Well they\d be hypocrits not to... (and it\s not from DoW, as all the units come from the tabletop game... they're getting "inspiration" from the source).
I was actually thinking of the way SC2 copied jetpack troops functionality from DOW.
Based on PC limitation at the time of H2 the art is brilliantly drawn... H3 and 4 did get worse.
I did like H2 so I agree with you there. I wouldn't call it brilliant, but it did have a classic European type of style which was fresh. You can only play so many Jpnese games in those days before everything becomes a blur (artwise).
And nostalgia is a stupid argument against the quality of art... as art is in the end all about evoking emotions from the watcher... if something made you feel good 10 years ago why wouldn't it also do it now
Oh yeah? Go watch a TV show cartoon you adored as a child, and tell me it's not nostalgia that's keeping you to the TV after 5 minutes. I'm not talking about shows with actual good art, of course.
Ubi's artist/s... but anyone can draw... the question is how well...
OK, then. Nival can draw *well.*
Art school... i bet you 10 to 1 that if i look i'll find that the artists that worked on the earlier HoMM's did go to art school.
It's an expression. The point is they suck and should "go back to school."
And you think i won't be able to find one famous artist saying another famous artist can't draw?
You know the saying that artists are snobby? It's true. That's the nature of being an artist; you can't be an artist if you're not independent and stubborn. Like you can't be a scientist if you're not a perfectionist. We sometimes concede things if we're talking to other artists of equal/higher skill, no guarantees. And with non-artist, forget about it, we don't take the opinions of non-artists very seriously. Even nice artists will just politely refuse/ignore non-artists.
Now, seeing how you're studying art do tell, what exactly is wrong with this picture:
The H2 black dragon is a great picture and a poor example. You're using a stallion to prove a point on donkeys. I really like how it's patterned after heraldry, which is a perfect tone for a game like H2.
Next, as I have said before "3D virtual reality" approach sucks for strategy games.
I completely agree that a 2D adventure map would've been great for H5.
Town graphics are a good example of strange design IMO. Many dwellings do so little sense compared to H3 towns.
Town design is strictly a matter of opinion. I agree Nival should've researched spelunking first before finalizing Dungeon, but the point is that the technical skill is apparently there. Concept quality is too subjective to argue over. You can say Nival thought more about evoking DE magical atmosphere rather than worrying about practicality when designing Dungeon.
And finally, if nothing else, the graphics of user interface in H5 is IMO alien while in H2 it only adds to the spirit. + Look at the background of hero portraits!
This is what I'm talking about. Take someone who has never played HoMM, show him these 2 portraits and ask him which picture shows more technical skill in art. Take your avatar; it also shows more skill than the burly knight jpg. Both are H2 but the quality varies widely. It's not the only example. It's art inconsistency like that, that made HoMM appear homely and fan-made.
