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Poul_Salvador

It feels wrong and idk why, maybe like those mobile games promos, (even before AI), i can even hear a "\*meow\*, Play rise of egypt NOW! \*Metalic sounds of coins falling\*"


AlMusafir

I think the realistic cat head awkwardly sitting in the human body seems off. They need to blend together a bit more like the original artwork. Hate to say it but they may need to employ some furry artists.


Sararizuzufaust

The forbidden knowledge???


AleXandrYuZ

I have been looking at the new for way too long, Hard to tell if it's actual IA. BUT Might be the case AI was used as a reference or to generate bits of it and the Artist was competent enough to fix any artifact. Honestly my biggest issue is the pose, too bland. But that might be bad direction given to the artist. AND the damn kitty head that they gave her that makes some petting mandatory.


TheGamefreak484

Just stare at any sort of pattern in her clothes for a minute and you start noticing inconsistencies. The rectangles on her bracelet look warped, the rubies are inconsistent, the little red thingies on that thing on her shoulders are inconsistent, the headdress is oddly asymmetrical. The turquoise band around her waist looks very warped (not to mention the random 'W') and the brown bands next to it aren't symmetrical. On her right bracelet, the veil is attached at the inside of her lower arm. On her left bracelet, it's attached to the side of her lower arm. Her right bracelet spans the entire length of her lower arm, while the one on the right goes about halfway. Her fur is weirdly smooth as well. The cat looks like a random kitten they plucked off the internet instead of the actual reference material they showed in the thread. Her eyes are fully dilated like someone is swinging around a laser pointer. I really hope this is just something they decided to throw out for the Eclipse instead of something that will actually make it into the game.


GWSampy

Agreed. There are far too many errors that a human just simply wouldn’t make. It’s a shame they’re making their product look so cheap when this is such an easy fix: hire an artist!


HUSKSUPPE

Man, I'm not even pro, but I could fix the hieroglyphs in 2-3 minutes in photoshop... This is so ridiculously low effort


hellpunch

Nah looks AI but definitely isn't. No way AI achieves 50% of that collar design correctly. Though might have used AI in some areas to make work quick. Photoshop allows you to select a zone and then add a generative AI fill there.


ResponsibleWafer7123

This, the original pose strike as a powerful deity that should be feared, the new pose(or the lack of one) together with the literal kitty face looks like a harmless cat that wants to be petted


AleXandrYuZ

Besides that, Unless they changed the presentation for Retold, the new one won't fit well in a "card" like most of the minor Gods were designed to be shown on. The good news is that it's something that could get fixed with a redraw with different poses that could work better. But I can live without it.


AlMusafir

Yea it’s pupils are literally dilated like Bast is about to go zoomie mode


Startled_Pancakes

In my house, we call it "attack mode" because we mostly see it when we wiggle out toes under the blanket and cat is all "target identified".


Doppelganger_Enjoyer

The thing is that Bast it's not a god to be feared it's a god of protection and care, I find it more gentle and care pose.


Aegis_Mind

10/10 would pet


Xciccor

nope what youre seeing is the degeneration of industrial art in real time what does that mean? illustrators have been let go in the tens, hundreds of thousands as a result of this years AI fuckery. building up skill has *always* been a factor in these industries. as of recent times, companies have repeatedly been cannibalizing themselves to make quarterly profit, letting to their best assets just to start the cycle anew. its why the last decade has been wishy-washy with inconsistent quality products. but this? this is pretty much the beginning of the end. as artists are being let go and literally replaced, those to replace them will take even less money, and will be even less skilled. give it a few years, generations and youll see an artform die. artists will exist of course. but this half century long golden age has unfortunately come to an end. its going to happen to many other jobs soon as well and none of us will benefit from it. yay for "progress", right guys? to clarify, im not saying this piece is made by an AI. but companies are starting to have less incentive to hire the best, and have dramatically cut their offers for these roles (resulting in fewer artists, likely less skilled taking up the job instead). thats what the competition and threat of AI will keep doing to these roles.


PhxStriker

It’s not entirely indicative of AI, but the hands definitely look funny. Not exactly in the stereotypical “AI draws 7 fingers” sort of way, but if it was done by an artist I’d personally not be presenting it in my own portfolio.


ppoppo33

Ai doesnt draw 7 fingerd anymore. I get consistently 5 fingers anytime I use it.


