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[Feedback] The Problem With the Ugly Dragons

Llewen

Grand Inquisitor
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Campaign Supporter
Dragons in the EC have been much maligned, and rightly so, they have little personality, and well, they are just ugly. We have been told that the model might be redone to improve it's look. I just thought I'd provide some feedback on what I see as the real problem.

The problem in my opinion isn't the actual model. The actual dragon model isn't bad. The problem is with the pumpkin-peach-bland-as-toast skinning of the model. There is also the problem that there is no differentiation between red and brown dragons, as there is in the classic client.

So in my opinion, if the devs want to save themselves some time and effort, I don't think the entire model needs to be redone, it just needs to be reskinned. And there need to be two skins, one for the red and one for the brown dragon.

Even the animations aren't that bad. They aren't spectacular, but I don't think they are so poor that they need to be completely redone. They could probably be left as they are, or perhaps tweaked a bit to, for example, give the tail more flex.

Specifically the skins really need a lot more detail and contrast, and the colours need more depth.
 

lucitus

UOEC Modder
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Dragons in the EC have been much maligned, and rightly so, they have little personality, and well, they are just ugly. We have been told that the model might be redone to improve it's look. I just thought I'd provide some feedback on what I see as the real problem.

The problem in my opinion isn't the actual model. The actual dragon model isn't bad. The problem is with the pumpkin-peach-bland-as-toast skinning of the model. There is also the problem that there is no differentiation between red and brown dragons, as there is in the classic client.

So in my opinion, if the devs want to save themselves some time and effort, I don't think the entire model needs to be redone, it just needs to be reskinned. And there need to be two skins, one for the red and one for the brown dragon.

Even the animations aren't that bad. They aren't spectacular, but I don't think they are so poor that they need to be completely redone. They could probably be left as they are, or perhaps tweaked a bit to, for example, give the tail more flex.

Specifically the skins really need a lot more detail and contrast, and the colours need more depth.
Yes iam with you the dragons need more color and deepness. The skin looks like oiled skin in the sun ;)
 

Gildar

Babbling Loonie
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
A re-skin would be plenty to fix all the problems I have with the EC dragons (though I honestly don't mind them as-is, except for the whole no-brown-version thing).
 

Martyna Zmuir

Crazed Zealot
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
The dragon models lost a lot of detail and color depth when all the models were dropped in quality so "graphics cards wouldn't smoke".

I would like to see every model brought back to the correct resolution.

Put the Enhanced back into the client...
 

MalagAste

Belaern d'Zhaunil
Alumni
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
UNLEASHED
Campaign Supporter
Correct resolution bah! Bring back the dragon.... My dragons went from being mighty DRAGONS to being dragons.. ..... Sad isn't it? Poor creepers has developed an inferiority complex.
 
F

Fink

Guest
The lighting on them is all wrong. It's blown out, it's all specular highlight. It looks as if they've tried for a shiny metallic scale sheen but its overpowering. Winding back the key light in the render would greatly alleviate the problem, but they do need a texture that suits the current resolution for detail's sake.

Actually all the wyrms need revamped artwork aside from wyverns which actually look pretty good, radical redesign and all. Scaling issues.. drakes are smaller in volume than cu sidhes, white wyrms are a stunted and once again blanched.. wyverns could come down in size a little.
 

Cear Dallben Dragon

Babbling Loonie
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
UNLEASHED
I just think the model is bad. there is no collision. when the dragon is calm its wings just blend into its body. they just bleed thru it.
 

Llewen

Grand Inquisitor
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Campaign Supporter
The lighting on them is all wrong. It's blown out, it's all specular highlight. It looks as if they've tried for a shiny metallic scale sheen but its overpowering. Winding back the key light in the render would greatly alleviate the problem, but they do need a texture that suits the current resolution for detail's sake.

Actually all the wyrms need revamped artwork aside from wyverns which actually look pretty good, radical redesign and all. Scaling issues.. drakes are smaller in volume than cu sidhes, white wyrms are a stunted and once again blanched.. wyverns could come down in size a little.
Ah the wyrms, they are another kettle of fish altogether. The scaling on white wyrms is all wrong, and while I do think the wyverns are pretty well done, I think they could use some shrinking. They seem out of proportion to their actual power, if you buy into the fantasy convention that size equates to power.

It's just stupid that vollems use the same model as white wyrms, and white wyrms are actually more powerful than dragons, but you would never know it by looking at them. I think the white wyrm model is ok, but it needs to be bigger, and again, the textures and colouring need to vary so that you get differentiation between the "pure" white wyrms, and the "dirty" white wyrms.

I just think the model is bad. there is no collision. when the dragon is calm its wings just blend into its body. they just bleed thru it.
Yes, there are collision issues all over the place in the EC. Those don't generally require an entirely different look to a model though. They can be buggers to fix, but they don't generally require entirely new concept art.
 
F

Fink

Guest
Ah, sorry, I meant wyrms in the generic sense. My terminology may be different.
 
M

Mendi

Guest
I would like to see a bigger distinction between the regular dragons and the greater dragons as well as the seperate hues for brown/red dragons.

Mendi
 
J

[JD]

Guest
not going to bother them with subjective observations like the look of a dragon (can't please everyone). however, in the ec:

  • regular & greaters shouldn't use the same model
  • dragons shouldn't all be red - there should be more variety, even 2d has 2 colors.
 
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