PoE first impression: Feels like 10 year old game...

In the world of cartoons, I'm glad I play POE.

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Freekje wrote:

OK, I might have sounded too harsh, the game isn''t looking like diablo 1 or similar games. The world has much better graphics.

But look at for example the map. Or the items. Or the outlines around enemies or NPC's. Not really a modern look.

Again, this is not criticism or meant badly. Just my opinion. I am enjoying the game, and I think it has huge potential: the itemisation seems to be really good!

I understand your first impression. Personally my first impression was so so. I was intrigued by the game, and I thought the title screen was great, but at the character selection I found the character models to be wonky and the animations were a turn off.

Diablo 3 has more subtle/realistic character modelling. I really hated how the character looked on the title screen, how low poly the barbarian was, but it can't be denied just how much personality they achieve with what little polygon count they have. A good example is the physics system they apply to a few polygons such as the hair and skirt of the female barbarian. There are no such cloth system in PoE and that is one area where they appear more rigid.

Regarding animations there's two things: one may be that people forgot just how slow and painful it was when you started a new level 1 charatcer. Run speed was very slow. In PoE it works just the same way, once you get +15% Movement Speed boots, and a fast swinging weapon it feels a lot better.

Another aspect I think people feel but don't put into words, is that the animations are not very lifelike. Animation is an artform. In Diablo 3 they have so many years of experience, their animations are almost of Disney standards. There is a lifelike "rebound" in all the movements: running, walking, jumping... In PoE you can see that the movements are very awkward already on the tile screen. However you get used to it and it's really not something that's very important at this stage of the game. If PoE is doing well there is no doubt that we'll be seeing better and better graphics and animations as the artists get used to their tools.

All the 2D art is beautiful however! Sorry but in this area the game is not going back, it's putting faith again in something that has been largely lost with modern 3D games.

The fonts in particular are superb!! I know it's silly to associate serif/gothic fonts with RPGs, but Dialbo 3's sans serif fonts looks really out of place, I don't get it. Skyrim uses a sans-serif font and it doesn't feel out of place at all. The one in Diablo III looks like Arial, horrible. It's just one obvious way in which they tried to dumb down the game interface so much. I don't know what the PoE font is, but its really unique. One of the many details in PoE that is a wonderful hint at our favorite ARPGs and yet completely unique.

That's what amazes me the most with what GGG did. Very rarely you see a studio that revives an old genre so succesfully. How can you do this without copying, without falling into imitation? But they did it.

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Freekje wrote:

But look at for example the map. Or the items. Or the outlines around enemies or NPC's. Not really a modern look.

I didn't like the outline at first either but now I don't really pay attention to it.

We get used to how other games look, and so our expectations tint the way we perceive the game.

Diablo III is really, literally a "rose colored glasses", because Blizz's graphics is the equivamlent of cheap supermarket food: edulcorated, loaded with sugars and additives. You get addicted to it and then you forget what the real stuff tastes like. Likewise, people play WoW or D3 and then they forget what non-edulcorated graphics look like.

What you mentioned are all things that will be polished. It's pretty clear the talent is there.

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Freekje wrote:

But look at for example the map.

I agree the map is gawd awful. Looks akin to D2 ( 10+ years old)
They are aware. Think of it as functional and good enough, till they make it as good as they intend to later.
It's a beta.

Well the corner upper right hand mini map as it is; is still functional when it comes to going where you need to, of course depending on brain power. Ymmv

The only thing I would recommend is having the map which is activated by the tab key be able to be fully inspected by moving it around with the mouse. Otherwise my brain power mileage may not be going as far as I imagine it does. :p

I like the graphics just the way they are and hope they don't change them much.

Please no cartoony looks or so many bright lights and animations on abilities that it gives me a headache.

I came here to escape all that.

The only animations I need are copious amounts of blood splattering when I whack something's head off with a big sword.

I'd rather see a good looking realistically sized weapon and realistic blood than a circus light show and thankfully the designers of POE seem to feel the same way.

It's why I'm here. That and good pvp/cut throat/hardcore

edit to add - finally a game not designed for 5 year olds

I kind of see what hte OP was maybe getting at.

I think the graphics are fantastic however they are framed by a cheap warehouse looking GUI.

Its like a award winning photo in a very cheap and basic frame.

Im not hating I think its great and will continue to play regardless but the Inventory screen character screen etc lacks a little bit of modern polish.... BUT and this is a very Big BUT i would rather have it like this with a meaty game than a bells and whistles polsihed game with no grunt.

However I kind of get what I think OP was saying. Actual gameplay graphics are Fantastic. (mini map is a bit el budgo)

I really like this thread. Was a bit worried we'd see some incendiary commentary, but everyone's made good points.

The UI really does need work. I think it'll get it, too.

Anything to do with the animation I'm going to hold off until I see what 'upgrades' the cash store offers. If it is still insufficient, then I think there'll be some real cause for concern.

I think the integrity of PoE's graphics was tested and proved itself when GGG implemented the ability to zoom in. I might be terribly impractical, but the next time you feel the game has dated or poor graphics, play fully zoomed in for a bit.

There are so many little touches and details. It's incredible.

I only saw some gameplay videos of this game, but i think that the graphics is not the most important issue. I already play a lot of beautiful graphics games with a crap gameplay and history. One wonderful game with not so good graphics is Drakensag - The Dark Eye and Drakensang - The River of Time, I finish this games because the history and the gameplay just don't let me keep them unfinished.

why ANYONE and i mean "ANYONE" thinks Blizzard does graphics well is beyond me.

WOW graphics suck eggs! so does D3. you want companies that do graphics well you can look at Square enix for one. even many Korean game developers have ten times the talent Blizzard does at graphics.(Even the people from Blizzard north who left the company to make "hell gate london" have gone to Korea to further develop the game they failed to make work)

people liked WOW because its a simple stupid game that even the most retarded player could be good at. that huge success at making a game any moron can play does not make the graphics excellent or the character any less cartoon and under developed than they actually are.

seriously a developer may be jealous of Blizzards luck with its timing on releasing WOW just when the MMO industry was about to explode and how much money they made from it. but Blizzard is anything but the industry leader in graphics content the very people who created its best looking game left the company before WOW was released.