A Graphics Perspective

[Apparition]

6 minutes ago, calash said:

And now I want CoH version of Zork.  

 

Or Legend of the Red Dragon.  Where are my BBS people at???

 

Trade Wars 2000 FTW.

[nightroarer]

2 hours ago, Apparition said:

 

That's the response I got from a co-worker that I tried to get to play the game... back in 2010.  I got him to play for two weeks or so, and he just stopped.  He complained that the game was too boring and too old looking.  He couldn't understand how I still played when there were much better looking games available.  Again, this was 2010.

 

2019?  Forget about it.

I've played CoH, Champions Online, and DCUO. CoH wins for graphics (for me) hands down. I like the look of this game better than any other superhero game I've played. I also enjoy the overall gameplay more than the other games. Opinions may (and will) vary. 🙂

[Doc_Scorpion]

3 hours ago, Apparition said:

 

Trade Wars 2000 FTW.

Now there's a name I haven't heard in a very long time...  a very long time indeed.

[Apparition]

1 minute ago, Doc_Scorpion said:

Now there's a name I haven't heard in a very long time...  a very long time indeed.

 

Little known fact: Back in the very early 2000s... 2001, 2002 or thereabouts... a graphical Trade Wars 2000 MMO video game was announced, backed and published by NCSoft.  I recall seeing a few screenshots.  NCSoft canceled development of it around 2004 or 2005.  I don't know how far along it got, but as I said I do recall seeing a few screenshots.

[calash]

14 hours ago, Doc_Scorpion said:

Now there's a name I haven't heard in a very long time...  a very long time indeed.

/em looks at the pointy end of a light based sword device

[Sura]

On 9/14/2019 at 12:46 PM, PaxArcana said:

... I stil play Master of Magic (a 1994 fantasy 4X game).  Below is a screenshot - yes, it's tiny.  The game only plays in 640x480.  Graphics aren't why I play it.  Gameplay is.  🙂

 

Still have MOM installed, still play it fairly consistently.  They could do a simple graphical upgrade, fix a few bugs, and release it today and it would have better gameplay than 90+% of the games currently out there.  You are spot on in bringing it up as an excellent example of gameplay over graphics.

[RikOz]

On 9/14/2019 at 10:46 AM, PaxArcana said:

... I stil play Master of Magic (a 1994 fantasy 4X game).  Below is a screenshot - yes, it's tiny.  The game only plays in 640x480.  Graphics aren't why I play it.  Gameplay is.  🙂

There was a single-player shareware game I used to love, called Escape Velocity (+ 2 sequels). Not too long ago I re-downloaded it to see if it was still as much fun as I remembered. Unfortunately, it wouldn't go above 1024x768, sat there in a little box in the middle of my 1920x1080 screen, and all of the non-scaling text was so tiny that my aging eyes could not read a word of it, even with my reading glasses. As it was a game where reading the text was pretty essential to gameplay, I had to sadly retire it to the "Fond Memories" folder 😞

[PaxArcana]

1 hour ago, RikOz said:

Escape Velocity

... go to GOG.com, set up an account, and lend your voice in support of GOG getting the rights to distribute (even, to re-publish) the games.

 

It's how I still play Master of Magic, a DOS game, without having to fight for days to get a 64-bit OS released a decade after MicroSoft killed DOS, to actually run the software.  🙂

 

Also, I can play in full screen just fine.  🙂 GOG puts together game-specific configuration files so it runs smooth as silk via DOSbox, which can stretch everything to fit even a modern HD screen.

[Luminara]

13 hours ago, PaxArcana said:

... go to GOG.com, set up an account, and lend your voice in support of GOG getting the rights to distribute (even, to re-publish) the games.

 

This works, folks.  System Shock 2 was out of publication for over a decade, the licensing and distribution rights so muddled that it seemed as though it would remain in "abandonware" limbo for eternity.  GOG managed to untangle the web of crap and resurrect it.

[ZeeHero]

I think the comic style of COH graphics are fine, but the resolution really needs an update.

[Abraxus]

31 minutes ago, ZeeHero said:

I think the comic style of COH graphics are fine, but the resolution really needs an update.

I typically run at 1920x1080.  I have all graphics at ultra, and I make sure that FSAA, and Ansiotropic Filtering are turned up as far as they will go.  FSAA is really important, as it rounds off the "jaggies" in pretty much everything.  If you have even a middle of the road graphics card, it should be able to handle it under normal circumstances.  But, if you are in a Rikti Invasion, large TF, Mothership Raid, or Hammi Raid, things could get a little choppy unless you have one that's a little more than middle of the road. 

All that said, those settings make a world of difference, and make our little world in Paragon City much nicer to look at.

Edited September 27, 2019 by Abraxus

[ZeeHero]

1 hour ago, Abraxus said:

I typically run at 1920x1080.  I have all graphics at ultra, and I make sure that FSAA, and Ansiotropic Filtering are turned up as far as they will go.  FSAA is really important, as it rounds off the "jaggies" in pretty much everything.  If you have even a middle of the road graphics card, it should be able to handle it under normal circumstances.  But, if you are in a Rikti Invasion, large TF, Mothership Raid, or Hammi Raid, things could get a little choppy unless you have one that's a little more than middle of the road. 

