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UC 2009 'END GAME' | Unearthly Kings | 3D

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polycounter lvl 15
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jacob07777 polycounter lvl 15
Hi everybody, we are the Unearthly Kings. We're entering this thing a little late, but hopefully that'll just push us to try harder. The three of us all go to the Art Institute of San Diego and are in our last couple of quarters. The Unearthly Kings consists of me (Jacob Norris) 3D modeling and Texturing, Diwan - 3D Modeling and Texturing, and Nathanial Castronovo - Concepting, 3D Modeling and Texturing.

Here is a quick summary of our story for the concept. The name of our Project is called

Glycereth



Another time, another place. There was once a small town, poor and simple. The people lived in peace with each other, despite their lack of money, and struggle to survive. The town hungered.

…Until one day. The townspeople found Glycereth, an organic material which can be refined into a power source. The news spread quickly, and the forces of government opted to build a refinery in the slum. The structure towered over the town. The citizens were offered employment at the refinery, which they accepted hastily. They were paid only enough to maintain a livable poverty.

But one day, while digging the people struck some form of underground green gas that started seeping into the air and killing most of the towns citizens. It made some of the townspeople violent and they began killing and taking over the town. You and a small group of others are immune to the gas and beginning fighting for your lives to survive. This is the final scene in which you throw the rebel gas infected leader into the mining pit and he is killed by the penetrating beam that is used to dig in this futuristic refinery.

After all of the violent rebels were finally killed, you and your remaining companions begin to rebuild/repopulate the town using any scraps you can find lying around the city. Transport ships, ship parts, metal plates, empty buildings, anything you can find really.

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  • jacob07777
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    jacob07777 polycounter lvl 15
    Here are some of the concepts we already started comin up with when we were discussing if we should enter or not.

    Concepts by Nathanial Castronovo

    slumConceptLABLED.jpg

    paintOver1.jpg

    ConceptBuilding.jpg
  • Matroskin
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    Matroskin polycounter lvl 11
    I like the depth of story elaboration.
    But I am not sure if the final event that is shown in your composition really suggests end game thing. Without all that background story it might look like a destroyed/abandoned city. Which is cool as environment but might be too static.
    Try to imagine the final composition without characters and the back story. Check if u will feel that it still works the way u wanted.

    Artwise, looks nice by now :)
  • achmedthesnake
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    achmedthesnake polycounter lvl 17
    i agree w/ matroskin - you seem to have my same problem trying to illustrating 'the bloody theme'

    - maybe more props and environmental details expressing the zombie gas uprising - signs of abandonment/hastily erected barriers and fencing to hold of the hoard and 'government' signs saying stuff like 'no mine employees to leave the area' or 'report any signs of infection to your nearest quarantine teams...'

    i like the 3rd colored concept - good scale and illustration.
  • jacob07777
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    jacob07777 polycounter lvl 15
    Thanks guys, yeah the layout is still slightly a WIP and we're definitely working on ways to make it more endgame. I just got home from school, so now I can show you everything else we have so far. We started working on this thing about a week or two ago when we were still debating whether or not to join and this is where we are at.

    Here are some of the concepts for the Refinery: (Jacob Norris + Nathanial Castronovo)
    Reverse_01.jpg
    RefineryPaintovercopy.jpg


    Here are some more of the Concepts for the ship: (Diwan + Nathanial)

    shipquarter04.jpg
    Final Concept
    aircabconceptlabeled.jpg

    Then here's some blockins and basically shows where our main comp shot will be: (Nathanial Castronovo + Jacob Norris)
    sizeref.jpg
    (Nathanial Castronovo)CompositionalPaintoverFinal.jpg
  • professorXXX
  • Matroskin
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    Matroskin polycounter lvl 11
    the last concept/paintover is just awesome, love the composition and all those details.
  • natetheartist
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    natetheartist polycounter lvl 9
    :poly122: HAY GUYZ!!!


