Wasteland 2 new screenshot

[diceynicey]

i thought the game looked good and will be a good play when the price has gone down a bit. never played wasteland so cant really compare and looked something different to FO3 without changing the main theme.

 

[fred2]

Hopefully going forward exile will return to 2d art based games -- either that or prettier 3d games. I understand 3d is cheaper, and that's why they did it; but honestly I think fallout looked better than this.

You do realize Fallout was 3D? Everything was 3D models stored as 2D sprites due to the lack of processing power in contemporary computers. If they could, they would've made it full 3D as they had everything modeled.

It doesn't matter how they built their models or what software they used. Fallout used a 2D engine(sprites).

Hopefully no one will return those 2D engines, because today 3D engines offer far far more and can be used to deliver the same "2D art style", simply by locking the camera at fixed angle. Project eternity case and point.

Brian Fargo and his crew have put out another screenshot for Wasteland 2, for your viewing pleasure (or displeasure, I guess, in case you really hate the game's looks):

<center></center>

To be honest it still looks very unpolished. I like some of the touch ups to the hud(easy to notice when compared to older screens) but overall many elements seems really rough, like the ability icons and are those stats around the raider a new addition they are testing?

 

[Surf Solar]

Hopefully going forward exile will return to 2d art based games -- either that or prettier 3d games. I understand 3d is cheaper, and that's why they did it; but honestly I think fallout looked better than this.

You do realize Fallout was 3D? Everything was 3D models stored as 2D sprites due to the lack of processing power in contemporary computers. If they could, they would've made it full 3D as they had everything modeled.

It doesn't matter how they built their models or what software they used. Fallout used a 2D engine(sprites).

Hopefully no one will return those 2D engines, because today 3D engines offer far far more and can be used to deliver the same "2D art style", simply by locking the camera at fixed angle. Project eternity case and point.



I petty those who want to return

The only thing directly rendered in realtime on Project Eternity are the character models and the graphic effects, particle effects etc. The rest are very high poly (which you couldn't display with that polycount if directly rendered) prerendered backgrounds that are also heavily touched up and edited by the artists. You will never get similar results with realtime rendering of the areas.

I honestly want to puke whenever I read shit like "oh they would've gone that way I am sure, it was the technical limitations of their time!111"

 

[Brother None]

2D is prettier for isometric RPGs, in my opinion. It is a matter of taste to some extent, but definitely for certain styles, it's hard to beat 2D pre-rendered. Yes, the rendering process happens in 3D, but that doesn't negate the flexibility of not having to worry as much about polycounts, or the ability to touch things up. So yeah, what Surf Solar said.

It wasn't really feasible for WL2, in part because it just is much more expensive to do well, but we do like, and are doing it for Torment. Both methods work, though, neither game looks bad, though Torment will likely be quite a bit prettier. There's more important things for both games though, and WL2 still looks good.

 

[Surf Solar]

As long as there is an option to turn off the bloom and this blur stuff in W2 I'm fine with it.

 

[Wr4i7h]

These posts complaining that 'it's too blurry' or 'it's too washed-out' or 'it's too saturated' are pointless. They already said that all those things would be adjustable according to your preferences and machine specs.

 

[Ardent]

While I am well aware of how limited budget is on this project, and that graphics were never top priority, AND how limited Unity is when it comes to supporting large games, I still think this screenshot looks poor, especially in terms of level art. The cliff blends very badly with the ground texture, the covers look very much like they were only placed there for the sake of having some covers on the level, which is further enhanced by the grid.
Judging solely by screenshots (so I might be positively surprised when I get to see it live eventually), W2 looks better than Van Buren tech demo, but not much. Which is a little sad, considering that it's been 10 years, and that Van Buren looked poor for its time as well.

I have to say that the interface improved a lot IMO.

You do realize Fallout was 3D? Everything was 3D models stored as 2D sprites due to the lack of processing power in contemporary computers. If they could, they would've made it full 3D as they had everything modeled.

