A:EftP - A Brighter Palette than Avadon?

[Necris Omega]

Yeah, Avernum 1-3 did have a bit of a distinction problem, but I'm not sure which graphics style I prefer. Honestly for all the increased detail of A4+, all the graphics and animations feel very stiff, very stock, and very static.

[Trenton.]

I like the graphics very much. What dont you like about A4-6?

[Necris Omega]

Uh... that all the graphics and animations feel very stiff, very stock, and very static?

 

Seriously, every sword swing swung by every sword swinger swings like every other sword swing ever swung. At least with Avernum, sure, things weren't terribly distinct or detailed, but at least they didn't feel like it was one set of base animations being done exactly the same by every character.

 

The terrain wasn't bad (though I don't care for the "liquid" panels either) but the character animations all feel the same.

[Trenton.]

But in avernum 6, all of my characters had differant attack animations. My main fighter *that looked like it had the ninja costume* swung it side ways, while my mage and priest *with the shaper graphic from geneforge 3, and the normal priest from avernums* stabbed forward, and the slith stabbed forward with a spear.

[Necris Omega]

All the characters look more like they're reaching out and poking with their weapons, not attacking violently. Their bodies and feet remain largely stationary, and you're lucky if they so much as lunge or step inward.

 

In early Avernum an attacker will whip around and slam into his enemy with far more dynamic force, weapons and bodies tracing unique and mulch-dimensional paths rather than a bland thrust or half-hearted slash. The slow animation makes it seem even worse, as though they've got a massive, Dragon Age styled wind up time before they can even get their meager attack off.

 

Any diversity or uniqueness in the later Avernums in terms of their attack animation is fleeting and meaningless. Yawn*thrust or meh*slash. The later, that ninja you mentioned, doesn't even bother to move anything but his arms.

 

Even when the original Avernum's graphics overlapped, at least there were clear lines between what a Nephil looks like swinging a sword, a Vahnatai, s slith, and many humans. In the second trilogy, they all look the exact same. It's boring and formulaic and one of the clear areas of weakness in the new graphics compared to the old.

[Tirien]

Originally Posted By: Necris Omega

The later, that ninja you mentioned, doesn't even bother to move anything but his arms.

That just shows how skilled the ninja is! Actually, you shouldnt see him move at all, much less see him, now that I think about it.

[Trenton.]

The geneforge 3 shaper moved inward when he/she stabbed someone. So did the regular priest.

[Earth]

bit off topic: at Avadon sorceresses and shaman tend to change positions when attacking even they were at attacking range, worst was at 1st attempt against that "ghost" near Veneaux, I positioned Nathalie on west wall to get her away from zombies attacks but when she attacked she moved to near north wall and in zombies range. Jenell and Cordelia do similar things w/o seeable reason.

[Samael101]

I know the topic's a couple of months old now but this is kind of a major thing I've had with the recent Spiderweb games. They're less colourful and feel less iconic.

 

I have to confess that even if we don't want to go back to the neon greens and bright blue caves of Exile, I'd rather see a world where goblins are distinct green buggers with big orange eyes as opposed to orange-maybe-people. Gremlins might be bright purple but at least I can recognise them. They don't look like every other vaguely humanoid monster. Back in Exile, the simpler sprites were more distinct, the clearly coloured world had its own charm to it. I liked Avernum's engine but I couldn't abide by its aesthetic. Ever since, things have gotten more drab and desaturated, sucking out much of the original charm and life it had. Animation used to be only two frames but you mentally filled in the gaps. The more animated it gets, the less you can do that and the more awkward it seems when a guy with a sword gently prods a monster.

[Earth]

colors might be bit vague due no sunlight (aka jeff being bit lazy).

[ToddMcF2002]

Samael101 that is exactly what I was thinking when I opened this thread. Well said! Avadon's environments are 90% drab. Drab was the word that had escaped me...