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High Voltage Software reveals Gladiator A.D.

kinggroin

Banned
Hmm, interesting enough. I def. am a huge fan of the visuals, right down to the awkward artstyle:lol


Anyone else get Eternal Champion vibes from the color palletes and texturing? Super gritty and rough; perfect for a game like this. Hopefully it plays well too.
 

ThatObviousUser

ὁ αἴσχιστος παῖς εἶ
Teknoman said:
:lol I read that as Anti-Spiral filtering the first time

antispiral2.jpg


:D Subtitle sounds like the HD zealots in this thread.
 

HK-47

Oh, bitch bitch bitch.
Aeana said:
I didn't have any interest in it "before" since this is the first time we've seen it. I do, however, enjoy the setting and would like to play more games set similarly. I don't know enough about the actual game itself to say whether it is or is not interesting. I am, like everyone else, expressing an opinion based on what we have here.

It seems really silly that negative opinions are so frowned upon, like people would rather have 100 pages of "HOT. DAY 1" than actual discussion.

^5
 

Meesh

Member
doomed1 said:
AA= Anti-Aliasing. makes the jaggies go away. ASF = AF (my fuckup) = Anisotropic Filtering. it makes the textures look sharper and more defined. basically it would just sharpen up the shot to provide an idea of what the game would look like on a TV in motion. current screen grabs just don't do games justice, and while bullshots aren't much better, openly admitting them to be what they are should clear some flak.

but yeah, been looking into internships this summer and a game production MA at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. course i still have to finish my BA in English and communication, but all good things in good time.

So, in your spare time you dabble with computer animation? Just a guess. If you do, what do you use-or what to recommend for teh n00bz like myself?
 

hellclerk

Everything is tsundere to me
brain_stew said:
Wut!?

I think you're talking about "AF" or anisotropic filtering and yeah, 8x AF should have become a console standard a long time ago, its not in any way feasible on Wii, though.

And no, these shots are precisely what the game will look like on a TV, provided it is decent and your monitor is calibrated. Shitty ass scaling blurring the image all to hell does not improve the look of games, it makes them 10x worse.
yeah, you're right. i can't remember where i got anti-spectral. it's pretty late and i'm pretty tired, so if you'll forgive me.

also, i can guarantee that >75% of gamers who play a game won't have a "decent TV set up right" either. and even for those that do, the only time you really "notice" a game looks shitty is when there's a lull in action, of things that would require your attention. the only time it's a problem is when it's difficult to tell one thing from another.

Andrex said:
I don't think there's inherently anything wrong with screens, they just need to be accompanied by a launch trailer. Putting out just screens is definitely a bad idea.

Didn't know you fell on the art side of game development, a nice inverse of my programmatic leanings. ;)
well, i can't draw consistently worth shit, so the actual drawn art is far and away what i do not do, but if you mean the artistic bit of weaving a design to affect and motivate the player, then yes. i suppose that's where i fall.

screens really mean nothing. they just let forum goers with nothing better to do pick over the non-dynamic (and some dynamic) technical achievements, provide a still moment to comment on the art direction, and give a very VERY general quick glance at a game. however, whether a screen looks good or not is a defining factor in many people's continued interest in the title. it would benefit everyone if devs only released bullshots with AA and AF. this way we could still pick out the effects and get a better idea with unadulterated, undoctored gameplay footage. if a screen catches a consumer's eye, he's more likely to watch the trailer, and the trailer is REALLY where you have to wow them, but that can't be doctored.

Evilink said:
So, in your spare time you dabble with computer animation? Just a guess. If you do, what do you use-or what to recommend for teh n00bz like myself?
i'm actually a design man. i conceptualize and mature games in my spare time. i should really start on my first design document soon, since i have the spare time during this summer.
 
Evilink said:
So, in your spare time you dabble with computer animation? Just a guess. If you do, what do you use-or what to recommend for teh n00bz like myself?
I use 3dmax...its what I was trained on in school, so I just stuck with it.
 
looks like shovelware. Lets be realistic here. If these screens were released 4 years ago as a multiplatform GC/Xbox/PS2 title, nobody would give a shit.
 
Ninja Scooter said:
looks like shovelware. Lets be realistic here. If these screens were released 4 years ago as a multiplatform GC/Xbox/PS2 title, nobody would give a shit.

Because every multiplatform game last generation ahd high quality normal mapping and bloom lighting.

The ignorance in this thread is ridiculous, truly astonishing.

Show me a single PS2 game with textures anywheere near as high quality as those, with a really nice high resolution and good use of normal mapping and I'll gladly shut up.
 

ThatObviousUser

ὁ αἴσχιστος παῖς εἶ
doomed1 said:
screens really mean nothing. they just let forum goers with nothing better to do pick over the non-dynamic (and some dynamic) technical achievements, provide a still moment to comment on the art direction, and give a very VERY general quick glance at a game. however, whether a screen looks good or not is a defining factor in many people's continued interest in the title. it would benefit everyone if devs only released bullshots with AA and AF. this way we could still pick out the effects and get a better idea with unadulterated, undoctored gameplay footage. if a screen catches a consumer's eye, he's more likely to watch the trailer, and the trailer is REALLY where you have to wow them, but that can't be doctored.

Agreed, a trailer is more important. However I do think screens have a purpose, whether it is showing new levels, enemies, items, etc.- it's cruder than live video, but there is a time and place for video and a time and place for still shots.

doomed1 said:
i'm actually a design man. i conceptualize and mature games in my spare time. i should really start on my first design document soon, since i have the spare time during this summer.

I thought last summer you said you were working on a point and click game?

I'm working on an Android+XNA game right now. ^_^
 
doomed1 said:
yeah, you're right. i can't remember where i got anti-spectral. it's pretty late and i'm pretty tired, so if you'll forgive me.

also, i can guarantee that >75% of gamers who play a game won't have a "decent TV set up right" either. and even for those that do, the only time you really "notice" a game looks shitty is when there's a lull in action, of things that would require your attention. the only time it's a problem is when it's difficult to tell one thing from another.


well, i can't draw consistently worth shit, so the actual drawn art is far and away what i do not do, but if you mean the artistic bit of weaving a design to affect and motivate the player, then yes. i suppose that's where i fall.

I can notice a 480p resolution, zero AA and AF, within about a second of looking at a game, fast motion or not. Its incredibly easy to spot poor IQ, but then when you get use to playing the vast majority of your games at 1080p with 4xAA/8xAF anything else is such a huge downgrade, its impossible not to spot it.

Very few gamers have had the luxury of playing many games with decent IQ, they really don't know what they're missing.
 
brain_stew said:
Because every multiplatform game last generation ahd high quality normal mapping and bloom lighting.

The ignorance in this thread is ridiculous, truly astonishing.

i don't care if it has jesus-mapping the screens im seeing wouldn't make me look twice at all. It all just looks so plain from a design standpoint. Like some shovelware History Channel Epic Battles game or something.

Wii fans defending this remind me of Gamecube fans last gen looking forward to crap like Die Hard and Godzilla.
 
bryehn said:
Just here to remind you all that High Voltage has never made a good game.

This is true, but it's someone trying their darnest to make great experiences on the Wii that are aimed at a more hardcore audience.

And I, for one, am very grateful. I like casual games when I'm on the go, but the iPhone mostly dominates that space for me. The Wii (imo) should be about games like Grand Slam Tennis/Wii Sports on one end of the spectrum and Metroid Prime on the other. There's a lot of great tech there and Nintendo's bastardizing it for the sake of $$. Not that I doubt them, but to a certain point.

So anywho, it's cool to see someone not niche-ing the platform or sticking with what's safe.
 

bdouble

Member
Ninja Scooter said:
looks like shovelware. Lets be realistic here. If these screens were released 4 years ago as a multiplatform GC/Xbox/PS2 title, nobody would give a shit.
Huh. Well its not and guess what it has motion controls and if done well it could be amazing. Whaddaya know they actually do count for something.
 
bdouble said:
Huh. Well its not and guess what it has motion controls and if done well it could be amazing. Whaddaya know they actually do count for something.

well when gameplay impressions and videos and gameplay are revealed we can speculate on that. As of now we have NOTHING to go on but screenshots of a game coming from a developer with a sketchy history. WTF do you expect people to comment on?
 
Ninja Scooter said:
i don't care if it has jesus-mapping the screens im seeing wouldn't make me look twice at all. It all just looks so plain from a design standpoint. Like some shovelware History Channel Great Battles game or something.

Then stop spurting pure ignorant statements, its stupidity. These screens don not in any way look like your average multiplatform game from last generation and this is objective fact. Spreading clearly false BS accomplishes nothing.

