When I played the demo, the second I was plonked down in the game world my immediate reaction was "Wow these graphics are TERRIBLE! I must have the game set up incorrectly"
However after setting everything to high, largest res I can support etc, it made no difference. The game was fun, and I finished it, but there was always the nagging voice in my head whinging about the off putting graphics... Why was this? So I looked again....
- The color palette is uniformly dull, green and brown, and brown. Your armor throughout the game will always be brown
- No anti-aliasing, or anti-aliasing turning itself off after it is set up. My main character "sparkles" as they animate at rest due to jagged model edges, and the self shadowing looks like a stairway. As you walk towards complex items, like barrels,, they sparkle like a Christmas tree
- Plants (Small, bushes) self shadow/shadow TERRIBLY with light and dark patches in incorrect places. Their parts billboard individually so as you move past them they swivel oddly. Also textures are too low res.
- Plants (tiny, grass) does not have any shadows or shading, (or rather bad shading) so looks unnatural, also animates too fast
- Plants (Large, Trees) Leaf textures are too small, add anti-aliasing issues and they look terribly ragged. Trunks are ok. Just the leaves (They also billboard badly)
- very low view distance and close fogging washes out anything a small distance away from the avatar, making the dull colors duller.
Each of these issues your mind will subconsciously pick up as "wrong" even if you don't think you notice it. Overall, it gives a poor impression.
The textures otherwise are very detailed (armor, items in game, walls and rocks.)
Some of the nicest areas (IMHO) are in the later part of the game, the dungeons filled with greenery, the extra color and better lighting helps a lot there
Last edited by Fashtas; 02/01/10 09:42 PM. Reason: spelling
