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The State of SC2 Aesthetics Part 1: Lighting - Page 5

Forum Index > SC2 General
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0neder
Profile Joined July 2009
United States3733 Posts
October 28 2011 20:31 GMT
#81
On October 29 2011 04:42 svefnleysi wrote:
Anyone else's eyes hurt from looking at the screenshots in the OP?

I know in-game there is a brightness slider. Couldn't this be toggled by gamers themselves for those maps?
fauxreal
Profile Joined October 2010
United States67 Posts
October 28 2011 20:33 GMT
#82
from a design perspective, this addition would be great, i love how it actually looks realistic! but from a gamers pov, it's going to be harder on the eyes and differentiate units during battle. there really is two side to this, but blueish green maps are easiest on my eyes and after hours of playing its best i don't strain it anymore lol
0neder
Profile Joined July 2009
United States3733 Posts
October 28 2011 20:34 GMT
#83
On October 29 2011 03:12 _Depression wrote:
Show nested quote +
On October 29 2011 02:43 Sighstorm wrote:
On October 28 2011 15:17 VaultDweller wrote:
As a product designer I'm sure you don't only pay attention to how things look but also how they function, right? You can't design this amazing looking thing if the shape or colors or wtv affect it's functionality. Everything about starcraft was made with e-sports in mind, and it may look bland at times or there might be only one type of lightning but that makes perfect sense, I wouldn't want my game to look significantly different on various maps... Imho it has to be consistent no matter what, for both players and spectators.
I 100% agree with this post and i'm a product designer as well. Simplicity and consistency are important requirements for an eSport and should be prevailing over aesthetics in this case.
The options to change the lighting are available in the editor, so people can have fun with this in custom games. But it doesn't add any value to competative maps IMO.


As much as I agree with this, we also have to remember that there is room for variance within the "consistency" that eSports needs. For example, college football. The prevailing color scheme of fields is green grass with white lines denoting yardage, but then we see Boise State University's field which has blue turf. It's a variance from the norm, but it doesn't stop the game from being playable. In a similar way, during winter months there can often be covered in snow and yet the game will still be played.

So I think we can see variation in maps, within reason of course.
I do agree there should be variance, but in IMO this should be done with the tile sets, not lighting. I've seen a competative game played on a map that had different lighting (darker), i think on ESV KOTH, and the caster(s) were talking about how everything looked different instead of the match that was going on.[/QUOTE]

The casters were probably talking about it because the show features new maps, and also because the idea of better lighting and aesthetics got them excited. That probably means fans and players would get excited too.
0neder
Profile Joined July 2009
United States3733 Posts
October 28 2011 20:36 GMT
#84
On October 29 2011 05:33 fauxreal wrote:
from a design perspective, this addition would be great, i love how it actually looks realistic! but from a gamers pov, it's going to be harder on the eyes and differentiate units during battle. there really is two side to this, but blueish green maps are easiest on my eyes and after hours of playing its best i don't strain it anymore lol

Just teach gamers eye-strain prevention. Every 15 minutes, you look at something further away or close your eyes for 15 seconds.

The color is a different variable than the brightness.

It is hard to extrapolate these things before testing. We'll have to try it and see what players say.
theMiNUS
Profile Joined January 2011
United States333 Posts
October 28 2011 20:40 GMT
#85
those map pics seemed so warm that my eyes started to burn... but yes, it does capture a different feel to maps that i feel were lacking (that's one of the reasons i loved the regular bel'shir beach, the white sands were something you didn't see in other maps)
not idly do the leaves of lorien fall...
0neder
Profile Joined July 2009
United States3733 Posts
October 28 2011 21:03 GMT
#86
On October 29 2011 05:40 theMiNUS wrote:
those map pics seemed so warm that my eyes started to burn... but yes, it does capture a different feel to maps that i feel were lacking (that's one of the reasons i loved the regular bel'shir beach, the white sands were something you didn't see in other maps)

Thanks. I think we can capture this feel without making maps too bright for player eyes.
Railxp
Profile Blog Joined February 2008
Hong Kong1313 Posts
October 28 2011 21:41 GMT
#87
going a little off topic, but i noticed in the blizzcon video that they were making creep actually invade and creep up on enemy buildings now. It looks fabulous :D, since one of the new directions in HotS is to make it prettier than Wings, im not too worried about the future of SC2 art. I just wish they would work to beef up the sounds.
~\(。◕‿‿◕。)/~,,,,,,,,>
Randomaccount#77123
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
United States5003 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-10-28 21:50:19
October 28 2011 21:47 GMT
#88
--- Nuked ---
Hairy
Profile Joined February 2011
United Kingdom1169 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-10-28 21:59:31
October 28 2011 21:59 GMT
#89
My only question now is: you say this is the first topic of several about suggested visual improvements - what's next? :D
Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits
0neder
Profile Joined July 2009
United States3733 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-10-28 22:14:54
October 28 2011 22:04 GMT
#90
On October 29 2011 06:41 Railxp wrote:
going a little off topic, but i noticed in the blizzcon video that they were making creep actually invade and creep up on enemy buildings now. It looks fabulous :D, since one of the new directions in HotS is to make it prettier than Wings, im not too worried about the future of SC2 art. I just wish they would work to beef up the sounds.

