Art and Ingame Graphics : Weapon/Armor Realism

[Evran]

Bah got sidetracked by Daax again. Bad Daax! Do I need to sic Seeria on you? Huh? Do I?!!

::cough::

Uh, anyway... I think realism can only take you so far. Especially in a graphical game. I really see it as two issues: mechanics realism and graphical realism.

Mechanics realism would be things like physics models, encumbrance effects, etc. While nice to have at least a modicum of this type, too much can easily become tedious.

Graphical realism is having realistic looking items as opposed to outlandish items. While certain aspects of a mechanically realistic system may force a grapical realism, you can get away with fun things that would never work in real life in most situations. For example if you 'mechanically' had plate armor being encumbering, you could still 'graphically' have a fanciful plate armor full of spikes, a dragon's head shaped helm and all sorts of engravings/etchings/etc on it despite it being impossible to actually move in if it were real.

I prefer graphical realism with a touch of mechanical realism, but no so much mechanical that it becomes a chore to actually play. It is a way to 'escape' real life in a way after all.

 

[Daax]

Seeria scratches my ears and makes me feel warm and fuzzy....

 

[Evran]

She's just doing it so you let your guard down. Beware!

 

[deserttfoxx]

I have the unfortunate luck of actually knowing how may character should behave, and what he would look like. So my vision is quite shallow of what a hero would be. But, i usually just create a new character revloving around the game and scrap my main if i decide to play it. Not like i log on and say, i cant do what i want, im leaving.

 

[Daax]

well desert, I guess if you think that's what your character has to be like to be a hero, that's okay. You're only shallow if you think that's what everyone's character should be like too, which I don't think that's what you're saying. So, I'll stop talking now......

*backs away slowly*

 

[HJ-Navarre]

I still say Cloud's weapon is a bit unrealistic.

 

[Daax]

xD

 

[ThatRickGuy]

Imagine your favorite hero, power and all, but hes not wearing his cool attire, instead he has a tired look in his face, and tattered crusty looking rags. Would you respect/fear/look up to a guy like that?

Ever see the movie "Once Were Warriors"? We all get old and tired, even our heros. That doesn't mean that they won't kick your ash though.

-Rick

 

[Luciro]

That Rick Feller has a point. But I like how folks get things in their heads of what they think is fantasy and what's realistic.
I hope armor and weapons run the gambit of stats and looks.
I'd just like to see a variety in the game. Maybe even have functions function the same but give it different looks altogether. I'll make an example of ranged weapons other than bows. Slings, crossbows, boomarangs, chakra, bolos, hurlaxes, hurlbats, discus, javlins, spears. Which in a game where you target, execute move, let the numbers game pan out. Would it all really matter?
Maybe there will be some weapons that take speed into consideration with their weight. Same with armor. But again wyr will let you remedy some of it's usual problems or maybe even skills upped with hero points. In the end, I dun care if they're glowy - over sized - rusty looking whatever, as long as I got variety and the animations behind it to back it up.

 

[deserttfoxx]

I still say Cloud's weapon is a bit unrealistic.

lol that cloud pic is funny.

And no, everyone character doesnt have to be a hero if they dont want them too. But i dont want my character being some boring trooper who needs the help of 400 other people to do anything meaningful in the game world. I also dont want my imagination trumphed by rules of reality.

 

[Dyngo]

If a knight is about to take down this huge firebreathing dragon, and all by himself, he should have a waepon worthy the name.

I dont care if the sword is the size of a windmill, as long it fitts the situation, universe and the struggle. In a fantasy universe there is no realistic limitation of physics. If the sword is a hundre kilo lump of metal, well then its probably a magic one and with magic makes it possible to wield.

