KR pre- EC art question

[canary]

I will say that I feel the KR was not what most of us expected when it was released. I will say the change in resolution when the EC was introduced was a step backwards, however. It really made a world of difference, especially when you zoom in. It's like Atari circa 1984. And that's not good.

It was said the change was made to ensure computers would be able to handle the client well. So I ask... who here was able to use the KR graphics well on their computer? I never had, personally, any issue with it. And while I am not a fan of KR graphics, I am less a fan of the 'downgrade' in graphics quality/ pixellation in the game.

And why can't we get a toggle for the resolution to be set as it was in KR?

 

[Tazar]

I was in the KR beta and did not have any real problems even back then. Two different systems were able to run it well - though the laptop was hopeless... (what do you expect from a 6 year old off-the-shelf Dell?).

I did notice that turning off some of the options (shadows - trees swaying, etc.) did improve performance slightly, but it was not a show-stopper for me.

 

[Storm]

worked fine on 2 of my 3 comps my 3rd one was way laggy though of course it was elder comp

 

[Madrid]

I had no troubles whatsoever running UOKR. I miss UOKR greatly and wish we would have an option to toggle on those Graphics.

Improved Graphics are number one on my list of things I'd like to see happen with UO above expansions and events.

Legacy graphics are godawful. The 2d Client is godawful. I don't understand how people play on that client with graphics predating 1997. That's their perogative however.

It'd be nice to see some forward progress made in increasing resolution or allowing an option for players who are not wanting graphics that are 12 years old. I was anticipating the EC client to have even better graphics than what UOKR had but instead we got the opposite.

Nothing is ever going to appease the 2d Jurussic Users. I think that's should be as clear as day now. They want their 2D client as is forever and ever and by all means let them have it.

Then there are other players who are much more open and would like to see some progress in the resolution/graphics. I think UOKR was a step in the right direction or something along the lines of what Iron Lore Entertainment has with Titan Quest.

I'll keep lobbying for some improvment in any way shape or form to what we currently have now with the CC and EC Client. It's a real shame to see the game take 3 steps backwards from a visual standpoint.

 

[deadite]

I'd like to see the KR art as an option.

As for the folks who still use the 2D client? Good on them. They don't bother me a bit. I only play the EC nowadays, but I have no problem with the CC still being developed for those who would rather use it. UO has always been about choice.

 

[Dermott of LS]

...

KR artwork in MANY cases looked GREAT on my system (yes some needed to be sarpened up and many were before the end).

In my "Issues with the EC" post (in my sig), I have the artwork as the first thing listed.

While KR artwork had issues (the main one IMO being that equipment artwork was simply TOO DIFFERENT from the orginal versions), it was going in the right direction for the game in terms of resolution.

People should also remember that KR had a setting that made it look pretty much like the EC does now... KR terrain and Legacy artwork.

Instead of simply "swapping" the default setting from KR to Legacy, the Devs instead tried to "compromise" for players who never had ANY intention of giving any client newer than 12 years old a chance and ended up gimping EVERYTHING.

If there is not to be a holistic look at UO artwork and revamp, I WANT at the very least a toggle to bring back KR graphics and higher resolution artwork.

Isn;t that the idea of an "Enhanced" client... to be... Enhanced?

 

[lucitus]

I want a booster for this UOKR graphics okay for 14.99$ if it is ready and usefull.

But anyway i want sharper graphics, i want a ready client, i want special attention to the EC.

UO is a fantastic game and it really needs this attention for the future, thinking of the possibilities like real flying, real cool new monsters and many more stuff like shader effects.

 

[Martyna Zmuir]

I would settle for KR environment, building and mobile art and the CC item art (yes, KR item art was god-awful).

The current hybrid of the EC is a poor compromise and a situation thatnobody finds visually appealing or acceptable.

The best option would be for all-new hi-res art to be created, but we all know the Dev Team doesn’t have the stones to present that to EA.

 

[FishinFool]

Both "3-D" clients are/were total crap

They've wasted years on development time and come up with nothing usable. If that time had been used more constructively rebuilding and modernizing the 2D client it would have been a far greater return on investment.

 

[Dermott of LS]

...

The new client IS the modernization of the 2d client. Where the devs have gone wrong is gimping down in an effort to compromise with the people who WILL NEVER USE ANYTHING BUT THE 2D CLIENT, and even worse, simply NOT FINISHING THE CLIENT.

 

[SchezwanBeefy]

...

The new client IS the modernization of the 2d client. Where the devs have gone wrong is gimping down in an effort to compromise with the people who WILL NEVER USE ANYTHING BUT THE 2D CLIENT, and even worse, simply NOT FINISHING THE CLIENT.