    Well, as the project progresses we are going to change a few things.

    Our original story was as follows, Maybe there is a way we can gear this more towards END GAME.

    unearthlykings.png

    --
    Another time, another place.
    There was once a small town, poor and simple. The people lived in peace with each other, despite their lack of money, and struggle to survive.
    The town hungered…
    …Until one day.
    The townspeople found Vehemence, an organic material which can be refined into a
    power source. The news spread quickly, and the forces of government opted to build a refinery in
    the slum. The structure towered over the town. The citizens were offered employment at the refinery, which they accepted hastily. They were paid only enough to maintain a livable poverty.
    But one day, the Vehemence source dried up.
    The refinery shut down. The people lost their small income, and were left with the abandoned structure at the heart of their town, and unusable, broken down transport ships and debris littered across the streets.
    A toxic green mist (a product of the refining process) lingers above the ground, causing many to suffer from mutations and insanity, some left the slums in search of a new home, and a brave few donned gas masks and stayed in their beloved town.
  • natetheartist
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    natetheartist polycounter lvl 9
    New Ideas:

    Okay, so, without having to completely change the scope of what we're doing, Diwan and I are currently leaning towards this idea, please discuss:


    To make things more END GAME...

    A massive crack runs through the ground between the ship and bar, emanating from the refinery. Some of the slum homes have fallen into the crack, evidence that people were killed by something that went wrong. The toxic green gas seeps out from the crack...further destruction.

    Its the bad ending, and you were unable to stop the refinery from malfunctioning, cracking open the earth, causing the damage, killing the townspeople, and releasing the toxic gas.

    Smoke billows from the slums and refinery in the distance.
    one of the twin towers on the right has fallen into the fissure, and begun to crumble, breaking up the similarity between the two.
    A bridge connecting them has broken.

    You, the player, are the Vagabond. You have failed to save your town, and in an unfortunate End Game scenario, you look beyond your makeshift home, unto the disaster that has laid waste to your friends, your neighbors, and the slum you once called home.
  • Diwan
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    Diwan polycounter lvl 13
    a quick update on the aircab:

    wip01-4.jpg
  • Papa_Austin
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    Papa_Austin polycounter lvl 10
    so with that thing on the back it kinda looks like it would be less of a space ship and more like some type of walker thing. i would stick to the sweat looking one in the concept, it definitely looks more interesting and has way more character
  • natetheartist
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    natetheartist polycounter lvl 9
    Yeah, the arm on the back isn't working.
    The thruster looks good, but we should probably make the big section at the bottom of it smaller, its way huge right now.
  • IdiotDrummerGuy
    I agree with Papa_Austin, the little hut/ship in the concept looks more suited for the scene than the model that you have here. also, the dimensions of the ship are off spec; it's too wide and looks like it wouldn't support itself in flight. and I don't see any support arms in the concept... where did those come from?

    the concept looks good guys! stick to it!
  • crazyfingers
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    crazyfingers polycounter lvl 10
    Hmm, the crack idea seems a little over the top, if you guys had more time it would be fine, but as it stands you guys have a solid concept that doesn't really need major altering, just some "end game" feel to it. I think once you start rearanging things, opening up the earth, etc, etc you really start creating more work than its worth where some solid flora would have been fine.

    How about a compromise? Do a somewhat standard huge beam shooting out of the refinery downword, but have some slightly cracked ground in the foreground, nothing major. But for the cracks to have reached all the way from the refinery would imply a really major impact, you could add some smoke effets too. If you guys find you have more time, by all means pump up the destruction. You gotta build something fully functional before you go in and start detailing destruction anyway...

    I'm not sure I like the idea of defeat, the unearthly challenge is kind of about pwning and not getting pwned. Maybe twist the story a bit to be the precursor to a major battle, maybe the town becomes more infested and eventually criminally insane leading up to lots of ass kicking (think batman begins)? But that's just personal preference, the idea that this is defeat is pretty unique so there's pluses and minuses to both.

