Beleg Cúthalion on 30/8/2009 at 18:06
Judith, that was basically what I thought. Computer games tend to turn (especially) those medieval things into romanticized images. And I always thought Thief needed a more sober look. TDS itself was quite hard to the limit. Honestly I don't have an idea right out of the blue how to improve it but if I find the time... I think it'd include less rounded elements (OK, there are few, but I still got Dark Messiah in my head, another example) and more subtle outstanding frames, beams etc..
pwyll on 30/8/2009 at 21:49
There is one FM that shows the poor society in the medieval age - "The Bridge". These broken windows and cabbage fit perfectly. But in the same mission the author shows us a rich noble's house. I cannot tell you what I like more. This constrast gives that charming sensation of the old times that I adore.
Beleg Cúthalion on 31/8/2009 at 07:18
Well, it's less the actual "content" of what is shown (rich or poor houses, castles, folks wandering around) but the style. When there are too many oversized elements like beams, bricks or large leather seams in clothing then it becomes more of a medieval cliché than reality, just like comic pictures usually have oversized and rounded elements (large roofs, big heads and eyes etc.).
The Bridge, by the way, is AFAIK influenced by 19th century London. It's great, without a doubt, but it features hardly medieval elements and instead modern docksides and tenements based on
maybe older foundations. The closest image of relatively "sober" middle ages is AFAIK Assassin's Creed. There might be some concessions due to this climbing things gameplay but in general it looks ...don't know... straight. Even The Witcher, although made in an attempt to be as real as possible, slightly tends towards this romanticized look.
(
http://s12b.directupload.net/file/d/1903/g684muy4_jpg.htm)
Inline Image:
http://s12b.directupload.net/images/090831/temp/g684muy4.jpg (
http://s3.directupload.net/file/d/1903/vz25wloe_jpg.htm)
Inline Image:
http://s3.directupload.net/images/090831/temp/vz25wloe.jpgpwyll on 2/9/2009 at 15:52
Well, there is nothing wrong with romanticizing. It looks good to me.
str8g8 on 3/9/2009 at 12:10
It does look pretty, but I know what Beleg is getting at. It would be nice to see a darker, more squalid take on the medieval setting.
Beleg Cúthalion on 3/9/2009 at 14:41
Well, it was one of my ideas for my FM to create even this melting pot of City quarters/people and thus architecture. Just a matter of execution I guess (even though I probably won't have enough room for all the necessary details to make it really cool-looking, although the map's in two by now).
Romaticizing isn't bad and you probably won't be able to do without, first because it's just prettier for the eye and second because we hardly have any idea of what real historical sceneries looked like.
Beleg Cúthalion on 7/9/2009 at 19:34
The link doesn't work.
Well, this whole romanticizing thing includes archetypes as well, like every castle has a rough brick wall and farm houses have huge half-timbered gables and such... it's not like these aren't real, it's just that they look like cliché and like the first thing that comes to one's mind if you think of e.g. a castle or a farm house.
