess, but the EQ version gives you a better sense of where you are.
This is a fantasy game, it doesn’t have to look gritty.
This is a fantasy game, it doesn’t have to look gritty
Of course not. But it doesn’t have to look like all those F2P games from Aeria either. I prefer EQ2’s graphics to any other game out there (MMOG or not). And I agree, it could have used better design in certain parts.
PS, real life responsibilities have prevent me from joining ya’ll in EQ 1. Sorry about that!