New character models

Discussion in 'General Gameplay Discussion' started by Sturmlocke, Feb 17, 2022.

  1. Smallcorners Well-Known Member

    I personally use a mix of normals and SOGA depending on the race of the toon and my personal preferences. However, if someone I RP with a lot prefers the other model, I will swap to that one to see them as they want to be seen, otherwise I take a peek to see the toon if it is someone else and they have a preference indicated in their bio.
  2. Sturmlocke Linux enthusiast playing EQ2 via Proton.

    Hehe, reading this made me chuckle a bit. I mean, it's true, our EQ2 models are more advanced from a technical point of view, there is no arguing that, but then again, our current EQ2 models are super low-res too, missing a lot of detail and whatnot. Mana and I shared a some pics a few pages back where you can see how far a simple retexturing would go for our old EQ2 models. That's not even taking our mounts into consideration though, bc some models and mounts also look a bit too stiff and have that plastic look to them. That said, I would argue that EQ1 original models aren't even up to N64 standards tbh. I'd say they look more like something you'd find on Playstation 1 (yes, ONE). Lemme show you:

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    EQ1 original models

    VERSUS

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    N64 - Turok 2 and 3

    VERSUS

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    Resident Evil 3, 2 and 1 on Playstation 1

    VERSUS

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    EQ1 Luclin models

    Just comparing that a bit you can see EQ1 Luclin models are in fact superior when it comes to the polys, texture resolution and overall tech that was used (for example, Luclin models have "real" 3d eyeballs whereas the original models feature a blurry texture instead). Luclin models are superior from a technical point of view, but they lack the nostalgic charm and feeling of that era (year) that the original models have. I'd say from a technical pov, the original is on PS1 and Luclin models are on N64 level of graphics. That said, both look super outdated now. I can only assume the problem that most ppl have with the new models is that they don't look and feel like the original and ultimately that will come down to textures, the chosen art design / style and animations. Nostalgia is a super strong factor to consider with games this old, the same goes for other titles like Turok, Ocarina of Time, Perfect Dark and many more. So what I - assume - could please folks is if you were to take the original models and upgrade them while keeping the original magic intact.

    Example:

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    Left side original N64 model and right side upgraded Xbox 360 model (image from NeoGamer - The Video Game Archive YT channel)

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    Orignal Ocarina of Time N64 left and Nintendo 3DS Remake on the right (ElAnalistaDeBits Yt channel)

    This is what I would expect at the very least: Basically keep that original look and feel, its charm and nostalgic personality intact but upgrade it to more modern standards in order to make full use of more modern APIs, engines, animations, lighting, polys etc.

    To clarify, I am not expecting a jump to this for EQ1, but EQ2 might be able to do something that resembles that hair, facial and body details especially if the game world and mounts get updated as well:

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    Resident Evil 3 Remake

    Honestly, this is where the community has to come into play. Doing this means there is going to be a lot of back and forth ofc, but I do believe we can find a certain sweet spot for an upgrade of this magnitude. You won't be able to please everyone ofc, nothing will do that, but you will be able to please a lot of folks, if done right, and you will be able to make these games more accessible for returning ppl from that era and additionally some new-gen players seeking an experience from what I consider to be the golden age of mmos. It's a super delicate topic for sure, an interesting challenge getting this right, but it's not impossible.
    Uwkete-of-Crushbone likes this.
  3. Sturmlocke Linux enthusiast playing EQ2 via Proton.

    A good example of how NOT to perform an upgrade to old and nostalgic models:

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    Final Fantasy 8 - Squall. Left original and right remake

    Original art:

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    Just compare the two heads and faces from the first pic with eachother and then compare that to how the original art / cgi was shown to us in the game. The new Final Fantasy 8 Squall model doesn't resemble the original one bit when it comes to the head and even the skin colors are completely off. The new model looks like someone tried to make a Disney character out of something that was meant to be a more mature, a more serious character design. FF8 was never meant to look and feel CUTE like the other games in the series. The fact that it was so different made a lot of ppl hate it, but I actually love it for that very reason; it's different in a good way. I will NEVER get used to the new model though, nor will I pretend to like or accept it. The original is a blurry, jaggy, warping, low-poly mess, but it respects the original design and just feels right (more like an adult or young man vs Justin Bieber). This is how a lot of EQ players are going to feel about this topic, I'm sure of it. I still hope FF8 will get a true and fully fledged remake one of these days, and when that happens, I hope they take more inspiration from the original art this time around. Resident Evil 2 Remake got it right whereas Resident Evil 3 Remake got a lot of things right, but missed the mark in many other areas.
    Uwkete-of-Crushbone likes this.
  4. Uwkete-of-Crushbone Well-Known Member

    Just looking at these two made me think: "Hey! They got the legs better in the FIRST pic! Everything else needed a serious upgrade, but they messed up between the hips (if you ignore the belts) and the ankles..."

    My other question on this: when did a super model decide to be a badass gunfighter (or whatever she is in the game; never played any of it after seeing the "sword" art for it o_O:rolleyes::p)? Those legs don't exist in RL except on super models ("My God, that woman's made of leg!" --Clara Oswald). ;->

    Uwk