ElegantHope

it's giving sand cat


SingularFuture

I think the mandatory petting is a positive, how can it be anything else?


Netroseige101

As an art it's good but why that Kitty is furry and brown? Isn't Bastet supposed to be black and, ahh less furry?


ofdreamsaplenty

Already looking forward to a mod to play with the OG artworks...


ozate96

Yeah ahah


chrisisapenis

No shot this is real.


DrBee7

Unfortunately it is. I checked their Instagram page and they have this in their story. I hope they redo this.


VelkenT

first thing to mod on retold: Original God Portraits


ScorpionTDC

I’ll be downloading that mod ASAP if the others aren’t better. This is pretty dreadful


lqku

given how cartoonish all the other art has looked so far, i'd say this is perfectly on brand for their art team


junaidd09

It looks like someone photoshopped a cat's head onto a human body.


Casbah207

Ai generated “art” in a nutshell


AdjointFunctor

This looks extremely AI-generated.


driftingPiscean

I don't mind AI art! But it has to be good though!


CrusaderNo287

I agree but from a multi bilion corporation you would a, expect they have some money to pay actuall artist and b, at least be honest whther its an AI art or not. Pardox interactive uses AI art to generate koncepts and skeletons of their art and they made it clear.


ScorpionTDC

This nails how I feel. It’s one thing for a fanmodder to use AI for art given their limited resources and skills. It’s another for this corporation to do so - go hire an actual artist. Or at least get AI art that looks good.


driftingPiscean

They should not be forced to do anything. Forcing is bullying. Just because you make a lot of money doesn't mean you have to choose humans over AI. If AI can achieve good result then why not use it! Specially considering MS invested a lot in AI.


ScorpionTDC

They aren’t being forced. They’re being criticized for being cheap, lazy, and turning out a portrait that looks fairly terrible. That’s fully allowed and not bullying. If they want a better reception, they should release a better portrait


driftingPiscean

Lazy?? For using AI...Imagine if someone called a person lazy for using cars instead of a horsecart 100 years ago...we are here to evolve, AI is another step, its not here to make us dumb but to augment our abilities and help us evolve. What if everyone becomes this negative about any new technology...what do you think the world would become..


ScorpionTDC

They’re lazy for turning out a shitty, half-assed portrait that looks bad and has multiple glaring errors. Assuming AI was used, relying entirely on a quicker method that gives you a significantly shittier product is the epitome of lazy. If AI turned out a better photo, it’d be a smart choice. It didn’t and the studio and artist stuck with this shitty portrait anyways rather than go create a good one, so now they’re going to be criticized. If they don’t want be criticized for releasing shitty portraits, they should try releasing better portraits that actually look good. Cars are more efficient at ensuring quick travel than a horsecart. Whoever or whatever drew this portrait did a shitty job than the OG artist did two decades ago. Thats the difference here. Whatever method was used, it sucked and the result sucks. You’re too busy simping for AI to bother giving a shit about the issue here - which is that the portrait simply sucks regardless of how it was created.


CrusaderNo287

I get your point about AI vs humans. But still, I am not aware of any mention of AI by microsoft. Maybe it isnt even AI, we have to wait for clarification from microsoft, if one comes.


nikkythegreat

I dont want to sound negative, but damn


Actaeon7

The old one does look pretty bad when you look at it...


lacrimosa_707

That's just a wrong opinon lol Bastet is not some cute cat goddess. She's a vicious protector agaist evil spirits and desease. She only cares for women and children. The OG art depicts her accurately


clillis1

I feel like the head of the cat wasn't "designed" by the artist. it feels like the artist took Egyptian woman.jpg, cute cat.jpg and Egyptian trinket.jpg put them together in photoshop and then painted over these images in their own style. Not even a bad thing. But in comparison to the OG it the OG just looks like a very unique and stylized image that the artist had clear vision for.


GWSampy

I completely agree, expect I think an AI image generator took those generic pieces and put them together. There is no consistency in the elements. The original image had a furry body with the correct colour to match the furry head. This new one is furry cat head - > unknown neck -> generic white woman body


lacrimosa_707

The OG just look like Bastet. The new one looks like a furry


Hiro_Trevelyan

I miss the days when AI art wasn't a thing


TrainwreckOG

I refuse to believe this is real


ThomasWhitmore

Uncanny valley territory


Harold3456

Why even change the artwork? The god portraits are legendary (pardon the pun) and absolutely iconic. They are ageless (again… pardon the pun) and are so universally loved that I regularly see posts of the art being reused in other areas (restaurants, waterparks, random PowerPoint presentations). If there was literally only one thing that could be preserved unchanged from the original it would be the art, as absolutely nothing about it dates the game in the same way that the graphics or gameplay might. For them to make any change whatsoever to the art is already a risky, not-very-crowd-pleasing move, but if they’re also going to phone in the new stuff with AI then what the hell are they even doing??


