37 replies to this topic

[Mautty the Bobcat]

I was looking through the concept work again, and came to a realization. The concept work, while still plenty colorful, struck me as gritty and dirty. The backgrounds, mechs, even the flamer concept has an industrial war machine feel to it and I'm really kinda liking it. Compared to the simple and fairly clean aesthetics of MW3 and 4, PGIs artwork seems to be taking this game onto a new level, one that will actually make us freak out if say...you turn a corner in your commando to come face to face with an Atlas's lower torso.

I also went back and, while I know it was a different game/different engine its still the same company, watched the old MW5 trailer. The gritty/industrial feel is in there as well, and I'm thinking there's a good chance that, even though it is a different engine, the game will still have similar graphical design.

[Firestorm43]

You considered MW3's aesthetic to be simple and fairly clean? I always considered it one of the more 'gritty' and 'realistic' games of the series, myself. And I loved it for that. MW4 had an almost cartoonish look to it, and MW2 was... sorta in between, I guess? Excluding the differences in graphics technology, I'd say it probably leans closer to MW3 than MW4

I agree though that MW:O will look quite similar to what we saw in the old trailer for the MechWarrior reboot. Would be a shame for them to throw out all of those assets and start from the top just because they changed direction a bit.

[Morashtak]

While generally well cared for 'Mechs are at the heart of it military machines; Taking damage, getting patched up until a major overhaul can be scheduled, dragged around from planet to planet, being piloted by more than one pilot in brigade sized units (has no one ever heard of crew rest?), upgraded and modified until only the main frame is original, etc.

It's no wonder that only House supported units are generally the ones with the best 'Mechs and certainly the only ones that get the newest design fresh from the factory.

[Win44]

Well obviously I am waiting on the edge of my seat like the rest of you for our first look at in game footage. If FD's artwork is the direction the Dev team is taking the in game look and feel we are in great shape.

Morashtak, on 26 February 2012 - 09:17 AM, said:

While generally well cared for 'Mechs are at the heart of it military machines; Taking damage, getting patched up until a major overhaul can be scheduled, dragged around from planet to planet, being piloted by more than one pilot in brigade sized units (has no one ever heard of crew rest?), upgraded and modified until only the main frame is original, etc.

I for one, would love to see Mech's look like they've been in the field for years and years. Chipped and worn armor plates, patchworked paint jobs because armor plates have been replaced. Maybe PBI guts hanging from ankle actuators?

[Trogusaur]

Well, the original idea behind Mechwarrior was a bunch of giant tanks with legs running around and shooting each other. If that doesn't spell dirty, I don't know what does. It's most likely that the older games lacked the graphics power to pull off the appearance of a nasty, grimy looking mech, and make it look really good with extra detail. Welcome to the 21st century, Mechwarrior!

Edited by Lord Trogus, 26 February 2012 - 09:57 AM.

[Roughneck45]

Personally, i love the new art style. The main reason i liked battletech over other mech games was the fact that they looked like military weapons with function, rather than gundams or something similar.

Adding the grit and dirt to them just makes it even cooler. Everything they have released so far has been my favorite incarnation of that particular mech.

[Big Willie]

I think it is the color pallete FD has chosen, all greys and browns.
I think it works, but I still hope we have some control over our individual mechs paint jobs.

[GDL Germ]

I agree with the op, I'm liking what I've seen so far and much prefer the gritty worn look. It's war after all, in huge mechs it's not going to be pretty =)

[Zervziel]

Some of these machines are up to 300 years old. They aren't going to be all smooth lines and crisp paint, these machines are going to have dings, scraps, scratches, and minor burns all over them along with dried/congealed coolant and grease.

[FinnMcKool]

I Think of an old top of the line sports car (that was driven hard), next to a brand new one ,
aside from the obvious new technology, you do see a difference.

I hope to see this in the game as well, as a mech gets used and older it should show.

of course this is just a "want" not something that is at the top of the list of needs,but I still have hopes.

Edited by FinnMcKool, 26 February 2012 - 10:46 AM.

[Doolie]

It will be interesting to see how much of the artwork transfers over to the game play. Remember most games crank out beautiful trailers and video, but the game play doesn't always match that artwork. I have high hopes here for some great realism and a visually appealing environment.

-D

[3Xtr3m3]

Big Willie, on 26 February 2012 - 10:04 AM, said:

I think it is the color pallete FD has chosen, all greys and browns.
I think it works, but I still hope we have some control over our individual mechs paint jobs.

And I am going make it a personal mission to put an AC20 round into the knee of the first mech I see painted in Day-Glo colors.

[Sir Aaron]

Well on the one side i love the idea of having a rundown mech a mech that is so old that you see how it was repaired so often that the spots repaired has become the base for new repairs. However .. i love too have a mech that has a shiny new look look on it soo i hope that we will be able to decide which style we like.

[Roughneck45]

Big Willie, on 26 February 2012 - 10:04 AM, said:

I think it is the color pallete FD has chosen, all greys and browns.
I think it works, but I still hope we have some control over our individual mechs paint jobs.

