Just going to flat out say it: The art assets in this game are not up to quality

He likes cartoons and thinks it's a good choice for video game art. It's obvious especially after the comment about the troll which I think is damn ugly looking.

This stuff is fine for paintings and comic books but horrible for video games IMO. My favorite video game art apes real life, not cartoons.

Take Guile from Streetfighter. I wish I could see a game where he looked like this.



Instead of how he currently looks.

Personally i'd love to see the graphics improved greatly. Mind you I love this game so much that it doesn't bother me in any way, but if they did a huge graphic update i'd be more then insanely happy!!

One thing that I've noticed is the targeting.

When you target other players or npc:s etc. It is only like a sharp simple border around their bodies, looking a little too simple for a great game like this.

Maybe change the shine around the bodies to a slightly more blurry and smeared border.

Example:

OP was just fishing for a job, imo.

"

Litheum wrote:

The difference here is, we are saying we like the art the way it is, and you are coming along with your nose in the air telling us why we shouldnt like it, and why it should be changed to your liking.

Your right, I don't know art.....but I know I like POE and its style. And would not like the changes you are suggesting, and really don't like the art examples you posted....at all.

So again, I aks you stop trying to interpret for us, we like POEs artstyle, we don't like yours. It's pretty cut and dry.

I didn't post anything.. I think you are confusing our names :)..

I just have to say I agree with him partially. It's okey you like their art..it's your opinion. Like he has his own opinion and I have mine. I just believe that current art overall is just acceptable ..but not good or great..there are parts I love a lot..but overall, there are some basic mistakes in current Art direction. At least it's based on my own experience, on my knowledge. For example textures has too much details for isometric view. It looks pretty good on static picture, or when not much is happening on the screen, but it looks very noise and unpleasant for many when there is a lot of motion on the screen..

Focusing more on macro-details and soften micro-details would do the job.. I would like to point on HoN for example (if you know it)..they have cartoon graphics and everything..but ignore this and look what they have done in HoN 3.0 with textures. THey had really nice and very very detailed textures..these textures looked really good..but for fast gameplay, these were just distracting and many people didn't liked the look of hon but they didn't know why.. In HoN 3.0, they reworked textures..textures have very soft micro details but still enough these bigger details, which can stand out..on static picture it doesn't tell you much but during gameplay...it's soooooo much easier to looking at monitor than before. and it just looks better.

same with monsters.. for isometric and fast game is very important to not blend action with background..and this is exactly what is happening in PoE. I don't want to bring D2 or D3 on the table..but for example..in D3..in any area, during the big fights, unless there are some absurd particle effects, I clearly see what is happening on the screen. I see spells, monsters, my character, action is fast and readable ..very important.. In PoE for example fighting bandits, apes and golems in crossroad..well..let's say in big fights I don't see a shit.. I see just very noisy brownish mess on the screen. Game is really unreadable. Of course...for many it's not a big deal.. They don't care much about look..and they can clear tons of mobs in two seconds..so what was just noisy in one second..in the next..everything is fine and dandy..but it's not okey..that fight alone doesn't look good..even when it's very short.

I don't want to make this game cartoony at all..everything I wrote about could be achieved even in more realistic stylization.. I just would love, if game would be more easily readable. Gameplay is important of course.. but I care about look.

"

He likes cartoons and thinks it's a good choice for video game art. It's obvious especially after the comment about the troll which I think is damn ugly looking.

but TBH..that troll looks like better version of any monster they have right now in the game.. it fits the style and it's not really bad..it would look great from isometric perspective imho

ManiaCCC:

What you are saying about ground textures is very true. Historically we have made the game a lot better in this regard, and there is a lot more to come. Act 3 is much closer to what I intend the whole game to be, in regard to this. Crossroads is on the list for the next area to get a ground material overhaul (along with other awesome things that are planned for that area).

We are continually improving the art, and will continue to do so for years. If you look at how PoE looked two years ago, and compare it with how it looks now the difference is huge. I am convinced the difference will be as big if not bigger two years from now, given the support we have gotten lately.

Thank you Erik, it's really good feel to know, that I am not only one who feels that ground textures need a bit rework to make game more readable.

Yes guys, i am here from 2010 so i really see how much work you have done and maybe I should mentioned it earlier but ACT 3 is really big improvement.. it's not finished but I love playing it just because it doesn't hurt my eyes.

Keep it up. I don't want to sound whiny but If I wouldn't care about PoE, I wouldn't be here for a third year. ;)

"

Swen88 wrote:

One thing that I've noticed is the targeting.

When you target other players or npc:s etc. It is only like a sharp simple border around their bodies, looking a little too simple for a great game like this.

Maybe change the shine around the bodies to a slightly more blurry and smeared border.

Example:

No, it will just make anything you target look out of focus and cause your eyes to strain harder then they should. (pretty much the same as what I think of FXAA)

Well, you guys got a reply from the big fish himself. Erik is the lead artist for PoE and one of the co-founders, for those who aren't aware.

It can't be said that GGG doesn't pay attention to the user feedback.

Some miexd opinions going on in this tread. The op may has started this discusion too harsh, but generaly its not a bad idea to criticise the graphical aspects of the game.
Personaly i love the artstyle and it should be clear to everyone, that the art will further improve in time.

sure the Exiles are lacking polygons and it would be a big improvement, but the devs know better what to prioritise.

Path Of Exile wants so be different, its taking the old path of a great idea that hasnt evolved much since. its quite brave these days, doing something different in the aera of the sheeps.