About cartoonish, it's beacause the major part of users are
passionnated coders, and they don't target realistic
last next gen graphics .
Even if they could use better models and textures some times

And don't forget there are kids alos using the engine, so they are happy when they successfully make a playable game even with basic models and textures !

They have been amazing games of 3DGS in the past
Good looking games on A8 only relies on people behind that
make an effort to produce good looking homogenous levels and models.

Some links :
RPG Action game

Galedor

A8, is not hold by 10 or 20 people behind, like Dark Basic Pro, but it works really well, if you know what style of project to do and if you know your limitations in game creating

You'll neven create Oblivion game, so much much work on it,
so much hours and hours and thousand of people and indirect
paid people to do all the assets, textures etc ...
and all testing.

Be realistic also !
For casual games, if you know how to do it , you can go very far with A8, but are you sure to be strong and keep working on a project without discourage yourself ?
That's the main question also !

I kno how to do Next Gen models, i have the license and tools,
i oculd do some FF7 style game with next gen characters
and fixed/travelling cameras for 3D levels , with a simple
combat system !
the challenge would be to have fun tactical fights, vey good HUD look, good story, etc ... lot lot lot of work !


I already said it for A8 what i would like would better be :
- WED complete terrai editor like in Unity
- .Net programming of the engine directly for commercial version
- Integration of another free multiplayer API that would work
lot better
- possiblity to program easily your on additionnal panels
for your own tools that would run on WED (like Unity tools)

The last bad point :
Forecast things take more than one year without being made
Well i know there is not 4 or 5 people under the engine, but
why not putting or pay some people to create tools or program
some forecast things ???

Appart from that A8 is good for all beginners and lot better than others packages like Dark Basic Pro for example that is lot more slow and that don't have any world Editor to create
your world and attach script !

And the recent adoptio nof Nvidia Physics is a really good thing.
A library for collision detection using Nvidia Physics is on forecast.
I think it will solve lot of problems, and will allow
to use collisions in a lot more easy way !