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The graphics/visual style of GTA V


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BoringPedsDumbCops

I'm quite happy with it overall, some people have said that the visual style was "too cartoony" but I like a bit of that in GTA. GTA III and Vice City were visual styles I liked the most and GTA V brought that back a bit.

 

I will admit that the cutscenes reminded me a little bit of Toy Story though..

 

Michael-gta5.jpgwek9i2q.jpg?w=700

Edited by BoringPedsDumbCops
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What is it exactly? When I look at GTA V it's very different looking than say, Max Payne 3.

 

I want to say MP3 looks more real, while V is kind of cartoony - but that doesn't sound right. I've definitely noticed this, but I can't figure out what exactly it is.

BoringPedsDumbCops

What is it exactly? When I look at GTA V it's very different looking than say, Max Payne 3.

 

I want to say MP3 looks more real, while V is kind of cartoony - but that doesn't sound right. I've definitely noticed this, but I can't figure out what exactly it is.

 

Maybe the character animations for GTA are a little more comedic? I'm not quite sure either.

No, definitely not that. You can take a still screenshot from both games and still notice it.

 

I feel like it's the lighting. The PC screenshots in 4k that Rockstar showcased a while back, the protagonists look incredibly different than they do compared to the PS3/360 version.

LightningLord

I don't get it. What do you people mean by "it looks cartoony"? I just don't see how. I'm not defending the game, I'm just confused.

Edited by LightningLord411
  • Like 2

Not cartoony, but take a look at OP's picture of Michael. Some of the textures, like his wrinkles or forehead, are really dark and it looks like they're outlined. Around the edge of his head sort of looks like an outline, and the general shading of his face makes it look a bit "flat," and some colors seem sort of "hard" as opposed to soft and natural. It almost looks like a really detailed piece of loading screen artwork.

 

But like I said, the lighting and shading effects have been changed in the Next-Gen and PC versions, and they look very different.

@trevorphilips and @lightninglord Well when you compare it with gta 4, gta5 obviously has more visual fidelity(the game looks "cleaner") but gta 4 looked more realistic. This difference in realism is mainly due to the colors. Gta 5's colors are very bright and the game world is generally a very unrealisticly colorful world(but in a good way) similar to a cartoon. Gta4 on the other hand uses much more true to life colors. The colors of characters' skins for example are completely different between the two games.

 

A good example of this is packie, since he appears in both games. He is supposed to be an almost pale Irish guy. In gta4 he is actually pale, but in gta 5 he looks more tan compared to gta4, but relative to everything else in gta 5 he is still pale. I don't know if I just confused y'all even more but this is the best I can explain it.

 

I like both art directions though. Gta4 exaggerated the colors sometimes which is why it almost appeared black and white at times. Watchdogs is a much better example of what gta4 was meant to look like.

Edited by RominOctane

Remove the "piss filter" and fix the saturation in IV, and it still looks "closer to reality" like Max Payne 3, as opposed to the PS3/360 versions of GTA V.

 

It's definitely the lighting though. And Packie being pale in IV, but a bit tanner in V? Well IV took place in the Fall of 2008, and GTA V takes place in sunny Los Santos five years later. Packie leaves for LS immediately after the ending of TBoGT, which takes place a day after IV's ending. So he's been there for quite a while too, enough time to get a tan.

I just bought a PS4 with the last of us "preloaded" and bought GTAV as well. The first few days I was only playing GTA and thought it looked a decent amount better than my old PS3 version. I finally played the last of us remastered fully expecting the graphics to be better (for some reason) and I honestly didn't find it to seem any better than a PS3 game other than the gorgeous cut scenes.

 

GTA is remastered a lot better than the last of us.

I just bought a PS4 with the last of us "preloaded" and bought GTAV as well. The first few days I was only playing GTA and thought it looked a decent amount better than my old PS3 version. I finally played the last of us remastered fully expecting the graphics to be better (for some reason) and I honestly didn't find it to seem any better than a PS3 game other than the gorgeous cut scenes.

 

GTA is remastered a lot better than the last of us.

Under display change it to 30FPS and youll see the different in (The Last Of Us)

I'm quite happy with it overall, some people have said that the visual style was "too cartoony" but I like a bit of that in GTA. GTA III and Vice City were visual styles I liked the most and GTA V brought that back a bit.

 

I will admit that the cutscenes reminded me a little but of Toy Story though..

 

Michael-gta5.jpgwek9i2q.jpg?w=700

Hey boringpedsdumbcops, remind me how's the planet you live on?

