The BRAWL² Tournament Challenge has been announced!
It starts May 12, and ends Sept 12. Let's see what you got!
https://polycount.com/discussion/237047/the-brawl²-tournament
It starts May 12, and ends Sept 12. Let's see what you got!
https://polycount.com/discussion/237047/the-brawl²-tournament
Best Of
Re: Please help me make my scenario better
Hi! I think with what's here, both the mesh shading and the surfaces can be improved. Some modules, such as frames/arches, would benefit from more detailed models. With wooden structures in particular, I think it's important to get the grain direction of the wood right.
To improve the mesh shading, I would add some sharp edges to make it more defined in places (where it's actual hard in real life). Additionally/alternatively add support edges and face-weight vertex normals to tighten the shading.
With the surfaces, I think currently some parts, particular wood, have too much noise/bumpiness in their normal maps. This makes it look like those parts don't quite belong in a mansion settings, more like rough wood of an outside structure. I don't know what kind of limitation you have, but you could add variation to large surfaces by blending between two texture sets using a vertex painted mask (or just modulate the PBR material values). Other than that decals and detail meshes could be use to break things up.
I agree on Alex's roughness comment. If you look at light response on the railings in particular, the specular highlights are very broad and even. I think more information in normal and roughness map would help break this up.
Overall it would help if you described the intended scenario in more detail. Currently it gives me strong Resident Evil 1 vibes. But it's pretty empty. Simple props to add could be vases and furniture, for quick additional variants you create blanket covers. Perhaps a cobweb layer on top of everything.
Also make sure to dissect references, find images of real life locations and check their make-up. Of course it's never a bad idea to look for existing game environments, see what elements and techniques artists picked to define the location.
Good luck!
To improve the mesh shading, I would add some sharp edges to make it more defined in places (where it's actual hard in real life). Additionally/alternatively add support edges and face-weight vertex normals to tighten the shading.
With the surfaces, I think currently some parts, particular wood, have too much noise/bumpiness in their normal maps. This makes it look like those parts don't quite belong in a mansion settings, more like rough wood of an outside structure. I don't know what kind of limitation you have, but you could add variation to large surfaces by blending between two texture sets using a vertex painted mask (or just modulate the PBR material values). Other than that decals and detail meshes could be use to break things up.
I agree on Alex's roughness comment. If you look at light response on the railings in particular, the specular highlights are very broad and even. I think more information in normal and roughness map would help break this up.
Overall it would help if you described the intended scenario in more detail. Currently it gives me strong Resident Evil 1 vibes. But it's pretty empty. Simple props to add could be vases and furniture, for quick additional variants you create blanket covers. Perhaps a cobweb layer on top of everything.
Also make sure to dissect references, find images of real life locations and check their make-up. Of course it's never a bad idea to look for existing game environments, see what elements and techniques artists picked to define the location.
Good luck!
Fabi_G
1 ·
Re: LOW-POLY ART
Hi everyone ! I'm done with my Wipeout 2097 (XL) reskin project. flat diffuse 256x256 and 142 triangles
If you want to see more images, it's right here : https://www.artstation.com/artwork/obLkZw
Drop70
13 ·
Re: Star Wars Outlaws: Character design was the least of this games problems.
This isn't even about art, like I said no actual gamers outside of a handful of idiots actually think DEI is an issue. For comparison, Kay vs Alyx - I would argue Kay is actually prettier here, but players like HL2 more. Why?
Because the story was better. Because the worldbuilding was strong enough that these characters felt real, and that the stakes were real. I think switching from critiquing art, which usually is the stronger part of most games, to critiquing writing and gameplay would be a more productive debate.
For me, the reason why I didn't buy Outlaws was because I saw how bad the stealth mechanics were, and figured if such an oversight had been included in the game, that there would be more oversights. I honestly dont care how pretty or not Kay is, they're literally polygons
Because the story was better. Because the worldbuilding was strong enough that these characters felt real, and that the stakes were real. I think switching from critiquing art, which usually is the stronger part of most games, to critiquing writing and gameplay would be a more productive debate.
For me, the reason why I didn't buy Outlaws was because I saw how bad the stealth mechanics were, and figured if such an oversight had been included in the game, that there would be more oversights. I honestly dont care how pretty or not Kay is, they're literally polygons
zetheros
1 ·
Re: Star Wars Outlaws: Character design was the least of this games problems.
zetheros said:I wouldn't lump however many people that are in the 'sweet baby inc detected' steam group in with the MAGA crowd dude. Most of the players who 'oppose DEI' aren't racist, anti-trans etc - they're actually calling for better writing and art in games, and this is their means of expression. As a game dev you're supposed to translate the incessant demonic howling noises from players into something more literate and comprehensive.A lot of this is symptomatic of cost cutting measures; removing highly paid top talent and replacing them with juniors, as well as MBAs literally strip mining our industry from the top down.
What, it's just coincidental that the games they bitch and moan about are ones that are more inclusive of LGBT people, people that aren't white, etc? There's no conclusion to take from them saying that any gender except male is "political" and that LGBT characters merely being included - sometimes in as little as a small flag in a background - are being "shoved down their throats"?
