Intro
Let me start by saying the Perilith Knight is arguably one of the best models available, and I could write pages raving about all it's coolness, but even the mighty Perilith knight is not without it's flaws. I gave it 5 stars, not because it was modeling perfection, but because of how it compares to other 5 star models.
At the risk of getting flamed up and down on the messaged board, I am going to be concentrating on the negative aspects of the model more than the positive in this review. I am of the belief that more can be learned for up and coming modelers this way. The last thing I am trying to do is knock the model, I think it's a great model. I am also in the awkward situation of opening myself up for comments like "as if you can do better", especially since I am a model author as well. I assure you that I am in no way implying that I think I could outdo this model.
Well, enough of me covering my ass...Here's the review.
The Model
The Perilith Knight is an excellent example of how to do a segmented model. It doesn't suffer at all from the problems that plague most segmented model such as gaps, and stiff looking animations. He is a tad blocky for my tastes, yeah, he is supposed to be in armor, but the shapes he is constructed up could have been more refined and organic in appearance. His torso is where this is most obvious. And his head is a block, fortunately he has his helmet on 99% of the time. My only other complaint is more aesthetic preference than anything, but his proportions are a little odd. His legs could be longer and his torso a small amount thinner, but that's just my taste. The Animations
The Animations are of excellent quality, and really make the model shine, I do have a few complaints about them though. First off, they are a little reserved, especially when he is swinging his sword. The Knight should draw his sword back much further, and follow though much more. As it is now, the swing looks more like a wave. It has been my experience that if you want you quake model to look dynamic, error on the side of over-exaggerating. Secondly, he drags his feet a little when he takes steps forward in a few of the anims. Yeah I know the armor is heavy, but sliding feet is a pet peeve of mine.
Last but not least...
The all-mighty Stand anim! These 40 frames will make or break your model. When someone is taking time to look at the model this is what they will see, so this is the authors chance to show off his/her animating skills.
If you have a model that's standing perfectly still in quake2 you are going to see problems... you will be more likely to notice flaws in the model, it's low-poly nature, and worst of all you will see the jello effect on the model due to the low resolution of vertex position in quake2. The best way to combat this is to keep you model moving at all times. You'll notice that the q2 guy is bouncing up and down a lot. I don't know if Mr. Steed did this specifically to hide jittery verts, but the effect is much less noticeably then on a static model. That being said, it's logical to have your model moving around rather than standing still, which the Knight does. The problem is he seems a little jiggly in the animations. I can see what the author was trying to accomplish, but my theory is to not add animation that doesn't have some sort of purpose. Instead of having the knight stand there and wiggle for secondary movement, have him doing something. Looking around is the most obvious thing but it doesn't have to be that. He could adjust his shield or look at his sword, both of which would trigger lots of secondary movement. You can go too far with this and make the model look fidgety, but if done right it will make the anim look much more realistic.
The skins are top notch all the way. The 'evil' skin is a definite work of art. I personally feel that the CTF skins make him look like some sort of mech, but that's still cool in a way. The best part about the skins is the mapping, all you potential modelers out there, take a look at the face in this one... very efficient. (you might notice I learned a thing or two from it, which I used in my most recent model). Sounds
I'm told there is no "Official" SoundPak yet, but I think there are some available, but I haven't heard them. Visible Weapons Support VWep is what makes this model a classic and one of the coolest models out. Each weapon is new type of sword, axe or mace, and each are skinned, modeled and animated as masterfully as the Knight itself. My favorite is the rocket launcher, but each one has something cool about it. Standard id VWep support is cool, but it pales in comparison to the coolness of all new models. Pack Inclusion What? are you kidding!
review by EvilBastard
|
|
