19 replies to this topic

[DaZur]

double-post... feel free to delete.

Edited by DaZur, 22 February 2012 - 10:22 PM.

[DaZur]

"Beauty in things exists merely in the mind which contemplates them." ~ David Hume

Reflecting upon the since released re-boot artwork, I believe Alex and PGI to be taking some extremely bold and refreshing approaches to bring our beloved Battlemechs to virtual life...

It goes without saying that some of the liberties taken in design decisions will always leave certain purist retching in disgust while others will attempt to point out politically and analytically how the proverbial mark was missed on this design and that design.

I've said it elsewhere in this forum, but the reality is Alex must be slinging a big brass pair to have the courage and conviction to mess with canonical designs that are classic in their own right... Can you imagine how beige and uninspiring this game would be if he was forced to re-ink these legacy designs without taking design liberties?

The art direction will never please everyone... True story, simple fact.

This reminds me of the classic Camero versus the modern "re-boot" Camero argument.... Both will fight tooth and nail to prove the others design is inferior for various reasons, when in reality they should just enjoy the fact that they are bless to have opportunity to enjoy them both.

I'll be the first to say that I was not immediately smitten with a few of the re-boot designs... That said, upon closer critique, it has become easy to see the inspired design, the depth of research and the non-conformist execution of the artwork.

Art is subjective and like the lead quote... beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. Try not to have such knee-**** reactions, take time to really look at and appreciate the artwork and if you can't... It's okay for others to think contrary.

There are a lot of Mechs to design and execute... Not every one will be everyone's favorite...

[Fluffinator]

how many times you gonna post this lol

[Kaemon]

You had me until new Camaro.



Charger yes, Camaro/Mustang (since like freaking '84 with the mustang...c'mon Ford)....yuck.

That being said, we need change of the old designs, we need discussion, we need controversy, we need some damn life pumped back into this IP, cause frankly it's been a smoldering pile of ash for quite awhile.

Get some gas and hotdogs, mind your eyebrows and let's get this thing going already!

[Odin]

Great reflection about this.
PGI, flyingdebris is recreating real machines, tanks. It easily can be seen, those lines, squares and spheres add debt to the "idea". Look at the classics, flyingdebris needs the freedom to transform them into something greater.

[DaZur]

Fluffinator, on 22 February 2012 - 10:22 PM, said:

how many times you gonna post this lol

I though so highly of my literary work, I felt compelled to post it twice? LOL!

Actually, I tried to do an edit, it gave me an edit box of gibberish, I clicked back and viola... double post.

Sorry

[sadamle]

Fluffinator, on 22 February 2012 - 10:22 PM, said:

how many times you gonna post this lol

Considering it's an intelligent post. As many times as he wishes. Your useless reply on the other hand...

[Mason Grimm]

Posts merged.

[DaZur]

Mason Grimm, on 22 February 2012 - 10:49 PM, said:

Posts merged.

Thank-You... Mea culpa

[autogyro]

Good points. I feel very happy to see these redesigns executed right. I feel, having spent the past the years waiting for this game, as much vested in the success of this game as the developers. These mechs are as much our children to play with as it is FDs to birth into existence. I for one am glad we have polarizing views on the new mechs, for one thing we cannot call them bland. Personally, I love them all and can't wait for each third wednesday.

[Tannhauser Gate]

I love the old stuff on a nostalgic level but redesigns of classic lines was clearly a good thing. I believe the younger gamers now expect more than the old classic lines and imo most older gamers welcome the updated mech designs. I dont see this as heresy.

MWO is clearly going to be more than just a MW shooter that dares to remake mechs. It's a serious and faithful attempt to *finally* combine MW and BT canon into an online venue like none other in the past. Modernizing all the mechs' appearances would be a crucial part of that endeavor. You really couldnt sell people on BT these days with the old MW4, 2, or 3 designs and certainly not with 80's artwork.

The real challenge was to find someone who had the vision and the artistic skill to do it. FD, imo, has exceeded all our expectations.

[GaussDragon]

LakeDaemon, on 22 February 2012 - 11:39 PM, said:

and certainly not with 80's artwork.

Amen.

