Quoting Bingjack, reply 17I like the pic in the op better than what we have right now. At least the UI there had some of the character we traditionally associate with fantasy game UIs, and not just the flat, beige, bland vector lines we have now. It would be nice if they could find a nicer compromise between scalability and character.
Only my opinion.
Bingjack, the 0.22 beta is 'cloth map only,' and even the bits of the 3D level we've seen in video from PAX and whatnot are still very preliminary in terms of art. You might find the sequence of screen caps in Brad's evolution of the graphics thread reassuring.
I'm aware of the status. My issue is not with the cloth map,or the map at all, or what will eventually be 3d graphics, but with the interface. Fantasy games have typically had nicely rendered interface elements. Stardock's philosophy is to sacrifice the look of the game for "infinite" scalability. The result, in my opinion, is a very sterile looking interface, devoid of much in the way of personality. They did the same thing with Gal Civ 2 , and I see the same thing happening here.
I understand the reasons they do it. It doesnt affect my wanting to buy or play the game. I just find it unfortunate. I appreciate a bit more personality in my fantasy games. I like painted textures and interfaces. Vector graphics are bland and boring, in my opinion. That screenshot is rough and simplistic, but the interface has much more personality, like fantasy games of this sort have traditionally had. Like I said, this has no bearing on me buying the game. I'll simply wish it looked a bit more interesting.
