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»  COMBATSIM.COM ARCHIVE FORUM   » Game Discussions (Title-specific)   » Battle of Britain   » The flying is great - they need a new Artist

   
Author Topic: The flying is great - they need a new Artist
FluffyBob
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Member # 6093

posted 12-07-2000 02:53 AM     Profile for FluffyBob   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message   Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote
I worry about Rowan making it.

I get the impression that they have rushed this again - probably because they need to get some revenue.

The flying is great - for me it is probably the most convincing WWII sim flying I have tried. Good 3D sound. I'm sure the campaign will be fantastic. I will probably buy it fo rthese reasons.

However, the code either needs a lot more optimizing or a heck of a lot of computer to run smoothly. Mig Alley was too processor-hungry really, BoB is just plain ravenous.

And the art work...?

ROWAN GET A GOOD TEXTURE ARTIST! YESTERDAY!

I mean it is necessary for survival - this does not cut it. I do not think it is the limitation of the engine - we have seen better terrains already thanks to JayP. There is an actual quality/skill issue here.

The palettes are pathetic. There is no excuse to produce a terrain palette that uses so few colours in this era.

There are friggun edge artifacts on every single bloody transparent sprite in the game. You know those funny lines around explosions, and zipping around the cockpit beyond the edge of the prop. We are not supposed to see that guys - use the frigging crop tool in photoshop and get rid of it for gods sake - its easy. Mig had the same problem.

And the cockpit graphics - do they really have to be so crappy looking? I wonder.

I think Rowan can make a great sim. I just think it is sad that they dont have the resources to pull it off. Its too bad.


Posts: 50 | From: Calgary, Alberta, Canada | Registered: Aug 2000  |  IP: Logged
Tracer
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Member # 259

posted 12-07-2000 07:33 AM     Profile for Tracer   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message   Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote
Yes it's the "norm" in today's day and age to release a basic up-and-running sim and leave it open so that the "artists" in sim land can spend weeks doing what the original artist(whom is paid ) to finish!!

That and the fact that most punters will hang onto it (knowing that someone out there *will* do a better job!) rather than return it to the shops.

Yes it plays like a bucket of spanners compaired to MA on a custom built PIII500 256mbSDRAM V3x2AGP 7,200rpm IBM.

It's called shoddy for want of a better word

I'm getting it today and if it *plays* like the demo.......then it goes right back!

Tracer

------------------
"Flying is the second greatest thing known to man!
The first is landing!!"


Posts: 681 | From: Edinburgh,Scotland | Registered: Sep 1999  |  IP: Logged
Kitridge
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Member # 8285

posted 12-07-2000 09:00 AM     Profile for Kitridge   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message   Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote
"I get the impression that they have rushed this again - probably because they need to get some revenue."

That's a common theme on almost any gaming board whether it be for sims, RTS, FPS or adventure games - IMHO, no game can ever be truly finished/polished due to money constraints, continual technological advances and user base (with many dif. configed systems).

I will reserve my impressions for the full game tho. I'm highly anticipating the strategic campaign much more than actually flying the missions - can't judge that which I have yet to see for myself and in full completed glory


Posts: 22 | From: | Registered: Nov 2000  |  IP: Logged
JayP
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Member # 858

posted 12-07-2000 09:08 AM     Profile for JayP   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message   Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote
A lot of people on these forums say they have tried MiG Alley/BoB demo and given up because it looks like a 4 year old sim.

The sad thing is that Rowan's sims are cutting-edge in flight-modelling, terrain-modelling, AI and campaigns. Very few sims can compete with Rowan in any one of these areas, never mind all four.

But the damned textures make the games look like they date from circa 1996.

Rowan may well go out of business, despite producing fantastic sims, simply because they couldn't/wouldn't hire some decent artists.

BTW, you have Microsoft's artists to thank for the terrain shots I posted.


Posts: 531 | From: | Registered: Nov 1999  |  IP: Logged
Cas141
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Member # 5488

posted 12-07-2000 12:53 PM     Profile for Cas141   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message   Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote
JayP

As one who is using your terrains in EAW let me first say a big Thank You.
You, and the " skinners " and others have made this such a wonderful sim
and I play it every day and never cease to wonder at the "realism " of the
graphics.
The trouble is it has spoiled me for the other sims! -heheI Seriously, B17
has gone back 'cos of this and other problems and I was expecting another
disappointment with BoB, graphicswise.
Then I saw that you had done some amendments to the graphics of BoB , EAW
style and having seen your Southampton etc I am eagerly awaiting this sim.
Please confirm that the terrain update will be as easy to download and
install as it was in EAW- and when will it be ready???-please.

But for guys like you the flight sim business would be in not too good a
shape- Thanks again

regards


Posts: 135 | From: | Registered: Jul 2000  |  IP: Logged
Swampthing
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Member # 388

posted 12-07-2000 02:56 PM     Profile for Swampthing   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message   Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote
My only complaint with the FM in this game is the fact that you can't bleed speed for the life of you. Has anyone else tried landing? Takes me ten minutes to get down to a low enough altitude and then bleed off enough speed even with gear and flaps deployed.
Posts: 285 | From: | Registered: Sep 1999  |  IP: Logged
KC23
Member
Member # 18

posted 12-07-2000 11:07 PM     Profile for KC23   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message   Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote
Swampthing,

That is what I thought too. I checked on it and apparently the real one is a real glider and doesn't bleed speed easy. If you play with manual prop pitch (Sim Preferences)you can windmill the prop (push the prop pitch control forward) and bleed your speed faster.

Another advantage to manual prop pitch is that if you are out of fuel or your engine is out you can feather the prop and get more glide out of your aircraft.

quote:
Originally posted by Swampthing:
My only complaint with the FM in this game is the fact that you can't bleed speed for the life of you. Has anyone else tried landing? Takes me ten minutes to get down to a low enough altitude and then bleed off enough speed even with gear and flaps deployed.

------------------
Ken "KC23" Cook,
Contributing Editor
SimHQ.com
kccook@SimHQ.com

[This message has been edited by KC23 (edited 12-07-2000).]


Posts: 518 | From: Canyon Country, CA, USA | Registered: Sep 1999  |  IP: Logged
G42
Member
Member # 8473

posted 12-08-2000 08:44 AM     Profile for G42   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message   Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote
After playing the full version for a few hours yesterday in between crashes caused by a missing file I can report that on my ageing Celeron 400 with full detail enabled at 1024x768 it flies along nicely unlike the demo which almost came to a standstill. The campaign is superb and the flying and combat is also excellent. By todays standards the graphics are by no means the best but apart from dodgy clouds and a banding sky (better colour than the demo) its no-where near as bad looking as the demo :-)

Gary


Posts: 7 | From: Essex,UK | Registered: Dec 2000  |  IP: Logged

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