Star Wars: The Old Republic (A tourist's photos)

Hi,

I know I usually post my own art on my blog, but time for something a little different.  I've been very inspired lately by my journeys through SWTOR, the new MMORPG by Bioware.  I've taken a lot of time and effort to take these shots (even died a couple of times, haha).

I'm still relatively low leveled, and I haven't seen but a small fraction of this world.  But I already have a ton of inspiring stuff.  Can't wait to see what's ahead.

What's cool about this game is, while close to WoW on many levels, it's very cinematic and story-driven.  I feel much more invested in my character for this reason.

But because this IS an art blog, I'm going to stick with talking about the setting and art of the game, not its other attributes. First, I think they did an EXCELLENT job on the mood and color. Both the closeups and environments have a cinematic intensity to them, with lots of warm and cool color play.  (Sci-fi games are great for color, since they can take liberties in adding all kinds of unusually hued lights everywhere.)  A minor color-related crit is that some of the environments could control the use of black a little better, such as on Hutta and Taris.  There are areas in the middleground and background that just get too dark in my opinion.  You'll see what I mean later on.

While proportions are slightly exaggerated, they are not as much so as WoW.  I think that's fine - the color and the hugeness of the environments makes it "larger than life" on their own.  In fact, despite WoW's giant-sequoias-on-steroids, I still get a better sense of grand scale in SWTOR.  Character-wise, there's some wonky anatomy (mainly the armpits being kind of high) but the high-poly is a joy to look at in the cinematic dialog scenes and more than make up for it.

The geometry also looks good.  I can tell normal maps were used pretty heavily to simulate detail on walls and ceilings especially.  Greeble use in this game is huge, and rightly so!  I've spent most of my time in hardsurface environments though, and of course it's easier to get better graphics in geometric places like Coruscant.  I think some of the trees leave something to be desired in comparison to the city, but they're still better than in most MMO's (think WoW again).

I think the edges in SWTOR could use a little work, like some anti-aliasing, as the pixels are pretty easy to see in high contrast areas.  I'm sure it's a tech issue though, because smoothing out those edges takes a ton of processing power (from my limited experience with 3D software at least).  However, there's a nice light filter around edges, especially near the background, which still helps push them back.  This is used to great effect in the closeups, as you'll see in the screenshots of my character.

Overall though, I find the graphics very inspiring and playing this game reinforces my interest in someday working for MMO's.  I just have a big attachment to the principle of these games, in which environments are more like actual worlds than backdrops for linear play.  Maybe I'm too impressed?  I haven't played the latest Xbox games and hyperrealistic stuff so maybe my standards are too low.  However, regardless of realism, I think illustrators will find these equally inspiring.

So, consider these photography from a traveler.

(I'll divide these screens by zone, and not necessarily in chronological order.  Let's start with Coruscant, 'cuz it's awesome.)

CORUSCANT: SURFACE

What a great view - took this when I first got here.

Love these statues - sort of art deco ish (more on that soon)

More of the Senate Plaza - didn't get a view of the giant red carpeted walkway , sorry

Taxi bay

My smuggler jumps on stage and joins the dancing show.

OK, so Bioware totally ripped off the Art Deco and streamline modern of the late 1920's and early 1930's.  And I LOVE THEM FOR IT.  That style works so well with Scifi.  The only thing I hate about it is that I was gonna design stuff like that for my own world and if I do I'mnotcopyingIswear.

What a grand room.  Definitely says "Senate" to me!

The ceilings and arches - makes me think of the Met.

Even more art deco!

This is the trading center (auction house, bank, modification stations) - note the "stocks" up there.  It's kind of abandoned now since people are out leveling.  But I'm sure it'll end up looking like Orgrimar eventually.
Anyway I think it's interesting that they used green, despite green being absent from most of this city altogether.  But I think it's safe to say that green is now the universal color of money, so it makes sense, even if subconsciously.

I absolutely love how they handled the metal material in these robot closeups.  I actually think they "painted on" the reflections in some places.  Also, of note, one of the ways they're separating the old republic from the Star Wars we know is through droid designs.  I think it worked well.

Another one - I've always loved star wars droid faces and this doesn't dissapoint.

Just my smuggler and his crewman talking with a droid.  I love how they handled its elbows and knees.

