The dignity of grey and brown.

[Worgen]

Is there dignity and seriousness to grey and brown?

They released some early gameplay of dawn of war 3 and one of the complaints I see show up in the comments is that it looks like shit, when that is elaborated on then people say its too colorful. We see this in movies set in the middle ages and such also, everyone in just brown or grey outfits, very little color or its washed out.

So here is the question, is grey and brown more serious or does it have more dignity than something that actually looks real?

 

[thethain]

Grey, brown, and desaturation in general is considered more serious than vibrant bright colors.

Both directions can draw criticism. The FPS of a few years ago were lambasted for all being dreary or black and using the power of newly created systems to create bland.

Diablo 3 was initially railed on for being too colorful, which lead to their super happy secret level.

 

[DefunctTheory]

You know what they're also bitching about? That the Imperial Knights look too badass. That Terminators can't jump. That there's too many character on the screen. That fucking Alpha footage, released only to show off models, wasn't dynamic enough.

I'm going to chalk this color complaint up to 'Everyone's gotta ***** about something.'

And to answer your question, no, across the board.

 

[FalloutJack]

All complaints of gray and brown in warzones and wastelands are ridiculous. These areas look like SHIT, because shit went down there. It's dirt. It's dirt in a place where there is dirt because it's dirty.

 

[Saelune]

I don't complain if a game wants to be serious and drab, but a game that is serious but still pleasant to look at is nice. Can be colorful and serious. Not Kirby or Zelda colorful, sure, but something more than grey and brown.

Id give good examples, but none come to me this moment.

 

[MysticSlayer]

I do tend to associate a lack of color (or more specifically, excess focus on brown, grey, and washed out) with a game trying to be serious and creating an oppressive atmosphere. Sometimes I don't mind it, like in Call of Duty 4 or Gears of War. Other times, it just looks ugly and is an eyesore, like with Dragon Age: Origins or Grand Theft Auto IV.[footnote]If GTA4 had areas with more color, sorry for using a bad example. But I couldn't put up with the game long enough to get out of the area that didn't have any color.[/footnote]

That said, I don't mind seeing a little bit of life and color in more serious games and would even prefer it. It doesn't have to be super colorful, but not trying to drown out the non-brown and non-grey colors would be nice.

 

[Hawki]

It really depends on the setting. I've never really got this idea that "grey/brown=boring," because a lot of the games were those colours are used, it wouldn't make sense to use a brighter colour palette.

To use the examples here:

-Dawn of War: It's in the 41st millennium where life sucks, demons want your souls, and tyranids want your babies. Grey and brown.

-Diablo III: There was indeed a bit of a controversy there, but personally, I think it's at the right level, more or less. Diablo III isn't as dark as Path of Exile, but it's hardly Torchlight either (which uses a far more Warcraft-esque aesthetic). But yes, Whimsyshire does exist as a tongue in cheek reference to the early complaints of the game being too colourful.

-Kirby: Never played it, but it's visually distinct, and I can't imagine any scenario in the Kirby universe which would necessitate a "dark and gritty" approach (unless Kirby's devouring of innocent creatures is looked at in-depth)

-Legend of Zelda: Has a widely varied aesthetic, ranging from the brightness of Wind Waker to the dourness of Twilight Princess. Honestly, I'm fine with it. LoZ is a very malleable series, and all the stronger for it.

I think at the end of the day, brighter characters will make characters and settings more colourful, but there's times when a dour colour palette absolutely fits the setting. I remember Killzone 2, how everything is dour. And that fits. There's an oppressive atmosphere that runs throughout the entire game given how hostile Helghan is as a planet, and the only time that breaks is when you're in the clean, sterile corridors of the New Sun. And even then you're still fighting for your life.

 

[DefunctTheory]

-Dawn of War: It's in the 41st millennium where life sucks, demons want your souls, and tyranids want your babies. Grey and brown.

But it really shouldn't be.

The Imperium is built on brass (Shiny). Half of the Imperial Guard would rather their soldiers be easily identified from 100 miles away then try for any sort of camouflage, and the Astertas are as dull as a Gay Pride Parade. The Mechanicus is built on said brass as well, except for the bits that are covered in bright freak'n red. Tyranids have colorful chitin to distinguish between fleets, Necrons and Tau have armor with neon lights built in (And the Tau themselves are sky blue, at their palest). Orks are green, Eldar are primarily white, except for the castes that are essentially murder clowns, and look the part, and Chaos has an entire faction that chooses its color scheme based on how offensive it is to the eyes.

The Universe is bright as hell and could put a rainbow to shame.

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

except for the castes that are essentially murder clowns, and look the part

In case of the Harlequins, that's pretty much quite literally what they are.

Spoiler: I mean, look at them

[umg]http://klatu.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/harlequins-4th-650x467.jpg[/img]

The Universe is bright as hell and could put a rainbow to shame.

I don't know where the idea that 40K should be all muted browns and greys comes from either. It may revel in its own grimdarkness, but it doesn't look like it, and it never has. I mean, the Ultramarines, THE posterboys for the setting, have a color scheme of deep, vivid blue complemented by bright yellow and gold. Their name is even a pun on their primary color. Even the Dark Eldar, who are all about darker and edgier, contrast their dark color schemes with bright splashes of color.

To be fair, there are armies where 'dirt brown and gunmetal grey' does apply, like some Imperial Guard regiments like the Panzer Korps, Armageddon Steel Legion, Valhallan Ice Warriors or Tallarn Desert Raiders. But that's because their entire schtick is being expies of real life, mostly WW1 and WW2 era, militaries and armed forces.