Comment that you think it looks like it has "bad art", but don't come out with false, hyperbolic BS when you've got no fucking clue what you're talking about.
 
brain_stew said:
Then stop spurting pure ignorant statements, its stupidity. These screens don not in any way look like your average multiplatform game from last generation and this is objective fact. Spreading clearly false BS accomplishes nothing.

Comment that you think it looks like it has "bad art", but don't come out with false, hyperbolic BS when you've got no fucking clue what you're talking about.


thats exactly what I am doing. Im basing that on what I see, not some fact sheet techie talking points. What i see looks generic. What I am saying is what I see would not have turned any heads a few years ago, let alone now. To me, it looks VERY, very average. Just because they threw in some bloom lighting or whatever other shit doesn't change that.
 

methodman

Banned
Ninja Scooter said:
thats exactly what I am doing. Im basing that on what I see, not some fact sheet techie talking points. What i see looks generic. What I am saying is what I see would not have turned any heads a few years ago, let alone now.

Agreed. I'm looking forward to The Conduit, but these screens are horrible. Why not spruce them up Ubisoft style or something lol
 
Ninja Scooter said:
thats exactly what I am doing. Im basing that on what I see, not some fact sheet techie talking points. What i see looks generic. What I am saying is what I see would not have turned any heads a few years ago, let alone now.

You said it looks like a generic shovelware mulitplat. from last generation. Considering not a single one of those games had normal mapping, textures, half as high resolution and such high quality bloom this is an objectively false statement. It is a lie, a fallacy. Accept it and move on.
 

avatar299

Banned
Ninja Scooter said:
well when gameplay impressions and videos and gameplay are revealed we can speculate on that. As of now we have NOTHING to go on but screenshots of a game coming from a developer with a sketchy history. WTF do you expect people to comment on?
i didn't expect people to reinvent history( HSV have never made a good game. lol) or attack the game with bullshit arguments.
 
brain_stew said:
You said it looks like a generic shovelware mulitplat. from last generation. Considering not a single one of those games had normal mapping, textures, half as high resolution and such high quality bloom this is an objectively false statement. It is a lie, a fallacy. Accept it and move on.


Its a lie that i think a game looks generic? I see how this is supposed to work now.

"that game looks like crap."
"But they threw in normal mapping!"
"OH IN THAT CASE ITS AWESOME!"

Im not speaking from a strictly technical aspect. Im sure they have, technically, some impressive things going on. Whatever. Im going based on what I see. It looks incredibly generic. There is nothing special about those pics, and i stand by my belief that if this thread was created on NeoGaf 4 years ago and this was a last gen game, nobody would give a shit about it. Accept that and move on.
 

jrricky

Banned
Ninja Scooter said:
Its a lie that i think a game looks generic? I see how this is supposed to work now.

"that game looks like crap."
"But they threw in normal mapping!"
"OH IN THAT CASE ITS AWESOME!"

Im not speaking from a strictly technical aspect. Im sure they have, technically, some impressive things going on. Whatever. Im going based on what I see. It looks incredibly generic. There is nothing special about those pics, and i stand by my belief that if this thread was created on NeoGaf 4 years ago and this was a last gen game, nobody would give a shit about it. Accept that and move on.
Keep dodging brainstews statements and continue grasping.:lol
 
Ninja Scooter said:
Its a lie that i think a game looks generic? I see how this is supposed to work now.

"that game looks like crap."
"But they threw in normal mapping!"
"OH IN THAT CASE ITS AWESOME!"

Im not speaking from a strictly technical aspect. Im sure they have, technically, some impressive things going on. Whatever. Im going based on what I see. It looks incredibly generic. There is nothing special about those pics, and i stand by my belief that if this thread was created on NeoGaf 4 years ago and this was a last gen game, nobody would give a shit about it. Accept that and move on.

If a multiplatform game pushed more effects than any exclusive PS2 game and had better texture quality than pretty much any Xbox game whilst relying on PS2's horrendously terrible multi texturing capabilities, no I think quite a few people would stand up and take notice. Since not a single person would have thought such visuals were possible on the console. To claim otherwise is stupid.

