Make the early instances more visually appealing

[griffin_230]

The game mechanics in DDO are really good, but replaying the early instances etc. makes me realise how dull and bland the environment textures look. Sure, it's a sewer/dungeon etc, but I'm sure Turbine has access to talented artists that should be able to make these early instances much more visually appealing. Would it take that much effort to redo something as simple as the wall or floor textures etc. ? Maybe even playing about with the light sources would help.

Surely going back and improving some of the visuals, like the environment textures in the early instances, would create a better first impression of the game and would help hook in new players who are yet undecided about the game, as first impressions make a big difference and you spend so much time in these sewers and dungeons.

[Jay203]

The game mechanics in DDO are really good, but replaying the early instances etc. makes me realise how dull and bland the environment textures look. Sure, it's a sewer/dungeon etc, but I'm sure Turbine has access to talented artists that should be able to make these early instances much more visually appealing. Would it take that much effort to redo something as simple as the wall or floor textures etc. ? Maybe even playing about with the light sources would help.

Surely going back and improving some of the visuals, like the environment textures in the early instances, would create a better first impression of the game and would help hook in new players who are yet undecided about the game, as first impressions make a big difference and you spend so much time in these sewers and dungeons.

you want to prettify sewers? O_o;;;;

[phillymiket]

you want to prettify sewers? O_o;;;;

I agree with OP in that you would think Turbine would have made creating a real flashy-splashy start for a new DDOer a priority when they switched to the F2P model to try to get more subs.

.

[Qzipoun]

I agree with OP in that you would think Turbine would have made creating a real flashy-splashy start for a new DDOer a priority when they switched to the F2P model to try to get more subs.

To be fair, that is what korthos was... Not that it is THAT flashy

[Kinerd]

The game mechanics in DDO are really good, but replaying the early instances etc. makes me realise how dull and bland the environment textures look. Sure, it's a sewer/dungeon etc, but I'm sure Turbine has access to talented artists that should be able to make these early instances much more visually appealing. Would it take that much effort to redo something as simple as the wall or floor textures etc. ? Maybe even playing about with the light sources would help.

Surely going back and improving some of the visuals, like the environment textures in the early instances, would create a better first impression of the game and would help hook in new players who are yet undecided about the game, as first impressions make a big difference and you spend so much time in these sewers and dungeons.

You want more visually appealing...

...from the company that just gave us half-elves?

[Jay203]

You want more visually appealing...

...from the company that just gave us half-elves?

ouch~

[Gurei]

You want more visually appealing...

...from the company that just gave us half-elves?

I think you're on to something Kinerd... To really scare the living bejeebies out of new players, the darkest dungeons ought to be lined with giant helf heads! If they're all attached to chains hanging from the ceiling these new adventurers will feel obligated to find out what cruel soul could have not only beheaded but also mutilated these poor, hapless beings!

[Zyerz]

You think? Look at the reflections, the lighting, the textures.... The color is grayish sure, but it's not dull.

[RabidKoala]

I think you're on to something Kinerd... To really scare the living bejeebies out of new players, the darkest dungeons ought to be lined with giant helf heads! If they're all attached to chains hanging from the ceiling these new adventurers will feel obligated to find out what cruel soul could have not only beheaded but also mutilated these poor, hapless beings!

we don't want to scare them THAT much. Don't want them running off.

[Zyerz]

Here's a high res photo of the Harbor...

[Zyerz]

Here's another early intance:

[Zyerz]

I dont know about you, but Korthos looks pretty cool:

[Memnir]

The old Goodblade quests that now reside in Korthos were given a lot of graphical goodies when they were moved - showing that the older quests can look **** good, and fairly distinct, when overhauled.

I agree it'd be nice if some of the Harbor quests were given the same kind of graphics pass, if only so Butcher's Path does not look identical to Garrison's Missing Pack which looks like Durk's Got a Secret and so on. Yes, they are in the same zone - but a measure of individual identity and personality added to the Harbor quests would be far from a bad thing.

This game is capable of some amazing things, as far as visuals go. It's just kind of a shame that the Harbor is so brutally homogeneous and frankly boring looking... "Oh look, another green-tinted sewer. Just like the last green-tinted sewer."

[griffin_230]

Yeah, I'm not talking about the public places. I'm talking about those early questing instances like the ones that take place in sewers. There are loads of them. They just look incredibly bland and insipid. I'm sure there are artists that can make even stuff like sewers look scary, amazing, atmospheric and rich in detail.

[Zyerz]

Yeah, I'm not talking about the public places. I'm talking about those early questing instances like the ones that take place in sewers. There are loads of them. They just look incredibly bland and insipid. I'm sure there are artists that can make even stuff like sewers look scary, amazing, atmospheric and rich in detail.

Well... You cant say they arent detailed, the devs did a great job with that, but they are sewers after all... Smelly, ugly and filthy.

[Sarisa]

Agree.

When I started playing, my sister started at the same time. She loved Korthos, but once she got to the Harbor, she:

1. Felt overwhelmed with so many quests at once, with no sort of guidance besides the signs.
2. Got extremely tired of the huge amount of sewers, and the lesser amount of warehouses.

She ended up quitting before she even left the Harbor because of that.

There are a huge variety of other environments later in the game, several of which are even F2P, but the low levels don't show any of that variety. It's sewer, sewer, sewer, warehouse, sewer, warehouse, warehouse, Kobold Assault, sewer, warehouse, Cerulean Hills. And, the Cerulean Hills quests are on the difficult side for a brand new player who's still learning the controls and how to use their character.

It may also be a reason why new players seem to like Kobold Assault, both for the varied environment and for being a pure slaughterfest.

This was before the Korthos guidance quest, but such a thing would have helped her a good deal. Extending that as an OPTION for the Harbor would have been a good thing.

Then, sprucing up the look, feel, and variety a bit would help. Making Durks look quite different from Butcher's Path, and then quite different from Garrison's, then quite different from Waterworks, then quite different from Sunken Sewer; would help a lot in making them more memorable and distinct.

[Crazeee]

The grafics are OK, you might want to change your settings.

When I started playing, my sister started at the same time. She loved Korthos, but once she got to the Harbor, she:

1. Felt overwhelmed with so many quests at once, with no sort of guidance besides the signs.
2. Got extremely tired of the huge amount of sewers, and the lesser amount of warehouses.

She ended up quitting before she even left the Harbor because of that.

Had a friend stop playing because of too many sewers and kobolds. I told him that it would change, but he wa scared off. More variations in monster and dungeon design in the first few quests would give new players a better impression of the game, because it is more than just sewers and kobolds.

But sadly I don't see this happening... there are already tons of quests at lower level, adding more wouldn't help at all (even more overwhelming) and you can't make a park out of warterworks either.

[Galeria]

A first lifer these days doesn't need to do them all to level past them, though. The first time bonuses alone can propel someone on their first life through levels 1-5 in an afternoon.

(cue old timer voice)

I remember running the Butcher's Path on N-N-N-H-E then Garrisions... then Durks...