I'm really confused as well. How are the graphics cartoony? I'm confused

Yeah, I'm confused too? How? Because of the colors?

GTA has always been cartoony, look at III and VC for example- the characters, whilst obviously limited by tech at the time, were very cartoony - and matched the art style of the game at the time. As the power to add more detail has become available, the art style around the games has become less cartoony - GTA is growing up, like each of us. I think the V graphics are stunningly lifelike when viewing the city and vehicles, but the characters retain a very slightly 'drawn' look. I think by the time we get VI, that cartoony look will be gone completely.

@trevorphilips and @lightninglord Well when you compare it with gta 4, gta5 obviously has more visual fidelity(the game looks "cleaner") but gta 4 looked more realistic. This difference in realism is mainly due to the colors. Gta 5's colors are very bright and the game world is generally a very unrealisticly colorful world(but in a good way) similar to a cartoon. Gta4 on the other hand uses much more true to life colors. The colors of characters' skins for example are completely different between the two games.

 

A good example of this is packie, since he appears in both games. He is supposed to be an almost pale Irish guy. In gta4 he is actually pale, but in gta 5 he looks more tan compared to gta4, but relative to everything else in gta 5 he is still pale. I don't know if I just confused y'all even more but this is the best I can explain it.

 

I like both art directions though. Gta4 exaggerated the colors sometimes which is why it almost appeared black and white at times. Watchdogs is a much better example of what gta4 was meant to look like.

GTA 4 looks more realistic? No, in real life i dont see it only black and white, gray, brown and orange all the time, i see it as colorful and artistic as GTA V is, which means V much more realistic looking than 4.

 

Tell me, when was the last time you got out of your house or at least looked trough the window?

 

As for lighting, California is predominantly a very sunny place like how V is, lighting is very strong as well when you look up in the sky and it can disturb your eyes a bit too. Its a realistic atmosphere of how Cali is with its mediterranean climate.

When I was playing the game, I had the same feeling others did with the graphics. It's in between pseudo-realism and realism. What most are saying is that the game looks "cartoony" due to how it's not exactly realistic looking but also not overly cartoony - like Borderlands.

 

For more photorealistic graphics - take a look at Grand Theft Auto IV with overcast weather and the brown filter turned off and don't move. The game looks like you're looking outside your window.

 

To put things into perspective - someone described Grand Theft Auto V as "The Best Game In Motion". When it comes to good graphics - haven't you noticed that it looks like real life yet looks cartoony as soon as it moves? It's the opposite with Grand Theft Auto V - the game looks excellent in motion with the lighting, reflections, level of detail - however it looks cartoony when you stop to take a glance. It's the same problem that has affected Metal Gear Solid V - Kojima noted on his Twitter that the photo realistic graphics are stunning when static - however as soon as Snake appears on screen it loses all of that effect. Some talented users on this forum have taken amazing pictures through Snapmatic - when there are no characters are present on screen.

R* has talked about this before. They don't want to do photo-realistic visuals. They think its a "boring goal", which I agree with 100%.

 

It's super easy to do photo realism. It's almost the opposite of "artistic". You don't even need to be an artist. Technology like "photogrammetry" is a great way to get photo-realistic assets for use in video games. It's what was used in The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. It's great for smaller studios, but R* has a lot of talented artists so it's just not necessary, and I've always been a fan of the different styles we see in GTA games. It's more subtle now, but R* has always gone for more of a graphic art/comic book style.

Edited by BlackNoise
  • Like 1

I didnt really get this..if u meant tht GTA V is more colorful and bright then

see the difference between this comet in GTA IV and V

 

http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140308200706/gtawiki/images/thumb/9/91/PfisterComet-Front-GTAV.png/480px-PfisterComet-Front-GTAV.png

 

http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20091125162828/gtawiki/images/thumb/d/d4/Comet-GTA4-front.jpg/480px-Comet-GTA4-front.jpg

 

As u can see the IV the comets color looks kinda dull and cinema like

While in GTA V it looks rly colorful and sweet

 

Is this wht u meant?

Edited by Aikor

^ No, look at the characters. People don't actually look like that. Close, but R* chose to make them more stylized. Look at your avatar for example. That's an extremely stylized version of what a person looks like, but R* shoots for something more subtle, but still not photo realistic.

 

 

AzelfandQuilava

I see exactly what you mean, GTA IV was coloured like 50 shades of grey, it helped make it look realistic and fit quite well with the atmosphere.

GTA V, is more like GTA VC, its vibrant and colorful! I think for GTA V, I much prefer this look.

Please don't make that mistake again...

  • Like 2

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