Closeup of my character (without pilot hat - was low leveled here) and his crew member behind him.  He's a Mirilian Captain. (Mirilians are usually known for being spiritual and strong with the force, but this one hates the force.)   His alignment is pretty much neutral, not really light or dark side, but that doesn't stop him from being a pompous jerk.  His specialization is Scoundrel (sneaky) as opposed to the gunslinger.  OK, enough about him, this post is supposed to be about the art...

This is an example of the cinematic lighting and realistic talking animations and expressions they have.  They recorded hundreds of thousands of voices from pro actors to make this stuff happened.  More than all of the Bioware games PUT TOGETHER.  Impressive.

Me "driving" the shuttle taxi (maybe someday we can control them :D)

Awyeah.  Of course this is the low-poly version of my character's model and not meant to be viewed up close, so the hands don't look as good as they do in the cinematic scenes.

Deeper in the Coruscant layers.  I love how they used the cool colors to contrast the warms of the surface.

This makes me think of Times Square I think.  Love it.

Just more art deco - notice the upper right - it appears to be a chandelier made of engine parts.  Sweet.

Our characters vary their poses during the dialog cut scenes.  

I finally tracked down my ship, which was stolen back in level 1!  Time to leave Coruscant's surface...

...and off into the sunset.

CORUSCANT: SURFACE


The Works is the underbelly of Coruscant, closer to the planet's actual surface, and responsible for keeping everything above working.  (I couldn't help but to draw parallels to Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" here.)

It's deliciously steampunk with just the right amount of advanced tech.  I loved this place!

Elevators leading down to the Works.

I Love, love, LOVE the use of color here.  That subtle red bounce shadow underneath that foreground pipe... mmmm....

This is another one I'm very fond of.  Great counterchange.

Whoopsy... time to slowly back out of this room...

You can definitely tell they took a very modular approach to building these environments.  And you know, I'm sure the same technique would be used if these were built in reality.  I mean think about it, you're super far down, are you really gonna bring huge building equipment down there?  No, you'll stack smaller pieces.

A fight breaking out here

Love this composition and the subtlety of the value.

Some of the tenders of the Works.  

Classic.  

Another subtle (but great) one.

CORUSCANT: JUSTICAR TERRITORY

The Justicars are a group of ex-military vigilantes, who drove out the Black Sun gang, but then became a gang of their own, terrorizing the squatters.  There's a sinister tone to these environments, but the use of colored lights and trees add a nice touch of niceness and order... which makes it even creepier.  I do think those indoor trees were a smart move on the part of the designers.  That and the propaganda posters.

This is just the entrance.  Big place.  I think the designs of those diagonal struts are very intentional.  They look like they're "leaning over" the viewer; looming.

Me in stealth.  (Yeah, I'm one of THOSE classes >:-])  Anyway, I love how they added the red in here.  Just helps the place look more interesting and less sterile.  

Another cool and imposing shot.  No matter what scene or angle I take, I seem to always have a warm and a cool light in it.  Good to note!  (And how much do you wanna bet the two posters (especially the one on the upper right) are based on a couple developers at Bioware?)

Players have a personal holocam and can take "incoming calls" on it for certain missions.  Neat.

Another creepy shot.

I just liked the lighting and color use in this shot.  (Also my character has this expression often in exchanges.  He's kind of a jerk.)

CORUSCANT: Black Sun Territory


The Black Sun is one of the biggest gangs in Coruscant, making life even harder for the refugees from the city's earlier destruction.  Unfortunately I didn't take enough screenshots here but here's what I have.

What's really cool about this place is that, at first it's like a cave, then BOOM you  at  part exposed to the  surface part!  A very cool area.  (And yes, you can jump off, and yes, you will die.  Trust me.)

I preferred the Justicar territory, but I like these lights.

Just a better view from the exposed area.

This is what alighting from a taxi looks like.  It kind of "disappears" but in a cool way.   

CORUSCANT: Black Sun Territory
Let's take a break and look at my other character.  She's a bounty hunter (Empire Side, my smuggler's Republic).  Please note that these were all taken at a super-low level.  Bounty Hunger gear gets AWESOME later.

My character is one of the warlike Rattataki, and, despite her appearance and alignment to the Empire, is nicer than my smuggler and more light-side leaning.

In a Cantina.

Yeah this story totally wasn't based on Native Americans and Pilgrims, and this guy's design totally wasn't inspired by the natives... NOT. 

Wow I don't think a noob ever looked this dangerous.

