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Playing Starfield and wondering why the NPCs look like they’re dead inside? One developer reckons they’ve worked out why.

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[-] Stillhart@lemm.ee 56 points 1 year ago

That explains why they look that way, it doesn't explain why a AAA game in 2023 was allowed to ship that way, though.

[-] sigmaklimgrindset@sopuli.xyz 14 points 1 year ago

Because Bethesda knows that the modding community will polish the game up for free.

[-] NuPNuA@lemm.ee 10 points 1 year ago

Because based on the amount of sales they've made and the combined player numbers between those and gamepass players, lots of people don't care.

I started gaming on an Amstrad in the late 80s, I've lived though multiple groundbreaking leaps in graphical quality since then and now and frankly, it doesn't impress me anymore, especially with how incremental it's become. I'm more impressed by the scale and world building of Starfield and how all its systems come together than how it's character models look.

[-] erwan@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 year ago

I wasn't creeped out by character faces from my Amstrad either.

When you get to the level of realism of Starfield you have to pay attention to the details. If you can't, just pick a different graphical style.

[-] Erk@cdda.social 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I think this is it. I enjoy making fun of the NPCs in starfield but mostly when I'm playing I don't notice them at all. I do have a few very pretty screenshots of the game. It's not perfect by any stretch but the scope is impressive and most of it really is pretty good

I don't think Bethesda has ever sold based on graphics no matter how much they want to pretend it. Morrowind and oblivion both looked under par when they came out as well.

[-] WarmSoda@lemm.ee 10 points 1 year ago

Dude. They already spent two years developing it. What else do you want from them?

[-] shiveyarbles@beehaw.org 14 points 1 year ago

They could develop it for eternity like star citizen

[-] thefartographer@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago

I might be about to buy a new PC primarily just to play that. Am I making a mistake?

[-] Stillhart@lemm.ee 16 points 1 year ago

There's a sucker born every minute. You might want to read up on that "game" before committing any money to it.

[-] pimento64@sopuli.xyz 7 points 1 year ago

Yes. Star Citizen is a scam.

[-] mp3@lemmy.ca 12 points 1 year ago

It's not a scam if you buy it and enjoy it for what it is, but it's a scam if you keep putting money into it for features and content that is promised but not delivered.

[-] wolfshadowheart@kbin.social 11 points 1 year ago

You can buy Gwenyth Paltrow's goop jade egg and you'll receive it, that doesn't mean it's not a scam.

[-] thefartographer@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago

But that's an obvious scam. I don't already have space-themed PC games stored in my fridge that I can readily shove up my butt.

So you're saying that I shouldn't buy Star Citizen and stick eggs in my butt instead? I don't like your ideas, but you seem like a reasonable person and I can't argue with your logic.

[-] KingJalopy@lemm.ee 8 points 1 year ago
[-] Kichae@kbin.social 50 points 1 year ago

Wait, this is a Bethesda game. I assumed that that was the explanation.

[-] HidingCat@kbin.social 5 points 1 year ago

Also why I don't want to play them. Oblivion sounded amazing but the moment I saw gameply with the NPCs, I was like, nah.

[-] Kichae@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago

Also, Oblivion just wasn't amazing. It was fine. More than good enough, even. But it was also just unmitigated and completely ubcofused sidequest sprawl. In my attempts to experience all that it had to offer, I ended up feeling like I experienced nothing of value.

[-] magnetosphere@kbin.social 21 points 1 year ago

Come on. I don’t expect the average person to be an expert at this, but a professional animator should understand that the human face is a bit more complex than Mr. Potato Head. You don’t just slap a grin on there and call it a day. It’s not like this is some groundbreaking experiment, and nobody has ever tried to animate a face before.

[-] lowleveldata@programming.dev 2 points 1 year ago

Do they not understand or are they not given the time to make it good?

[-] Toribor@corndog.social 5 points 1 year ago

The engine has had the same goofy problems for years and years now. That probably has something to do with it.

[-] keeb420@kbin.social 9 points 1 year ago

I thought it was because they used npcs from fo4 but they standout more against the better rendered scenes.

[-] livus@kbin.social 8 points 1 year ago

Thanks, this article helped me to perfect my fake smile.

[-] Bonehead@kbin.social 4 points 1 year ago

It's ok...you don't need to do that here. You can let the pain out...

[-] sub_@beehaw.org 8 points 1 year ago

image

... someone should make Nic Cage the protagonist in their video game (that's not Dead by Deadlight)

[-] caseyweederman@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 year ago

They can't all be Disneyland

[-] numbermess@kbin.social 4 points 1 year ago

Seems like they’re always looking straight out of the screen, just looking dead at you all the time. I hate it when people do that in real life.

[-] BruceTwarzen@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

I heard a lot of complaints from people that tge camera is way too close when you talk to someone and their dead eyes look weird. And it's true, but i find it way worse that EVERYONE just stares at you. If you walk by their eyes are glued to yours. It's such a strange thing.

[-] Erk@cdda.social 2 points 1 year ago

The upper whites thing has led to some of the funniest memes I've seen in ages, not gonna complain about that one.

this post was submitted on 12 Sep 2023
86 points (98.9% liked)

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