I´ve read many fantasy stories, and played many "pen and paper"-RPG´s with big magic swords thats supposed to be felt like an lowweight dagger in the hand or a huge twohand axe that makes you so much stronger you will have no problem slashing your way through the battle field.

so I say "Reality is for people who lacks imagination"

 

[Ixx]

As long as graphically the items don't "clip" the environment, like the 1/2 sword in the ground as I read earlier, I am all for it! Fantasy is a great way to let people imagination take off and have really unique characters. I mean since Cloud has been tossed around as an example, has any other character picked up a Cloud sword? Not to mention he's a hero and outta be able to heft a sword twice as big if he felt like it, is the sword really heavy? Or mabey magically crafted to be lighter than a normal sword? Tons of possibilities, too many to rule out for conventional graphic models for everythin I would think.
Ix

 

[HJ-Navarre]

As long as graphically the items don't "clip" the environment, like the 1/2 sword in the ground as I read earlier, I am all for it! Fantasy is a great way to let people imagination take off and have really unique characters. I mean since Cloud has been tossed around as an example, has any other character picked up a Cloud sword? Not to mention he's a hero and outta be able to heft a sword twice as big if he felt like it, is the sword really heavy? Or mabey magically crafted to be lighter than a normal sword? Tons of possibilities, too many to rule out for conventional graphic models for everythin I would think.
Ix

As long as we are fantasizing... Maybe one of the sword's magical properties is 'environment clippping.' It can 'phase' through terrestrial objects like the X-Men's Kitty Pryde (Shadowcat). It only becomes solid upon contact with your enemy... Yea... That's the ticket. A +5 Sword of Clipping. :rolleyes2: Maybe that could be a good explaination of why toons never have collision detection either and are able to walk through other toons. Hey.. it's a fantasy world.. anything goes, right? /piss-n-vinegar

 

[LearsFool]

I prefer to have realistic weapons. While having those cool unique weapons is ok, I think in these cases they should be limited to those with very large amounts of strength and agility.

 

[Thaos Nightwind]

As long as graphically the items don't "clip" the environment, like the 1/2 sword in the ground as I read earlier, I am all for it!

Well you have to wonder. Since Simu has created its own graphics engine do you think they could've eliminated the clipping issue??

 

[Jaxtron]

Well you have to wonder. Since Simu has created its own graphics engine do you think they could've eliminated the clipping issue??

How would you eliminate the clipping of a large weapon? I guess they could change the animation so it swings wider or sits higher or something to avoid the ground. You could make the weapon a more realistic size (which some are opposed to). Or I guess you could do some graphic representation by making the blade phase out as it comes into contact (not sure how you would explain that in roleplaying terms) or actually gouge the earth.

Personally, give me very elaborate weapons, just make the sized based on my characters size so if I am 8' tall, the sword is 6' but if I am 3', the sword is resized to 2.5' or so.

 

[LearsFool]

I think that Jaxtron's idea of making a actual gouge in the earth when you swing and hit the ground is a great idea.

 

[deserttfoxx]

I like the idea of adaptive animations. Were the players actions with certain weapons change based on their size. If a player has a sword so long htat it almost touches floor, he adjusts the way he carries it, so the same sword would have varying animations depending on the character weilding it.

A sword that can only swing vertically or horizontally, or in butterfly motions sounds good in theory, we will have to wait and see how combat plays out.

 

[HJ-Navarre]

I hope the physics portion of HeroEngine is robust enough to handle things like this. Collision detection and destructable environments ftw. I hope you can leave a mark upon the ground with your blade. I hope you can cut down a tree or a whole forest if you feel so inclined. I hope, too, if you have that giant blade on your back, you can get caught in a doorway if you aren't careful going through or accidently bonk someone with the blade or handle if they come too close.

Yay realism.

 

[deserttfoxx]

I hope the physics portion of HeroEngine is robust enough to handle things like this. Collision detection and destructable environments ftw. I hope you can leave a mark upon the ground with your blade. I hope you can cut down a tree or a whole forest if you feel so inclined. I hope, too, if you have that giant blade on your back, you can get caught in a doorway if you aren't careful going through or accidently bonk someone with the blade or handle if they come too close.

Yay realism.

Reshaping the wildlife is a little to much realism, as well as being able to inadvertantly hit other players, we all know people cant be trusted with such control. I can deal with the limitations of not being able to cut down treeswith no care in the world just for the sake of realism, scaring the terrain is another story, i expect to see that, along with arrows that miss their mark being stuck into trees and walls and the ground and of course, their target.