Brian Mitsoda Announces DoubleBear Productions, Teams with Iron Tower

DArtagnan said:
I'm sorry, but I agree those games look horrible to me. I don't really expect that much, I think, but at some level the visual aesthetics are so bad that I'm taken OUT of the experience, and that just can't happen. If it does, I can't enjoy the game.
Click to expand...

That I don't get. I mean, if that was true, then it would be IMPOSSIBLE for to replay anything from <1998, or to enjoy any pre-1998 classic for the first time. Because otherwise it is a choice you are making, not the game. And if that is the case, then you are making a clear value judgment of graphics>gameplay. Which, again, is fine ... just don't pretend otherwise.

DArtagnan said:
However, I will say that even the 2D characters in those old screenshots appeal to me more than the current 3D art. Maybe it's because I'm old ;)
Click to expand...

That is truly hilarious in light of your refusal to play some of the best RPG's in recent years ... which have a pretty similar graphics level. :)
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
14,953
GhanBuriGhan said:
It's the reverse for me - so probably more a question of personal viewing preferences then age ;) The animations are a bit hit-and miss, but there was nothing there that would have specifically turned me off. But with these things a lot comes down to individual preferences, and also things look different under individual scrutiny then when "embedded" in the game. Finally I hope the addition of sound will make quite a difference - this has been missing so far. The combat demo (when it finally comes) should hopefully give a good idea of how the game actually looks and feels in action.
Click to expand...

You're probably right - and I'm definitely not old enough NOT to be a bit of a graphics whore, I guess.

Then again, I'm into MANY genres, not just CRPGs - and I'm fond of many KINDS of RPGs, not just the Arcanum/Fallout style which AoD seems to resemble.

So, it's a combination of factors - and I will concede that the game looks far better than 90% of indie stuff overall.
 
DArtagnan said:
You're probably right - and I'm definitely not old enough NOT to be a bit of a graphics whore, I guess.
Click to expand...

There seems to be a mindset where loving top-notch graphics is a bad thing. Personally, in many of my reviews I have been scathing about graphics quality - but it comes down to the emphasis and focus.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
14,953
txa1265 said:
There seems to be a mindset where loving top-notch graphics is a bad thing. Personally, in many of my reviews I have been scathing about graphics quality - but it comes down to the emphasis and focus.
Click to expand...

Yep.

I have two approaches to this - at least if I'm to simplify it.

First, if the game is about visual immersion - which is kinda hard to define. But for this I'm talking primarily about first person perspective, or something close to first person perspective. Games like Oblivion, System Shock, Bioshock, Gothic - and many more, those are often carried by their visual immersion. In that case, I'm a graphics whore for sure. Two Worlds almost didn't work for that reason, to me, but it was "ok". It had other problems, but that's not relevant here.

Then there's the other kind of game, which can be either indie or simply a more cerebral game. Something like Age of Decadence, Master of Orion, or Hearts of Iron 3. For those games, I wouldn't say I'm a graphics whore - but I just require a certain standard to the point where graphics aren't distracting. Poor animations - like AoD may or may not have - is the kind of thing I would find distracting.
 
Regarding visual elements in games, for me by far the most important is art direction and design.

In the case of graphically simple games I can always have my imagination going but the games which are basically set up to replace my imagination just need to be visually inspired else it stunts the experience quite a lot.

Of course if the immersion is maintained by other elements like (and especially) gameplay it doesn´t matter much. Problem is that a lot of graphically intensive games tend to forget about it.

Anyway, congrats to DBP and ITS!
Hopefully they´ll get along just like fire hoses :).
 
Joined
Apr 4, 2008
Messages
2,437
Location
Prague
DArtagnan, check this thread to see all the released screenshots for AoD. That would give you a better feeling on how the game looks like.

http://www.irontowerstudio.com/forum/index.php?topic=341.0

About the animations, we'll most probably improve the older ones, which are the most common ones (regular attacks, walking, etc). Those are like 3 years old at least. Here are some videos of some new animations we made:

http://www.irontowerstudio.com/forum/index.php?topic=883.0

Keep in mind that they don't have sounds nor particles (which are added in the game).
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2008
Messages
76
Location
San Isidro, Argentina
I'm not very excited by the news, but mostly that's because I don't care for games set in present-day or the future. I like high fantasy best and always will. Post-apoc and horror would be at the end of my list, but I enjoyed Deus Ex, System Shock 2, and Fallout 3. These are games that succeed for me, despite my preferences. I'll just have to hope that both AoD and DBP's game still grab me. I'm not very interested yet, but that might change as time goes by.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
8,836
Lots of good news are coming today. First Crave's TQ engine choice and now this. My expectations are high about Age Of Decadence and I'm going to buy the very first day it'll be released. I'm also happy to know that ex-Troika veterans are still strive to make true RPGs for us. Go forth men. We, the RPG fans, are always at your back.
 
Joined
Oct 30, 2006
Messages
1,181
Location
Sigil
This is really exciting. I wish DoubleBear all the best!
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
319
New details:
Brian Mitsoda said:
Was hoping to save this for a rainy day, but it is cloudy here in Seattle today, so here we go. As the speculators have correctly guessed, yes, DoubleBear’s first game is indeed a Zombie RPG, which we have fondly referred to as a ZRPG internally. Before people start running in all kinds of directions with that, here’s what I will confirm:

-Set during the breakdown of society as emergence of zombies causes widespread panic and disorder.

-Slow, shambling zombies. Spreads like a virus/bite transmission. No, you are not a zombie, that would be stupid.

-Serious examination of a national crisis or natural disaster. Humans and a lack of order are a bigger threat than the undead. Think Hurricane Katrina, Children of Men, Dawn of the Dead NOT Resident Evil, Return of the Living Dead, zombie shooter-type games.

-Game is about survival. Scavenging resources, exploring the area, dealing with other survivors, and managing a “shelter” of sorts are the main focus of the game. More on this later.

-Game is open-ended. There are characters and events that could happen, but the story depends on where you go, what you do, and who you meet. Of course, there’s a lot more to this and we'll go into more details as time goes on.

We’ll be here often shooting down the wildest of theories and discussing our systems in more detail. Let’s start the old back and forth, shall we?

b
Click to expand...
link
 
Joined
Jun 7, 2009
Messages
42
Location
Poland
I so was right.
 
Joined
Apr 17, 2007
Messages
5,749
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom