Zones like these (Design)

ArchivedUser

Can the dev's focus on adding more advanced colorful zones
like the ones below:

ArchivedUser

ArchivedUser

God I hope not it needs more grimdarkness

ArchivedUser

nagash said:

God I hope not it needs more grimdarkness

While I'm not a fan of grim darkness, I will concede that the game needs (and probably will have) a balance of zone types.

@ritfin, I don't know if you've watched some of the environment videos they've posted, but many of them are quite beautiful and colorful natural wooded environments.

Keep in mind, WoW is a different art style than Ashes of Creation.  While I'm sure Ashes will have some vibrant and colorful zones, I don't know that they will be quite as exaggerated as the colors of WoW.

PS - I love Grizzly Hills.  One of my favorite zones.  The environment is pleasant and the music for the zone is probably my all-time favorite WoW music.

ArchivedUser

nagash said:

God I hope not it needs more grimdarkness

No, darkness is crap in games.

ArchivedUser

ritfin said:

nagash said:

God I hope not it needs more grimdarkness

No, darkness is crap in games.

I can handle darkness far better than I can the orange glowy zones.  The zones, dungeons and raids in WoW with all the fire and lava all over the place are my least favorite.  Those and completely barren desert zones.  But I know others like such things and they are important in the balance of the game's content.

ArchivedUser

i personally would like a zone with the main theme of death, so lots of skulls, castles and structures with skull motives and such, something along the lines of Icecrown Citadel in WoW but even darker

ArchivedUser

With zones like these, who needs reality - am I right folks? 
Bawhaha! 

Seriously,  from idealistic nature to horrific nightmare-scapes, I can't wait to explore these lands. 

And for a world to feel complete and fully developed, it's gonna need that wide gamut of beauty to desolation. 

As always, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

ArchivedUser

ritfin said:

nagash said:

God I hope not it needs more grimdarkness

No, darkness is crap in games.

It's better than the crappy Smurf world.  I mean god why do we still use that style and name it fantasy when it has more in common with cartoons. When we have authors like JR Tolkien, who made a distinct world with none of this fruity looking world. 

ArchivedUser

Possum said:

ritfin said:

nagash said:

God I hope not it needs more grimdarkness

No, darkness is crap in games.

I can handle darkness far better than I can the orange glowy zones.  The zones, dungeons and raids in WoW with all the fire and lava all over the place are my least favorite.  Those and completely barren desert zones.  But I know others like such things and they are important in the balance of the game's content.

I've played WoW a lot and I completely understand how most of the areas/dungeons/raids in it are barren and boring. I do, however, kind of enjoy some of the more bright and "glowy" zones because to me, they seem like active zones for enemies to be around. But I want to see a mixture of darkness and glowy zones because it can be situational as to what you see in those zones and what you expect from them. I will always, however, enjoy the ethereal feel of zones like Netherstorm, Shadowmoon Vally 

ArchivedUser

This is going to be a brutal truth, but it's how I feel.

If you want this game to look more like WoW, go play WoW.

Don't change this game. 

ArchivedUser

@Karthos  brutal, yes. Agree though!

The graphic direction of the games suggested, I believe, stemmed from an art direction that was realistically achievable at the time for original release, stylized to cut time in production. Perhaps also stylized, as many post-justify, to negate dating of the style.

Now, for this game, production is in a different time. Assets can be designed and realized in a much shorter time, much higher detail.

The systems nowadays can handle higher polycounts and more complex activities.

The game in development has demonstrated this already with much richer and dynamic environments that the mentioned games could ever offer.

Lets not suggest to simplify or change but perhaps promote, enhance and encourage the direction that has already been decided.

It looks fantastic what they are doing!

ArchivedUser

I don't think the OP's intent was to ask that the game look cartoony like WoW.  I think they are just hoping for vibrantly colorful forest-type zones and used these WoW zones as an example.  If I'm correct and that was their intent, my feeling is that the videos already shared look quite vibrant and forest-like already.  I'm quite satisfied with the environments we've seen thus far.

ArchivedUser

Possum said:

ritfin said:

nagash said:

God I hope not it needs more grimdarkness

No, darkness is crap in games.

I can handle darkness far better than I can the orange glowy zones.  The zones, dungeons and raids in WoW with all the fire and lava all over the place are my least favorite.  Those and completely barren desert zones.  But I know others like such things and they are important in the balance of the game's content.

I've played WoW a lot and I completely understand how most of the areas/dungeons/raids in it are barren and boring. I do, however, kind of enjoy some of the more bright and "glowy" zones because to me, they seem like active zones for enemies to be around. But I want to see a mixture of darkness and glowy zones because it can be situational as to what you see in those zones and what you expect from them. I will always, however, enjoy the ethereal feel of zones like Netherstorm, Shadowmoon Valley and  Hellfire Peninsula in WoW.  

ArchivedUser

Possum said:

ritfin said:

nagash said:

God I hope not it needs more grimdarkness

No, darkness is crap in games.

I can handle darkness far better than I can the orange glowy zones.  The zones, dungeons and raids in WoW with all the fire and lava all over the place are my least favorite.  Those and completely barren desert zones.  But I know others like such things and they are important in the balance of the game's content.

I've played WoW a lot and I completely understand how most of the areas/dungeons/raids in it are barren and boring. I do, however, kind of enjoy some of the more bright and "glowy" zones because to me, they seem like active zones for enemies to be around. But I want to see a mixture of darkness and glowy zones because it can be situational as to what you see in those zones and what you expect from them. I will always, however, enjoy the ethereal feel of zones like Netherstorm, Shadowmoon Valley and  Hellfire Peninsula in WoW.  

