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[tsumake]

I was watching a DF video about the tech of Ghost of Tsushima. I thought it was a beautiful game, but not because of the tech. The use of colors, particularly in service to gameplay, was aesthetically pleasing. The video kept talking about the quality of the leaves and foliage, which is nice I guess, but seemed insignificant compared to the art design.

So, the question: what’s more important to you concerning the visuals of a game : tech or art design? Perhaps a mix of both?

 

[Belmonte]

art design by a large margin.

 

[Beer Baelly]

Both.

 

[SirTerry-T]

Good Art design will always win out. Always.

 

[Gamerguy84]

Art is tech.

 

[DaleinCalgary]

Im all big on this vibrant colors thing now since I got a LG C9 wth HDR. Better than the 4k upgrade.

But yes I'm more interested in art than realism .

 

[sonomamashine]

If i have to choose one then it's ART, this is what contributes to Nintendo success.

 

[NahaNago]

Art for me as well. Tech just increases what you can do with art.

 

[Psykodad]

Mixed, but leaning more towards art.

 

[Keihart]

I was watching a DF video about the tech of Ghost of Tsushima. I thought it was a beautiful game, but not because of the tech. The use of colors, particularly in service to gameplay, was aesthetically pleasing. The video kept talking about the quality of the leaves and foliage, which is nice I guess, but seemed insignificant compared to the art design.

So, the question: what’s more important to you concerning the visuals of a game : tech or art design? Perhaps a mix of both?

There are always a lot of moving parts in games and the fact that your artistic ambition has to work around the technical limitations always makes tech just as important as the design of it all.
You will usually have artists asking tools and whatnot to the people in charge of the tech, and depending on what the graphics team can deliver the rest of the art team has to work around.

 

[PianistaMacabro]

Definitely Art

 

[zcaa0g]

This is 2020, it should have both when financially possible.

BoTW didn't have an art style, it just had bad graphics. The 3D Marios had good graphics in relation to the type of art style used. The Borderlands series falls in that latter category as well.

 

[Belmonte]

Just compare those AA or indie games with textures in really high definition but without a proper art budget on PC with something like Minish Cap. The GBA game is much more beautiful to me.

 

[tsumake]

There are always a lot of moving parts in games and the fact that your artistic ambition has to work around the technical limitations always makes tech just as important as the design of it all.
You will usually have artists asking tools and whatnot to the people in charge of the tech, and depending on what the graphics team can deliver the rest of the art team has to work around.

“You can’t have art without resistance in the material.”

—William Morris

 

[J3nga]

Balance between both.

 

[Keihart]

This is 2020, it should have both when financially possible.

BoTW didn't have an art style, it just had bad graphics. The 3D Marios had good graphics in relation to the type of art style used. The Borderlands series falls in that latter category as well.

I disagree, i think BoTW has a very good and distinct visual design that compliments with the tech being used. You can hear in interviews that the goals of the team when designing the world was having the world feel alive so things like wind, weather, and lots of variety in flora and fauna were things that the tech team had to figure out how to deliver in conjunction with the art team.

Low res textures have very little to do with how good the tech is if you consider the look of the game as a whole when playing.

 

[Rikkori]

You can do more with great art & low tech, than you can with great tech and poor art.

 

[tsumake]

People keep praising the graphics of TLOU2, but aside from some beautiful sunsets the game looks absolutely dreary.

 

[Danjin44]

Art design, even game can have the most high tech graphics but if it has dull art design then all that tech would be meaningless to me, in other hand if the game doesn't have high tech graphics but absolutely gorgeous art design then game still end up looking beautiful.

 

[tsumake]

Art design, even game can have the most high tech graphics but if it has dull art design then all that tech would be meaningless to me, in other hand if the game doesn't have high tech graphics but absolutely gorgeous art design then game still end up looking beautiful.

WoW is a good example of this.

 

[Kataploom]

Art.

It's not the size but how you use it.

 

[synchronicity]

What value is tech absent art design. It's literally nothing.

 

[Griffon]

Tech without great art is nothing.

 

[dan76]

Art all the way. You don't need more than 240p

 

[mortal]

Both.

 

[MisterBrimstone]

The best art will always beat the best tech.

The best tech can barely make up for bad art.

That't the Newtonian equation of who gives a fuck.

 

[Kagero]

Yeah, art over tech all day for me, but when the two can play. That’s when you get something truly special. I don’t think Ghost is style though. More tech, but the overly exaggerated landscape can be considered style and design. I find games like Horizon is a good example of art and tech. Is not hyper realistic, and just oozes design. Breath of the wild is a good example of art over tech.

 

[Keihart]

Art design, even game can have the most high tech graphics but if it has dull art design then all that tech would be meaningless to me, in other hand if the game doesn't have high tech graphics but absolutely gorgeous art design then game still end up looking beautiful.

I kinda agree with this, but it's like saying that the tool doesn't matter. But it kinda does, because the "art" will change. Inherently if you are judging the artistry of something the tool used it's not what you are judging, but the result definitely changes on the tool used.

People keep praising the graphics of TLOU2, but aside from some beautiful sunsets the game looks absolutely dreary.

