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Why the dinosaurs?

SnokeySnokey Member
edited April 2020 in General Discussion
Hi!

Let me start of by saying that I am extremely excited about the game and I think it is going to be a huge hit, no doubts about that. My only issue with this game since the start was the IP and the visual representation of the game. Don't get me wrong, the graphics are absolutely gorgeous for a mmo and most parts look beautiful and on point (The dragon raid for example looked exactly as it should and made me feel like I was in Molten Core all over again haha.)

But then there are parts that just don't fit with the rest, like the dinosaur mob that was seen in the latest preview. Why does that raptor has to look exactly like a raptor illustration from a history book? Something like that works for games like Ark, because of the game's setting, but a high fantasy game should look and feel more 'magical'. I don't know if you can see my point, especially when games like WoW has dinosaurs in them as well, but they work there thanks to the overstylised meshes and textures with crazy colours. This DInosaur mob looked just like something straight out of Jurrasic Park and immidietly put me off.

If I may suggest, make your dinosaur mobs look more 'magical looking' and less 'realistic looking' . TES: Morrowind would be a perfect inspiration for this. In Morrowind you have dinosaur looking mobs like Clannfears, Kagoutis or Guars... You can tell that they are like a 'dinosaur type' creature, but so heavily altered, that they fit into the setting perfectly.

Reference to what I am talking about: https://imgur.com/3kAeWRz

Comments

  • sarkadosarkado Member, Leader of Men, Kickstarter, Alpha One
    It goes without saying that intrepid will have multiple models of each monster type. Ex: Fire Bear, Ice Bear, Regular Bear. So there may be more "elemental" type dinosaurs to be seen in the future.
  • NoaaniNoaani Member, Intrepid Pack
    Snokey wrote: »
    Hi!
    Why does that raptor has to look exactly like a raptor illustration from a history book? Something like that works for games like Ark, because of the game's setting, but a high fantasy game should look and feel more 'magical'.
    I completely understand your point, but totally disagree with it.

    Morrowind is only one part of one province of Tamriel, which itself is only one continent of Nirn. If you look at Tamriel as a whole (ignoring the rest of Nirn), there are perfectly mundane animals out there, as well as the fantastical and magical.

    If you take all games set in Tamriel, you have;
    Ants
    Antelope
    Badgers
    Bats
    Bears
    Bees
    Beetles
    Boars
    Butterflies
    Camels
    Canaries
    Cardinals
    Cats
    Chickens
    Clams
    Cows
    Crocodiles
    Deer
    Dogs
    Dolphins
    Dragonflies
    Eagles
    Elk
    Falcons
    Foxes
    Frogs
    Goats
    Geese
    Hare
    Hawks
    Heron
    Horses
    Jackals
    Lions
    Mammoth
    Monkeys
    Owls
    Ox
    Parrot
    Pheasant
    Pigs
    Porpoise
    Rabbits
    Rats
    Ravens
    Reindeer
    Saber-tooth tigers
    Salmon
    Scorpion
    Seagulls
    Sheep
    Snakes
    Springbok
    Termites
    Vultures
    Warthog
    Wasps
    Whales
    Wolves
    Worms

    And these are only the animals in Tamriel that are effectively exactly as they are in the real world, or as they were, in some cases. If I were to include animals that are still somewhat mundane, but are different from their real counterparts, the list would be 50% longer again.

    The thing with fantastical creatures is - if that is all a game is made up of, those fantastical creatures soon become mundane. In order for them to remain fantastical, they need to be somewhat rare, interspersed between more mundane creatures.