Yes, especially Protoss.
I like the creep getting on enemy buildings.
I DON'T like how creep kills foliage though. It is much too WC3/undead.
Zerg are symbiotic, they change what they assimilate, they don't kill it.
0neder
Profile Joined July 2009
United States3733 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-10-28 22:13:36
October 28 2011 22:12 GMT
#91
On October 29 2011 06:59 Hairy wrote:
My only question now is: you say this is the first topic of several about suggested visual improvements - what's next? :D

Maybe map layout and terrain and doodad aethetics. Unit art design is probably next. I might get into sound and interface if I think I can avoid being redundant. Loading screen aesthetics. Racial identity as it relates to colorways. I'd also like to address game and map mechanics from a design / spectator's perspective....maybe.
cosineInfinity
Profile Joined April 2011
United States178 Posts
October 28 2011 22:15 GMT
#92
Holy crap, that's really sexy.

How'd you do this, via the editor?
0neder
Profile Joined July 2009
United States3733 Posts
October 28 2011 22:19 GMT
#93
On October 29 2011 07:15 cosineInfinity wrote:
Holy crap, that's really sexy.

How'd you do this, via the editor?

All I did was adjust the lighting angle to feel like mid-day and tone down creep shininess.
saynomore
Profile Joined October 2011
Norway149 Posts
October 28 2011 22:24 GMT
#94
You should watch Dustins talk on last Game Developers Conference. Should shed some light on the issue. It is really interesting to watch for any sc2 interested ppl.

http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1014488/The-Game-Design-of-STARCRAFT
I dont like you
Lint42
Profile Joined March 2011
United States17 Posts
October 28 2011 22:28 GMT
#95
good stuff, i really like this idea.

i play on low low settings, but even watching the gsl and such i am slightly put off by the overly consistent lighting, regardless of environment
0neder
Profile Joined July 2009
United States3733 Posts
October 28 2011 22:49 GMT
#96
On October 29 2011 07:24 saynomore wrote:
You should watch Dustins talk on last Game Developers Conference. Should shed some light on the issue. It is really interesting to watch for any sc2 interested ppl.

http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1014488/The-Game-Design-of-STARCRAFT

I remember watching most of it. Maybe I'll review so I can address specific shortcomings based on their own goals, as well as disagreements with some of their goals.
MShaw006
Profile Joined April 2011
United States74 Posts
October 28 2011 23:11 GMT
#97
I'm with you so hard. The tilesets now are all so ugly and dark, it's depressing.
0neder
Profile Joined July 2009
United States3733 Posts
October 28 2011 23:56 GMT
#98
On October 29 2011 08:11 MShaw006 wrote:
I'm with you so hard. The tilesets now are all so ugly and dark, it's depressing.

Yes. Well at least not all of them should be dark. Variety is the spice of life, as well as the spice of Starcraft.
Praetorial
Profile Blog Joined May 2011
United States4241 Posts
October 29 2011 00:01 GMT
#99
On October 29 2011 08:11 MShaw006 wrote:
I'm with you so hard. The tilesets now are all so ugly and dark, it's depressing.


The tilesets are as they always have been. The maps however, are having a trend towards the dark, but I you use the map section of TL, you'll find some pretty bright works of art there.
FOR GREAT JUSTICE! Bans for the ban gods!
Gooey
Profile Joined September 2010
United States944 Posts
October 29 2011 00:25 GMT
#100
It is very unfortunate that all of the maps that blizzard has introduced with the desert tile set have just been... shitty maps? The graphic of them, I thought, was always pretty cool. The maps themselves are what made people dislike them, not so much the tile set.

The aesthetic changes won't do anything to hinder the top gamers' performance, as the top cream of the crop will 90% of the time play everything on the lowest of low settings anyways. Shadows are usually disabled, since it just adds clutter. What visuals DO aim for, is pleasing the more casual players and spectators. I don't think the competitive echelon of players will complain about the subtle nuances that make spectators' eyes gleam with excitement being enhanced and polished. From a viewer's perspective, I would definitely like to see a bit more variety. From a player's perspective, I have everything turned way down and disabled, so it won't effect what I am comfortable with.

These types of things, to me, can only be good. It adds dynamic for the casual player and viewers, and wont disrupt gameplay for the performers.
www.twitch.tv/Thatgooey
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