Well all three look acceptable to me. If I was to choose a favourite, it'd be Soft 75.

However, what you might want to consider is programming a specalized lighting shader that is a little less realistic. Have it accentuate the colours around the edges of objects like trees and such. If done right I think it could give them a kind of cartoony "pop" and look really good. The terrain I'd light normally.

Soft 75!

The pics are strange since the trees on the hills are there on one pic but not the other...and the no HDR pic got graphic artifacts or something. So no HDR is gone....

But they do look really similar. I really like the top pic with its dark scene.

Heh, I really don't got the patience to compare pics like this.

I think it is hard for me, like for many other posters here, to give a qualified answer. Most of the posts here have been very subjective -- which is not surprising, since most of us here are not specialists in computer art. I can only say which screenshot "appeals" to me slightly more than the others (75), but I think most of us need help in learning the details so as to give a qualified feedback.

Soft 75

The middle one is blurry. I prefer the first one.

I prefer the no HDR one.  Guessing it looks a lot different in motion, but in the stills the blurriness bothers me.

BreadMan: It is better for the human side, but for the Fallen it looks worse than before. It has a look, as if moss or something like that is coming through, so mother nature tries to reclaim the ground.

Concerning the original three pics: With HDR it looks less like a cartoon, for the cost of a blur-filter. I think Soft50 or Soft25 would be the best choice. For the moment i prefer noHDR slightly before Soft75.

The best would be to add an option for the HDR-usage. An on/off switch and a slider for the strength of the effect. At least for the beta test this would be nice, so you could ask the testers, which variant has the best look&feel for them.

 Perfect, because maximum appeal is what we're going for...in most things art there is seldom a 'right' answer 

There may be a distinction between what looks good and what's most playable over the long term. I'm trying to think of a good example. Maybe calligraphy fonts work as an example. They look very cool and are nice for flavor, but I wouldn't want to read an entire book in that kind of font.

No HDR didn't look quite as "nice" as soft 75, but it seemed crisper and easier to pick out the details, which is something that I'm going to want in my graphics when I'm still playing at 3am.

Quoted for truth!

Same goes for spell graphics. Elaborate and beautiful animated spell effects sure are awesome to look at, but in the heat of battle I still want to know where my hero is and what's happening to them. Something to keep in mind I guess

No HDR is by far the best looking of the bunch as a screen shot, but without seeing it in full motion, I can't really judge it properly.

Put the decision off. Thow a slider and a checkbox on the configuration screen and instrument collecting what configuraiton the beta testers play with.

Ralph