Stop releasing ugly screenshots

[Nemeo]

Sorry for the bashing title. Here is my point: I was visiting one of the most visited french website, when I saw an article about mount and blade! I was really excited about seeing the news entitled "paradow releases new screenshots of the upcoming mount&blade".

And I was quite disappointed.

First screenshot: a nord hiding in front of a landscape, hiding what could have been an interesting battle behind him.
2nd one: a hired blade with the ugliest helm of the game (the one which makes me think that the guy has a head of the size of a water melon). Besides the screenshots clearly shows that horses are too small, and look like big poney. The snow landscape is plain.
3rd one: a landscape, a horse, a lost archer and low resolution trees 40 yards away.
4th one: a single horse archer shooting at some infantryman.
5th one: 2 horse riders chasing one. The chased horse rider is twisted at 180° and the horse has an arrow through the head.
6th one: two riders. Great.
7th one: A castle, the one nice screenshot of the news.
8th one: 26 horse riders (with 20 at a great distance). The landscape is poor however and chances are high that any interested people would have clicked away since the 5th picture.
9th one: A rider with the ugly yellow and black unflaged shield and a village in the snow. Quite far unfortunately.
10th and 11th one: a city in the desert. Interesting but a bit late to show them.

Here is the link: http://www.clubic.com/actualite-139876-mount-blade.html

M&B is old and the screenshots you show aren't showing anything beautiful nor interesting. What you should show is 76 big battles. A battlefield covered with arrows and corpse. An army where every soldier has a shield flagged. The beautiful scenes. River fights. An epileptic horse. Anything but those kind of screenshots. It's impossible to defend the game in this situation. "It's ugly, old engine, not realistic, far from oblivion... etc". How do you want us to sell your game?

 

[Volkier]

First screenshot: a nord hiding in front of a landscape, hiding what could have been an interesting battle behind him.

Don't see any bushes, Don't think it's a nord, (although I'm prolly wrong), True he is blocking the battle, but it's quite visible if you enlarge the screenshot.

2nd one: a hired blade with the ugliest helm of the game (the one which makes me think that the guy has a head of the size of a water melon). Besides the screenshots clearly shows that horses are too small, and look like big poney. The snow landscape is plain.

Personal preference on the helmet. Personally, I actually think it's the best looking for matching heavy armor outfit. Horses in game are small - any screenshot that is not taken from a lower angle will show that. Thats how snow looks - it covers the prickly pushes and grass and makes the landscape white and flat.

3rd one: a landscape, a horse, a lost archer and low resolution trees 40 yards away.

I don't think the lost archer and the background is the emphasis of the screenshot. But yes, I would probably agree that the resolution of the JPG is rather low for the size of the screen-shot itself.

4th one: a single horse archer shooting at some infantryman.

I'm quite sure the infantryman is actually an archer. (Not that I see a gripe or problem with either?)

5th one: 2 horse riders chasing one. The chased horse rider is twisted at 180° and the horse has an arrow through the head.

Ok, have to agree with you that this wasn't a good choice.

6th one: two riders. Great.

Correction, two riders and nice grass and uuhh... sky.... and uhh yeah. I mean thats what screenshots are no?

7th one: A castle, the one nice screenshot of the news.

Probably agree with you there.

8th one: 26 horse riders (with 20 at a great distance). The landscape is poor however and chances are high that any interested people would have clicked away since the 5th picture.

Don't speculate. Again, not everyone shares your opinion or looks at the screenshots like you do. Personally I would have looked at the thumb-prints and only opened the ones that looked interesting.

9th one: A rider with the ugly yellow and black unflaged shield and a village in the snow. Quite far unfortunately.

Again, opinion based. That, and I doubt that one Khergit is going to have a big pretty warshield.

10th and 11th one: a city in the desert. Interesting but a bit late to show them.

See 8

M&B is old and the screenshots you show aren't showing anything beautiful nor interesting. What you should show is 76 big battles. A battlefield covered with arrows and corpse. An army where every soldier has a shield flagged. The beautiful scenes. River fights. An epileptic horse. Anything but those kind of screenshots. It's impossible to defend the game in this situation. "It's ugly, old engine, not realistic, far from oblivion... etc". How do you want us to sell your game?

We are not showing those screenshots. Neither are the developers or Taleworlds. The French website you refer to is. Complain to them if you have any issues, but I can tell you straight off that they would say something along the lines of 'it's impossible to appease everyone'.

 

[digitalstk]

I actually liked several of those screenshots. I can see how someone who has never played or heard about M&B might be turned off by them, but visuals really won't be this game's selling point anyways.

this was my personal favorite out of the ones on that page:

i think it captures the feel of mount&blade outside of combat perfectly.

 

[Lt. of the tower]

Hell, they're not that bad. Nothing amazing, but still ok.

 

[Nemeo]

Taking every point I made and trying to counter them is pointless and quite childish if you ask me: the problem is the same, and I'm just trying to help. The stuff I'm reporting is what PEOPLE who don't know the game were reporting. You know, I don't really care if you ask me. Most of the screenshots looked ok to me but some people were thinking otherwise, and actually, it was hard to say they were wrong when the facts are there. Furthermore you know that people who don't know a game often listen to naysayers. You can be picky and say "you're wrong it's not an archer but an infantryman", this is not the point: the point is that these screenshots don't show what mount and blade is famous for.

The website says that PARADOX SENT them these screenshots. And these screenshots aren't selling the game, I can tell. I don't just post for the fun of it. I have better stuff to do. Next time I'll just shut my mouth off if that's the kind of answers moderators throw at your face when you try to help. Noted.

 

[buzbybadman]

I think its nice you feel so strongly how the game is being represented, don't think the screen shots were too bad though, bit empty maybe. They seem to be more focused on the horse animation to me, after all it is the novelty of the game and hopefully people will be curious about it, I don't know French, does it mention this or read well?  Think those shots were probably taken in a bit of a hurry, much as journalism is, deadlines and all, not sure how it works on the internet

 

[BloodLuster]

yeah some of them are poor!! but I say let them create a great game and take poor screenshots!!
As long as the game is good someone (eventually) will be able to capture his beauty!!

And besides we have chel!!
He takes great screenshots!!

 

[Zathan]

I agree, as a presentation of M&B, those pictures are, for the most part, bad.
The first castle one is okay, but could've had a lone soldier in it to create more athmosphere.

The one with the 'Ogre'-knight on the mule is particularly hilarious..
As is the one with the horse balancing an arrow on its muzzle.

We players know M&B has some shortcomings, but why go out of your way to actually present them?
And why isn't there a single pic with the awesome M&B sunset?

Zathan