I'm not sure if you can answer this, but I guess I might as well ask since you seem to know what you're doing as far as rendering.
What is it about the "new" EQ engine (meaning the Luclin engine) that looks so much worse compared to the original EQ engine (Classic, Kunark, and Velious). I can't quite put my finger on it, but its almost as if everything Luclin and beyond is displayed as full bright, with no shadowing whatsoever. I know EQ never used lightmaps, but the original engine looked far superior in terms of lighting compared to the Luclin terrain engine. Even with its low poly count, i'd still say the old engine looks better than the new one.
Compare for example these 2 pics:
The first screenshot is taken from GOD. Notice how there is absolutly *NO* shadowing taking place. Looking at that shot almost makes me nauseous because there is no way for the eye to tell distance. There is no shadowing to help give a feel of depth to the different objects/walls.
The 2nd shot is taken from original EQ. Notice how walls are shaded differently depending on what direction they are facing and where the sunlight is coming from. This 2nd shot is far more pleasing to look at. Sure, it might have lower poly counts due to the more primitive BSP engine, but it looks far better, IMO.
Do you know if this is some problem related to terrain engines? Or is Sony just too lazy to do proper lighting? I personally can't stand looking at any zone after Velious, because the lighting is just so off.[/url]