ArchivedUser

nagash said:

God I hope not it needs more grimdarkness

As the Lord of Undeath, I wouldn't have expected any other  response!  How can you be slaying mere mortals in fields of  multicoloured  fireflies and  rainbow themed trees?

Personally, as long as the colour depth of whatever region is extreme..I think both super colourful and super dark/groggy will work well.

ArchivedUser

Ashes of Creation is a high fantasy mmo so we will see wide range in environments So I imagine some zones will be bright colours and some zones will be dark and gloomy. I can't wait to see artwork and sneak peaks of the world ^^

ArchivedUser

I didn't think was needed, but sure why not : 3
A few Ideas i have that i mentioned  a while back:

Tall Grass: ( 

Tall as This, But Higher & Thicker


But, Covering a Large part of the Area - but much more, like this


but, i'm hoping it'll have more of a Fantasy Appearance-Design, like this ... maybe better ?

ArchivedUser

Still Hoping to see some Gigantic Structures like the Tree Bark in this image

Just not too big - just for additional immersion / interaction to climb on : 3
( maybe bigger ? )

ArchivedUser

@Eragale, I would love to see a tall grass area.  Not just for the visual aesthetic alone, because it would look cool, but also for the potential gameplay situations.

Can you imagine traversing through an area like that, not seeing where danger may be laying in wait... so you listen for danger instead?  Perhaps even if you pull your camera view way out, you may only see some rustling of movement in the grass here and there and even that may be obfuscated by the wind itself.  

I can feel my palms sweating already. 

ArchivedUser

@Eragale I agree you're onto a winner there with the tall grass

ArchivedUser

See thats fine as a area its has colour and it looks nice but wow is just so cartoony that it ticks me off for some reason 

ArchivedUser

nagash said:

See thats fine as a area its has colour and it looks nice but wow is just so cartoony that it ticks me off for some reason 

I'm not a fan of the WoW aesthetic either, though I should say that I was a fan of the style both GW1 and GW2 have had. 
The EQNext art style, as far as it got, was dividing people as well - back when it was in development.  It did look rather "Disney-esque" but my favorite part of that kind of approach is that the game could go on for years without looking "dated."  It holds up well over time.

I do love the games that opted for more realism, but unfortunately after a few years they tend to look dated as the changing times and technology keep advancing the level of "realism." 

Though I have no concerns for the art direction of AoC right now, cause I've liked everything I've seen and it looks like it's found a nice balance in terms of visual style.


But then again, maybe I'm just easy to please.

*shrugs*

ArchivedUser

Rumbleforge said:

nagash said:

See thats fine as a area its has colour and it looks nice but wow is just so cartoony that it ticks me off for some reason 

I'm not a fan of the WoW aesthetic either, though I should say that I was a fan of the style both GW1 and GW2 have had. 
The EQNext art style, as far as it got, was dividing people as well - back when it was in development.  It did look rather "Disney-esque" but my favorite part of that kind of approach is that the game could go on for years without looking "dated."  It holds up well over time.

I do love the games that opted for more realism, but unfortunately after a few years they tend to look dated as the changing times and technology keep advancing the level of "realism." 

Though I have no concerns for the art direction of AoC right now, cause I've liked everything I've seen and it looks like it's found a nice balance in terms of visual style.


But then again, maybe I'm just easy to please.

*shrugs*

With fantasy, there is so many examples of worlds that are alive with colour yet are also not over the top. The main example is the Shire in LOTR  or the golden city in D&D where there is lots of colours

ArchivedUser

@Rumbleforge , So i can tell you haven't read my Fan Story I made in the Community Section : 3


https://forums.ashesofcreation.com/discussion/29495/is-crafting-really-worth-the-effort#latest

but yes, thats exactly why i mentioned it here ^.~*

(NOTE: i might give ... " Player V " a name ... just don't know yet ~.~ )

ArchivedUser

Eragale said:

@Rumbleforge , So i can tell you haven't read my Fan Story I made in the Community Section : 3


https://forums.ashesofcreation.com/discussion/29495/is-crafting-really-worth-the-effort#latest

but yes, thats exactly why i mentioned it here ^.~*

I must confess, I've not dived down any of the fan fiction rabbit holes here, for fear of getting lost in them.  But I promise to do so as soon as my travel bags are packed with supplies for an extended expedition!

ArchivedUser

nagash said:

See thats fine as a area its has colour and it looks nice but wow is just so cartoony that it ticks me off for some reason 

yeah I kinda didn't really like it either. but then again, i didn't like WoW that much

ArchivedUser

Diura said:

Ashes of Creation is a high fantasy mmo so we will see wide range in environments So I imagine some zones will be bright colours and some zones will be dark and gloomy. I can't wait to see artwork and sneak peaks of the world ^^

Hi @ritfin. I'm a bit late to this thread, but have you had a chance to check out the landscape screencaps from the devs yet? The aesthetic is different to WoW but I think you'll find several bright scenes in the mix.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0BwE8nTLNtPFycldiZkFJdEJ4VWc

ArchivedUser

Have they mentioned having different music in the zones?

ArchivedUser

@Azarila , don;t see why not

ArchivedUser

BDO did their zones very well, they felt like living breathing worlds, I especially liked the desert towns