Updated graphics?

[ioticus]

I really don't place emphasis on graphics at all, but I don't see an improvement in the graphics from Dominions 2. I was hoping for some improvement since it was stated they would be improved. Anyone else feel the same?

[DominionsFan]

Yes, but this game is really not about gfx.

[Saber Cherry]

Unfortunately, those pictures are kind of low-res and in lossy JPG. To my eye, the battle terrain looks vastly better, and some of the spell effects (like lightning) are very impressive compared to the lightning in Doms2 (which didn't look like lightning).

The low screen resolution and JPG compression artifacts make it difficult to get a good view of the units themselves, but they look higher-res than in Doms2. Maybe additional pictures will be released, higher-res and in lossless png format, that make the changes more obvious.

Bear in mind, though, that release date is "Summer" - and unlike Oblivion and Trespasser (whose graphics got monotonically worse with each new set of shots), I suspect Doms3 will only get better http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[JaydedOne]

Saber Cherry said:
Unfortunately, those pictures are kind of low-res and in lossy JPG. To my eye, the battle terrain looks vastly better, and some of the spell effects (like lightning) are very impressive compared to the lightning in Doms2 (which didn't look like lightning).



Agreed. The backgrounds by themselves are notably better. The lightning/fire column effects seem much prettier to my eye. And the units seem a bit more detailed. I will say, with regards to the latter, that TOO much improvement would by its nature make modding much more difficult, assuming that the modding tools for unit creation are pretty much the same as Dom 2 in that regard.

So, yeah. They're better. Not in a revolutionary way, but certainly much nicer within the same framework as Dom 2.

[Nerfix]

Some units don't seem to take the close-in zoom too well for some reason (the giant apes with...cubistic bows spring to mind). I bet the game looks rather neat as long as you don't zoom to grassroot level. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

EDIT: In fact one guy on one other board said that the game looks good.

[Gandalf Parker]

Its the same game as far as graphics but it looks like Kristoffer has improved his skills with GIMP. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif In other words it handles them the same but it does seem the units have been redrawn to look better.

[Kristoffer O]

I do not draw sprites in GIMP I use 'spooky sprites' of JK's design http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif. I have redrawn sprites thet were randomly rezoomed from dom1 to dom2. Militia, barbarians and national troops with blotchy heads are made less blotchy etc. Nice changes, not revolutionary, on the sprites.

[DominionsFan]

Well imho the gfx is perfect for a game like this, this is all about grand strategy. The only part which I dont like still are the unit's gfx. However the modders will have the possibility to add neat unit gfx to the game if they want.

[Phoenix-D]

The in-combat graphics look better, but the world map looks quite a bit worse..

[Gandalf Parker]

Does it? It looks like they are testing the new map generator which seems to use the mapstuff file that Kristoffer gave us. Of course they might be to the level of beta play that those are all maps generated on some "fast and dirty mode" to the monstrously huge new maximum settings. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

You KNOW the kinds of maps Im hoping for! As soon as its released I will be offering maps generated to the maximum settings, or as large and as many provinces as my biggest server machine is able to generate without puking.

[DominionsFan]

Phoenix-D said:
The in-combat graphics look better, but the world map looks quite a bit worse..




Well, AFAIK, you can play on ANY map what you want, you can make a map with millions of colors, or use an existing high res map. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/cool.gif

[Amos]

Could you post the 'spooky sprites' for us to use?

[Kristoffer O]

Amos said:
Could you post the 'spooky sprites' for us to use?



I don't know if JK wants spooky to be released. Anyway it is probably the least userfriendly program you will ever find. There is virtually no documentation on anything and you would have to guess a lot.

Here is a screenshot. I found the menu by accidentally clicking some key.

[Gandalf Parker]

I dont recognize that unit you are editing there.
Thats mean http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[Wick]

It's a cavalry unit of the Bear tribal poptype, of course.

OK, I don't know jack but that's my bet.

[Kristoffer O]

Actually it's an atlantian hero

[Amos]

How about releasing some kind of to BMP/ from BMP converter, to make it easier to edit sprites. I would bet there would be a lot more graphic modes if the conversion was easy.
I know i asked for it before and was told no, but maybe since you already working on a new game you will make a converter as well.

[Gandalf Parker]

to BMP? If someone wants to work in BMP then there are good converters out there. If they write one they might do something more generic like converting to PNG

[Saber Cherry]

Amos said:
How about releasing some kind of to BMP/ from BMP converter, to make it easier to edit sprites. I would bet there would be a lot more graphic modes if the conversion was easy.
I know i asked for it before and was told no, but maybe since you already working on a new game you will make a converter as well.



Hmmm... it's trival right now. Just use irfanview, at www.irfanview.com. (http://www.irfanview.com.) It interconverts all common image formats. Unless you mean that you want easy access to the source art, but they're not giving that out.

It's likely that the new #copystats command will allow cloning an existing unit's image, though.

[Amos]

Unless you mean that you want easy access to the source art, but they're not giving that out.



Saber Cherry why wouldnt they? People get the sprites from the game anyway they are just harder to get to. It doesnt make sense not to allow easy access to sprites in the game thats so mode friendly.

[Amos]

Any chance of some one in the community creating some kind of program to access in game graphics/sprites. I'm not talking about cracking but if the Devs are too busy maybe the community can help.

[Gandalf Parker]

It was done with Dom2. I have them all available at the Dom2minions.com site someplace. The person who did it setup a macro to copy them all out from the view on an AllUnits game. So Im sure it canbe done again for Dom3 if the game doesnt have something builtin for it.

[Kristoffer O]

Sprites might be exported as tga's, but it's not a top priority atm. If it doesn't happen upon release it might appear after a while. I don't mind you modding and creating new stuff for the game.

[JaydedOne]

I know I for one would love to see the sprites (both at rest and in their "striking" pose) exported in some easy to use fashion. I'll be the first to admit that my own modding project was derailed primarily because I hated the thought of having to do so much of my own legwork on the graphics.

[Gandalf Parker]

Yes the striking pose was the thing we couldnt get in the macro'd project. What we got wasnt bad. Great for me to have different icons on my desktop for each game I was in, and not TOO bad for modding since the strike was usually a minor cut-n-paste change to the stand pose. But rough for large-scale modding.

[Amos]

Thats great news. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif