site banner

Friday Fun Thread for December 22, 2023

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

4
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

I have never played either of those games but I just google image searched both of them and I disagree.

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/53a2f2e5e4b01da0d6aee932/t/54d04cbce4b01a6d6f39e282/1422937279489/?format=1500w

https://assetsio.reedpopcdn.com/eurogamer_baldur_s_gate_ee_1.png?width=1200&height=1200&fit=bounds&quality=70&format=jpg&auto=webp

https://www.beamdog.com/media/images/1-PC-English.height-1100.jpg

I prefer the above to these:

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/MDMeCbXyQ2EXMjpE25yw3D-1200-80.jpg

https://oyster.ignimgs.com/mediawiki/apis.ign.com/baldurs-gate-3/e/e5/BG3_Combat_Guide_-_Initiative.png

https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/1086940/ss_332cd26db210d4b10df744485ecf0a9b3f2e9024.1920x1080.jpg?t=1703250718

The BG3 shots are chaotic and messy and at a random crappy angle. The BG2 shots are organized and clean and easy to look at. I am a designer and prefer the former.

Broadly I don't really like the art styles of either of these games but I have the same opinion of, for example, FF7-8-9 vs FF15/16, or Persona1/2 vs Persona 3/4/5

I am not saying that prerendered background are like, technically better in terms of computer power or technology or something, I'm saying that 3d environments that have random camera angles are less aesthetically appealing than a fixed angle view arranged by an artist.

The BG3 shots are chaotic and messy and at a random crappy angle. The BG2 shots are organized and clean and easy to look at. I am a designer and prefer the former.

That's by choice of the user.

I'm saying that 3d environments that have random camera angles are less aesthetically appealing than a fixed angle view arranged by an artist.

Might be true sometime, especially if camera control is bad. Which isn't really the case in BG3.

BG3 pissed me more due to e.g. kitschy graphical design choices (at times), maps being too small when that wasn't required and especially writing wise.

Not sure if it would change your mind, but I find seeing the gameplay in video footage instead of a screenshot can change how you perceive the graphics, as motion and animation have a huge impact on perception. If you ever pause a video the image never seems "right" and often you get people in strange facial poses/expressions. Or if you ever pause an animation when a character is making a big movement you get some really funky-looking images.

I play Starcraft and I prefer the visuals of Starcraft Broodwar to Starcraft II. The interesting thing about Brood War is that the units pop out to me whether it is on video or a screenshot, but Starcraft II looks much worse as an image than when I view it in a video. So something similar could be happening to BG3.

You can see a similar in Age of Empires series;

Age of Empires 2: https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/813780/ss_e2fc6cfd934c8150cf751955d44deb688ab3c7d0.1920x1080.jpg?t=1702497119

Age of Empires 4: https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/1466860/ss_48195285a60c6208f8bd722f74c556b9a224f4b0.1920x1080.jpg?t=1702338967

The units in Age of Empires 2 just seem to pop out more to me.

I am in general agreement with you that things look worse in 3d, but I'm speaking strictly from an RTS gameplay experience where your ability to process visual information in a short amount of time is crucial. For a game like BG3 where the gameplay is turn-based and people are probably playing to immerse themselves in the story, I don't think the 3d art detracts from the gameplay or experience.