Fallout's art was modelled as 3D objects, yes, but they were then flattened and painted over (most of it at least). Fallout didn't look like a 3D game, it was not a 3D game (as it ran on a 2D engine), and that makes a whole lot of difference. I think Fallout graphics aged beautifully, contrary to early full-3D games, like Deus Ex.
Still, I wouldn't compare W2 to Fallout, they're just too different.

 

[Gnarles Bronson]

Hopefully going forward exile will return to 2d art based games -- either that or prettier 3d games. I understand 3d is cheaper, and that's why they did it; but honestly I think fallout looked better than this.

You do realize Fallout was 3D? Everything was 3D models stored as 2D sprites due to the lack of processing power in contemporary computers. If they could, they would've made it full 3D as they had everything modeled.

It doesn't matter how they built their models or what software they used. Fallout used a 2D engine(sprites).

Hopefully no one will return those 2D engines, because today 3D engines offer far far more and can be used to deliver the same "2D art style", simply by locking the camera at fixed angle. Project eternity case and point.

Brian Fargo and his crew have put out another screenshot for Wasteland 2, for your viewing pleasure (or displeasure, I guess, in case you really hate the game's looks):

<center></center>

To be honest it still looks very unpolished. I like some of the touch ups to the hud(easy to notice when compared to older screens) but overall many elements seems really rough, like the ability icons and are those stats around the raider a new addition they are testing?

lol, you petty me, huh? Jk, like I said, I'm fine with 3d that looks good, but even in your link (http://youtu.be/AUleDEFkUtE?t=1m49s) I think that looks, while pretty, kind of fake.

It's like the difference between puppets and CGI. CGI can look great if done right, but puppets just look more real to me in general.

Not super concerned about it in any event. As long as story and gameplay yada yada... Just going forward I hope they'll go with something a little less cartoony. Either way.

 

[deadlus]

The game is starting to look and feel really good, IMO. Sure it's not an AAA game, but we were never going to spend that much money on graphics, screw that.

Wasteland 2 has all the art assets to make a way more than decent looking game, but the way they are used in the last few areas shown makes the game look rigid, bland and unimaginative. AoD suffered from the same problem, but they took care of it, eventually. I hope that will be the case with W2, too.

 

[Yamu]

(...)I still think this screenshot looks poor, especially in terms of level art. The cliff blends very badly with the ground texture,

I'm not trying to gainsay you, but I live in a desert and I've vacationed in other deserts and that's not incredibly uncommon.

the covers look very much like they were only placed there for the sake of having some covers on the level, which is further enhanced by the grid.

My first impression was that it very solidly evoked a "tabletop" feel, which I think works well with the direction they're taking things in and with their aesthetic. It definitely doesn't look like a AAA, but I'm quite pleased with it, all in all.

 

[fred2]

Hopefully going forward exile will return to 2d art based games -- either that or prettier 3d games. I understand 3d is cheaper, and that's why they did it; but honestly I think fallout looked better than this.

You do realize Fallout was 3D? Everything was 3D models stored as 2D sprites due to the lack of processing power in contemporary computers. If they could, they would've made it full 3D as they had everything modeled.

It doesn't matter how they built their models or what software they used. Fallout used a 2D engine(sprites).

Hopefully no one will return those 2D engines, because today 3D engines offer far far more and can be used to deliver the same "2D art style", simply by locking the camera at fixed angle. Project eternity case and point.

The only thing directly rendered in realtime on Project Eternity are the character models and the graphic effects, particle effects etc. The rest are very high poly (which you couldn't display with that polycount if directly rendered) prerendered backgrounds that are also heavily touched up and edited by the artists. You will never get similar results with realtime rendering of the areas.

I honestly want to puke whenever I read shit like "oh they would've gone that way I am sure, it was the technical limitations of their time!111"

There is nothing unique about using pre-rendered hi-res textures and obviously you can get a better result from a drawing then a rendering when you locked to 2D, just as it obvious that this drawing become worthless once you need to change perspective.

