[quote name='BounceDK' timestamp='1298989305' post='17258939']
(realism in a fantasy game...). [quote]

This is the kind of remark that is especially dumb, and that pisses me to no end, and always recurrent to those who haven t plausible arguments against something they don t like.

Be it your case or not, TES is another culture, another planet so bethesda has the right to wear everyone the way they want as long as it remain plausible.

That being sayd, i like things to follow the plausibility concept, which is the core opposite of the specific quote, i mean i dont want something thougt and executed by a mind that is in the middle of an overdose of LSD, mushroom tea or any psycotropic hallucinogen legal or illegal substance of any kind. Unless it is specificly specifyed Moebius or Simon Bisley where drawn in.
If, by any mean, thats what you desiring, just screw up your video drivers and you ll be more than happy. There are also others games that suit your needs like Barbie goes to Hollywoond or Hello kitty trip to India, or Teletubbes space trip where your need for coloring and rainbowish tonalities will be satisfyed.

So far excusing some not excusable Lore massacres, which i won t enter in, Bethesda has been consistent and plausible in her world settings, may it remain so, Unless Tamriel is destroyed and another world rise forth, but thats another tale yet to be done.

In the end, i won t mind if it end up wood and leather, uncolored world like AOC, as i won t mind if its more colorfull than what people are used too, its well known for example that celts loved colorfull garments and where mastercraft in jewelry as to decorate the entrance of their domains or house with humans skulls to ward off badly intentioned people. Many "ancient" culture use to decorate their homes with painting as far as they could. Also viking like cultures had theyr times with colors although it was more reserved for feast and special occasions.

More than you can think, reality surpass a lot our tiny imagination if you rules Magica out.

I think the art-style and colour palette should match the attitude of the rest of the game. If you're telling a dark story of bloody genocide and impending doom, the art-style should also reflect that. In Oblivion for instance, Cyrodiil was nearly being swallowed by Oblivion and hellish creatures emerged from the beyond to attack its denizens. It was a dark days, but the streets were clean, the citizens went about their business normally, and the overall visual representation of the world felt incongruent with the situation at hand. There was certainly variety in scenery, which artistically might be appreciated, but it felt quite detached from the game as a whole. There should have been riots in the streets; looting, murder and famine as fear gripped the populace and farmers dropped their tools to flee to the safety of the cities. Food would have grown scarce and guards would have been drafted from every corner of the land to bolster the failing armies.

Browns, greys and blacks would have aided in making a better representation of this crisis, in my opinion. The chaos, the suffering and the darkness of the setting was instead hidden behind a plastic layer of pretty colours, and never really getting a chance to grip us, so a lot potential was wasted because of this decision.

I owuldn t hope for much in the like of civil war draggon plaggued scenário, its a T rated game and Bethesda has already taken some whiskey delta decisoin upon death. And if you inquire too much and/or complain Moderator will slap you no matter what.

Bethesda is getting better and better at creating visual moods. If an area looks a certain way it could very well be to put emphasis on the story of that place.
For example: an area where the NPCs suffer and have tough lives could look dull and drab, but an area where the NPCs are optimistic and happy can be bright and colorful.
So even if a screenshot or a few seconds from a gameplay movie lacks bright colors, those visuals could still be the perfect choice to set the mood of that place.

If it was perceived as a complaint I think I somehow failed to present my point of view. It was a universal stance on the portrayal of games or films, both visual and otherwise, where Oblivion was used as an example of something that would not match my approach.

I'd like the locations to look more or less like Earth, not more or less like Toontown.

I'd rather have 'boring' brown and gray than shivering isles all over the place.

Contrast is a lot more powerful than just making the whole game grimdark mcgrayblack. For one, it's boring to have only neutrals, and for another, you have one less tool to show that "things have just gotten worse" or "this is a bad place". If there is a town just hit by an attack that's starting to rebuild an get back on its feet, newly blossoming flowers among the ash and debris show a much greater sense of what's going on than just gritty dark realtastic. I understand, that "gritty" is really popular these days, but it's getting overdone.

actually, I'd throw out realism, and go painterly ala Okami

Boring Brown for me!

I'd like to feel like I'm playing a dark and gritty action adventure game, not like I'm playing an episode of the Smurfs.

