Another Enclosed Tileset With 2D Views? (Lots Of Feedback On Art Of Levels)

[Aure7]

It fees like this game is really going "next-gen", but 2d skyboxes on gas city, grineer settlement, then on earth forests, and now on shipyards are disappointing. And I also noticed that no matter how promising concept art look, levels are always made with enclosed areas where 2d skybox is visible. I remember some concept art images showed huge opened areas with far reaching horizons. Not saying we should be able to move there but it would be nice if it felt less like a suspended, enclosed box hanging in space, but more like a seamless area where you can barely see the boundaries, and it just feels like 1 giant world you're in. Like here:

 

Or like this where the enormous and open areas feel like belong to the same world you're in. (seriously though why is this not in the game?)

 

More on earth forest:

As I said I think they are the worst in terms of skybox and openness. The level design itself is good so I am sure all of us are having fun but it does not feel like a giant jungle or forest. Because all you do is move from one bowl made of rocks and roots, to another bowl, it feels like your level is simply suspended in mid air, with strangely detailed and tiny trees, whereas surrounding 2d trees are like miles high. In jungle concept art (pics below) you can see that enormous roots and objects in the jungle blend into your gameplay enviroment. It would feel like you're running in the bewteen the giant objects that make up 2d background you currently see.

 

and here you can clearly see that it's something very different than our current enclosed rocky spaces, giant roots here are actually parts of those enormous trees.

 

So what was it? Lack of development time or resources that let to a shortcut with 2D objects in gas city, some objects in the corpus outpost and asteroids ring you see trough the window now. Or are these very hard for our PCs or PS4s to handle? I've seen some very high scale objects in 3D in several games, even for example battlefield: bad company 2 has massive mountains in 3D form which make an enormous difference since eyes tend so feel even the little 3D movement in the background.

 

or here it's actually just multiple 2d sprites at different depths, fog effects, smoke, and so on. It all creates something that looks really good and 3d at a glance.

 

So I am not asking to create super detailed, time consuming 3D terrain and environments everywhere. But it would be really nice to see some effort on those, maybe some tricks to make it less awful 2D looking. And in general less enclosed environments and more epic enormous places in which you don't feel like closed. In which you don't feel like you're playing inside a track where everything else is just a 2D picture. Don't mistake this with more gameplay space or some sort of open world stuff. The space in which you can move and play on earth jungle or grineer settlement is enough. This complaining is about aesthetic side of level openness.

 

 

 

But if 2D objects will stay 2D, then can you please tweak some corpus gas towers in the distance, because don't know if it's just me but some are very obviously "stuck" on the surface that is facing location you're in, which makes for a very weird perspective and looks like tower is standing like a pizza tower -  leaning to one side. It's hard to explain but I am sure guys working there will understand. No matter how far, horizontal lines should keep parallel with the horizon at the distance, and those towers have their top tilted. (If I remember correctly, only one of them is standing fine)

 

And as a side note, even though I am not a big fan of overly and not realistically flashy space backgrounds, I won't deny recent skyboxes you see trough the windows are outstanding, and 3D boulders and rocks are probably not worth the effort and 2D look somewhat fine. The problem still persists with planets, if I recall correctly, everywhere you go it's Mars out the window. We don't need 100% new skyboxes for each planet missions but please switch the planets for each one, and don't keep the asteroids for each one cause that won't make much sense.

Edited March 11, 2014 by Aure7

[Neruell]

+1

[Dovahjim]

+1

I like how you don't actually upvote it but just put "+1".

[noelpilled]

I like how you don't actually upvote it but just put "+1".

+1

[leonvision]

i can tell you partly the reason why all the out-of-bounds objects are "stuck onto" the skybox as 2d objects is to do with performance, no reason ti actually make them 3d, it'll come too much processing power for the little they provide. regardless, i can agree some of the 2d skybox objects doesnt look very good, one thing ive noticed is they arent exactly detailed, some of them almost pixelated when you aim down sight, i think increasing their resolution can go a long way, but again, performance.

Edited November 29, 2013 by leonvision

[ValhaHazred]

I think they probably are doing this over time, but you still get a +1 from me.

It would add a lot of wonder to the game, just look at Uranus from it's rings.

Imagine that, only animated and the huge spires of conversion temples rising up from the gas layer!

Edit: Oops Conversion Temples are on Neptune. Imagine Grineer thingies instead :P

Edited November 30, 2013 by ValhaHazred

[Aure7]

i can tell you partly the reason why all the out-of-bounds objects are "stuck onto" the skybox as 2d objects is to do with performance, no reason ti actually make them 3d, it'll come too much processing power for the little they provide. regardless, i can agree some of the 2d skybox objects doesnt look very good, one thing ive noticed is they arent exactly detailed, some of them almost pixelated when you aim down sight, i think increasing their resolution can go a long way, but again, performance.

but look at other games

that mountain is actually 3d, you can see the mesh when zoomed it with a scope, it has large textures on them

same here

I've been there and I've seen it with my own eyes.

Edited November 29, 2013 by Aure7

[leonvision]

but look at other games

that mountain is actually 3d, you can see the mesh when zoomed it with a scope, it has large textures on them

same here

I've been there and I've seen it with my own eyes.

and those other games doesnt change that fact it takes processing power to render and populate those background, they're also built on a different engine. and DE chose preformance over a bit more detail.

 

edit: warframe can run on very old machines, we know people still play on single core machines, can you say the same for battlefield and CoD?

Edited November 29, 2013 by leonvision

[UncommonUnicorn]

Well, I could imagine it being a problem for the PS4...

Wouldn't be the first time a game had to be downgraded to make the transition from PC to PS.

[Tulzscha]

Moved to the proper section.