    To me, having raptors in Ashes is no more out of place than having mammoth in Skyrim.
  • NagashNagash Member, Leader of Men, Kickstarter, Alpha One
    Because why not?
    nJ0vUSm.gif

    The dead do not squabble as this land’s rulers do. The dead have no desires, petty jealousies or ambitions. A world of the dead is a world at peace
  • JahlonJahlon Member, Intrepid Pack, Alpha One
    xRNoB3h.png
    hpsmlCJ.jpg
    Make sure to check out Ashes 101
  • Noaani: I am not saying a fantasy setting shouldn’t have an ordinary animal types like the ones you have listed, I am just saying that Jurrasic Park like dinosaurs are an eyesore in a High Fantasy setting, that’s all. Mamooths are fine by me, because they have been established by IPs like Lord of The Rings. Imagine how weird it would be If Gimli was riding a T-Rex, just saying.

  • easyeasy Member, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One
    this seems like a very irrelevant thing to care about
  • RaytekuRayteku Member, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One
    Snokey wrote: »
    Noaani: I am not saying a fantasy setting shouldn’t have an ordinary animal types like the ones you have listed, I am just saying that Jurrasic Park like dinosaurs are an eyesore in a High Fantasy setting, that’s all. Mamooths are fine by me, because they have been established by IPs like Lord of The Rings. Imagine how weird it would be If Gimli was riding a T-Rex, just saying.

    Are you really saying that Ashes should not have Jurassic Park style dinosaurs because no other high fantasy IP has had them in their world?
  • NoaaniNoaani Member, Intrepid Pack
    Snokey wrote: »
    Noaani: I am not saying a fantasy setting shouldn’t have an ordinary animal types like the ones you have listed, I am just saying that Jurrasic Park like dinosaurs are an eyesore in a High Fantasy setting, that’s all. Mamooths are fine by me, because they have been established by IPs like Lord of The Rings. Imagine how weird it would be If Gimli was riding a T-Rex, just saying.

    Maybe you should expand your high fantasy horizons then.

    There are high fantasy settings - including IP's created for MMO's - that have dinosaurs.

    Your argument seems to be based around the notion that the limited amount of high fantasy you personally have been exposed to doesn't have them, therefore no high fantasy should.

    I hope I don't need to go any further for you to realize how rediculous that is.
  • NagashNagash Member, Leader of Men, Kickstarter, Alpha One
    Rayteku wrote: »
    Snokey wrote: »
    Noaani: I am not saying a fantasy setting shouldn’t have an ordinary animal types like the ones you have listed, I am just saying that Jurrasic Park like dinosaurs are an eyesore in a High Fantasy setting, that’s all. Mamooths are fine by me, because they have been established by IPs like Lord of The Rings. Imagine how weird it would be If Gimli was riding a T-Rex, just saying.

    Are you really saying that Ashes should not have Jurassic Park style dinosaurs because no other high fantasy IP has had them in their world?

    guild wars 2 has them
    nJ0vUSm.gif

    The dead do not squabble as this land’s rulers do. The dead have no desires, petty jealousies or ambitions. A world of the dead is a world at peace
  • VentharienVentharien Member, Alpha One, Adventurer
    edited April 2020
    DnD has had Dinosaurs for a long time. If a creature looks cool and looks natural in the environment, there's no reason to not throw it in.
  • NagashNagash Member, Leader of Men, Kickstarter, Alpha One
    Ventharien wrote: »
    DnD has had Dinosaurs for a long time. If a creature looks cool and looks natural in the environment, there's no reason to not throw it in.

    Warhammer has a whole race of them ain't that right @mcstackerson
    nJ0vUSm.gif

    The dead do not squabble as this land’s rulers do. The dead have no desires, petty jealousies or ambitions. A world of the dead is a world at peace
  • mcstackersonmcstackerson Member, Phoenix Initiative, Royalty, Kickstarter, Alpha One
    Nagash wrote: »
    Ventharien wrote: »
    DnD has had Dinosaurs for a long time. If a creature looks cool and looks natural in the environment, there's no reason to not throw it in.

    Warhammer has a whole race of them ain't that right mcstackerson

    290px-Lizardy.jpeg
    Yar
  • VentharienVentharien Member, Alpha One, Adventurer
    For Kroq Gar!!!!!




