Update #68: ART!

[Hassat Hunter]

Heh, the "just took 10 minutes" reminds me of the previous update, how long things take, and how easy people think it should be easy or quick to change.

 

To be fair, IMO, the touchover by Mazhlekov makes it worse for me... with the exception of the tree color diffiriation and removing those random weirdly placed bushes at a few locations, that really added a nice touch to it.

For more feedback;

 

2. The path leads into a bunch of trees and dissapears. Not exactly commonly walked. I could see a path on top of the fire, but not below it.

5. Most people seem to want more overgrowth of the dragon, and I agree with them, not less.

6. Despite the firecamp, I don't get the feeling it's a very well-travelled area (otherwise, wouldn't someone take the bones to a museum or whatnot? Or necromance it? Etc.).

8. Well, there is a dragon corpse there, though I wouldn't object to an obstruction.

[karelia]

8. Well, there is a dragon corpse there, though I wouldn't object to an obstruction.

 

This is a good point - if the road post-dates the scary dragon bones, the bend makes sense, if it pre-dates it, then perhaps traces of the former straight road, which people now take a wider arc around, could be there.

 

I feel really dumb even quibbling over such small things, but this is the natural reaction to any area I see - wanting it to be 'perfect'.

[Sensuki]

I do agree with Grotesque about the tree size, YMMV.

 

However I don't think that's Eternity's closest zoom level either.

[BruceVC]

There is a Russian saying about not showing half a work, which fits well here. As you have seen in the waterfall and chamber locations, and you can see here:

 

 

 

 

 

That Russian saying would only be applicable in a game that wasn't funded through KS. Fans expect regular updates and most of the work is work in progress. I fail to see how any development company can provide regular updates around any KS and those updates wouldn't appear unfinished or lacking in some respects

 

Its like going to some famous celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver or Bobby Flay, while he is  cooking a meal and tasting the meal and then complaining about how the meal tastes? Duh...its not finished yet. This may seem like I'm defending Obsidian but I'm not, its logical and obvious the product is not in final stages

[Boox]

I do agree with Grotesque about the tree size, YMMV.

 

However I don't think that's Eternity's closest zoom level either.

According to Brandon, the land was ravaged by fire and has only recently begun to recover. It makes sense to me that the trees are small since it takes a good while for trees to grow big. At least, I hope that's the case here and that in other areas the trees will be larger (e.g. Twin Elms).

[Sensuki]

Yes but they're the same size tree models as all of the other screenshots we've seen, so that's not the reason why the trees are small. They're re-using the same 3-4 tree models.

 

Grotesque's point was more that the taller BG1 trees look better, and I agree.

 

There will definitely be larger trees in Eir Glanfath though, there's some bigger ones in the Valley of Hector.

 

Hopefully some more tree models get made along the production line and they can go back and add the newer ones in later.

[sesobebo]

I don't believe this! I put 150+ U.S.D. in a game that is unable to get some frackin' trees right.

 

This screenshot is dedicated to the entire art department because I see you clearly struggle with proportions and believable structures

Update by Brandon Adler, Producer

 

Both of these images come from the same wilderness area. While this area appears thick with foliage now, it was previously the site to horrific fires caused by drakes. Large swaths of ground were burned and only now has the land started to recover.

in short:

trees need time to grow.

those ain't trees, those are bushes.

[Cubiq]

Grotesque's point was more that the taller BG1 trees look better, and I agree.

I don't think that's what he was getting at, i think he was bashing both screenshots, as the one in bg1 are also pretty small, they look like small trees you would usually see in orchard, not the overgrown ones you usually see in a forest.

 

Though i don't really mind much

[Mazhlekov]

 

Grotesque's point was more that the taller BG1 trees look better, and I agree.

I don't think that's what he was getting at, i think he was bashing both screenshots, as the one in bg1 are also pretty small, they look like small trees you would usually see in orchard, not the overgrown ones you usually see in a forest.

 

Though i don't really mind much

 

I think, he minds stronger diversification in tree scaling and forms, rather than logical proportion man/tree/building.

 

@ProjectBG2Respawn @Hassat Hunter any critic is welcome! 

Edited November 29, 2013 by Mazhlekov

[Darkpriest]

Hello to everybody! 

I love art updates, keep doing it!  

The art pieces are not bad, but they can be muuuch better. They still need lot of logical construction and polishing. The images in this state have very slight atmosphere which is the most inportant ingredent in such games, further more if this game pretend to have something common with such powerful adventure like BG.

I overpainted one of the images in order to to demonstrate what I have in mind (it tooks me 3 hours):

 

 

1. The fireplace is loaded, this mean people use it often andthere is no way near it have brushes. Also when the fire burns it paints all stones in black, the grass around it dies as well. 

2. Usually people walk there commonly.

3. Trees need to be more diversified, now they are very sterile.

4. Brushes on the middle of the intensively used road?!?

5. I put some imagination, the skeleton speaks but not enough. I put this soil poisoning in order to provoke the imagination of the player.

6. Obviously this place was devastated around year or so, this mean people with sure have started to cut out the dead trees around.

7. The road is  not logically narrow.

8. Why there we have such turn? There must be some obstacle, people always use the shortest path.

9. The poisoning is not only around the skeleton, guess why?

 

With this corrections I believe the shot become more alive, with deeper atmosphere and with much more story inside.

