What is up with the graphics for this game?

Well in his last post, Brad stated that the shadows were not in yet for the screens, and that makes a huge difference in the presentation, but as for overall style i think they are going to keep this look (based on things Boogiebac has said). Personally I like the look, but thats just the way with everything. Some people are going to be happy, others arent. You will still be able to play the whole game from the map view tho if you like the game play, thats what i recommend lol

That's a pretty personal opinion I would say. I love the current art direction of Elemental myself. WoW may be "cartoonish", but their art direction is impressive, much better than other realistic MMORPGs like DDO for example.

I actually kind of like the cartoonish feel. I also have a feeling the art direction will allow the game to run much more smoothly, which I value way above realistic graphics.

I don't think the art style is even cartoony, and I like the style a lot.

if i remember correctly, it was also mentioned that the particular graphics style being used allowed for a much greater range of zoom during gameplay.  (someone correct me if i'm wrong).

i like the style.

Art style is one of those like it or hate it things. That's just how it is.

The upside to it is that it's much less hardware intensive then trying to make a good looking realistic style. A ton of games wind up with really bad looking realistic style due to the hardware problem, or they just only work on a tiny fragment of the PC audience (those with high end gamer rigs).

Overall I like the style, though I'm hoping that the art is refined as time goes on.

Because it's very early.

Not much more to say other than that.

"While I am still reading about the game play of this game and it sounds really interesting, the screenshots for this game are really turning me off."

It's extremely rare when one can judge a game accurately by screenshots.

Yeah, I personally think that they look quite aweful, but only because they look "unfinished". Once they get some of the more detail etc in, I think it would actually look pretty cool.

Gladly

And I'll keep this breif becuase I know we'll be talking style A LOT in the upcoming months.

We looked for a style that wasn't done before. Everyone seems to be pushing the WoW look nowadays, and while I LOVE that bold, characterized style, we knew that style has been WELL covered.  Instead we took inspiration from the realistic shapes, soft washes and graphical penwork of Alphonse Mucha....

http://images.artnet.com/artwork_images_424121842_202362_alphonse-mucha.jpg

http://momoetmoi.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/2s1rbx0.jpg

http://soulstripperr.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/alphonse_mucha_gallery_2.jpg

The problems we've encountered are that, while his women look great, he's never really done any men/landscapes/dragons/castles/etc. So we're left filling in some prety big holes in the style as we create assets...holes that we'll continue to fill as we make the game look amazing as possible up through gold (and beyond).

So no, we're not going for cartoony...and if you see something cartoony, I'm sure it'll be eplaced by something more fitting of the style across the next 8 months.

Thank you very much for that answer BoogieBac, I really appreciate it and that does explain it me very well.

Stardock has not dissapointed me yet (And I ahve purchased a lot of games and software from Stardock), I will keep following the progress of Elemental and see how it goes. Chances are that I will get it in the end, its just the first screenshots I saw of it were not what I expected.

Also to address the point some have made about having non-hardware intensive graphics is one that I know all to well. I have been on the end of having a not so powerful computer and wanting all the eye candy cranked up, only to render the game unplayable.

However, I am now in the position where I have a computer that can play Crysis with all settings maxed and I love it. It really makes me want all games to have max eye candy and realism. But like i said, I do understand the need to make a game that is playable as possible across the widest spectrum of computer hardware.

No prob...we'll defaintly be addressing style in more depth in the upcoming months.

Also (and I know ive posted this on another thread) here's a screenshot of GalCiv2 around 8 months before it came out...

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/galacticcivilizations2/images/0/101/

REALLY rough...and Elemental hs around the same time until gold, so I have no doubts v1.0 is going to shine 

Lol wow. I look at the graphics from the latest expansion and then look at that and it's just..wow.

It's funny that it is actually based on an artist's style - I definitely did not get the cartoony comment, and I always felt it had more of a stained glass, classical art feel to it than "cartoony". I definitely see the resemblance to the "inspiration" pieces Boogie posted. I think it is very cool that you are going for that look and have the artists that can actually deliver that kind of look in a game.

Much nicer than ultra-realism for this type of game (imho)!

I'm primarily concerned with how the game will look on an upper class system. The design has shown steady signs of improvement just based on the newer screenshots. 

The problem is that Stardock can't be primarily concerned with how it will look on an upper class system. That's just not the money portion of the sales curve. It'll be nice if it looks good and I'm sure from a professional viewpoint they'll do what they can to achieve that, but from an ROI point of view it's a poor investment to stress over. That goes hand in hand with the fact that this is a 4x turn based game and the consumer for this kind of game is typically going to be more lenient about graphics.

