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Palms in PC Games - Realistic to be Identifiable?


Palmarum

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The very recent 'Palm trees in Minecraft' topic made me think of some of the more realistic and possibly identifiable Palm trees I've seen in PC games.

There have been a few, but one group stood out for me when first encountering them in the game, Path of Exile. As a Palm nut, I did a serious double take when encountering them and I had to photograph... err... screenshot them; often in a hurry due to combat. The background design artist of the game must have used real species as a base, as they are very realistic. The game's developer, Grinding Gear Games, is based in New Zealand, so maybe that had something to do with the desire for palmy accuracy...

 

- In an area that resembled a shaded rainforest, I found subjects that had a striking resemblance to Licuala peltata var. sumawongii. There were multiple examples of different sizes dotting the environment. I screenshot'd two of them I found growing out in clearer areas that had more light. The first one was very full with a lot of leaves. The locals were not friendly, however. (B) Another specimen surrounded by ferns, under the tag 'Primitive Staff'. Don't mind the walking corpses on the right, they were serving a function. An actual real specimen must have been used as a model, it it scary how similar the animated versions are. What you do not see is the plant's reaction to wind, as each leaf was bobbing and weaving with the passing breeze in the same way a real Licuala behaves. My reaction was a gasping surprise.

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- These should be quite familiar to most any Palm fan. These clustering specimens are a dead ringer for Red Sealing Wax Palms, Cyrtostachys renda. I could not believe it, but there they were. Many specimens were crowding this locale, which was thematically an ancient botanical garden, abandoned to the ages. I found two groups I could stand close to for scale for the screenshots. Again, the real Palms must have been used as influence for the artists. Realistically, many of the C. renda clusters were growing next to water sources. I spent a lot of time exploring the garden, even in the dark and pouring rain.

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- These specimens were rarer and found along the edges of the garden, where they formed huge thickets of moderate stems and large crowns of pinnate leaves. Not sure, but I would guess they were modeled after a large, clustering species of Pinanga. Hard to see in the night and heavy rain, but the Palms had burgundy-wine colored crownshafts and bronze-green ringed stems. Dark green canopies topped each stem. I need to go back and find the palm in daylight.

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- Also rare and found sporadically in the garden was this solitary palm. (B) I also found it outside the garden near a small village that serves as an outpost for adventurers. This second specimen was larger and thankfully, out in daylight by itself. It might resemble a larger, solitary species of Geonoma or maybe an Areca species? Not sure, but it is quite attractive for its brightly colored crownshaft and distinctly ringed trunk. The pinnate leaves seem to be irregularly divided into large segments of leaflets. Maybe I will find a mature specimen with seed in-game? Har...

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There were other examples of possibly-identifiable plants in game, but these were the most Palm-like... so far. The map is massive and I have not come close to exploring it completely. It would be funny if there was a possible Palm connection to the game via an artist or the developer's home in New Zealand.

Ryan

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South Florida

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  • 1 month later...
On 6/19/2022 at 3:30 PM, Talmudo said:

It really is very detailed, even the smallest features. It's cool and a game like this deserves respect.

I have encountered other players online in Discord groups that have mentioned similar affinity with other plants seen in the game. Ferns, other tropical allies and such were familiar to them, so I think the effect may not be limited to the would-be Palms in the game.

If I see anything familiar with new content by the developer I might try to reach out to them and see if there is an actual Palm or plant connection.

Ryan

South Florida

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  • 1 month later...

Even more generically detailed games including older lower resolution games seem to often go for an identifiably coconut look. 

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On 8/12/2022 at 12:57 AM, Aceraceae said:

Even more generically detailed games including older lower resolution games seem to often go for an identifiably coconut look. 

I agree. Coconuts are often used in any game with a tropical setting, realistic or not. I use the art of a coconut palm as a benchmark when it comes to judge how much effort a digital artist has put into their work. If it looks realistic or in the least, botanically 'feasible' i.e. without the nuts hanging off the leaves like apples or protruding from the trunk; then it will grab my attention.

Ryan

South Florida

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  • 2 weeks later...

Forza horizon 5 has lots of realistic detailed looking palms. Lots of Washingtonia and coconuts.

Edited by Foxpalms
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