Every time I go on Sarna I cringe because the only renditions of the mechs I get to see are by far the ugliest ones. MW/BT has a long history and all but damn, some of those old designs... *shudders*

I mean come on, look at this thing, it's a walking ***** for Christ's sake.

[Grotoiler]

Agreed completely with GaussDragon here - the old-school vision of mechs was abit... uh... cute, for lack of a better word...

Looking at the image he posted, I'd sooner scratch that thing behind the ear and post home-made videos of it onto one of those "OMG-CUTE-KITTIES!" websites than run away screaming and soiling myself at the same time...

The older designs LOOK like toys more than multi-ton walking engines of doom that spout fire, brimstone and assorted special effects...

Not that i'm saying ALL older designs were like that - some were really cojone-bustingly awesome... others, however, could be re-interpreted to let them become TRULY frightening to behold on the battlefield...

[DaZur]

It's encouraging to see the positive commentary thus far... Either the community at large is slowly starting to appreciate the nuances inherit with the reboot artwork or the negative-Nancy's are gathered en'mass and are preparing a word wall and a vitriol response to offset all this happy-happy joy-joy sentiment...

Classic BT design is what drew most of us here... It's what we know... Even in poor design, we find comfort in the aged images and the canon that it represents. It's healthy to re-boot certain things... None more so that tech-fantasy IMHO.

I think it's fair to say a lot of "dyed-in-the-wool" TT folks would be here even if the Mechs were stick-figure representations... Parallel to that, those in the community who know BT only through the digital visages from the MW series have much higher expectations based on their frame of reference...

The art design is the anchor to this game... If it looks like a Mech, smells like a Mech (tastes like a Mech?)... I think they have the vast majority of us at "hello". Thus far they have consistently pushed the art design, give us "fresh" imagery to re-associate our core love of this genre and in doing so I believe what they do today will be looked back upon and seen as the rebirth of the conical references.

In other words... What we are looking at today will be what our children's-children will associate Battletech, Battlemech and Mechwarrior with...

If you think about it... it's pretty awesome.

Edited by DaZur, 23 February 2012 - 06:11 AM.

[Elizander]

You know, after all these years, a little change can't hurt.

[Adridos]

GaussDragon, on 23 February 2012 - 12:43 AM, said:

I mean come on, look at this thing, it's a walking ***** for Christ's sake.

Yeah, but look at the bright side, this wasn't even made with any super details, just glued together to look plausible and it looks thousand times better than that walking ... of yours.

[Naduk]

i check this site every day in hope that we will get a look at another of FD works
i am so happy he is bringing MW/BT into the 21st century with class, style and overwhelming skill

Battletech has needed this for a long long time
fasa should of started this road when the Unseen fiasco started behind closed doors

but all is well, PGI is here to carry the torch and their vision is glorious
perhaps even more so than any of us can imagine

[Solis Obscuri]

Adridos, on 26 February 2012 - 02:31 AM, said:

Looks pretty cool, but they got the arms wrong...

[dyrewolfe]

Ooh. Love that Stalker on the cover of MW Tactics. Have to say I'm generally in agreement with Grotoiler.

I suppose its the old cliche of different strokes for different folks. Some (mainly the older) players seem to prefer the more "cartoonish" or humanoid styled originals, while some (myself included) prefer the newer incarnations, or those that just looked like war machines from the start. Equally, it has to be said, some of the newer artwork and sculpts are just plain fugly, with slab-like limbs and torsos and lacking in detail.

Many of the new "reveals" here do look as though they've been "Wobblie-fied" and reminds me strongly of the artwork from the Jihad sourcebooks. But as I like that look, I have no problem with it. Like a few others I feel BT artwork has been in real need of an overhaul to keep it fresh and contemporary. The detail and look of the new stuff is mindblowing (for me anyway).

I can appreciate that some of the "oldschool" gamers don't like seeing designs they consider to be classics, being messed with and in some cases I have to agree. For instance, what on earth were they thinking with the new "Panther"? It looks absolutely nothing like the original. I do think that a balance needs to be struck between modernising and complete change.

[dyrewolfe]

Solis Obscuri, on 26 February 2012 - 04:27 AM, said:

Looks pretty cool, but they got the arms wrong...

Nah - those are Stalker arms. The Cat looks like this...