Ooh Shiny!

Graphics are an integral part of any game, MMO or not. And there are quite a few options to be considered when deciding on the style and depth of the graphics in our MMORPG.

Now, before I start laying out the options, keep in mind that this is a hypothetical situation in which you have an unlimited staff, and an unlimited budget.

2D versus 3D: Don't completely rule out 2D as a possibility. There are arguments to be made for its simplicity and familiarity to casual players, not to mention there are plenty of successful 2D MMO's. However, 3D is simply the way to go when immersion is one of our goals.

Cel-shading versus photo-realism: A lot of recent F2P titles have gone the cel-shading route, and it's easy to see why. Often it means that lower end machines can handle the game, and it gives the graphics a cartoon feel. These commonly anime-inspired graphics are great, but I think given our unlimited budget and unrestricted time frame, we could definitely push for photo-realism.

Example of Cel-shaded graphics

There is however a caveat to photo-realism: In a photo-realistic game, players expect realistic movements. That disgusted face you make when an animation just doesn't look right, or a glitch causes a body to get stuck in a staircase - its effect on the player is more drastic in a game that opts for photo-realism. Cel-shading comes with the notion that the game doesn't take itself too seriously, and thus can get away with sillier things.

There is a median however. And that is where I feel most games fall as far as their graphic stylings, and they are probably right to do so. Attempting to go too realistic comes with risk, as does going too cartoony. Somewhere in the middle ground is where I think we'd like to be, so that we can get away with those crazy emotes and over-the-top animations, while still having plenty of eye-candy.

While not quite photo-realistic, Rift is definitely shooting for realism.

We'll save the gritty details for later (weather, physics, animation, GUI, etc.). For now, what graphic style do you prefer?









I personally don't mind so much if the graphics are a little less than what I'd expect from a triple-A MMOG, so long as the gameplay is smooth, and the terrain and areas are interesting and detailed enough to satisfy the explorer types among us. But great graphics are always a plus, and can definitely captivate and excite players.