New screenshots of character visualizer, virtual tabletop

[Dragonblade]

Looking at it again, I have to say that even though I don't like the portrait models, the actual dungeon tiles and minis look nice.

I wish that WotC would release an Xbox Live version of the D&D game table. I'd love to put up the dungeon on my big screen and let the players use a controller to move their minis around when it was their turn to act.

That would be all kinds of AWESOME!

 

[Intrope]

Looking at it again, I have to say that even though I don't like the portrait models, the actual dungeon tiles and minis look nice.

I wish that WotC would release an Xbox Live version of the D&D game table. I'd love to put up the dungeon on my big screen and let the players use a controller to move their minis around when it was their turn to act.

That would be all kinds of AWESOME!

THIS.

 

[Incenjucar]

They need to buy the hero modeler being put together for Champions Online, or at least City of Heroes.

More realistically, I'm hoping they create a "shrinky dink" option so we can just put up properly-sized 2D images in place of meh 3D minis.

 

[ThirdWizard]

I'm fine with the graphics. I doubt you'll see the minis up close much during a game.

edit: and to answer a question from another thread: Rapiers are in. As are Katars.

Katars are so Diablo II.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

The Katars make me think that the Rogue Weapon List is incomplete since the Katar screams Rogue to me and fits with the mandate or atleast the mandate we have seen for the Rogue with; easily-concealable, one-handed, straight-blade, light.

 

[A'koss]

Looking at it again, I have to say that even though I don't like the portrait models, the actual dungeon tiles and minis look nice.

Personally, if it's not even on the level of battlemaps I can create out of NWN II or even NVN I, I would be highly disappointed - especially if I have to pay for the service. The tools are out there already to run games online (die rollers, chat), I just don't see anything compelling in this offering if what we see here is indicitive of what we'll get.

And from what I've heard, the figures aren't even animated on the battlemap, just glorified chess pieces moving around.

 

[The_Fan]

WoW characters suck, I want something like Oblivion

Ugh. Such thing as too many options. It took me several days of tweaking just to get a character whose face didn't make me cringe.

 

[mmu1]

Believe it or not, but 3d modeling is trickier than 2d art. While these aren't the prettiest of graphics, they certainly aren't total crap. If you really want to know what games looked like in 1998, here is the Wikipedia list of games. I think age is making some of our posters forget just how far we've come in 10 years when it comes to graphics.

Yeah, there were many games with primitive graphics back then, but 1998 was also the year of games like Half-Life and Metal Gear Solid. The computers of the day definitely wouldn't have been able to animate characters with this level of detail - at least not well enough for a playable game - but the fact we already had quality 3D graphics ten years ago really doesn't make this application look very good.

 

[gtJormungand]

What I find interesting is that rapiers (as well as katanas, and the rest of the mentioned weapons) are all under the Superior Weapons, which is different than Military. This must be the new exotic weapon category.

 

[lutecius]

The clothes, armor and textures look good enough to me, at least not worse than WoW. It's the human parts that are disturbingly unattractive.

I don't think there is any technology issue here, just poor aesthetic choices during design. WoW has very stylised, somewhat anime characters, with geometrical faces and figures Here, they attempted something more realistic and detailed. Which makes it easier to botch up facial and body proportions and end up with ugly. And they did, big time.

I would have preferred more idealised (not necessarily anime) features over detail.
Unless an elaborate “yuck” option was actually used to make these characters, It's one more reason for me to stay away from dnd online.