Gold Rush 2.

[Tawmis]

Some screen shots have been released:

http://www.goldrush-game.com/en/ver2/media/#prettyPhoto

[Collector]

Looks variable in quality. Some of them look abut the same as the remake, but the vineyard and courthouse shots are much better. Those two look less plastic and the lighting looks subtler and more realistic.

[Tawmis]

Looks variable in quality. Some of them look abut the same as the remake, but the vineyard and courthouse shots are much better. Those two look less plastic and the lighting looks subtler and more realistic.

I actually had no real problems with any of the screen shots in there. I see where people say things like they people look plastic and such. But coming from someone who played the original game where it was 16 color pixels, where the graphics looked like this:


As long as they captured the spirit of the game, I will be okay with it!

(I have yet to finish the remake! Barely started on it! Still have that, Moebious, Gray Matter... all to play!)

[Collector]

Oh, I am not complaining about the graphic style, just that I saw that charge leveled more than once at the remake. I am just thinking of bettering the chances of marketing success. As you might guess I have some affinity for Sunlight, given my connection with them and want them to succeed. Seeing improvement in the art is definitely a positive direction.

[adeyke]

I do agree that those two scenes look better than the others. The train scene I find especially bad. Overall, the fact that they're just pre-rendered 3D scenes is really obvious. And it doesn't use especially high-res textures or high-poly models. For example, you can see noticeable blurring in the wood texture of the blacksmith's house and noticeable jags in the supposedly round roof of the train car. Overall, the most I can say for the art is that it's "competent". It doesn't, however, look "alive", impressive, artistic, or beautiful to me.

As for the original, that is very good art. I would definitely rate it among the best-looking Sierra AGI games.

I get the impression that you're mistaking technology with quality. It's certainly true that those new screenshots are technologically better the original Gold Rush. Instead of a mere 160x200x16 colors, it's 1920x1080x16 million colors. This can't, however, be taken to automatically mean that quality of the art is better. I found this article that touched on that theme interesting. Given the restrictions the original Gold Rush had to work with (both that low resolution and the fact that it used vectors instead of a bitmap), what they managed to pull off is downright amazing. And if you compare it to, for example, King's Quest 1 and 2, the difference is really noticeable. Even though they all have the same basic technology, Gold Rush is just a lot better. As for Gold Rush 2, they have essentially no technological limits. They have a full 1920x1080 canvas, and they don't need to worry about file sizes or rendering speeds. The art could look like literally anything. If it looks bad, that's entirely because they didn't put in the effort to make it look better, not because they were in any way limited by the available technology.

[Collector]

You are confused, I was certainly not comparing the original with this new game, but the remake. No one is disputing the quality of the original, especially given AGI's limitations. Sunlight got the rights to redistribute the original game when they got the rights to do the remake. While I designed their package for the AGI re-release, I had nothing to do with the remake. I did witness the reaction to the remake's graphics on Facebook and some were much more critical than warranted. I wish Sunlight well and did not want to see a repeat of people wanting the graphics of a top tier shooter without the budget that would require.

[adeyke]

I get that you were comparing Gold Rush Anniversary only to Gold Rush 2. My last paragraph was not aimed towards you.

Tawmis, however, brought up the Gold Rush comparison, in what I interpreted as being unfavorable towards the original. That is, I read it as meaning something like "people may complain about the new screenshots, but the original looked even worse", and that's what I disagree with. If I misunderstood that post, I do apologize.

[Tawmis]

I get that you were comparing Gold Rush Anniversary only to Gold Rush 2. My last paragraph was not aimed towards you.

Tawmis, however, brought up the Gold Rush comparison, in what I interpreted as being unfavorable towards the original. That is, I read it as meaning something like "people may complain about the new screenshots, but the original looked even worse", and that's what I disagree with. If I misunderstood that post, I do apologize.

Mother of gawd, I am not saying the original (AGI) looked worse. No, Gold Rush (AGI) was one of the most amazing games back then! And I still hold it in very high regard (because of the complexity of the puzzles; and the variation of items required depending on what path you take!) What I was merely saying is - I don't mind if the graphics look like AGI graphics, or if they're the new and enhanced graphics that have a plastic look to them - as long as it captures the "feeling" or "vibe" of the original Gold Rush game - I will be more than happy to play it, no matter WHAT the graphics look like.

So literally - if they made Gold Rush 2 in AGI graphics, and it was true to the previous Gold Rush game, I'd gladly pay modern day pricing for that game.

[adeyke]

I'm sorry for the misunderstanding.

[Tawmis]

I'm sorry for the misunderstanding.

Pfft, probably my inability to correctly explain what the heck I am saying.

[Rath Darkblade]

Hmm. I am a budding (and considering publication) author and classical vocalist, but besides that, I am not an artist of any kind. So I'm afraid that any comments I make on computer game art, particularly as I haven't played the original Gold Rush, will be considered dreadfully gauche. *blush* May I still comment?

(...and I suppose that just might be the most timid post ever made on the interwebz...) *wink*

[Collector]

Why are you asking for permission? If you have something to say, just say it.

[Rath Darkblade]

I simply thought that, since I know very little about how computer game art is created, I have no right to comment. After all, I know nothing about (say) plumbing - so if my toilet is broken, and the plumber says it needs XYZ, I wouldn't argue with him; he's the expert. *smile*

Besides, I have noted that whenever I express an opinion on game art, it often turns out to be uninformed or wrong. This naturally leads me to be hesitant. But here goes...

Generally, I quite like the scenes portrayed. I believe my favourite is the first shot (i.e. man walking, with three houses in background). The blacksmith scene is also quite good, but I have to question why there is no light in the blacksmith's house - or, for that matter, where is the door that links the house and the workshop?

The courthouse and vineyard shots look very good to me. However (and as Adeyke has pointed out), the train scene looks almost cartoonish - the locomotive in particular, but also the car behind it. It reminds me not a little of Thomas the Tank Engine. Compare that shot with - perhaps - this shot and this shot from the game "Murder on the Orient Express". I believe that since the locomotive is belching out steam and coal smoke, the locomotive itself (at least) - and perhaps the other cars - should not be gleaming red and yellow, but be covered in soot.

Hopefully I haven't made a fool of myself.

[Tawmis]

Here's the thing - you're looking at screenshots. This is no different than walking into an art gallery and looking at a painting.

You can still have - and share an opinion - about a piece of art. Even if you have no idea who the artist is and not familiar with it.

You're looking at it - you can base an opinion on it. We're not talking game play here, so that you need experience playing the game to say if it's good or not. We're talking single shots from the game. So I say express away, just like you did, good sir.

[Datadog]

The art style works here and there. If they're trying to create something in the style of a miniature diorama that you might find in a museum (example), then it looks spot-on. Otherwise, I still love the ambition they're taking in building a whole new world instead of just recreating the first one. Will have to wait and see on this one.