  • AtamaAtama Member, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One
    Un’Goro Crater in WoW is full of dinosaurs and is one of my favorite zones in the game. (It is also full of Nintendo references.)

    Honestly most fantasy MMOs have some kind of dinosaur in them, usually resembling Jurassic Park (the common image of them until recently). If Ashes didn’t have dinos, I guarantee you people would ask, “Where the hell are the dinosaurs?!”
     
    Hhak63P.png
  • SarevokSarevok Member
    edited April 2020
    Snokey wrote: »
    Noaani: I am not saying a fantasy setting shouldn’t have an ordinary animal types like the ones you have listed, I am just saying that Jurrasic Park like dinosaurs are an eyesore in a High Fantasy setting, that’s all. Mamooths are fine by me, because they have been established by IPs like Lord of The Rings. Imagine how weird it would be If Gimli was riding a T-Rex, just saying.

    I guess it's just personal taste. In a fantasy setting anything can go. I'm not a fan of dinosaurs in a fantasy setting but that's just me.
    Jahlon wrote: »
    xRNoB3h.png

    Clever girl...
  • Why humans? Why bears, why trees? water?.... :)
    RAZOR
    Lineage 2 Veteran
  • KuldjuxKuldjux Member, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One
    My 1978 AD&D Monster Manual has 28 entries under dinosaur, including T. Rex, Triceratops and Stegosaurus (no Deinonychus though).
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  • JahlonJahlon Member, Intrepid Pack, Alpha One
    The truth is I've never seen a MMORPG that doesn't have Dinosaurs, at least not any good ones
    hpsmlCJ.jpg
    Make sure to check out Ashes 101
  • AtamaAtama Member, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One
    Well, Secret World Legends doesn’t have them, though as a modern horror MMO they don’t really fit.

    Even Star Trek Online has dinosaurs (my character can summon a velociraptor with mounted lasers in combat). They are genetically engineered in an artificial park environment inside a giant Dyson Sphere.
     
    Hhak63P.png
  • NagashNagash Member, Leader of Men, Kickstarter, Alpha One
    Atama wrote: »
    Well, Secret World Legends doesn’t have them, though as a modern horror MMO they don’t really fit.

    Even Star Trek Online has dinosaurs (my character can summon a velociraptor with mounted lasers in combat). They are genetically engineered in an artificial park environment inside a giant Dyson Sphere.

    dinosaurs with frickin laser beams

    5FygywazXBeXsb9xpAjdxM0o_b8eYiLg5LvWZRciSO0.jpg?auto=webp&s=c62140db9ea4637123e53b96967fb10420b38768
    nJ0vUSm.gif

    The dead do not squabble as this land’s rulers do. The dead have no desires, petty jealousies or ambitions. A world of the dead is a world at peace
  • AtamaAtama Member, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One
    Nagash wrote: »
    Atama wrote: »
    Well, Secret World Legends doesn’t have them, though as a modern horror MMO they don’t really fit.

    Even Star Trek Online has dinosaurs (my character can summon a velociraptor with mounted lasers in combat). They are genetically engineered in an artificial park environment inside a giant Dyson Sphere.

    dinosaurs with frickin laser beams

    5FygywazXBeXsb9xpAjdxM0o_b8eYiLg5LvWZRciSO0.jpg?auto=webp&s=c62140db9ea4637123e53b96967fb10420b38768
    It looks pretty similar to that actually.

    I grabbed the pet in a deal that literally advertised having a “dinosaur with frickin laser beams on its head”.

    Voth_Furiadon.png

     
    Hhak63P.png
  • Undead CanuckUndead Canuck Member, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One
    When did Gammarauders come back? Blip FTW!
  • NagashNagash Member, Leader of Men, Kickstarter, Alpha One
    When did Gammarauders come back? Blip FTW!

    its nice to know that over people played Gammarauders

    Roddis is best
    nJ0vUSm.gif

    The dead do not squabble as this land’s rulers do. The dead have no desires, petty jealousies or ambitions. A world of the dead is a world at peace
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