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Do you prefer busy or understated fighting game backgrounds?
- Thread starter ScOULaris
- Start date
Slamtastic
Member
Understated with subtler environmental animations to add ambiance to the scene. Few or no onlookers at all.
There should be no people at all.
There should be no people at all.
Shpeshal Nick
aka Collingwood
I lik both if done well.
But Kim-Wu's stage from Killer Instinct 2013 is probably the best and most detailed fighting game background I've ever seen.
You can see right down the street in the background and then the street that intersects you can then see pedestrians and cars going along it. Amazing.
But Kim-Wu's stage from Killer Instinct 2013 is probably the best and most detailed fighting game background I've ever seen.
You can see right down the street in the background and then the street that intersects you can then see pedestrians and cars going along it. Amazing.
Love me some KI 2013 backgrounds. They are definitely the cream of the current crop of fighting games.
They all have a lot of activity happening in the background, but off of the top of my head I don't think there are any onlookers in any of them. Unless you count the narwhals in Tusk's stage.
They all have a lot of activity happening in the background, but off of the top of my head I don't think there are any onlookers in any of them. Unless you count the narwhals in Tusk's stage.
deadscreensky
Member
I'm not sure I'd really call a building burning down around you "understated".
I just like having a lot of cool stuff to look at. If that means crowds of well-animated unique people, neat, if that means a gorgeous waterfall then that's fine too. I'm potentially going to be spending a lot of time on these stages, so they need to reward close examination.
2D favorites: Basically the SNK stuff everybody is already listing. Garou is probably the apex for me, but it's stiff competition. SF3 New Generation and BlazBlue are notable non-SNK examples.
3D favorites: Dead or Alive always had great stages, at least before 5 came out and set half the game on an oil rig. The Soul series always excelled too -- loved the time of day passing in Soul Blade -- 2 being a significant exception.
I just like having a lot of cool stuff to look at. If that means crowds of well-animated unique people, neat, if that means a gorgeous waterfall then that's fine too. I'm potentially going to be spending a lot of time on these stages, so they need to reward close examination.
2D favorites: Basically the SNK stuff everybody is already listing. Garou is probably the apex for me, but it's stiff competition. SF3 New Generation and BlazBlue are notable non-SNK examples.
3D favorites: Dead or Alive always had great stages, at least before 5 came out and set half the game on an oil rig. The Soul series always excelled too -- loved the time of day passing in Soul Blade -- 2 being a significant exception.
I generally prefer the busy ones. Even though I may not pay attention to them during an actual fight, it's fun to catch all the little details strewn about during training/single-player.
That second batch of Last Blade backgrounds also looks great to me, but largely because they're full-scale GIFs. When only a fraction of that is visible on the screen at any given time, it loses a bit of its grandeur.
EDIT: For 3D games I definitely go with understated BGs though, as low-poly/detail NPCs are much more of an eyesore. Xrd might be the only exception to that.
That second batch of Last Blade backgrounds also looks great to me, but largely because they're full-scale GIFs. When only a fraction of that is visible on the screen at any given time, it loses a bit of its grandeur.
EDIT: For 3D games I definitely go with understated BGs though, as low-poly/detail NPCs are much more of an eyesore. Xrd might be the only exception to that.
I love them both, honestly; both can make the fight intense. So long as a stage isn't so flashy that it's distracting or so simple that it's boring, I'm a fan. I think I prefer busier stages when playing for fun, though, while I prefer understated ones when I'm actually trying to do well/for tournaments.
HueyFreeman
Banned
god I love SNK background love threads.
(Which this totally is, OP - and kudos to you for it)
(Which this totally is, OP - and kudos to you for it)
Ginger Hail
Member
Honestly, I think there's a time and place for both. I prefer a good mix of both in any fighter.
Wonko_C
Member
I lik both if done well.
But Kim-Wu's stage from Killer Instinct 2013 is probably the best and most detailed fighting game background I've ever seen.
You can see right down the street in the background and then the street that intersects you can then see pedestrians and cars going along it. Amazing.
I don't understand how SFV ended up with the ugliest FG backgrounds of the generation.