I reckon there will be plenty of variation - in the trailer we saw desolate icy landscapes, and two different types of forest (leafy green and autumnal). Didn't it say on the map in the background in one of the GI vids that there's a portion labeled "ashlands" too, or am I imagining that?

[Edit] I think I was getting "volcanic tundra" and "A tundra marshland" mixed up or something - thanks Noah D.

Boring brown works for me. But vivid colours would be nice to have from time to time as well.

As for realism in a fantasy game.... whats wrong with making a fantasy world more believable? Nothing thats what! :biggrin: If you balance out the realism with fantasy you get a greater immersion value. If someones living in a fantasy world it helps to have some realism to root the persons subconcious in the game.

There's going to be Volcanic Tundra, Pine Forests, Autumn Forests, Snowy Landscapes /Glaciers, a tundra marshland, and of course Mountain ranges.

There's muted, natural, and cartoonish.

I pick natural.

I guess I'm boring neutral colors always seems more fitting,
Bright coloursshouble be rare, flowers, magic ect
Dye's were hard to make bright BITD.

I like brown.

Its my favorite color. 2nd pic is best!

Natural colours.

Varied gritty or vivid depending on "area style". Personally I prefer the vivid look of Oblivion (when not on HDR steroids). The lush green grass, and yellow fields of Anvil - very pretty - makes me happy and warm inside No problem imagining vivid autumn tones, but would be weird in a snowy area.

Natural colours also.

Fallout 3 had boring blue/grey I felt, New Vegas did a nice job on having a more colour variety and taking some screen-colour filters that gave the blue/grey look.

Skyrim looks like it'd do what New Vegas did, with the screen changing its colour tone as you enter different regions of the world map.

I muich preferred the green hue, NVs yellow starts to strain my eyes after awhile.

The use of SI images as an illustration in the OP is a useful clue to what they should do. Mania was all bright and vivid, and Dementia was grey/green/brown for contrast. You need both to provide a variety of moods.

If you've just trudged through a bleak, colorless forest and then enter a tavern where everyone is dressed in the same shade of grey, you're not going to change your mood much. If you step into a colorful throng of brightly-dressed customers, it's a completely different situation.

It has to be both.

http://dlucas84.files.wordpress.com/2007/03/bob_ross_csg001_mountain_retreat.jpg

Bob Ross.

He works fast so his color palette is limited. That doesn't mean there is only one color domination, there are many beautiful colors mixing together. Skyrim is grittier and darker more than ever while going for a painterly look. Interesting combination.

http://cdn.gamerant.com/wp-content/uploads/Elder-Scrolls-5-Skyrim-Trailer-Screenshot-Close-Up-570x309.jpg
http://cdn.gamerant.com/wp-content/uploads/Elder-Scrolls-5-Skyrim-Trailer-Screenshot-Dragon-Bite-570x307.jpg

I could easily take screenshots of my adventures in Skyrim and combine them into a comic book and pass as a talented illustrator.
http://i.imgur.com/T37Dv.png
(only 32 colors)

It wouldn't work because I don't have necessary writing skills.

I prefer natural as in photorealistic. As for games, I think we are just incredibly far away from photorealism.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/vtastek/crysis/sc01/00005.jpg

This looks phenomenal. But it actually looks like a good painting of real life. It looks better than real life!

http://www.toddswanderings.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/beautiful-river.jpg

No. But they are close, aren't they?

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/vtastek/Metro2033/sc01/Metro20332010-08-0110-22-40-23.jpg

Metro 2033 looks like a bugdet CGI short. Incredibly cinematic. But not real life.

http://cdn.cnetnetworks.fr/gamekult-com/images/photos/00/01/36/78/ME0001367810_2.jpg

http://images7.gry-online.pl/Galeria/Galeria_duze3/785146718.jpg

This can be feel in other games too.

I tried to get a painterly look with post-process shaders in Morrowind and Oblivion.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/vtastek/morrowind/Morrowind2010/sc04/MGE-archy.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/vtastek/morrowind/Morrowind2010/sc04/MGE-twoboats.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/vtastek/oblivion/painterly/Oblivion2010-07-0816-26-36-25.jpg

Certainly a pleasant break.

Skyrim looks different. I'm pleased to see Bethesda trying to be different from the crowd.