So I am not certain where you going with this(especially with puke part), what I said still stands. Today 3D engines(not perspective) offer far more than 2D engines.

 

[Surf Solar]

Why would you want to change the perspective or rotate it around in the first place? Pretty much every top down 3d game is rather played like a camera simulator than the actual game.

 

[Tagaziel]

Fallout's art was modelled as 3D objects, yes, but they were then flattened and painted over (most of it at least). Fallout didn't look like a 3D game, it was not a 3D game (as it ran on a 2D engine), and that makes a whole lot of difference. I think Fallout graphics aged beautifully, contrary to early full-3D games, like Deus Ex.
Still, I wouldn't compare W2 to Fallout, they're just too different.

I'm not sure we played the same Fallout. To me it always looked like a 3D game (by the virtue of everything being a pre-rendered 3D model) and I'm pretty sure that the developers would go with full 3D if they could.

What Fallout has going for it is the unique art style, not the fact that it's 2D.

 

[fred2]

..To me it always looked like a 3D game (by the virtue of everything being a pre-rendered 3D model) ..

What Fallout has going for it is the unique art style, not the fact that it's 2D.

This what people tend to confuse. Fallout used a 2D engine(the limited tile sets). While the game looked 3D NOT because how it was rendered or its engine, but because of its Isometric perspective.

What we want in party based RPGs is Isometric perspective, with 3D engines. Isometric perspective can be done in both 2D and 3D engines(check this out), the later just offer far more options.

Isometric perspective looks better, because its the "money shot" you are fixed to one angle, so you can have a much more details and artistic freedom. Obviously this work when you need move around. Simple now can we lay to rest this stupid decade old argument?!

 

[JimTheDinosaur]

How anyone can believe FO would have looked as good with 1998 full 3d...

Anyway, I can get the whole W2's not about the graphics, etc., etc., but then why does the entire PR campaign seem to be built around a drip drip drip of mediocre looking screenshots? Could mostly be that it's because they're in different stages of development, but almost all the info coming in about P:E is about the mechanics and setting, while that game's a lot about the eye-candy.

When it's about the mechanics, like with the moving radioactive zones a while back, it got me a bit more excited again after that prison demo.

 

[valcik]

It reminds me of Shadowrun Returns, thanks to the square grid and cover system. Such a shame the hex grid has been scrapped!

 

[.Pixote.]

ATM the visuals look pretty weak, but saying that, the visuals aren't the most important factor - and anyway, that is just one shot from one angle, from one location, and we shouldn't read too much into it. Some of the earlier images have been stronger, so the game definitely has prettier locations.

 

[Mr Fish]

Only problem I have is with all the numbers and crap around the screen. I've never liked it when there is tons of shit all around the screen. Instead of helpful I find it to be wasteful clutter. But I'm sure I can get a mod for them later.

Second problem is the text, it's too thin. I like it when the text is fat as I don't have a gigantic screen, when it's that thin it is a strain on the eyes to figure out what the hell is going on.

Graphics wise I have no problem with it at all, still think it looks amazing and the UI looks good. I have no problem with the whole "next-character-in-line" thing on the left side of the screen, if characters act based on their own sequence rather than their pooled sequence as a whole then it can be useful to see just who will get to move around and when. The square design for movement paths still looks silly IMO but this still looks more normal to me than the compound we saw in the gameplay video looked, that place felt way too square in its design, this encounter looks more normal to me.

So yeah, only problems I have is that shielf and numbers floating around as well as that round red aura thingie under the person targeted as well as the thin text which is a pain in the ass to look at.

 

[Taskeen]

snip

OP, but what is that avatar you have Brother None? Looks like a cool concept for a game, lol.

 

[Gnarles Bronson]

Calling the og fallouts 3d seems like a weird kind of nit picking to me.