An Update on Dystopian Age with Warcradle (Beasts of War)

[Sebenko]

It suddenly hit me where I've seen this before- Supreme Commander to Supreme Commander 2.
"Hurf durf, it had giant robots in it, that means it's a balls out stupid setting. GIANT DINOSAURS NOW!", and SupCom was never seen again.

 Hey now, I liked Supreme Commander!
 
 The biotech race with the dinosaurs? Agreed, not so much . . . More the style and lack of a powerful enough PC to run it though.

Who didn't like SupCom? It was the RTS so good it ended the genre because nothing could compete. SupCom 2 killed the series itself dead.

[Covertwalrus]

Who didn't like SupCom?

Not many if any, as they say around here It was a truly Combined Arms SF RTS and left the C&C franchise in the dust in many ways.

 

It was the RTS so good it ended the genre because nothing could compete.

Well, if you ignore the hardware limitations of consoles in operating RTS games, the proliferation of consoles over computers in that respect, the popularity of social gaming and the associated rise of Multi-person shooters and co-operatives, then yes, SC may have single handed killed the genre I suppose . . . 

 

SupCom 2 killed the series itself dead.

 No argument there. Though one can begin a raucous debate on who self-immolated more spectacularly, SupCom or the C&C franchise - Seriously, C&C4?? Let alone the rhubarb over The Forgotten faction . . . SMH 

[Sebenko]

Well, if you ignore the hardware limitations of consoles in operating RTS games, the proliferation of consoles over computers in that respect, the popularity of social gaming and the associated rise of Multi-person shooters and co-operatives, then yes, SC may have single handed killed the genre I suppose . . . 

There is a reason they didn't bother with SupCom: Forged Alliance for consoles, they were holding the game back.
It was a dark time in PC gaming, but in recent years there's been a resurgence... and you'd think an RTS would do well, but the only one to get even moderate positive attention is a glorified tower defence game. C&C, DoW, Planetary Annihilation- all failed. Starcraft II might have done well, but it never gets the positive conversations SupCom does... and any RTS that thinks APM is a valid statistic to follow has failed at the 'Strategy' aspect of Real Time Strategy.

Minimum Hyperbole Guaranteed

But this is getting somewhat off topic...

[Covertwalrus]

But this is getting somewhat off topic...

  it sure is. But interesting nonetheless, and I agree about APM.

 So, back on topic, one of the big discussions I've seen is how everyone seem to hate the bow on the Prussian ship, though the love the rest of that render. One person claimed it's just the way the sketch looks due to "Poor shading". Anyone here have an opinion?

[RuleBritannia]

The initial big WC video had some renders/3D printed models http://mannmomo.blogspot.co.uk/2017/12/warcradle-introduce-dystopian-age.html.  Perhaps WC could fit a few more of those into the accompanying Blogpost to reduce any misunderstimating of the product.

[Sebenko]

So, back on topic, one of the big discussions I've seen is how everyone seem to hate the bow on the Prussian ship, though the love the rest of that render. One person claimed it's just the way the sketch looks due to "Poor shading". Anyone here have an opinion?

Oddly, I have the reverse opinion- I quite like the prow, but the rest of the design seems lacking. It's got that same feeling of not quite fitting into the DW world.

[erloas]

Oddly, I have the reverse opinion- I quite like the prow, but the rest of the design seems lacking. It's got that same feeling of not quite fitting into the DW world.

I like the prow too. I think the perspective on the drawing is off, which can make it feel wrong without being clear as to why.  Uncanny Valley sort of thing.

Having gone back and looked at the Spartan versions of ships and back at the WC concepts closely to pick out what is really different...  Well they really aren't that different, they do share a lot more than they are different.  It is just that you have to focus on each part of the WC to see it.
They really seem like good designs hidden behind bad drawings.  The consistent heavy lines pulls the focus away from the overall design and focuses it on every little detail making the whole thing seem cluttered.  Not being able to see the forest for the trees sort of thing.

Going to their site and looking at the art they seem to be all over cell shading, which isn't a bad style, I happen to like it a lot in some games.
The irony of course is that that style is all about "less is more," boil everything down to it's essence and have a few very distinctive features define the whole.  But these pictures come off exactly the opposite of that.

[Covertwalrus]

 

They really seem like good designs hidden behind bad drawings.  The consistent heavy lines pulls the focus away from the overall design and focuses it on every little detail making the whole thing seem cluttered.  Not being able to see the forest for the trees sort of thing.

 You could well be right about that. Maybe just my viewpoint, however I submit that the Spartan Games method of showing the actual renders rather than sketches gave a much better feel of what the finished product would be like - Admittedly, in a few cases it was slightly deceptive as to lines and such ( The League Of Crimson miniatures for one example had some difference between renders and minis ).

 Would people agree on that point or not?

[Fracas]

Drawings are concept art, like some concept cars
Renders are preproduction, before manufacturing tunings

[Sebenko]

They really seem like good designs hidden behind bad drawings.  The consistent heavy lines pulls the focus away from the overall design and focuses it on every little detail making the whole thing seem cluttered.  Not being able to see the forest for the trees sort of thing.

 You could well be right about that. Maybe just my viewpoint, however I submit that the Spartan Games method of showing the actual renders rather than sketches gave a much better feel of what the finished product would be like - Admittedly, in a few cases it was slightly deceptive as to lines and such ( The League Of Crimson miniatures for one example had some difference between renders and minis ).

 Would people agree on that point or not?

Apart from some perspective weirdness (The Descartes render looked chubbier than the real thing, which is incidentally the best looking naval model ever, fact), the renders were pretty accurate to what we actually got.

[Covertwalrus]

Apart from some perspective weirdness (The Descartes render looked chubbier than the real thing, which is incidentally the best looking naval model ever, fact), the renders were pretty accurate to what we actually got.

 Indeed they did have only perspective oddities I agree ( Also, the Drunken Fart Class is probably the nicest CoA ship ever , though it's so small compared to other Covenant Battleships - It compares well to a Ruler Class size-wise, however

[Sebenko]

Also, the Drunken Fart Class is probably the nicest CoA ship ever , though it's so small compared to other Covenant Battleships - It compares well to a Ruler Class size-wise, however

I've said it before, and I'll say it again- I think the Give-her-the-D class is a battlecruiser that the CoA naval designers got carried away with.

Warcradle should be aware that that's what they're competing with, in my eyes, so 'okay' looking ships just won't cut it.