He is talking about KR and 3rd Dawn 3d clients.
KR looked like garbage in my opinion. Third Dawn looked like garbage and was buggy beyond belief.
I have no problem abandoning 2d, but if I'd going to do that, I want a client that looks visually all right and not half assed. KR was so blocky, I hated the paper doll and many other things about it.
In my opinion, the EC is a good halfway point, but ONLY FOR NOW. If they want to attract new players, they need to stop worrying so much about releasing new expansions and just fix the bugs for both 2d and enhanced (that's the problem, I think - having 2 clients. It's way too much work on a small company) and work on the art work. Heck, you have games like League of Legends which is F2P but looks much better than UO.
Part of the problem with making new graphics is because they've screwed themselves - there is just TOO many graphics to remake, probably in the 100,000s of different things. So where do you start? I think it would take a very long time and a lot of money and resources, and it just wouldn't be fast enough to keep costumers around.

 

[lucitus]

He is talking about KR and 3rd Dawn 3d clients.
KR looked like garbage in my opinion. Third Dawn looked like garbage and was buggy beyond belief.
I have no problem abandoning 2d, but if I'd going to do that, I want a client that looks visually all right and not half assed. KR was so blocky, I hated the paper doll and many other things about it.
In my opinion, the EC is a good halfway point, but ONLY FOR NOW. If they want to attract new players, they need to stop worrying so much about releasing new expansions and just fix the bugs for both 2d and enhanced (that's the problem, I think - having 2 clients. It's way too much work on a small company) and work on the art work. Heck, you have games like League of Legends which is F2P but looks much better than UO.
Part of the problem with making new graphics is because they've screwed themselves - there is just TOO many graphics to remake, probably in the 100,000s of different things. So where do you start? I think it would take a very long time and a lot of money and resources, and it just wouldn't be fast enough to keep costumers around.

Hehe the cool thing is they have remaked them in KR, cant understand why are you not like the KR graphics, but tastes are different.

For me this EC is not more then a beta of the Third Dawn client, because Third Dawn has particle effects, new models and 2d graphics.

True there is much potential but not used and i think a 2.5d UO uses nobody, not the current 2d players and really not the new players! That was one of the biggest failures i have ever seen in the game industry.

 

[FishinFool]

No, I was speaking of EC and KR. In my world, 3rd dawn never happened - in face, I need to go take a pill just because you brought it up.

Modern does not have to mean 3D modelling or flashy particle effects. In this game they are not necessary and quite frankly : out of place.

Modern means something that been updated to make use of the current hardware and - dare I say - software advances in the last 15 years.

This current bastardization, the EC, is a pile of junk.

 

[Dermott of LS]

...

3d modeling and particle effects ARE the current hardware and software advances. Even isometric and side-scrolling games on current gen systems use these features quite extensively because they are simply many time in magnitude more efficient than stop-motion screen capture animation and pixel effects.

And again the biggest failures of the EC are the compromise towards the 2d client and the lack of followthrough in completing the client. The lack of followthrough is what failed the KR client. The 3d client was simply too early technologically to work properly.

Of the clients, only the KR client handled the current resolution standards well. All the others either offer pixelated and distorted graphics, or gameplay elements that are rediculously tiny.

 

[MalagAste]

There are a lot of things I'd like to see happen.

One is I'd like to see a REAL attempt to bring the graphics of UO into the modern era... but that's not likely to happen.

I want the male paperdoll fixed it's B*** Ugly.... but again not likely to happen....

I'd like to toggle the graphics between true 2d and/or KR... Or the EC now...

I'd like to have the sprites of 2d in the EC.... since I think most sprites in the EC are UGLY...

I'd like the housing menu from KR back. (#1)

But again not likely to happen.

*sighs*

Oh and more than anything.... I'd like to have a few of the Third Dawn features back. Like being able to move and rotate my character within the Paperdoll.

I want to be able to dance again.... fall down..... and all sorts of other moves that Third Dawn allowed you to do. I sure miss that.

 

[Dermott of LS]

...

I'd like to have a few of the Third Dawn features back. Like being able to move and rotate my character within the Paperdoll.

I want to be able to dance again.... fall down..... and all sorts of other moves that Third Dawn allowed you to do. I sure miss that.

All of these were stripped away when instead of using more advanced 3d models, they went back to the old 2d style model (just "projected onto a polygon") of animation. Because of that, ALL of the 3d client emotes became simply too cumbersome to port (at the time, maybe ever), and of course meaning that we lost the 3d model paperdoll that 3d had. However that was an original "backstep" of the KR client retained with the EC (which stepped even FURTHER back by downgrading the resolution considerably).