Overall Look/Feel of SC:RM

[Undeadprotoss]

So, I may be a purist, but I do feel like there's still a little bit of danger with SC:RM even though the art has improved massively.

I feel like the art is too bright, even though it's largely faithful (if not a little too jemmed out w/ the Protoss, SC2ish with the Zerg, etc) it's mostly good. However, with the sunny Protoss Mission Briefing screen and some of the new backgrounds being a little bright, I'm concerned that when we actually sit down to play it, the omnious audio, music, and sound quotes won't jive with the rest of the game.

[Visions of Khas]

I'm only slightly inclined to agree. I have faith in the direction they're going. I think it would be a simple fix to lighting for the Protoss briefing room to improve the atmosphere, but currently it doesn't seem to mix well with the briefing room theme.

[Undeadprotoss]

Yeah that's the thing for me, I tried playing the old music while looking at the new screen and it was really just the lighting (daytime instead of dusk) and just a few too many crystals.

I feel like I need introspection. Am I too much of a purist? I have this tendency to concoct a reason and story behind every aspect of every image. I liked that the buildings in the back of the old screen were monotone and distant, almost as if to feel as if you and the Conclave are separate from the Protoss masses. I liked that it was dusk because it made everything feel forboding, kept the tension up, made you feel like something was....off.

[Robear]

I'm not too worried... I'm definitely always on the side of things to staying more faithful, and I do feel like some of the new images have too much bloom/brightness/light sources going on (like the moon-style landscape on the menu background now having wisps of well-lit fog, or the embers on the Zerg victory screen— I bet the terran defeat screen will have a bunch of new lighter bits floating around too). But you know, some of them they're doing a really good job on.




The bigger change is using the same models as the in-game units for all of the loading/menu screens. Like you can see the wraiths look like the sprite-versions instead of the cinematic versions, the new Zerg Victory Hydralisk has the tail spikes and further-forward-attaching arms from the sprite, etc. This is great for consistency! But for the Zerg defeat Queen's Nest and the Protoss Victory Zealot, imo the materials just don't look good/detailed enough, even though it's great that they match the sprites. I wish they would be painted over in a more photorealistic style (also the hydralisk's tail scales), with a lot more attention to detail.

I always felt like the original Protoss victory image was basically as real-looking as they could possibly get it, with the face looking like real scaly/leathery skin and everything, but on the new one everything about the Zealot looks like clay.

[Undeadprotoss]

On the point of the skin, I do think it's a little odd that a lot of the Zerg/Protoss skin seems a little rubbery. Especially the new Dragoon portrait and the hydralisk, I really do think the old skin design was more leathery/scaly/full of features. It'd be nice if they could step that angle up.

[Undeadprotoss]

I feel like the old Command Center also looked a lot more bulkier and more poorly-designed. I kinda liked that actually.

[TheEconomist]

The New picture has three Wraiths! The old one has only two! This will not stand! Storm Blizzard, and we will take Didier's head!

[Undeadprotoss]

I know it's petty, but I genuinely do feel like every little detail has a reason behind it, not intentional, but it's telling about the direction the world is being pushed it.

That one is fine though, just make it darker to a degree so subtle you won't immediately notice it, and it will arrive at a lighting that is perfect. I honestly didn't realize if that was old or new when I first saw it.

[KaiserStratosTygo]

Don't mind them adding a third wraith, just don't care for them making them chunky like the sprite.