Pre-rendered Vs. 3D Graphics

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Titortastic

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#1  Edited By Titortastic

I grew up during the Final Fantasy VII and Resident Evil era and those were the games that set the bar for me in terms of general aesthetics and atmosphere. I really enjoy side-stepping into the next scene and just taking the time to look at the immersive detail the designers painstakingly developed for each pre-rendering. No doubt the same amount of talent, time, and artistry goes into todays graphics, but i was curious if anyone else misses the clarity of environment that the older 2d background games offered. It seems to me alot of copy and paste has taken over the general backdrop: things like texture and individual units (boxes, doors, etc.).

I was playing Resident Evil 2 the other day and i couldn't help but notice the efforts in making the evironment in each room and perspective unique and worth looking at. With that said though it was the perfect game for its time. The graphics world had to change to make everything interactive with its subject.

Other than Resident Evil, 2, 3, Final Fantasy VII, VIII, IX and Dino Crisis 2 are there any other 2d games you really like or can't live without?

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Draxyle

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#2  Edited By Draxyle

I am glad that there are like-minded individuals out there. The artwork of the backgrounds of Final Fantasy 7-9, Baldur's Gate, Onimusha, Resident Evil and most of the others still look better than too many full 3D games out there to me.

Especially with Final Fantasy; every area, every zone, every map looked entirely unique and hand constructed. Too many 3D games overuse copy and paste to the point where nothing feels unique or special.

I remember going from Baldur's Gate to Neverwinter Nights and being so terribly disappointed in the art direction. I know the focus of NWN was in the whole gamemaster/story creation stuff, but when your entire game can be built with the copy/paste rectangular squares that fit together like blocks, there ceases to be an artstyle worth mentioning at all. Too many 3D games out there feel like they could be built with a similar kind of editor.

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SkyTown_Drifts

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#3  Edited By SkyTown_Drifts

I wouldn't mind someone using pre-rendered graphics in a modern game. It's a unique art style that became lost amongst the evolution of technology. For example the phantom forest in FF VI comes to mind with a simple design that still looks great.

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Meowayne

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#4  Edited By Meowayne

The money I would pay to see a game with dynamic pre-rendered backgrounds similar to the REmake realized with today's technology. Oh dear god.

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Titortastic

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#5  Edited By Titortastic

@Draxyle said:

I am glad that there are like-minded individuals out there. The artwork of the backgrounds of Final Fantasy 7-9, Baldur's Gate, Onimusha, Resident Evil and most of the others still look better than too many full 3D games out there to me.

Especially with Final Fantasy; every area, every zone, every map looked entirely unique and hand constructed. Too many 3D games overuse copy and paste to the point where nothing feels unique or special.

I remember going from Baldur's Gate to Neverwinter Nights and being so terribly disappointed in the art direction. I know the focus of NWN was in the whole gamemaster/story creation stuff, but when your entire game can be built with the copy/paste rectangular squares that fit together like blocks, there ceases to be an artstyle worth mentioning at all. Too many 3D games out there feel like they could be built with a similar kind of editor.

I totally agree! I thought i was alone on this subject lol. Everyone i know that talks about how beautiful FF12 and games like that when all it really is is flashy colors and the illusion of intricacy. Dont get me wrong FF12 was great game in its own right and had lots of great graphics. Even with the almighty fallout series: (granted its a massive game) i would be willing to bet if you take a random scene from any of the caves or trainways or even some of the buildings you wouldnt be able to tell me exactly where it is in the game. I think its a lost art that doesnt seem to get enough credit in my eyes.

@SkyTown_Drifts said:

I wouldn't mind someone using pre-rendered graphics in a modern game. It's a unique art style that became lost amongst the evolution of technology. For example the phantom forest in FF VI comes to mind with a simple design that still looks great.

Again i couldnt agree more. I dont think the pre-rendered world really got a chance to flourish before the gaming technology took over. When youre creating a world and a story there isnt a black chasm of settings for the writer to copy and paste from other books. Each story should have its own unique place and environments that we can connect with or be in awe of.

@Meowayne said:

The money I would pay to see a game with dynamic pre-rendered backgrounds similar to the REmake realized with today's technology. Oh dear god.

I dont think creators realize the potential money behind such 'un-tapped' markets like that. With Lost In Nightmares you could atleast see what it was like to be back in that era. And i loved it, despite the mechanics not being made for those angles. All it would take is a little extra effort. I would pay 80 to 100 dollars if they told me i could get RE6 like the older versions with pre-rendered backdrops as a different edition. But that gets into the subject of price gouging.

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Sackmanjones

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#6  Edited By Sackmanjones

Man I played some emulation of REmake and good lord that game looked stunning in hd. I could definitely see pre rendered stuff blowing people away this generation. Unfortunately I guess that's considered "put of style" now

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Commisar123

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#7  Edited By Commisar123

Pre-rendered always seemed disconnected from the actual game to me

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MikkaQ

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#8  Edited By MikkaQ

I really don't, they were a relic of a time when they couldn't render complex backgrounds in 3D. They looked like shit then, and they look like shit now. It was like you were controlling characters in front of a green-screen, there was no sense of place.

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kurtbro900

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#9  Edited By kurtbro900

Pre-rendered was used to get around limited hardware to make games look better. It isn't necessary anymore.