For a game like this, a consistent stylistic approach adds more visual value than a high res shiny approach. Team Fortress 2, an entirely different type of game, made a similar choice with very stylized graphics that run well on lower end systems.

If you're making an engine to sell, like Unreal or some such, then investing heavily in the potential ooh-shiny factor matters more because it's going to be used in a wider context.

I can definitely see that you're trying to imitate that art style.

I think the main reason it looks cartoony (maybe it's just me) is this: textures. The currently smooth textures don't match up to the level of detail in his art.  I'm sure it'll shape up eventually, like you said. I actually think it looks playable right now, though, haha.

And please, please don't worry about making this game graphic intensive. I would love to see hundreds of peasant caricatures in a town going about drinking, laughing and selling their wares, rather than 5 really detailed peasants with sweat drops on their foreheads.

Yes, I suppose it's all about balance... altough in the world of conmputer graphics, as long as the system can handle it numbers do not matter: you can copy and paste essentially infinite numbers of characters, rocks, etc. into existance.

The part about "as long as the system can handle it" is the key factor here. The greater the amount of detail, graphical refinements and items on screen at one time, the more powerful a system you need to run it. (properly)

The more powerful a machine is (by the standards of when the graphics are made), the more expensive and the fewer people own one. The fewer people own a machine that can run a game, (acceptably) the smaller the number of potential purchasers.

So, business-wise, a game aimed on the lower to middle end of the machine power spectrum is best. Especially if you're making a game that already is in a niche genre. Having a most people being able to play their games is how Stardock makes money on the types of games they like to make.   

I love the art direction.

And thanks for showing us those wonderful Mucha pictures again! 

I'm sure the style will work very well in the end.

The only thing I'm a bit worried about is how the units will look when they move in combat ... I must say that the tactical combat even in the latest version of Galciv 2 doesn't really look that nice, so I hope Stardock can make some better graphics on Elemental.

Showing the Mucha pics makes me LOVE your direction even MORE!

I am an absolute worshiper of his stuff.  *Now I understand all the geometric adornments I see on things *

I think the graphics show a lot of potential, and I am VERY excited at the direction they are taking, even in this very early stage.

I have seen quite a few betas, and then went on to play the retail game, and the difference (and improvements) made between these stages is often immense.

I generally like the art direction of Elemental because it's a little different, my machine can handle Crysis and games like that but that doesn't mean I can only enjoy games that go for a real life look. I think the artistic style is great but I know they are still working on the game and assets so I expect it will look better by the time it's released.

For this sort of game I think Graphics are certainly secondary to gameplay though, I also think this style will make it easier for players to mod in units that fit the style properly.

I continue to be amazed by the art direction and I have to agree with others that I don't really understand the WoW-references. I can, however, see the point of it looking cartoony or fairy-tale-like. But in distinction from WoW/Diablo 3/Countless others, it's not a "wacky" kind of cartoony, but a serious, "realistic" kind of cartoony.

I'm not a fan of ultra-realistic graphics, because they tend to.. well.. not be very realistic, in the end. I'd rather see a fullfilled, complete art direction flourish than to see another art direction that will inevitably fall short. Of course, art direction is one of those dodgy things not everyone will ultimately like. Some really do like Salvador Dali. Others like Picasso. I personally think van Gogh was a drug-addled hack. Others obviously disagree.

If Elemental continues on the art direction dispalyed in all the earlier screenshots, I'm going to be one really happy camper. I'm actually a bit afraid it's going to get messed up somewhere along the way. But I have faith.

I just thought that I would put this image into this thread as it's off topic in the other one.

Stained Glass windows are part of the A.N. artistic style, and they are absolutely gorgeous.

This window for example shows a lot of the same kinds of color usage as a lot of the images from the game.
OH! I should show some work from a modern master who developed an amazing technique using layering of difference dichroic glasses and sandblasting.

Shoot I forgot his name... Give me a minute.

This is a gorgeous piece that is very much what I consider to be along the lines of elemental's art style. 
I found this one on the search for the artist I'm looking for.  I remembered he had done a piece that Kokomo Glass commissioned him to do with just their glass.  His piece is on this page with no attribution or name for him ... GRRR.

This is the piece I mentioned above... Totally unprofessional, whoever is running this website posting these relatively recent pieces of artwork with no citation...