All that said, those settings make a world of difference, and make our little world in Paragon City much nicer to look at.

No I Mean the texture resolution isnt always improved by running the GAME on a higher resolution becuase it was made for a time when max rez was way lower than it is now.... lol.

[Abraxus]

2 minutes ago, ZeeHero said:

No I Mean the texture resolution isnt always improved by running the GAME on a higher resolution becuase it was made for a time when max rez was way lower than it is now.... lol.

True, but fiddling with the settings I talked about (FSAA, and Ansiotropic Filtering) do make a noticeable difference.  The higher you can run them, the better things look.  It can only get so good, considering it's age.  But, these things help. 🙂

[Vulpoid]

I don't know if it has already been mentioned, but if you like Masters Of Magic PLEASE try Age Of Wonders 3. It is a fantastic spiritual successor. Very good.

[RikOz]

FSAA is the only setting I can't max. If I go any higher than 8x I start seeing a performance hit.

 

I have a GTX 1050 GPU.

Edited September 27, 2019 by RikOz

[PaxArcana]

7 hours ago, Vulpoid said:

I don't know if it has already been mentioned, but if you like Masters Of Magic PLEASE try Age Of Wonders 3. It is a fantastic spiritual successor. Very good.

Yes, it is very good .... but I disagree with it being a spiritual successor to MoM.  The two games play very differently, and are only alike in the concept of "fantasy 4X game with color-coded magic".  🙂

[XaoGarrent]

Cell shading with the right character at the right angle in the right place can look positively comic book.

[XaoGarrent]

On 9/26/2019 at 6:16 PM, RikOz said:

There was a single-player shareware game I used to love, called Escape Velocity (+ 2 sequels). Not too long ago I re-downloaded it to see if it was still as much fun as I remembered. Unfortunately, it wouldn't go above 1024x768, sat there in a little box in the middle of my 1920x1080 screen, and all of the non-scaling text was so tiny that my aging eyes could not read a word of it, even with my reading glasses. As it was a game where reading the text was pretty essential to gameplay, I had to sadly retire it to the "Fond Memories" folder 😞

https://store.steampowered.com/app/404410/Endless_Sky/

It's free, too.

[RikOz]

1 hour ago, XaoGarrent said:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/404410/Endless_Sky/

It's free, too.

Oooooooooooo!

[RikOz]

4 hours ago, XaoGarrent said:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/404410/Endless_Sky/

It's free, too.

 

2 hours ago, RikOz said:

Oooooooooooo!

So, wow, thanks for pointing me at Endless Sky! Installed Steam, got the game up and running, and holy crap it felt just like the originals, but with better graphics. Played for a bit, and it was oh so familiar 🙂

[XaoGarrent]

Just now, RikOz said:

 

So, wow, thanks for pointing me at Endless Sky! Installed Steam, got the game up and running, and holy crap it felt just like the originals, but with better graphics. Played for a bit, and it was oh so familiar 🙂

There's only one long storyline so it's more linear, but just go around taking odd jobs and it'll eventually open up just like in EV Nova.

[PaxArcana]

6 hours ago, RikOz said:

Installed Steam,

Uh-oh.

 

You're hooked, now!  😄  Just wait until you see some of their sale prices - especially in their big Seasonal sales.  Next one should be coming up this month, I think.  If they do a Fall sale this year, anyway.

[Herotu]

On 9/13/2019 at 6:32 PM, Frostbiter said:

I think the graphical style as well as the slightly dated things like telephones and office equipment lend themselves well to the game. It makes it feel like its set in a very specific era in history for the world. Sort of a gritty late 90's vibe that would only work in this genre.

This! I love the 2000s. It really hits hard when you see CRT monitors. Holy shit moly!

 

I think they did an astonishing job of capturing the dreariness of this "real world" and "world of work", drudgery and routine that eats people's souls. The original textures make me think of boring, austere concrete eastern european soviet-era buildings.

In later years you get to see how (real) architects have worked hard to make city spaces and offices seem more friendly and organic, with sweeping arcs, open spaces and wood. The development of these (in-game) art pieces reflects what happened in reality. The game gives us an amazing snap shot of changing times, that we probably won't experience anywhere else. For that reason alone the game should be archived as a reflection of how our (real) world has changed.

Edited September 28, 2019 by Herotu

[boggo2300]

8 hours ago, XaoGarrent said:

There's only one long storyline so it's more linear, but just go around taking odd jobs and it'll eventually open up just like in EV Nova.

Damn you, I've just spent the last three hours playing that now!

[Twisted Toon]

20 hours ago, PaxArcana said:

Yes, it is very good .... but I disagree with it being a spiritual successor to MoM.  The two games play very differently, and are only alike in the concept of "fantasy 4X game with color-coded magic".  🙂

Agreed. I've played both and still prefer MoM over AoW (1, 2, or 3)

 

If you like Space themed 4X then I'd suggest Galactic Civilizations III or Stellaris.