Some feedback from a new user

[FooBarWidget]

I just installed Wesnoth. I have to say I'm impressed by the maturity of the game. The tutorial seems to be decent and advanced.

However there are issues:

• When I move my mouse to the corner of the screen, the map scrolls waaay too fast. Every time I want to click End Turn I find myself accidentally scrolling the map.
  Yes I know this is configurable. But the default setting should be lower.
• The "bump bump" sounds in the background music in the tutorial are very annoying.
• Graphics need more polish. Currently it looks like not many palettes are used.

[Elvish_Pillager]

Graphics need more polish.

I certainly don't need them to have more polish. In fact, if any game's graphics are as good as Wesnoth's, they're Plenty Good Enough For Me. I can't see how you can say they need to be better.

[FooBarWidget]

OK how about graphics should have more polish?

I recommend you to play games like Ragnarok Online for a while. Then go back to Wesnoth and see whether your opinion about the graphics has changed.
Also take a look at http://ragnarok.gamona.de/index.php?show=screenshots for screenshots.

[Shade]

Hopefully EP didn't mean that more polish couldn't be used It's just that this is an Free Software game and resource scarcity is a real issue. Instead of comparing to to commercial (?) games, take a look at it's Free Software peers, then you get a decided sense that Wesnoth is doing OK. One of the really nice things with Wesnoth is that every time a new version is released you get one or two sweeping graphical improvements. AFAIK, the best way to get Wesnoth to a polished state is to fire up your favourite paint program and try your luck with one or two tiles, or a unit. . . Help is usually well received. Oh, and nice to see you on the boards!

[Neoriceisgood]

I have used alot of extra colors in most units I made, at least as many as I figured necessary.

[Elvish_Pillager]

Instead of comparing to to commercial games, take a look at it's Free Software peers

No, let's forget that attitude altogether. Look at Wesnoth, not any other game, and decide whether its graphics are good. I, for instance, judge a game's graphics on these categories:

1) How much I can tell things from each other. If the Elvish Archer had the same image as the Elvish Fighter, etc, Wesnoth would score low on this account.

2) How much the graphics convey the idea of the thing they depict. An Iron Mauler shouldn't look like a pixie, and it shouldn't be in an assassin pose either.

3) How congruent the graphics are. I don't want to see a stick figure firing a 3D rendered photon cannon at an anime style dragon.

4) How realistic the graphics are, finally. But for me, there's a threshold at which it can't get any better. Though as Shade said it's good to have more polish, just fairly pointless IMO.

[Gafgarion]

I, personally, prefer Wesnoth's old-school graphical style.

[Stosswelle]

just turn the music off
youll be glad you did

[cyberfrag]

Hm... my brother plays Ragnarok and from what I saw, I'd say the quality of the graphics is about the same.

Now - Wesnoth, unlike Ragnarok, isn't a 3D-rendered game - yet the question remains: Does a game have to have a 3D-engine to be considered "polished" these days?

In my opinion: No.

Comparing Wesnoth to Morrowind I find the Wesnoth graphics a lot more appealing. I'd even rate Wesnoth graphics maybe slightly higher than NWN-graphics - due to consistency and overall beauty.

All those glitter and glamour effects of modern 3D engines are nice and all - but in my opinion they are not really necessary. And in some cases 3D engines with lots of effects might even be worse than a good 2D engine.

Just my 2c

CU
Cyberfrag

[FooBarWidget]

I'm not talking about 3D. I'm talking about the graphics. The Wesnoth graphics can be better without being 3D.

[Dave]

Different people seem to have different opinions on the relative quality of Wesnoth graphics. I have heard some people say the graphics are excellent, and some think they are mediocre.

Whatever the case, we are working to make the graphics better.

The idea of making Wesnoth graphics better is actually in the FPI.

To me, telling the Wesnoth development team that we need to make the graphics better is a little like telling a basketball team that they need to score more points...

David

[Neoriceisgood]

Yeah, it comes natural.

[Sangel]

I'm not talking about 3D. I'm talking about the graphics. The Wesnoth graphics can be better without being 3D.

Excellent. Welcome to the graphics team!

[FooBarWidget]

I'll join you after I finish the 24.000 things on my TODO list