    Best advice i can give is just keep truckin' and keep slammin' out art. A great looking scene is a great looking scene any way you slice it, and it ain't over till they say it is, just keep an open mind to new ideas as you work and weight the pros and cons as you move forward.

    Anwyay, good luck guys! Be great if we all made it to the winners circle, just gotta work our asses off :D
  • natetheartist
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    natetheartist polycounter lvl 9
    A little progress on the eatery


    eaterywip1.jpg

    eaterywip2.jpg
  • ae.
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    ae. polycounter lvl 12
    getting a rage vibe from this great job!
  • natetheartist
  • nfrrtycmplx
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    nfrrtycmplx polycounter lvl 18
    looking great guys... my only comment would be that the scene looks and feels a lot like the winner of last years contest.

    Not meant to discourage, just something to keep in mind moving forward

    "how is this going to be unique and badass?"

    Concept/rendering are great though

    Cheers
  • natetheartist
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    natetheartist polycounter lvl 9
    agreed, we'll have to change up those twin towers

    [edit]
    I'd like to, at this time, mention that we'd like as brutal critique as possible. The sooner people mention these things, the sooner we can fix them. Thanks!
  • natetheartist
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    natetheartist polycounter lvl 9
    quick update on the eatery before bed

    Man I wish I could find more time to put into the challenge.:(

    eaterywip4.jpg
  • Em.
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    Em. polycounter lvl 17
    I'd be really careful with the design of that eatery. It looks nice, but my co-worker and I both instantly thought of a very similar building we saw in the Id tech demo/rage. Might want to try to vary it more from you inspiration, the shape of the fan, the satelite dish and the propped-up panels for instance are a dead giveaway.
  • gamedev
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    gamedev polycounter lvl 12
    I dig the direction and I too get the Rage reference. I don't however think that's a bad thing. You just need to ensure you put your stamp on it, much of which will come from lighting and texturing choices. My only other critque on how the pieces are built. Not sure how much of it can be easily reused (modular).

    What's going on in the inside?
  • natetheartist
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    natetheartist polycounter lvl 9
    Em. wrote: »
    I'd be really careful with the design of that eatery. It looks nice, but my co-worker and I both instantly thought of a very similar building we saw in the Id tech demo/rage. Might want to try to vary it more from you inspiration, the shape of the fan, the satelite dish and the propped-up panels for instance are a dead giveaway.


    well damn. I went and did some google-ing and lookey here...ragexbox360screenshot26.jpg...
    those bastards even have an open sign..... crap.

    great minds think alike??? ...*sigh*.

    yeah....i guess the fan looks pretty similar, but to be fair, 3 blade vent fans are all over the place. ...including the last year's winner ...which someone else mentioned our concept is too similar to:

    fantt.jpg

    i still don't quite understand what's wrong with the satellite dish and menus. ...or is there some other part of this game that I'm going to be unhappily irritated by?
  • Em.
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    Em. polycounter lvl 17
    I wasn't saying you were doing anything intentionally or ripping anything off, just trying to help out in case you hadn't seen it. It wasn't meant as an attack or anything negative.

    There's actually a restaurant-type building in particular in the tech demos(not the one you found) that echo's the shape and some of the elements of yours that I mentioned. I'm sure texturing and stuff will set em apart. It wasn't that there were 3 fan blades(that'd be rediculous, it's not like just because someone else made a 6-sided barrel you can't,), it was the over-all vibe. Apologies, carry on.
  • natetheartist
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    natetheartist polycounter lvl 9
    Em. wrote: »
    I wasn't saying you were doing anything intentionally or ripping anything off, just trying to help out in case you hadn't seen it. It wasn't meant as an attack or anything negative.

