Will any game ever get how pine trees look correctly? : V - Skyrim

» Fri Jun 04, 2010 5:51 pm

Damn Bosmer, always going on about the vegetation. Why don't you marry your fir trees if you love them so much? Skyrim is about manly things, like war and dragon slaying and half-naked zombies. The only reason time you should care about trees while playing the game is when you're cutting them down, even if you don't need them. [censored] those trees. Think they're so much better than us because they're tall. We'll show them!

Seriously, though, most people don't notice or care. They're fantasy trees of an unspecified species. They look far better than Oblivion's ubiquitous oaks, at any rate. At least there's more than one kind of tree now.

» Fri Jun 04, 2010 5:36 pm

So, I'm looking at the screenshots, then looking out my window... Fir trees branches are slightly curved with the tips of the branches hanging lower than where they sprout from the trunk.. the divisions on each branch hang downwards.. what the heck is so hard about that? I'm surrounded by fir trees when I'm off the computer and I have never seen any game do it right. The branches don't look like a scared cats tail! Unless recently hit by lightning or seriously startled, fir trees branches and sub branches all droop downwards. Part of being a good artist is not just the doing but the initial seeing. Someone please post me a link to a game that has got this right! I hope Bethesda tweaks their toilet brush looking fir trees before release. Surrounded by pine trees seems to be this games thing in the wilderness screenshots so far, lets get it right please for once. Sheesh, looks like a deer hunting game from 1994...

Trees are by nature fractal, this makes them very high polygon objects, add that they are common, it's forests of them.
You want to reduce the number of polygons in ways who is hard to notice, making branches straight help a lot, curves increase the count 6-10 times.

» Fri Jun 04, 2010 10:33 am

Immature posts removed, behave folks :nono:

» Fri Jun 04, 2010 12:51 pm

you realize there are like 50 types of fir trees right?

Seriously.

» Fri Jun 04, 2010 3:37 pm

So, I'm looking at the screenshots, then looking out my window... Fir trees branches are slightly curved with the tips of the branches hanging lower than where they sprout from the trunk.. the divisions on each branch hang downwards.. what the heck is so hard about that? I'm surrounded by fir trees when I'm off the computer and I have never seen any game do it right. The branches don't look like a scared cats tail! Unless recently hit by lightning or seriously startled, fir trees branches and sub branches all droop downwards. Part of being a good artist is not just the doing but the initial seeing. Someone please post me a link to a game that has got this right! I hope Bethesda tweaks their toilet brush looking fir trees before release. Surrounded by pine trees seems to be this games thing in the wilderness screenshots so far, lets get it right please for once. Sheesh, looks like a deer hunting game from 1994...

I've seen plenty of games with convincing conifers. Stalker did them pretty well, and ArmA 2 has some fine pine forests http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/8681/arma22009070119020175.jpg

My main problem with the screen shots I've seen of Skyrim firs is they look a little flat, lighting wise. But that may just be the weather.

» Fri Jun 04, 2010 6:22 pm

Are people really complaining about tree branches?

I mean, seriously?

» Fri Jun 04, 2010 12:14 pm

I've seen plenty of games with convincing conifers. Stalker did them pretty well, and ArmA 2 has some fine pine forests http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/8681/arma22009070119020175.jpg

My main problem with the screen shots I've seen of Skyrim firs is they look a little flat, lighting wise. But that may just be the weather.

thnx for the cool screenshot! Yes looks good in Arma II!

» Fri Jun 04, 2010 1:21 pm

I've seen plenty of games with convincing conifers. Stalker did them pretty well, and ArmA 2 has some fine pine forests http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/8681/arma22009070119020175.jpg

My main problem with the screen shots I've seen of Skyrim firs is they look a little flat, lighting wise. But that may just be the weather.

I think Skyrim's trees/forest look better than that.

» Fri Jun 04, 2010 12:52 pm

Because the conifer family is a huge one and by no means do they all share the appearance of the fir trees out your window.

Truth.

» Sat Jun 05, 2010 2:57 am

they cant even get windmills correct...........and you want them to do trees the right way. :teehee:

» Fri Jun 04, 2010 1:24 pm

they cant even get windmills correct...........and you want them to do trees the right way. :teehee:

Nothing is wrong with the windmill. Or the trees.

» Fri Jun 04, 2010 9:33 pm

They are called Douglas Firs. Looks it up bro.

^this, you're a master arborist my friend

» Sat Jun 05, 2010 2:01 am

Nothing is wrong with the windmill. Or the trees.

Well I don't know - every time I see a windmill I'm going to want to march up to it and challenge it to a fight. Of course if one of them does turn out to be a giant I'll have found the meanest easter egg ever.