Better graphics ?

[kash]

I'm wondering since legions is no longer limited by a browser game construction, couldn't it have a bit more advanced graphics? Torque can do this better for sure -> Old demo
Multiple ground textures on one map, more game objects and water would definitely make overdrive cooler.

 

[Disci]

You can expect some improvements along the way they are developing the game. I have no idea what they are going to do but lots of changes are coming and they already did some minor tweaking to graphic.

 

[MJ1284]

I think you can crank up your resolution higher than before, not 100 % sure though.

 

[SeymourGore]

Seymour wouldn't mind some more eyecandy. On a related note: our art team is creating some nice assets for the game, hopefully this will help in making Legions: Overdrive a more visually appealing game.

 

[Synista]

Some players computers can't handle the high definition ground textures, but you could always put an option on it.

 

[kash]

Some players computers can't handle the high definition ground textures, but you could always put an option on it.

Sure that would be cool too. But IA legions had the same texture on whole terrain. There should be a place for grass,rocks,dirt.. you know what I mean

 

[Vustom]

I like the graphics how they are..

 

[Lcam]

I like the graphics how they are..

Mmmm... maby, but the new players always whant the best.

 

[shadowofdeath]

Having some artistic upgrades on the actual player would be nice and the jet trail to look more cooler

 

[Gheist]

[...] Multiple ground textures on one map [...]

There actually are several terrain textures per map (if it would be only one, the maps would look far worse). Sadly, the engine that's used for Leejunz, doesn't allow more.

 

[Serket]

Mmmm... maby, but the new players always whant the best.

Yes they definitely do, then they realize their computers can't handle "the best" and start complaining, and the devs get all the blame.

 

[Buhlitz]

as I recall I remember Alex Porter saying that there was a possibility to modify something about the engine to allow for more than 4 textures per map, or higher quality textures. Of course this is all over my head, but I wish it were possible.

 

[Mabeline]

The engine is extremely unoptimized, over object-oriented, single threaded, and a whole lot of other nasty things. If it was written properly we'd probably half the cpu usage while doing work across multiple cores, allowing for much higher fps. As is, though, we are pushing the engine about as hard as I care to try, especially on lower end computers.

Making art is a huge and slow process that involves a lot more work than you think. Hell, even writing support for tiered graphical options is something that would be pretty hellish given our current tech.

 

[Lcam]

Making art is a huge and slow process that involves a lot more work than you think. Hell, even writing support for tiered graphical options is something that would be pretty hellish given our current tech.

Lol, but you know that behind the hard work then come the rewards.

 

[Mabeline]

Lol, but you know that behind the hard work then come the rewards.

You have no idea what you're talking about. I could easily spend a year trying to make the engine more like I described, and I wouldn't be anywhere close to done.

It takes teams with dozens of artists and programmers working fulltime for years to make a modern looking game. Making actual content for maps at the game's current "fidelity" is a much better fit for our team.

 

[Serket]

Lcam, try looking at it like this: it's lke trying to build a 300 ton structure knowing the foundations can only handle 50 tons, it just won't happen, not possible. And of course trying to say that modding the game engine is an option is not right either because it takes a lot of people to develop a game engine, which we don't have, so how about we let the devs do what they can with what they have, because at this point just having the game back is a whole lot already.

 

[DeadGuy]

This isn't going to happen guys; it's too bad but it's reality. Our efforts are better placed making a fun game, rather than a super shiny one. We will try to make it look as neat as possible though with the limitations we must work with.

 

[MJ1284]

Without revealing too much, I can say that the chaingun bullets look way better than before. WAAAY better.

 

[eldermimmmi]

Those who care about graphics don't really understand what legions is about. but its ok if I can put down the graphic effects etc in prefs ^^

 

[radiofriendly]

It takes teams with dozens of artists and programmers working full-time for years to make a modern looking game. Making actual content for maps at the game's current "fidelity" is a much better fit for our team.

Yeah, you guys are completely right with focussing on gameplay. However, just to throw this in here: Why not go in the direction that most indie games go? Screw high-res textures, hugely detailed environments, soft shadowing and all that. Forget trying to polish Legions into being a realistic looking shooter. Instead, use a distinctive art style that looks interesting, yet is not very heavy.

Without overhauling the entire art direction you could achieve a lot with post-processing and shaders. The first thing that popped in my mind is cell shading. It would fit very well with the art direction for the weapons/characters. Take Warsow for example: its bright colours, cell shading and very polished art direction make sure it's visually pleasing, though extremely simple. Its geometry and model support is really not that different from Q3, yet it looks interesting. Gameplay isn't compromised by it, either.

I'm curious what the possibilities are with this 'limited' engine. Can it handle post-processing? To what degree are shaders supported, and so on? Or even simpler, is it possible to overlay a translucent texture over the players view? (This makes it effectively a photo filter, it's an old trick used to fake post-processing in outdated engines.) If they can be achieved, these could be relatively small changes that make a big impact in the way Legions feels.