Update #68: ART!

[agris]

What are the criteria that determines if an area is appropriate to outsource, versus creating in-house? Does OE have to provide the props for the outsourced area, or are the props generated by the contractor also, and available for use in other (non-outsourced) maps?

[Arsene Lupin]

Honestly, I really hate seeing these updates. Each time I see an area design, it's just too much. This looks EXACTLY like my "ideal game." You know, that one game I've always wanted. It just shoots my expectations through the roof.

 

Anyway, think we'll ever get an update re: side quest design? I'm curious whether or not the sidequests will be inconsequentially small (like fetch and collection quests) or bigger, in-depth fare like what we saw in Shadows of Amn.

[Osvir]

*about shadows*

Is there a sun* in Eternity? That could explain the shadows.

 

* Dynamic global light-source~ day/night cycles etc. etc.

[phesant33]

Great art and work as usual, thanks for the update

[Sensuki]

What are the criteria that determines if an area is appropriate to outsource, versus creating in-house?

 

So far we know that (most) Wilderness areas are being handled by outsourcing. Hector did the Vertical Slice ones AFAIK.

 

At 3 weeks per wilderness area that is two wilderness areas per production milestone. However they also may do propping and unique asset creation for existing areas.

[Bli1942]

These buildings with grass over them look awesome. I am sick of typical stone buildings or wooden lodges, everywhere in most fantasy games looks the same

[Bland_Boy]

Is there a thread with links to all released hi-res screenshots?

I'm only looking from my phone, but these don't seem like hi res screens.

[Nanakamado]

Well great  artworks except trolls.. As some people already said, they look not enough trolish to me... But they are d&d like, so I'm ok with them...

And I'm a bit disappointed with delay of Backer Portal.

 

And one more thing, by "after holiday brake" you mean Thanksgiving, not Christmass? It's a bit confusing for me, as an european, to hear about holiday brake in late november.

Edited November 27, 2013 by Nanakamado

[Xienzi]

Those drake bones seem quite devoid of any growth...

[Skie Nightfall]

Really like the art! Missed this style.

[Monte Carlo]

I think it's great that the trolls have gone for Crye precision MultiCam.

 

The old troll camouflage pattern sucked.

[Pipyui]

I'm so sorry, but this grabbed my attention.

 

[Monte Carlo]

 

And one more thing, by "after holiday brake" you mean Thanksgiving, not Christmas? It's a bit confusing for me, as an european, to hear about holiday brake in late november.

 

 

They have a holiday in November to celebrate the English not starving to death when they decided to colonize America. Luckily, the locals shared a turkey with them or something. Anyhow, it's a big deal for 'Muricans.

[IndiraLightfoot]

Great art update, but of course a downer if you, like me, anticipated so much more. But waiting is a virtue, I suppose.

 

Personally, I really like that Obsidian are making characters, NPCs and monsters that don't pop too much vis-à-vis the background. Far too many games are doing that, and it always ends up looking a bit cartoonish and meta-fantasy too me (fantasy on top of fantasy). I like what Company of Heroes 2 and Path of Exile are doing with their animated models, which are just as small as PE's will be.

 

Obviously, the dragon skellie and all this nature needs quite a bit of a 2D-brushup to become mossy and worn and beleaguered with all sorts of creepies and crawlies, just like the bridge by the waterfall. I really hope that the environment's will keep that ominous and foreboding quality that the waterfall scene carries. Several other screenies have indeed been a bit too much Google Maps or at least Sancho Pancha, Don Quixote-movie, kind of scenes. Too sunny and sightseeing-y to me.

 

Twin Elms falls a bit flat to me. That Viking theme doesn't really do it for me (and again? After half the CRPG-fans has OD:ed on Skyrim?). Glanfathian just took an arrow in the knee, and I wont remove it! I will make them my mortal enemy in-game!

 

As for the trolls. They are far too short and slender, I reckon. They are almost what I imagined old Amauan people would look like. Whence I come, this is a troll:

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mutantskeleton/5453533699/

 

[WorstUsernameEver]

Okay update, but I really wished the screenshots you chose were a little less on the boring side. I get that this update was largely unplanned, but showing off first pass areas that look largely like what we've already seen seems a bit sloppy, especially when J.E. Sawyer's GDC slides had far more interesting screenshots.

 

I like the concept for the other big city though. Do we have a name?

[Sensuki]

Twin Peaks Elms

[Prometheus]

I like the screenshots and the concept art.

I'm not sure that I like Twin Elms as second city, on the map it has the symbol for a small town. I hope Twin Elms is as big as Defiance Bay.

[cyberarmy]

I need a bigger update :/ This kind of smaller ones  can't satisfy mah hunger T_T

 

edit: this kinda sounded very wrong.lol

Edited November 27, 2013 by cyberarmy

[Sedrefilos]

I guess the big update is gonna be a christmas present after all

 

Great art over there btw

 

The screens look a bit boring to me but, conisidering the artwork, I believe we'll be having some great places to visit

 

Keep it up!

[teknoman2]

a troll image in the update... i see what you did there

[Mor]

 

I'm curious about the architecture of the next big city, will there be tall buildings? is everything going to be camouflaged in nature?

Should I think of "Machu Picchu" or is it more like a viking homestead?

 

Really digging the Engwithan prop, If I could have armour or shields looking like there were made from that material, I think it would be really cool looking.

 

There will definitely be some larger structures. You are just seeing a small portion of one area.

 

It isn't really Machu Picchu or Viking... it is closer to Machu Picchu with Viking layered on top.

 

Something like Kuldahar in IWD?

[Messier-31]

Sensuki, you are famous.

 

Twin Elms, eh? I was putting my money on New Heomar

 

Release date, y u no come faster?

[JFSOCC]

I was wondering, those trolls look properly camouflaged with their green/bark like skin, will they be stuck on trees and suddenly jump at out you? that would be a nice variation on traps.

 

And the dragon bones seem still connected to each other by some magical force would a lack of connective tissue scatter them about?

 

I'd love to see more variation in greenery.

 

lastly, maybe you could tell us something about the screenshots/concept art. Right now they're rather contextless, I get that this update was quickly made because the big one isn't quite done yet, but some narrative accompanying the images would go a long way. Tell us about the god of the hunt! or maybe about the dragon skeleton, how did it get to be there. Tell us, even a little about Twin Elms, or the Engwithan material.

Nothing too spoilerish, but some context would be nice

[Tuckey]

I would like to know the names of the areas that Twin Elms is split into; does it have a religious district? a market square?

 

Seems like the perfect home city for druids and other nature loving folks and you just know there's some ancient city buried beneath waiting to be explored.

 

BTW I agree with folks who think the forest screenies look like a park; certainly lacking a scattering of leaves or signs of any undergrowth. However, these images have yet to receive a paintover so I expect that will come.

 

I think the drake skeleton should be scattered a bit. Consider the wings - the bones would be hollow like bird wings and would not stay as they were in life because they are so light as to allow the drake to fly.

Edited November 27, 2013 by Tuckey

[Jajo]

I really like the concept art for the second big city.

Seeing that, however, mad me question how big this city is actually going to be. Its buildings aren't really designed as something that can be crammed together to minimize the distance/travel time between various places, as is the norm in the big cities.

So, on a scale from Beregost to Athkatla, how big is the second city going to be?