    There's actually a restaurant-type building in particular in the tech demos(not the one you found) that echo's the shape and some of the elements of yours that I mentioned. I'm sure texturing and stuff will set em apart. It wasn't that there were 3 fan blades(that'd be rediculous, it's not like just because someone else made a 6-sided barrel you can't,), it was the over-all vibe. Apologies, carry on.

    Sorry, i didn't mean to make it sound as though i'm feeling attacked. I don't and I appreciate the input.
    If you could find a screen of the building you're talking about, that would be great. I'd like to make sure I don't end up unintentionally copying it.
    Thanks!
  • crazyfingers
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    crazyfingers polycounter lvl 10
    Got burned a bit this game myself. Was watching a video yesterday of it and saw huge over-the-top red canopies everywhere, similar to what we were planning from our concept.

    The last full scene i was working on in 3d i had to completely overhaul because i saw a video by valve showing off their new swamp that looked exactly like the one i had half finished.

    When you think about it we're all trying to save tris and create objects that look good in a very geometric fashion, so it's very probable that 2 artists thinking of the same limitations would come up with very similar assets in the end. Lets face it, there are only so many shapes that look good in 3d that can be relatively easily put together and we're going to see some repetition. Only so many types of plants and foliage that look good on an alpha, etc, etc. It's a fine line between duplication and doing your job in this field, because you do, in the end, need to do what's been proven to work, or risk spending waaay too much time trying something new. Just try to do a bit of both, put something in your scene that's purely original and the crits about repetition should fall to the wayside so long as it's not too similar.

    Why not change the "open" sign to "HOLA!" and make it a burrito hut? You could even turn the satellite dish into a sombrero.

    Just don't make it similar to
    rlogo_1941.jpg
    or they will sue your ass.
  • natetheartist
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    natetheartist polycounter lvl 9
    Always an exciting outlook Mr. Fingers. :poly124:

    Anyway, So for all new original content, I had a few hours to work on the challenge today, so I knocked out a high poly prop. A siren to alert the surviving townspeople to mutant onslaughts...or something :D

    sirenrenderonblackd.jpg
  • Diwan
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    Diwan polycounter lvl 13
    Hey all, a small update on a crate for the ship in the foreground.

    Crate.jpg
  • Pope Adam
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    Pope Adam polycounter lvl 11
    Hey Fellas

    nice looking HP stuff here. Fun concepts. I dig the scale of it! Big is awesome.

    Anxious to see textures! Tons of potential at this point!
  • jacob07777
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    jacob07777 polycounter lvl 15
    Here's an incinerator/trash can that I've been working on. hope you all like it
    Progress_04.jpg
  • natetheartist
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    natetheartist polycounter lvl 9
    that Rubbish Incineratron 9000 looks great Jake!

    And I finally got around to making a low poly/unwrap, and normal/ao bakes for the siren:
    sirenrenderlowhigh.jpg
  • jacob07777
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    jacob07777 polycounter lvl 15
    I've started the texturing on the trash can, mostly just a base texture right now with some grunge. Gonna get all the details in soon hopefully

    Progress_05.jpg
  • natetheartist
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    natetheartist polycounter lvl 9
    And a friend for the incineratron 9000, my siren with some texture to it.
    sirenrender.jpg
  • Matroskin
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    Matroskin polycounter lvl 11
    a borderlands screen ;)
  • Diwan
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    Diwan polycounter lvl 13
    Hey guys, textures are looking good! Jacob I think you need a sticker or something telling us that is a trashcan/incinerator of some sort. Can't really tell what it is right now.