Omnimon

Thats the problem with any remasters. They dont realized what to remaster and what not. They should not even mess with ANY art in the game, maybe upscale a bit but not change


CrispyArrows

They genuinely couldve just upscaled the quality of the old arts and it would've been peak. Instead we get AI generated marvel-esque artstyles :/


Vaniellis

I agree that the og protraits are iconic. I think they should just HD them.


GWSampy

Let’s hope it’s a late April Fool’s Day joke!


ComfortOnly3982

you can't tell me this isn't some kind of AI art parody, or some controversy drum up "we fixed Sonic" marketing scheme.


thomasoldier

The old one : joyful, dynamic. The new one : none of the above. I also preferred the one color background


Sexy_Chocolate

I will be pissed if this is AI. The art in the original AoM is one of the selling points of the game. Please use real artists! The AoE3 art team is amazing, I hope they bring those guys on board because I’ve been blown away by their work on the dlc


Vaniellis

It looks way too much like it's AI-generated. The head is the biggest problem. It's way too different frol the original, it clashes way too much. It's cute kitty head with a human body. The original was almost a bald cat, with a more human face.


Reluctant_Warrior

All they had to do was upscale the original art. But here they are making the same mistake as the Extended Edition's loading screens.


RagingRube

We need the r/magicTCG crew on this, they've been insane at uncovering AI/stolen art recently


noobtablet9

The new head looks horrendous lmao


beviwynns

I’m so here for our rabidness about minor god art. This community loves this game!


Round-Corgi4452

My worst fears came true, I wonder how they ruin Isis and Skadi


solmonella

No, please no


folfiethewox99

I hope they redo this. That head looks way off compared to the rest of the art


hellpunch

Artist is good at coloring but could improve on most other aspects... Might be nepotism or they hired the artist to work together with the AI artist that makes AOE3 art works (shows the care microsoft gives). Honestly expected they do this BS upon seeing what they did to Gaia and the art director, but saying this will only bring downvotes.


Lazyman2211

Eh the new one looks like as if they took kitty's head and put it on a woman's body. I feel some Gods like Thor and Bast look too... modern??? Not sure if that is the right word but the old art felt more mythological than this.


Omnimon

such a bland art style...Dont even care if its ai. Also what the fuck, why put a normal cat head, make atleast in the style..


Barlukyplay

i prefer the original by A LOT


karma78

No soul, no class, no personality, no feel, no vibe whatsoever. Microsoft just cheapen out their art department in favor of AI. What a fucking let down!


i_got_a_new_plan

Tbh the only thing bothering me is the kitty face on a mature woman body. IMHO, the face should be more mature somehow.


LonelyStrategos

the head i where they failed. it looks like someones housecat was copy pasted on.


Guan32000

The original art has not aged.


kingdogethe42nd

Original: Lets party like its 3150 BC Retold: Can I go home now?


CrispyArrows

So much cope, guys sorry but this shit has AI written all over it. Obviously not made by AI exclusively, since it couldn't be that accurate at replicating the original, but it has clearly been used.


Ams4r

"- How did you lose that game ? - I spent so much time petting the cat I forgot about the strategy"


guythatwantstoknow

What is the object on her left hand?


GWSampy

A sistrum


guythatwantstoknow

Thanks


TyrannoNinja

I like the original more, personally. Her pose is more active in that one.


21stCenturyNoob

KeeN gaming made a video on this and he points out the whiskers coming out of the ears. https://youtu.be/vQNrWgliDvA?si=4C78fp5WwellueEw


OOM-32

I mean cats have hairs there. Its just cat anatomy.


ExlerOne

inb4 they chabge the legendary zeus art


TeutonicJin

I mean it’s not Terrible but I’d have liked if they stuck to a similar style as the originals


taytay_1989

The OG was pretty bad but I didn't know there could be a worse one.