There it's quite a lot of good visual and audio design in TLoU2. Not only that, but the choice of weather and lighting conditions are pretty hard to nail.
I think that game it's an example of what a great synergy between a tech and art team can achieve, there are a lot of "tricks" to make that game look better that are just clever uses of tech that only work because of the good job done by the art team.
For example the abundant reflections in the game are not just simulated by the engine, they are faked. The animation it's not just motion capture, but careful modification and exaggeration by the animators.
Concept art it's pretty good too:

 

[MrS]

art design by a large margin.

This. It's this. Some games just hit different.

 

[Bryank75]

90-99% art.

Art will always be far more important... tech only gives freedom of expression and adds to the repetoire of techniques and tools an artist can use. But they are useless without the artist.

Funding is also very important, paying for top talent and their time spent on each project is huge. That is why first party games are so good IMO

 

[Danjin44]

kinda agree with this, but it's like saying that the tool doesn't matter. But it kinda does, because the "art" will change. Inherently if you are judging the artistry of something the tool used it's not what you are judging, but the result definitely changes on the tool used.

Sure but there are times when limitation breaths creativity.

 

[Eliciel]

People keep praising the graphics of TLOU2, but aside from some beautiful sunsets the game looks absolutely dreary.

please, indicate a game non-dreary to understand your taste and point of view better. There is a strong disagreement for me in that statement otherwise.

 

[Keihart]

Sure but there are times when limitation breaths creativity.

Completly agree.
BTW, i hate how that game looks on the remaster. The art was not made for high res.
I have the same problem with most "remasters" tho.

 

[BlackM1st]

Art. Tech is nothing without art direction.

Look at anything around you. Most of the things are made from the same basic resources. Oil, wood, metals, stones... and yet we love how Ferrari or classic muscle cars looks and make fun out of Prius. Same raw materials, but what a difference.

 

[Rikoi]

Art without a doubt.
Cartoonish game with good art > Realistic graphic game with bland art.
Also the second will age way worse than the first.

 

[RoadHazard]

In the end it's the art, but tech is needed to make that happen.

 

[MCplayer]

I'm more interested in graphical tech lately, I'm kinda bored with the art design of nowadays games, everything seems a copy of each other...
of course, art is always is the main factor, but at least be original, I just can't be excited at anything lately, special with these lame ass game developers livestreams, that show nothing impressive art wise imo
hope to see something interesting with project mara in MS livestream

 

[Danjin44]

I'm more interested in graphical tech lately, I'm kinda bored with the art design of nowadays games, everything seems a copy of each other...

I'm the opposite, I'm honestly much more bored with tech which mostly used to make games more "realistic" and more dull to look at.

 

[Gavin Stevens]

Art design, all the way. However, art design can sometimes be dictated by technology.

The general rule for me is that if tech was the 100% defacto requirement, we would never have good games, Because we would always be waiting for tech to improve. Yet here we are in a world where the NES has absolute bangers.

 

[KyoZz]

Art, because the tech is just a support.

 

[tsumake]

please, indicate a game non-dreary to understand your taste and point of view better. There is a strong disagreement for me in that statement otherwise.

PoP Sands of Time
Most Nintendo games
Okami
Hell, Shadow Warrior 3

I didn’t offend you, did I?

 

[Astral Dog]

This is 2020, it should have both when financially possible.

BoTW didn't have an art style, it just had bad graphics. The 3D Marios had good graphics in relation to the type of art style used. The Borderlands series falls in that latter category as well.

I thought BotW looked beautiful (just not always) obviously a big part of that is the art, another is the tech comparatively with Nintendo's previous systems

 

[OutRun88]

Tech enables the artists to truly bring their concepts to life. To personify, it's a symbiotic relationship.

 

[Melfice7]

It's never just one or the other, but as for most games artstyle wins, except for things like racing sims where better tech means the most realistic look

The true magic happens when its a combination of both

 

[Danjin44]

This mostly very subjective, but I like Gravity rush 2's art direction more even tho Crackdown have more advance graphics. this why for me art direction is faaar more important than having high tech graphics.

Spoiler: Crackdown 3

Spoiler: Gravity Rush 2

 

[Keihart]

This mostly very subjective, but I like Gravity rush 2's art direction more even tho Crackdown have more advance graphics. this why for me art direction is faaar more important than having high tech graphics.

Spoiler: Crackdown 3

Spoiler: Gravity Rush 2

I would argue that the tech for GR2 was better, there it's a clear intention in it's visual design and has been clearly achieved.
Crackdown on the other doesn't have a very distinctive visual design and even then, it doesn't land where it was, like tech and art didn't align well. They either needed better tech or a rework of the art style.

 

[stickkidsam]

Art design is by far the most important aspect of any game visually. A turd is still a turd no matter how detailed you can render it.

Tech should serve the art. Not the other way around.

 

[Kumomeme]

both, obviously..also no way they can create beautifull visual if doesnt have artistic sense

 

[anab0lic36]

The closer we get to graphical realism (which is what I think you are implying by 'tech') the less interested I am from a visual standpoint. I'd have to ponder more deeply on this subject as to all the reasons why that is precisely. I think a large part of it though, is the uniqueness of an artistic/aesthetic style expressed that can be a novel visual treat vs what we see all the time in everyday life or through films, videos etc.

 

[Moriah20]

Obviously both, ideally.

How landscape painting inspired the world of Red Dead Redemption 2

Rockstar’s newest game goes beyond other games and movies to find a new variety of visual inspiration

www.polygon.com