    I'm not really sure if these two props fit in the same environment. Can't put my finger on what it is...I think its the design, the incinerator seems very sci-fi while the sirens look pretty much like sirens you would see today, there isn't much sci-fi to it really.
  • natetheartist
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    natetheartist polycounter lvl 9
    Matroskin wrote: »
    a borderlands screen ;)

    ?
  • Matroskin
  • natetheartist
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    natetheartist polycounter lvl 9
    Matroskin wrote: »

    you mean because there's a stroke separating the object from the background I tossed it on? I'm assuming.
  • Pope Adam
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    Pope Adam polycounter lvl 11
    looks cool with the borderlands style outline, you should try it on your whole scene, see how it looks. i bet it would be pretty cool
  • IdiotDrummerGuy
    I really like the stuff you guys are cranking out. I'd really like to see some of the larger props as opposed to multiple smaller ones.

    in defense of the siren, borderlands was just released.

    I'd say that some attention needs to be paid to the overall theme of your project because these assets are going in three different directions. they look well done, but not necessarily in the same context.

    I like the work you're doing, just gotta unify it!
  • Diwan
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    Diwan polycounter lvl 13
    you mean because there's a stroke separating the object from the background I tossed it on? I'm assuming.

    Yes Nate that's what he is pointing out, and I'd take it as a compliment if I was you. :)
  • Shogun3d
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    Shogun3d polycounter lvl 12
    Definitely feels like Borderlands, looks great :)
  • Matroskin
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    Matroskin polycounter lvl 11
    yeah, if u bring that to Unreal u can have that "outline" effect. U could also do a quick pass in PS to "derealistize" textures a bit, lol, just made up that word, i hope it makes sense.

    Anyways, i know it sounds like too big crazy change, just sharing my thoughts :P

    U r doing good anyways ;)
  • Matroskin
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    Matroskin polycounter lvl 11
    Diwan wrote: »
    Yes Nate that's what he is pointing out, and I'd take it as a compliment if I was you. :)

    hehe, Borderlands is my game of the day for now, lol, so yes, that is a compliment :P
  • jacob07777
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    jacob07777 polycounter lvl 15
    Finished the Low Poly for the Refinery, should have the High done by Sunday night or Monday night. 20,000 Tri's, can't wait to see how many the high poly will be lol. The tiny little dot on the platform in the front of the building is my UT scale reference for the refinery. This thing is massive! (That's what she said)

    Low_Poly_Final.jpg
  • crazyfingers
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    crazyfingers polycounter lvl 10
    Lookin' good. Looks like you could turn some of those fences into alphas and save a ton of tris :D.
  • natetheartist
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    natetheartist polycounter lvl 9
    In the interest of MAKING THINGS MORE EPIC, and *not being an art thief* (lol),

    I have repainted the 2D concept, and changed the twin towers to a brand new concept that i doodled up in a dark, desolate room, far, far away from any overly similar visuals; AND cracked the ground, casting slum homes and props into a foggy-green-fate, and tilting the vagabond's AirCab and Eatery. A simple addition geometrically.


    vehemenceendgame.jpg



    Jake, The low poly looks good! the supports look much better. I like what you came up with. The only thing that stands out is the big block on the bottom, but I'll wait to see the high-poly before I comment on that.

    Lets see some wires! I'm curious where those 20k triangles are hiding.
    Hoping those wires and rails are alpha planes.

    Keep it up dude.
  • jacob07777
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    jacob07777 polycounter lvl 15
    Here's an update the high poly of the refinery, I was able to drop the low poly down to 17,000 tris also and decided to turn those railings into alphas.

    High_Poly_01.jpg
  • cholden
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    cholden polycounter lvl 18
    Coffee maker technology has come a long way.

    The clock is ticking, fellows. Let's start seeing some scene compositions!
  • jacob07777
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    jacob07777 polycounter lvl 15
    Ok, so I finished the High Poly. On a side note, I will be Zbrushing the chunk that has been taken out of the supports near the bottom of the structure, but for now I just did a quick addition to the high poly that at least gets the point across. Lemme know what you guys think :)

    If you look reaally really close, you can see the UT Scale reference character. It's like playing a quick little game of where's Waldo lol

    High_Poly_02.jpg
  • adam
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    adam polycounter lvl 19
    1 week left - start texturing.
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