Doom, Quake, the original Team Fortress, etc. - by Qooper
henke on 13/1/2021 at 07:48
Oh wow it's got some blue tones and red lasers among all that gray? Wow yeah it's a regular Mario 64. :rolleyes:
nicked on 13/1/2021 at 13:05
Quote Posted by Anarchic Fox
Another good thing about Quake's aesthetics is the way every monster has a distinctive silhouette, aiding quick identification.
That's a really great point and something I'd never considered. Applying that to other games of the same era, you can see why, say, Unreal has barely any memorable, stand-out monsters. Both games have blocky, polygonal models, but in Unreal, with a few exceptions, they're all just variants on generic humanoid with guns.
Thirith on 13/1/2021 at 13:18
This thread makes me realise that while I played a fair number of shooters, I never spent much time with either Quake or Unreal, and I definitely didn't finish either. I'm thinking that I got into shooters around the time of Jedi Knight and always favoured SP-focused games that had more story and world building.
Malf on 13/1/2021 at 14:40
My avatar on another forum is the outline of a Shambler starting its attack animation :)
Even the humanoid monsters in Quake were very distinct from eachother.
Thirith, Quake may not have a strong narrative thread going through it, but the world-building is very strong, especially considering the time. While levels are still very abstract constructions like in Doom, with barely any attempt to portray an environment that is actually lived in, everything fits the theme, and the game is steeped in atmosphere. Especially if you play with the official soundtrack.
Anarchic Fox on 13/1/2021 at 16:29
Quote Posted by nicked
That's a really great point and something I'd never considered. Applying that to other games of the same era, you can see why, say, Unreal has barely any memorable, stand-out monsters. Both games have blocky, polygonal models, but in Unreal, with a few exceptions, they're all just variants on generic humanoid with guns.
Thanks! System Shock 2 is another good example of this technique.
As for Unreal... at the time it was hailed as the next leap forward in graphics, but that may have only been because it was the first game to have passable outdoor levels. Also, I think it kicked off the colored-lighting fad, and for a time every 3D game had copious areas with garish neon lighting.
Quote Posted by Malf
While levels are still very abstract constructions like in Doom, with barely any attempt to portray an environment that is actually lived in, everything fits the theme, and the game is steeped in atmosphere.
I like Quake's abstract environments too. Sure, they'd be nonsensical in our world, but they serve the needs of eldritch horrors, not human beings. I won't fault someone for preferring realism in their game environments, but when Quake 2 tried its hand at that, it fell flat.
WingedKagouti on 13/1/2021 at 17:01
Quote Posted by Anarchic Fox
As for Unreal... at the time it was hailed as the next leap forward in graphics, but that may have only been because it was the first game to have passable outdoor levels. Also, I think it kicked off the colored-lighting fad, and for a time every 3D game had copious areas with garish neon lighting.
As I remember it, Unreal was also praised for having the levels lead directly into each other (see a big landmark near the end of a level, spend the next level going towards it and the one following exploring it) and the world making some sort of sense as a place where the inhabitants could live.
ZylonBane on 13/1/2021 at 17:03
Quote Posted by henke
Oh wow it's got some blue tones and red lasers among all that gray? Wow yeah it's a regular Mario 64. :rolleyes:
Sorry, I forgot you were expecting an apocalyptic wasteland to look like (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NirIx74UWf0&t=1130) Teletubbies.
Anarchic Fox on 13/1/2021 at 17:12
Quote Posted by WingedKagouti
As I remember it, Unreal was also praised for having the levels lead directly into each other (see a big landmark near the end of a level, spend the next level going towards it and the one following exploring it) and the world making some sort of sense as a place where the inhabitants could live.
Oh, I forgot about that! Yeah, that's praiseworthy for the era.
Pyrian on 14/1/2021 at 04:56
Quote Posted by ZylonBane
I've never actually played Quake beyond the demo. I keep meaning to, but every time I look at it, it's just so very ugly.
Quote Posted by ZylonBane
Software 3D games like Thief and Terminator: Future Shock somehow managed to depict much more colorful yet also pleasingly-lit worlds with the same 256-color limitation.
Keep ZB arguing long enough, and he'll look like he's arguing against his own position just to spite you. :cheeky: