graphics: retro versus modern

Discussion in 'The Veterans' Lounge' started by Jumbur, May 1, 2016.

  1. Jumbur Improved Familiar

    A "recent" trend in the expansions is the reuse of older graphic assets, both for zones and npc models. In the beginning I suspected this was a cost cutting exercise to produce cheaper expansions, but TBM has revealed that it was just an artistic choice to go with retro visuals, not related to cost at all:
    An example of this, is Fear Revisited which have visuals like this:
    http://everquest.allakhazam.com/scenery/fearplane-terrortemple.jpg

    However they could just as cheaply(i think) have copied the visuals from Fear Itself, which looks like this:
    http://everquest.allakhazam.com/scenery2/thuledream-amygdalans.jpg

    I know that retro graphics is a trend right now (pixelated sprites is a big thing in indie games, for example), but i suspect the revisited zones is just DBGs way of nostalgia-pandering. If they really wanted the retro look they would have made the rest of the TBM zones in 1999-style too, but they didn't

    IMHO, this makes the overall visual impression from the new expansion very inconsistent, since some of the other new zones in the same expansion have a more modern look.

    My question is: do you genuinely prefer the older nostalgic look? even when it isn't a cost-cutting exercise? Or do you merely accept it when it is?

    I think it would be good if DBG hear the players thoughts on this, before the next time they choose to copy-paste older zones, with multiple visual options for the same cost.

    Some of the visual facelifts have IMO been pretty good, like blackburrow for example:
    http://everquest.allakhazam.com/scenery/blackburrow-fall.jpg
    to this:
    http://everquest.allakhazam.com/scenery2/oldblackburrow-falls.jpg

    Personally im in favor of having a consistent modern visual style. :)
    It would be a shame not to take advantage of the facelifts they already have made.
  2. Rainbowdash Augur

    Honestly, i want exactly what you don't want. Lol

    The way I see it is this, EQ really cannot be 'mainstream' anymore. It's akin to being 80 and wanting to use surgery to look 20 again. It would be highly expensive, very time consuming, you may lose all your old friends over it, and it could easily be botched and even if it's not it won't last. Similar situation. DBG doesn't possess the resources necessary to build EQ from the ground up again, and even if they did it would require more than just graphics, requiring all the mechanics and gameplay to shift in more of a WoW or ESO direction. Resulting in a game that is EQ in name only (Think EQ2/EQN :p) This would drive away the majority of old players, and the new players are quite honestly fickle. Ultimately it wouldn't be very likely to work out. And, again, that's all pretending the resources existed to make this happen in the first place.

    So what does that mean exactly? It means the only viable option is to appeal to current players, or old players you want to return. These people respond to nostalgia. Rose-tinted glasses. The majority of them at least. RoF was a prime example of this as it was received very well (especially prior to T4 being released).

    The problem with it in TBM isn't the nostalgia. It's how it's being handled. Most people love revamps, but they don't want an entire expansion to be nothing but revamps. Especially when half of those revamps are basically lies. Hate/Fear/Decay was fine. Sul Vius as a new zone was great! But Health/Crypt were pre-existing zones gutted of their assets and retextured partially and passed off as a 'new' zone. It was a revamp without any of the nostalgic draw. In other words, it was painful to see. THAT was a cost/time cutting maneuver btw.

    I could go on and on about this but it eventually becomes a recycling rant. Long story short, in my case, revamps are amazing. Just not when the expac is nothing BUT revamps...or are 'revamped lies'. Graphical revamps (like Fear/Erudin in HoT) are also really fun. But not if they replace the original (Freeport etc.) Most players i have spoken to, and judging by posts i have seen on the forums, share a similar view.
    Gyurika Godofwar, Lonye and Sancus like this.
  3. Kamea Augur

    It was? At least among raiders, NToV 2.0 was not well received.

    I think TBM Hate and Fear were handled better than ROF NToV.

    I also don't know many people who liked having 3 of the core ROF zones be recycled old zones, it was just too much recycled content. I personally rank ROF's Velious recycles as CC > Kael >>>>> EW. TBM was better by not making recycled zones core to the expansion, like in ROF.

    The problem with zone recycling is that they recycle Class-to-Velious zones way too much (obviously, that's the era people are most Nostalgic about.) But, EQ is 17 years old, there is plenty of content from the early-mid 2000's that will spark nostalgia, but work far better in the modern game.
  4. Jumbur Improved Familiar

    My main issue with recycled content is that it is inconsistent with the rest of EQ, technical anachronisms and different art styles ruins the immersion for me, I thought the revisit to field of bone/scales in SoD worked great, because it felt like it was a part of the expansion and story-line, and you could tell the developers cared enough for it, to not do the lazy copy-paste fallback. SoD was recycling done right. IMO
    The shift between shards landing and eastern wastes is jarring in my opinion(and eastern wastes is a dull zone imo, the original too). I don't play the game for nostalgia though, I have nothing against revisiting old places, if there is new experiences to be had, and stories to be told.

    and no, "oh no!! the mobs have leveled up in zone xxx, go back and kill them!" is not a plot-line, thats just free-wheeling creativity wise. DBG should at least try to make the zone feel new...
    Kamea likes this.