You think the art is generic that's fine. On a technical level it is way above any multiplatfrom game from last generation and matches pretty much anything else on Wii, that is a fact. You earlier stated the exact opposite of this, you lied and spread hyperbolic BS. The end.
 
jrricky said:
Keep dodging brainstews statements and continue grasping.:lol


i'm not dodging anything. Im basing this strictly on what I see. Im not claiming to be making any factual statements, Im saying these screens don't look special to me. The only reason i think they are getting any play is because its some IGN hyped up Wii Exclusive. Why should I have to say a game looks good or stands out just because it has normal mapping? Sure that wasn't very common a few years back, and I'm sure its a commendable feat, but I'm speaking strictly on the end result and it does nothing to change my opinion. No where in my original statement did i mention anything about the technical aspects of this game, because frankly I don't care. There are plenty of PS2, Xbox, and GC games that, according to you all and I will trust your opinions, couldn't match this on a technical level and still look leagues better, wouldn't you agree?
 
Ninja Scooter said:
i'm not dodging anything. Im basing this strictly on what I see. Im not claiming to be making any factual statements, Im saying these screens don't look special to me. The only reason i think they are getting any play is because its some IGN hyped up Wii Exclusive. Why should I have to say a game looks good or stands out just because it has normal mapping? Sure that wasn't very common a few years back, and I'm sure its a commendable feat, but I'm speaking strictly on the end result and it does nothing to change my opinion.

Nice, I like how you've subtly changed your argument with each and every post until the BS is pretty much wiped clean. Doesn't change the fact that you were spurting ludicrous shit earlier on though.
 

bdouble

Member
No one is saying it stands out above the crowd. The thing you are saying though is that it looks like a multi plat shovel ware title from last gen which it doesn't.
We already said it looked "generic" 4 pages ago. Your judgment was just hyperbolic and then later jumped around it going back 3 pages to "generic".
 
brain_stew said:
Nice, I like how you've subtly changed your argument with each and every post until the BS is pretty much wiped clean. Doesn't change the fact that you were spurting ludicrous shit earlier on though.


how is my opinion changing at all. Re-read my original statement. I never said "This game is nothing special on a tech level". I don't give a shit about the tech. There is nothing ludicrous about believing this game doesn't look remotely noteworthy. Spout on about all the techie shit you want, there are plenty of PS2, Xbox and GC games from last gen that look better than this. Thats why I said this would look forgettable even on those systems. When I say it looks like shovelware its because there is just nothing special about it to me.
 
bdouble said:
No one is saying it stands out above the crowd. The thing you are saying though is that it looks like a multi plat shovel ware title from last gen which it doesn't.
We already said it looked "generic" 4 pages ago. Your judgment was just hyperbolic.

Actually on a technical level I really think it does, that's the best damn texturing I've seen in any Wii or GCN game, same goes for the bloom lighting. You can argue about the art all you want, but it never goes anywhere as it allows the mass of people with an agenda to get away spurting their crap. I'm much more interested in talking about what High Voltage have managed to tap out of the Wii. The only area that needs work is the poly count imo.
 
brain_stew said:
pre-e3-2009-gladiator-ad-revealed-20090525022235137_640w.jpg


Best texturing in a Wii game bar none, right there.

That's some damn impressive normal mapping and bloom lighting for a Wii game. Their engine is very impressive, no matter what you thinka bout the art.

Yeah, and it's a real bummer then that this fancy tech is for nothing when their designers are as shit as they are. Maybe they should team up with some company that knows how to build something at least passable on their tech base? As it stands, it is really prohibitively ugly, and something that the AD (if they even have one overseeing the project) and the designers should be deeply ashamed of.
 
The gameplay sounds pretty revolutionary, can't wait to purchase it. The graphical style is also quite interesting, making this one of the most visually captivating next gen games so far
 

aeolist

Banned
OK so

Is it really necessary to keep talking about the graphics here? The devs said this game was inspired by 300 and are aiming for Bushido Blade meets Fight Night, and I know for a fact that lots of people here like all those things.

Maybe the fact that they're trying something new with fighting games merits discussion? Could we talk about the pros, cons, and possibilities that motion controls provide something like this? How they mentioned they're still "solidifying their Wii network solution" and maybe that means something better than usual online Wii play?

I'm excited for the gameplay potential and setting, myself. Gladiator battles are pretty cool and having to play to the crowd sounds like a neat twist.