 

I believe constructive critic is the most precious gift to one creator! 

Have a sunny day!

 

Just to address one point.

 

3 - the only time when trees look diversified is in autumn. Go to any forest in mid summer and tell me that you see this kind of a palette of colors, or better show the picture. I can tell you that they are uniformly green, with slight differences in shades of green. There is a big reason why it is that way. It's because of a substance called Chlorophyll, that allows trees to conduct photosynthesis.

 

If the game is during the autumn time, then fine the changes make sense, if it is in the mid summer then the original makes much more sense.

[Messier-31]

 

Is it just me, or these silhouettes resemble Fallout Tactics character models? Anyhoo, art is great.

[Mazhlekov]

 

 

Just to address one point.

 

3 - the only time when trees look diversified is in autumn. Go to any forest in mid summer and tell me that you see this kind of a palette of colors, or better show the picture. I can tell you that they are uniformly green, with slight differences in shades of green. There is a big reason why it is that way. It's because of a substance called Chlorophyll, that allows trees to conduct photosynthesis.

 

If the game is during the autumn time, then fine the changes make sense, if it is in the mid summer then the original makes much more sense.

 

I made it with purpose. The wood looks more alive.  For me this artistic style is much more aestetic and brings me very pleasent filings. 

Even if they want to represent summer in continental or tropical areas they should aquire better deversity of colours, in order to create stronger color composition.

My opinion is, that the realism need to serve to the atmosphere and aesthetics, of course it need to be expressed convincingly. 

And of course some time it's matter of taste

[Bli1942]

I like the trees more of the same color. Looks weird in the old Iso RPG's, the forest is way too multi-colored

[Hassat Hunter]

Or the perfect solution... some maps are one, some the other... you know, versity

 

I feel really dumb even quibbling over such small things, but this is the natural reaction to any area I see - wanting it to be 'perfect'.

I'm pretty sure Obsidian does this internally too, and sometimes 'what makse sense' just on the look, doesn't quite work for lore, or an encounter, etc.

Lots of things need to be taken into account.

[Lythe Vodaine]

Nice work! Now I'm even more eager to see it all ingame.

[Helz]

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.

 

I felt like using my first post to quote you, because you took the words right out of my mouth. 

[lolaldanee]

i feel the urgend need to post this again after having had another look:

these concept arts of the second city are looking frickin' amazing

extra kudos to Polina and Kaz is in order once more!

[fireundubh]

I want to say that the art now looks overly photorealistic to me, but maybe that's just because these environments are at a first-pass level.

 

That said, looking at the screenshot with the trolls, I'm seeing a limitation to how the environments are created that I never noticed before. Because the grass is part of the environment texture, the trolls don't look like they're in the grass; they look like they're layered on top of the canvas. The effect reminds me of pieces on a game board.

Edited November 30, 2013 by dubh

[Ulquiorra]

I want to say that the art now looks overly photorealistic to me, but maybe that's just because these environments are at a first-pass level.

 

That said, looking at the screenshot with the trolls, I'm seeing a limitation to how the environments are created that I never noticed before. Because the grass is part of the environment texture, the trolls don't look like they're in the grass; they look like they're layered on top of the canvas. The effect reminds me of pieces on a game board.

 

And im 100% sure that if devs didn't TELL you that those where troll you whoud even don't know that this is. The same as Ogre from Dragon Age, he was Ogre only by name and truely he was just "big horned darkspawn". If American Godzilla was not named "Godzilla" you whoud propably didn't even know what type of creature that was ..

 

If we are useing some "name" of something that allready exist, lest make it atleast be in the same "box" the best troll concept is that in with without even Saying that this is "troll" you can say that it is "troll o at least trollish".

 

But still i understad that Devs are trying to be original, ok. But at least let's make them look like they diserve to be called "trolls", Twilight vampires are not diserving to be even called "vampires" becouse putting them on the same level with Bloodlines "Vampires" is blasphemy.

 

The same as putting PE trolls to the same box as trolls from D&D or folklore trolls or very good desined PE Ogre in with you have no possibility to mistake.

[MattH]

I don't care. There are trolls and there are trolls. Think of the cave troll, the skinny BG troll, or the monkey with spider eyes in the Elder Scrolls.

[Ulquiorra]

I don't care. There are trolls and there are trolls. Think of the cave troll, the skinny BG troll, or the monkey with spider eyes in the Elder Scrolls.

 

All three abowe are better then a beggar with wood stick attached to his head

[Malekith]

Nope.  All 3 were garbage aestheticaly. PE troll looks way better. Even better than warcraft trolls, which is the only consept of "trolls" i kinda liked so far.

[Ulquiorra]

Nope.  All 3 were garbage aestheticaly. PE troll looks way better. Even better than warcraft trolls, which is the only consept of "trolls" i kinda liked so far.

 

hmm... wow trolls .. yeah, PE Trolls are even more WoWish then WoW trolls i agree.

[Malekith]

They aren't similar, but they aren't the "poor man's giant" either. Bugbears,ogres,trolls, not to mention a dozen giant subraces. Half of this crap needs to die.

[Hassat Hunter]

You guys really aren't happy until trolls look like REAL trolls, are you? Like this;