 

[Bobular]

except for the castes that are essentially murder clowns, and look the part

In case of the Harlequins, that's pretty much quite literally what they are.

Spoiler: I mean, look at them

[umg]http://klatu.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/harlequins-4th-650x467.jpg[/img]

The Universe is bright as hell and could put a rainbow to shame.

I don't know where the idea that 40K should be all muted browns and greys comes from either. It may revel in its own grimdarkness, but it doesn't look like it, and it never has. I mean, the Ultramarines, THE posterboys for the setting, have a color scheme of deep, vivid blue complemented by bright yellow and gold. Their name is even a pun on their primary color. Even the Dark Eldar, who are all about darker and edgier, contrast their dark color schemes with bright splashes of color.

To be fair, there are armies where 'dirt brown and gunmetal grey' does apply, like some Imperial Guard regiments like the Panzer Korps, Armageddon Steel Legion, Valhallan Ice Warriors or Tallarn Desert Raiders. But that's because their entire schtick is being expies of real life, mostly WW1 and WW2 era, militaries and armed forces.

I'll join the chorus that 40k should be bright and colourful, just to create a stark contrast the the actual dark actions that take place within the universe.

I spend a lot of my time painting my 40k miniatures and whilst I get a few people telling me my minis are too dark, you'll never find a miniature of mine with an abundance of brown on it, not even on the bases as I like to give my guys alien landscapes. I even just started painting an Eldar army just so I could paint a whole mix of bright colours across an army.

 

[Pseudonym]

Depends on the tone you want to go for and what you want your artstyle to do and whether what you do fits. Whether a particular artstyle works in a particular game or movie is a matter of aesthetic judgement and has to be looked at case by case.

 

[Fhqwhgod]

Dirt is brown, walls are grey snow is white. Why can't snow be pink for once?
If you want a "realistic" setting you will not be able to avoid grey and brown. If developers go out and take photos for textures etc the result being a brown world is pretty much a given.

 

[Cowabungaa]

It can be if used right. That, and different palettes have different places in art.

If you want a "realistic" setting you will not be able to avoid grey and brown.

Have you looked outside already? I live in the inner city and even here it's a parade of colour.

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

If you want a "realistic" setting you will not be able to avoid grey and brown.

Have you looked outside already? I live in the inner city and even here it's a parade of colour.

I don't think he meant to imply that grey and brown are the only available colors for a 'realistic' setting, just that they are just very common in certain environments, such as cities, deserts or otherwise arid areas. Those places still have their splashes of color to be sure, but are still going to have a lot greys, browns and other earthy colors. Then again, I live in a relatively rural area in a temperate climate, so the dominant color I see outside my window is green.

 

[Dornedas]

Why can't snow be pink for once?

If you want your snow to be pink you just need to play Overlord 2 with an outdated graphics card.

At least back then on my Laptop the snow was pink. I think it had a Geforce 4800 .

Believe me white snow is MUCH prettier.

 

[Necrozius]

As long as there's something to contrast the sepia hodge-podge then I'm okay with it. Examples: vivid weather effects, bright, colourful explosions, colourful UI or HUD etc...

 

[sageoftruth]

I've mostly been looking into 40K from the outside so I may be wrong here, but I get the impression that it is not meant to be serious as a gray/brown color palette would imply. It's kind of like heavy metal, full of grimdark but also full of unapologetic cheese.
As a result, I feel that gritty serious realism doesn't actually suit the world of 40K. 40K is not a somber reflection on the harsh realities of war, it's an awesome escapist fantasy into a setting where everyone's effin badass. They can keep the colors as far as I'm concerned.
If someone chooses to adapt it into something more somber and serious, they're welcome to make it more gray and brown to help express that.

 

[Worgen]

All complaints of gray and brown in warzones and wastelands are ridiculous. These areas look like SHIT, because shit went down there. It's dirt. It's dirt in a place where there is dirt because it's dirty.

Except the characters wouldn't. The space marines are supposed to treat their armor with religious reverence, they would clean that shit up. They wouldn't leave mud and crap on it.

 

[SweetShark]

-Dawn of War: It's in the 41st millennium where life sucks, demons want your souls, and tyranids want your babies. Grey and brown.

But it really shouldn't be.

The Imperium is built on brass (Shiny). Half of the Imperial Guard would rather their soldiers be easily identified from 100 miles away then try for any sort of camouflage, and the Astertas are as dull as a Gay Pride Parade. The Mechanicus is built on said brass as well, except for the bits that are covered in bright freak'n red. Tyranids have colorful chitin to distinguish between fleets, Necrons and Tau have armor with neon lights built in (And the Tau themselves are sky blue, at their palest). Orks are green, Eldar are primarily white, except for the castes that are essentially murder clowns, and look the part, and Chaos has an entire faction that chooses its color scheme based on how offensive it is to the eyes.

The Universe is bright as hell and could put a rainbow to shame.

You are right, but what about their enviroments? As far I know from different artworks I saw they are indeed dark, brown, grey, etc.
I am not complain, but I don't think I saw a colorful place for a War.

Anyway, The dark, grey, brown, similar colors represent for me "respect".
Someone/something who is ancient, forgotten by the eyes of the new world. Seeing a world like this fill you with dread and sorrow, but at the same time you see a history behind it which show how glorious and admirable can be.
Dark Souls games are major example.

 

[FalloutJack]

Snip

There isn't enough water and cleaning rags to go around for each marine to polish his armor because he got it mussed by the terrain and/or the blood of his enemies. Realistically, once you devastate an area, there's so much free-floating particulate matter that you'd need a personal forcefield to keep it off of you. And really, that kinda' tech is best-used defending your body than keeping tidy.