Another cool shot of the Cantina.  Bioware really outdid themselves with these.

Here's a shot of Hutta.  Polluted, degenerate, slimy - a perfect Hutt world.  

I like the steam rising out of the water.

I think this was a close place to Nem'ro's.

My character confronts Nem'ro the Hutt.  Is it just me or did they make Hutts bigger in this game?

Another good swamp scene.  But this is an area where I think they could've toned down the black just a bit.

Another shot of my character, different light.

I think this is a cool shot.

ORD MANTELL: Surface and Spaceport


I should've taken more here, but I didn't take so many when I just started out.  Also I wasn't hiding my UI and I think all that stuff spoils good screenshots.

Captain Stenrik's starting planet, Ord Mantell, torn in a war between  Republic Troopers and the local Separatists.  

Within a Separatist base

OK now we're in Ord Mantell's orbital spaceport.  Here I am in  one of the coolest elevators ever.

Spaceport - great "lived in" feel

Here's a multilevel cantina.

One of my favorite cantina shots.

Hehe, awesome - I love those species of hornplaying aliens.  And these Cantinas have some great jazz.

THE ESSLES

This was a "flashpoint" (Instance/dungeon in other MMO terms).  It was story-driven and really cool.  I don't tend to take screenshots during combat because the UI is really slow to hide and come back on and I don't have time when fighting.  But I got some cool ship core shots anyway.

On the bridge when me and another team member learn of an attack on  it.  The guy on the left is my jedi partner's companion.  Lucky jedi.  All I get is a lame human for now...

How scifi can you get?  Dramatic green and red lighting around a reactor core.  Such high contrast!

Ah, the core...

That's a looong drop...

Engineering bridge

NOW MY OWN SHIP

Yep, after 15 levels of chasing this scumbag who stole my ship I finally got it back (hidden compartments, oversized engines, and all).  Only a couple screenshots so far.

Me at the the central area and communicator, with a newly met crewmate.

OK, what... the heck... is this head in a glass doing on my ship?  Seriously.  Is this a reference to something I'm forgetting?

Just me on the navigation bridge.  Yeah.

Hmm, what could this random thing on my wall POSSIBLY be a reference to?  Hmmmm...

TARIS: So far
This is where I currently am.  Taris is a super interesting place.  See, it was also a megacity planet at one point, sort of the Coruscant of the outter rim, but it was decimated by the Empire 300 years (whatever a "year" means in Star Wars, lol) ago.  It's sort of a distant post-apocalyptic scene, which I personally think it more interesting than a newly post-apocalyptic scene.  It also has zombie creatures that used to be sentient.  The Republic is trying to rebuild it but the zombies are impeding progress.  So a lone little smuggler will just go in and do what whole troops couldn't do now.  That's how great I am, haha...

Anyway, artistically, I think the contrast is too high in this scene sometimes.  It made it difficult to get well-composed screenshots.  I guess they were trying to make it claustrophobic or something but still the space got flattened.  Also there are some weird bugs with the tree foliage.  Still a neat place though.

Shuttle bay on Taris.  I was stopped here for looking suspicious.  GTFO customs officers!

This is what I meant when I referred to using light blur (or like, light seeping over the edges) to soften characters in the cinematics.

This is Taris in a nutshell - huge daunting ruins, Republic trying to rebuild. 

As I said before, the Old Republic is made unique from the New with tech design, mainly.  Slightly more angular, slightly more "clunky" - I love this little guy.

Just throwing a bomb into a pipe.  Weird animation here but it looks cool as an abstract picture.

I like this composition.

I love when light comes through grates or blinds in games.  Cool mech too.

Many of the areas of this planet were less "open" (instead overhung by huge "floors") but those were so dark it was hard to get a good composition.

Awww, one droid repairing another, how cute!

Gotta free a crew trapped in a ship wreck.  No biggie.

Just me looking awesome.

They're making a break for it while I take out the baddies...

Like this guy...

Here the infected are being treated.  

Me on a speeder taxi.  This is one of those scenes where there's so much dark that it's hard to make out.  Maybe I'm just afraid of counterchange though.  I mean it's not really bad looking so...

So wow, if you made it all this way I'm impressed.  I hope you found it inspiring or at least cool.  I'm going to take a bit of a break from SWTOR to get back to art stuff but I will post more as I go.  If you agree or disagree with what I think about the game art and overall setting, feel free to comment!