OR OK HEY LET'S BITCH ABOUT ALIASING AND BAD TEXTURES WHEN WE ONLY HAVE LIKE 5 SCREENSHOTS AND ABSOLUTELY NO VIDEO THAT SOUNDS GREAT
 
brain_stew said:
Actually on a technical level I really think it does, that's the best damn texturing I've seen in any Wii or GCN game, same goes for the bloom lighting. You can argue about the art all you want, but it never goes anywhere as it allows the mass of people with an agenda to get away spurting their crap. I'm much more interested in talking about what High Voltage have managed to tap out of the Wii. The only area that needs work is the poly count imo.


not everybody thinks having fancy textures or lighting makes a game standout, otherwise Factor 5 would still be in business. You act like your opinion is factual because you base it on technical aspects while anyone else's isn't because they rely on "bad art" excuse.
 

aeolist

Banned
ALSO IT'S LIKE 9 MONTHS OUT FROM A VERY TENTATIVE RELEASE DATE BUT LET'S ASSUME THESE GRAPHICS ARE FINALIZED YEAH

I've never played anything from these guys and if The Conduit comes out badly it'll lower my currently neutral opinion of them, sure. But I like new ideas and this is certainly that.
 
AltogetherAndrews said:
Yeah, and it's a real bummer then that this fancy tech is for nothing when their designers are as shit as they are. Maybe they should team up with some company that knows how to build something at least passable on their tech base? As it stands, it is really prohibitively ugly, and something that the AD (if they even have one overseeing the project) and the designers should be deeply ashamed of.

but it has bloom lighting so you are forced to turn your head.
 

avatar299

Banned
Yeah, and it's a real bummer then that this fancy tech is for nothing when their designers are as shit as they are. Maybe they should team up with some company that knows how to build something at least passable on their tech base? As it stands, it is really prohibitively ugly, and something that the AD (if they even have one overseeing the project) and the designers should be deeply ashamed of.

Okay seriously what is wrong with the modeling or the "art" If that is going to be the most base argument against the game, than back it up and don't use the word generic. That shit wouldn't pass in the most basic drawing class.
not everybody thinks having fancy textures or lighting makes a game standout, otherwise Factor 5 would still be in business
Factor 5 was in business almost solely for that reason.:lol
 

DMczaf

Member
You just don't get it, Ninja Scooter. Maybe you will get it someday, maybe you won't. For now, you just don't get it.
 

pakkit

Banned
Ninja Scooter said:
but it has bloom lighting so you are forced to turn your head.
No, you can dislike the artwork all you want, it's just when you compare this game to four year old games where the technology was nowhere at this level and dismiss it as "shovelware" (a term that doesn't signify a lack of interest, might want to look that word up for future reference) that people tend to get a bit flustered. The polarity here is astonishing. Who knew a developer known for "never making a good game" could get GAF so riled up?
 

bdouble

Member
aeolist said:
ALSO IT'S LIKE 9 MONTHS OUT FROM A VERY TENTATIVE RELEASE DATE BUT LET'S ASSUME THESE GRAPHICS ARE FINALIZED YEAH
Yeah The Conduit improved but not in the way most are critical of it. Still looks like the whole thing was copy and pasted together. This has a bit more cohesion but still pretty bland. W/e though Excitebots looks great in motion. I think both of HVS games will be acceptable on a visuals level.
 

aeolist

Banned
It doesn't look eye-rapingly horrible and that's about all I expect from Wii games right now. I have my PC for better graphics (though I still currently play and love some pretty damned ugly games on that too).
 

jrricky

Banned
Ninja Scooter said:
how is my opinion changing at all. Re-read my original statement. I never said "This game is nothing special on a tech level". I don't give a shit about the tech. There is nothing ludicrous about believing this game doesn't look remotely noteworthy. Spout on about all the techie shit you want, there are plenty of PS2, Xbox and GC games from last gen that look better than this. Thats why I said this would look forgettable even on those systems. When I say it looks like shovelware its because there is just nothing special about it to me.
Name them and in what way. I wanna see where else you can grasp from and take this to.:lol

Man, this is typical on how threads start off and tail off. Im also interested to know if you have any interest in Wii games at all.
 
jrricky said:
Name them and in what way. I wanna see where else you can grasp from and take this to.:lol

Man, this is typical on how threads start off and tail off. Im also interested to know if you have any interest in Wii games at all.
No, posts like these are how these threads die:
Wow just checked out their website. It says these guys have shipped over 75 titles already. O_O

Theyve even had their hands on multiple projects like Call of Duty, GRAW, Blitz, Baldurs Gate and much more. You people make these guys sound like amateurs
It's almost as bad as doomed1 defending Nibris.
 
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