[biggerUniverse]

Hey! What did you guys do to my thread!?!?! :P
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We are on the outer reaches of someone else's universe.

[Rainer Deyke]

To get back to the original question:

1. I really like 2D pixel art. It looks clean. 3D art looks either pixelated (without bilinear filtering) or, worse, blurry (with bilinear filtering). I can't think of a single AAA 3D games that I thought actually looked good, much less an indie 3D game.

2. 3D is still harder to do than 2D, so 2D is the choice for those who value gameplay over technology. 3D indie games tend to not only look ugly, but also play poorly.

[bay]

[Locrian]

For indie games, 2D is usually better because its easier and faster to do. People also don't expect as much from a 2D game.

I love 2D art, obviously, as I've been drawing and redrawing that character I'm using as my avatar for the past 4 or 5 years. But if I could create her in 3D along with all my other ideas for the world in which she lives in, I would. And it would be better. Same goes for all the other worlds and critters that are spinning in my mind. I would definitely change some things about her in 3D though. She would not wear a skirt or have her belly exposed. She would not have an oversized head. Her shoulder pads would not be as huge. Pixel art allows you to do some things artistically that 3D does not. But the same could be said about 3D over 2D.

I can understand someone not liking 3D games because they prefer the pixel art look. I don't agree that 2D games are visually superior, but its a style preference. And as said above, 2D can pull off certain looks that would look retarded in a 3D game. The idea that 3D = bad gameplay is a load of crap though. (period.)

I personally enjoy 3D games more these days. In general. But with RPGs 3D tends to lend a hand to exploration, my favorite activity in an RPG. Also allows for more realistic worlds.

an art person's $0.02

[bay]

[Locrian]

Of course a game should be entertaining wether 2D or 3D. Else it wouldn't be much of a game. Heres what I meant: I think its odd when people critisize 3D for not being innovative, while 2D games arent offering much innovation either. Its like its more acceptable for 2D games to be rehashes. Not much innovation because the whole point is mostly to invoke nostalgia. It seems. This is what I mean when I say people don't expect as much. 2D games are supposed to mimic the past. But every 3D title is expected to be groudbreaking or something. The same can be applied to graphics.

People expect 3D games to be cutting edge. Because 3D graphics in games are still evolving rapidly. Pixel art has plateaued. All you need to make a 2D game that is graphically impressive is a good artist. With 3D games you need a good artist in addition to the latest shader effects, shadows, particles, physics, poly counts, etc. Also, due to nostalgia it is more acceptable to people to play a game with lower end older styled pixel graphics (as opposed to "modern pixel graphics") than a game with lower end older 3D graphics. 2D games don't have people expecting much in the way of visuals. Someone mentioned that indie 3D games are ugly. So indie 2D games are beautiful?

Out of curiousity - what are some things you do to show off what can be done with 2D?

[bay]

[janus]

[Hajo]

[DrunkenCoder]

World of Warcraft.

'nuff said :p

But for indie games, the few 3D atempts I've seen looked downright ugly, 2D sprite graphics is often cute and it seems to be much easier to find 2D artists to do tiles and sprite sets than to find a modeller willing to work for free.
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If there's life after death there is no death, if there's no death we never live. | ENTP

[janus]

[Hajo]

Ok, thanks for the answer. Althouigh I still think the "game concept" point hasn't been answered. You gave a few games that you claim will not work (or not sufficiently well) in 2D.

Why do you think they don't work well with a 2D view? (I include isometric in the 2D category, because it uses flat sprites as well, just rotated and skewed).

You can't have first person view in a 2D display, but which game concepts will break if we don't have it?

[Mandrake]

[janus]

[Sirocco]

The only problem I have with 3D games is that the developers often don't pay enough attention to the CAMERA and CONTROLS. Once you venture into the 3rd dimension, those two elements suddenly become staggeringly important ;)

Funny moment -- I spent nearly 26 hours playing Resident Evil 4 without ever even *thinking* about the camera. It was just... perfect. It was only after I had finished the game that I realized how amazing it was, but only after I stopped to think of all the things I usually complain about, but couldn't this time around.

Neat.

.