I fail to understand......

[Papazooki]

I like SW:ToR graphics more.

 

WoW looks like Japanese cartoon these days. C'mon, who wants big blue glass two-handed sword in one hand and huge pink two-handed hammer in the other while wearing armor with flaming shoulders, flaming helmet, flaming boots and flaming pants...? (well, not me anyways...)

 

And when the panda comes out, it will only get worse. Then the eastern graphic will become intentional.

 

You cannot deny the textures are much better, and the overall colour scheme.

[Tarka]

I'm quite surprised the thread had gone this far before someone pointed the difference out. Truly a neverending battle between two different concepts.

 

I watched that video and have to agree, aesthetics is definately more in line with what this and other threads are focusing on.

 

There's one line in that video that is particularly true:

"Aesthetics and mechanics work together......Aesthetics give the player the emotional context for the experience. It helps them to enter the right frame of mind, to suspend disbelief, and become completely immersed..."

 

Unfortunately, there appears to be devs on the SWTOR team that take one look at the word "immersion" and scoff at it. Not to mention names, but certain devs before launch actually said that when they see people use that word in their justifications, it essentially invalidates any argument the devs would otherwise pay attention to.

 

And THAT is the problem here. Immersion is the key. But the devs seem to want to find reasons NOT to do something, rather than find justifactions TO do something.

 

This goes for day/night cycles, allowing swimming in the game, sitting in chairs and many other things that whilst they may not be 100% necessary a.k.a. immersive "fluff", nevertheless the game could benefit from their inclusion by helping to further enhance the "aesthetics", thus encouraging the player to be further immersed in the experience.

Edited January 19, 2012 by Tarka