3Xtr3m3, on 26 February 2012 - 12:27 PM, said:

And I am going make it a personal mission to put an AC20 round into the knee of the first mech I see painted in Day-Glo colors.

Lol, yes, that will be a real reason to hunt someone down in game

I bet that when we purchase the mechs, they will all be stock colors like they are in the artwork, and we will be able to unlock skins through missions, achievements, and real life cash.

[Mims]

Edit, miss-read OPs statement. had defended the girty dirtyness, only to realise after re-reading we are in acordance.

Edited by Mims, 26 February 2012 - 04:09 PM.

[Tadakuma]

Morashtak, on 26 February 2012 - 09:17 AM, said:

While generally well cared for 'Mechs are at the heart of it military machines; Taking damage, getting patched up until a major overhaul can be scheduled, dragged around from planet to planet, being piloted by more than one pilot in brigade sized units (has no one ever heard of crew rest?), upgraded and modified until only the main frame is original, etc.

It's no wonder that only House supported units are generally the ones with the best 'Mechs and certainly the only ones that get the newest design fresh from the factory.

Actually the tradition in Battletech is one mech one 'mechwarrior, it's partly to do with the entire feudal knights concept that was part of the original universe and partly to do with the fact that after the first two Succession Wars the innersphere didn't practice total warfare.

Fluff wise they justify by saying that the adjustments to get a 'mech neuro-helmet adjusted to an individual takes to long to make hot swapping crews viable.

[Morashtak]

Tadakuma, on 26 February 2012 - 05:17 PM, said:

Actually the tradition in Battletech is one mech one 'mechwarrior, it's partly to do with the entire feudal knights concept that was part of the original universe and partly to do with the fact that after the first two Succession Wars the innersphere didn't practice total warfare.

Fluff wise they justify by saying that the adjustments to get a 'mech neuro-helmet adjusted to an individual takes to long to make hot swapping crews viable.

Fluff lore I'd rather wasn't there. When the pilot is sick/on holiday/etc "his" Mech just sits around idle? An assassin can personally take out one Lance (out of a whole Brigade) by taking out four pilots? Pfft. Many more pilots are in a brigade-sized unit than there are vehicles, or would be if fluff lore could be ignored.

As a former maintenance scheduler with the USAF I can tell you that we maintainers loaned our airplanes to the pilots to go and break them. The aircraft were the Crew Chief's airplane not the pilot's personal vehicle. When I took one down for a week or more for a overhaul the pilot didn't get the time off, if he was scheduled to fly that day he took what ever airplane I put in that line on the schedule. If it had his buddy's name on it he didn't complain if he knew what was good for him. After all, I needed to bring an airplane down to be the spare parts plane every three weeks and the next one might be his.

[Naduk]

that works really well when the government supplies your planes but BT is different

in BT most pilots field their own personal mechs, usually handed down heirloom style
even enlisted soldiers are often under these conditions, pilots with their own mech are recruited before ones with out

current gen fighter jets dont interface directly with the brain either
that change alone makes a big difference to how you allocate your resources
not to mention pilots specalise in machine types, a Atlas pilot would not perform to his best in a Raven
thats almost like asking a fighter pilot to drive a tank and be awesome at it....it don't really work that way

the ground crews are often more attached (emotionally) the mechs they work on than the pilots
unlike the USAF where you might work on hundreds of planes a year, BT techs will often work a single battlemech their entire life and a crew chief assigned per lance

even with the differences the attitudes are the same, engineers see it as their mech and the pilot loans it
pilots see it as their mech and their ground crew, often viewing them as inseparable


*back on topic*
the art style is glorious, when i used to look at the pictures in the TRO's and the older games i always imagined it alot more detailed
alot more FD style
but then again playing games before textures were invented makes you involve your imagination alot more

[Tannhauser Gate]

Yes and no.

I really like FDs redesigns of the old classic looks of the mechs many if which now look far far cooler, more mechanically grounded in realism. But, it is just art. Its his expression and doesn't / shouldn't dictate the look of the game as a whole imo. The game environment will have a pallette and a theme but it will most certainly look more realistic than artistic and, while dirty, will be "game engine" clean and crisp.

The mechs themselves, Id like their appearance and condition to be more than just faction colors and battle scratches. The condition and age of the mech should differ and make someone say, "Yeah thats a Steiner mech" because it looks well fitted, less worn, clean, and well maintained. Where a lone wolf, or a local less financially able faction, or a backwater chop shop mech will look worn, beaten, and mismatched parts and paint. Mech condition (before the immediate battle damage) should reflect the faction just like the mech type and paint job if any. Mechs should look as well as they are kept up and as well as the player wants it to look.

[Naduk]

LakeDaemon, on 26 February 2012 - 10:58 PM, said:

I really like FDs redesigns of the old classic looks of the mechs many if which now look far far cooler, more mechanically grounded in realism. But, it is just art. Its his expression and doesn't / shouldn't dictate the look of the game as a whole imo.

only thats the reason he was hired
not much point having a concept artist if you ignore his direction