No thanks, the lighting in those mods look bad...
Karin's daytime stage is legit though.
Rapscallion
Member
Depends on the game and type of fighter. In 2d fighters moving backgrounds don't bother me at all, but in something like Smash Bros 4. the stages with a lot going on in the background are my least favorite.
Bayonetta's stage in Omega form is the absolute worst. There's just too much distracting things going on.
Bayonetta's stage in Omega form is the absolute worst. There's just too much distracting things going on.
No thanks, the lighting in those mods look bad...
Karin's daytime stage is legit though.
The stage lighting is a separate mod. You can get the stages with just NPCs removed.
Some don't make much sense afterwards (New York & China look like the Rapture just happened), but they still look better overall, imo.
Yeah that definitely looks a lot better. I really think the biggest problem with most of the SFV stages is the combination of bad lighting in some cases and the infamous 30fps goofy NPC's.No thanks, the lighting in those mods look bad...
Karin's daytime stage is legit though.
disappeared
Banned
I'll always be partial to Ryu's Alpha 3 stage. Gives off a nice warm vibe, it's simple, and his theme music is great there.
cj_iwakura
Member
Busy, which is why I love Chaos Code's. So much going on.
SatelliteOfLove
Member
V's has this low-poly thing going on I don't understand, like some are made to be distant but are very close, or a DoF wasn't added one. The onlookers in India look fine but not the dancers in Brazil for example.
I know, right?
Anyway, I like a mix of both busy and serene. SFIV's construction stage had a a lot characters and activity and it was awesome.
I wouldn't even mind NPCs being 30fps if they didn't flail around so much. I also feel like people are being a bit unfair to SFV's Brazil stage, which I think looks alright apart from the NPCs.
thesolidshark
Member
That was KOF 12. It and 13 had very, very exaggerated and busy background styles for the most part. Considering the same ladies were used in the France stage in 13, my guess would be France (they could be native French or visiting tourists for all I know).
To answer the OP, depends, but I've often leaned toward understated, or underpopulated stages. Moonlit Wilderness from T5, Grass and thunderstorm stage from Alpha 2, of course the Burning building in Last Blade 2, and most any SNK fighting background (and I love how it became a stealth (not really) SNK background appreciation thread).
Preference to how the bg character models can make or break how well a stage is liked. Most are just average at best, and 2D and 3D artist in my opinion do building/nature much better, so they stand out/get remembered. It feels like several of those modded SFV backgrounds prove my point, for my preference, especially NY stage.
I love how KOF XIV is continuing the trend of beautiful bgs for some its stages for SNK too
Brian_FETO
Banned
Generally I would opt for busy. I just prefer the look of more claustrophobic/intricate scenes compared to empty areas
StanleyPalmtree
Banned
both, but specifically both, the further each type goes in thier own direction the better, like the busy stages absolutely packed with detail, and very energetic crowds, while the restrained maps do all the can to give the sense of peaceful isolation.
the sense of contrast only makes each type feel even better.
on a differant note, i absolutly love KOF 13's Egypt stage
going from this,
to this a couple rounds in
and finally to this,
From very calm and subdued, to frantic and energetic, the gradual changes in lighting causing the colour pallet to literally heat up, the monks(?) frozen in the first stage, beginning to animate in the 2nd, and frenzied movement in the 3rd. it all gives a palpable increasing intensity to any match, even ones as lame as mine (i really suck at KOF).
it really has the best of both worlds.
the sense of contrast only makes each type feel even better.
on a differant note, i absolutly love KOF 13's Egypt stage
going from this,
to this a couple rounds in
and finally to this,
From very calm and subdued, to frantic and energetic, the gradual changes in lighting causing the colour pallet to literally heat up, the monks(?) frozen in the first stage, beginning to animate in the 2nd, and frenzied movement in the 3rd. it all gives a palpable increasing intensity to any match, even ones as lame as mine (i really suck at KOF).
it really has the best of both worlds.
Damn, those are some gorgeous backdrops. Is that Soulcalibur V?
NinjamicWZ
Banned
Words to live by.
DustyVonEric
Member
Ha! Can't unsee it now.
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