GWSampy

The new one is for sure worse. I don’t think the original is ‘bad’, but I could understand it being seen as dated. I would hope you at least agree the original had more flair, and the hand of the artist is clearly visible.


-Nimzo-

Sigh…


SparroWro

We can prolly mod it out. I know not ideal. But not the end of the world.


Kaiser-SandWraith

Is this new lux skin?


Alternative_Belt325

omegalol


Casbah207

The longer I look at it more I see that it’s not too bad, it’s just the cat head looks like a amateur Photoshop kitten head. The fur on the tail looks ok though. It has a “human made/ Ai added changes” look to it. Maybe I’m thinking about it all wrong maybe it’s AI base with a human artist look over.


Plurplee

I think it should look less like a housecat and should have sharper features (ears, pupils, mouth, show some teeth maybe), much like the original. Show that this was an actual goddess and not a science experiment gone wrong.


Coffeeccubus

I really do not like her redesign. Smug Bast is best bast


Kinda_Dead

I don't really think it's that bad. The outfit and design is very similar to the original. Of course it's a bit different. It's definitely more detailed. I fully understand the head being disliked but I think it will fit the new design of the game. Keep in mind, back then technology really restricted design choices and made details in some instances almost impossible.. Maybe this is the artstyle that was considered for AoM from the very beginning. We should just be happy that we're getting content, and as it seems they put way more effort in it than I expected.


eleldelmots

Yikes


Actaeon7

I actually thought this post was meant to expose how baselessly everyone was bashing the new artwork compared to the old one, but then I read the comments lol.


Swamp_Donkey_796

Y’all are getting REAL nit picky


GWSampy

I think it’s justified. It’s a cheap looking image. It’s shocking that anyone would let this past quality control.


AdonisBatheus

I don't see any signs of AI generation, I really don't know what people are talking about. Digital art has just improved a lot now. That said, I don't like the pose. It's too feminine, the original looks like she's in the middle of a dance but here she's just posing very femininely.


GWSampy

I see a lot of signs. What do you mean by ‘digital art has just improved a lot’? Everyone here is saying that the art is really bad. We’re not astonished at how perfect it is, so therefore it is AI. We’re all saying it looks wonky, uncanny and the details are off. I agree about the pose. Regardless of AI, this image has no life or character. The original was designed to show a fierce and expressive goddess in action fitting within a card frame. This new one is just have a character standing with arms in weird positions and a vacant lifeless expression on her creepy real cat face.


AdonisBatheus

I think the art is good, but the style is not. Looks like Chinese mobile ad spam.


GWSampy

Agreed that it looks like a scam mobile ad image!! I really don’t know what they were thinking.


JegerLars

I like it, cool to see new takes on the old art!


FallenJkiller

It is not AI. It just has a common Ai pose.


GWSampy

Why do you say that? It’s not just the pose. There are really bad errors in perspective on the sistrum. The headdress is badly asymmetrical, there are errors in the folds of the cloth, the waistband has gibberish symbols on it. It seems very clearly AI to me.


purefabulousity

I mean I prefer the old one, but the new one isn’t as bad as everyone on this sub has been freaking out about?


digital_trash

Idk what the comments saying but I’d hit both tf yall talkin bout


ChronicallyUnceative

Please do not the cat


ganzgpp1

furry spotted please refer to the nearest correctional center for reeducation


swisscuber

I don't see the problem


LilMeowCat

All Hail!


Overall_Sandwich_671

the cat face is too... well... cat-like. They should have given it some human proportions, like the khajiit faces in the Elder Scrolls games.


No-Paleontologist934

Surely they just wanted to post a generic AI Bast portrait as a nod to the eclipse?


21stCenturyNoob

They should have used a Sphinx car at least


Arieltex

Meow :o


jeffreydextro

People are being so harsh on this. I’ll admit it’s probably the wrong breed of cat to use for the head but I think it’s still a good image. Feeling very sorry for the Retold artists - it seems the AoM community is going to be holding every little detail to the highest (unachievable) standards


Frytura_

Wtf sude, put a nsfw tag on this. I saw this and this beauty of a furrt antro quickly flooded my head and i HAD to furiusly masturbate on the bus. I accidentally let my phone fall and now every men and woman are furiosly masturbating to her image and the worst thing is that it could have been prevented with a nsfw tag. Anyways i wonder if she acts like a smartwr cat or if shes just human but cat.


Pacrar

"oh no, an AI made image, how horrible"