Old Portrait for Konrad & Li'sar

[oaq]

UPDATE

I have recently seen the new portraits in a different screen aspect ratio. Thinner and taller, they look much better, especially Konrad.

I am growing used to the new Konrad. I think that I like him, after all -- if anyone cares.

My earlier comment, which disliked the new Konrad and doubted the new Li'sar, follows.

ORIGINAL COMMENT

I prefer the former portraits of Konrad and Li'sar. I prefer the new portrait of Delfador.

The new Li'sar is skilfully drawn. She looks like a Norman shield-maiden princess, which is a fine look. Well done.

However, the former Li'sar is hot. Clean, but hot. Also, the former Li'sar looks more athletic than the new, and much better depicts her character's peculiar, nimble abilities. But, mainly, the former Li'sar is hot.

The new Konrad is skilfully drawn. However, sometimes, he looks more like a dimwitted, stoop-shouldered 22-year-old peasant than anything else. He looks a bit excitable, which is okay, but does not look interesting, inspiring or potentially significant. If you took the costly armor off and gave him a spear, he'd make a decent peasant levy.

The former Konrad is imperfect, with too much of year 1985, not enough of year 1385; but skilfully drawn, and preferable to the new. (One suspects that the game has room for another iteration of Konrad. The best Konrad may not yet have been drawn.)

The new Delfador is skilfully drawn and fits his role quite well. He's a winner.

The former Delfador fits the role pretty well, too, but has a different feel. He looks a bit somehow like a gardener, which is something a good wizard should probably be; but -- I don't exactly know why -- the former Delfador has never been my favorite. Also, the former Delfador matches the game's other artwork less well than the new.

These are just my own preferences, of course. No one is required to care about them. Your preferences may differ. Did I mention that the former Li'sar is hot?

If I had developed a game, if someone had contributed a drawing that had that special je ne sais quoi to it, I would hold fast to that drawing. The former Li'sar had an unusual, magical quality, not easily reprised. Hers was the best, most effective drawing in the game. Besides, as a general rule of aesthetics, a clean picture of a pretty girl is usually a good visual around which to build a plot.

One more point, which may or may not be relevant: I dislike everything about Game of Thrones. Anything, including portraits, that reminds me of Game of Thrones is a thing I dislike to that extent. Roland, good. Malory, good. Spenser, good. Gibbon, good. Tennyson, good. Wagner, good. Tolkien, good. Martin, very, very bad. Again, that's just me.

I do like the new portraits, incidentally. The new portraits credit the game. I like them very much. Maybe, if the new portraits had belonged to Wesnoth when I first played, I would associate them with the game subconsciously and therefore prefer them. It is hard to say; but, at any rate, my own preference would be for the former portraits of Konrad and Li'sar, but for the new portrait of Delfador.

Thanks for reading.

[taptap]

You can stop now, the artists are gone.

[DeepThought]

The reason these portraits were replaced was because they look like they belong in an anime

I kinda preferred the pseudo-anime. Not only did it fit the tiny sprites better, but it kept the game from feeling dry. Even Delfador was more fun with a slight cartoonish hint, even though I approve of the detail of the new one. Fantasy and realism produce a dry solution because realistically- the middle ages were dirt, grime, and itch, with no shining armor or vibrant expression. Better to keep the saturated colors and suspended disbelief. Honestly, I find the new Konrad & Li'sar look kinda- lame.

and no- we're not stopping. They can get new artists for all I care, as the forum exists to offer opinions.

[Pentarctagon]

The reason these portraits were replaced was because they look like they belong in an anime

I kinda preferred the pseudo-anime. Not only did it fit the tiny sprites better, but it kept the game from feeling dry. Even Delfador was more fun with a slight cartoonish hint, even though I approve of the detail of the new one. Fantasy and realism produce a dry solution because realistically- the middle ages were dirt, grime, and itch, with no shining armor or vibrant expression. Better to keep the saturated colors and suspended disbelief. Honestly, I find the new Konrad & Li'sar look kinda- lame.

and no- we're not stopping. They can get new artists for all I care, as the forum exists to offer opinions.

I understand that people can have different views on things and that's fine, but at this point, the decision has already been made - Wesnoth is not going back to the sorta-anime portraits.

Since that is the case, and since this thread was dead for over a year prior to your post, I am locking this thread.