Of course they're racist and anti-trans, among other things. "Better writing and art" is simply the incredibly flimsy shield they hide behind. Just look at them insisting game devs should "hire fans" and showing their "fixes" to designs like making the female characters be whored out to male gaze because they didn't think the original designs were sexy enough.
NikhilR said:This employee for instance wants to burn the game industry to the ground and is pretty unhinged in their cold hatred towards white people.
It comes across as activism, advocacy and crusading masquerading as a consultancy, very left leaning and racist.https://youtu.be/QT1BD8bP9-E?si=utpjtiA0j-z4l3bV
Some of their supporters have very disturbing views on Israel and openly support terrorists like Hamas and Hezbollah which adds a whole different dimension to the situation.
It's bold to call someone else unhinged when you watched that and your takeaway was that they have "cold hatred towards white people".
They even added this convenient summary and all. But basically, what they said was:
- "Edgy" media should be punching up, not down.
- Don't make stories about things you don't understand without listening to those who do, because there are some situations and experiences you can't possibly understand just by imagining as an outsider.
- If you're privileged and want to make a story about those who aren't, use your position to criticise the system that gave you that privilege instead of making something for the privileged to feel good about themselves. (For example, don't make a white saviour story.)
Hateful towards white people? Hardly. I don't agree with everything they said - it's tiresome if a character's identity must define their challenges; sometimes you just want to enjoy something where people like you can just exist - but it's a long, long way from being hateful or wanting to "burn the game industry to the ground". That's a truly ridiculous amount of hyperbole.
What do their supporters have to do with it? Nobody is responsible for what a load of unrelated people think just because those people support them. If you start with that logic I could point out the amount of neonazis who would wholeheartedly support all the complaining you've been doing here about DEI; would that be fine with you? It shouldn't, because people don't have responsibility for what unrelated people think.
What is neutrality? Is it neutral if it doesn't challenge the status quo? Is it neutral if it pays equal consideration to the views and feelings of people who just want to be represented equally as to the feelings of people who think those people don't even deserve equal rights? There's no such thing. Going with the flow without thinking or challenging it is a decision. That isn't neutral.NikhilR said:A consultancy should be neutral, unbiased and value the client, and the client should understand their audience.And yes in the case of certain clients which already are pushing an agenda I don't see where such a consultancy could help.
I mean atleast the devs of dustborn (which autocorrects to dustbin) were honest about what the game was and which audience it was targeting.But with larger licenses when you shoehorn this material it will always create polarization and controversy and it will come down to the audience and investors to decide the best way forward for the success and survival of the company.
It's pretty disgusting, honestly. That when people just try to make their games more inclusive so that more people can enjoy it and not feel like they're misrepresented or ignored by it that that's described as "pushing an agenda", but if you fall back on the defaults - which, historically and to this day, are sexist, homophobic and racist, among other faults - that's considered neutral, default, normal.
Honestly, it speaks to the mindset people arguing that hold. That what is straight, cis, male and usually white is the default, and anything else is political, different, shoehorned in. That those people are the ones that everything exists for; that anyone else being given inclusion is being forced in to their exclusive space. Fuck those people, and fuck that attitude.
Rima
4 ·
Re: Star Wars Outlaws: Character design was the least of this games problems.
I disagree sort of..
in my experience the quality of a large game has very little to do with the ability of most of the staff involved.
As a group grows larger, the overall quality of the group's output trends towards average because most people are in fact average - what separates one group from another in terms of output quality is how much time they spend uplifting their average results with cycles of critique and iteration.
There are very few actually pivotal people in a given studio and those that really are tend to be the ones making the high level decisions regarding game design/art direction
The problem in my view is that we are dealing with Investors rather than game publishers in a post-fortnite world and to accommodate this we've switched focus from generating a product in order to get the next chunk of budget to generating proof that we've all been very busy ticking things off a list - player experience isn't a metric that really comes into the finances.
in my experience the quality of a large game has very little to do with the ability of most of the staff involved.
As a group grows larger, the overall quality of the group's output trends towards average because most people are in fact average - what separates one group from another in terms of output quality is how much time they spend uplifting their average results with cycles of critique and iteration.
There are very few actually pivotal people in a given studio and those that really are tend to be the ones making the high level decisions regarding game design/art direction
The problem in my view is that we are dealing with Investors rather than game publishers in a post-fortnite world and to accommodate this we've switched focus from generating a product in order to get the next chunk of budget to generating proof that we've all been very busy ticking things off a list - player experience isn't a metric that really comes into the finances.
poopipe
3 ·
Re: Anatomy for characters
Thankyou!
Here's where I'm at for the full body... still bashing away to fit the pose and make the anatomy work with it....
The head is a messy attempt at making a smile, solely for the purposes of making the teeth/gums. I tried making teeth with mouth closed, but couldn't get it quite right so I thought if i make a smile then It would help with positioning and sizing everything better.
As with my earlier work, I've been working to match the UE4 mannequin for posing purposes and IK joints. Also I've been following the heads/heights proportions for reference.
To be honest, I was hoping to get it to a more polished state before posting, but I kinda reached a point where I can can't get past second guessing myself and stuck in a circle of reworking things over and over.
I'm determined to get this 'standard' character model finished and satisfied with so I can use it as a 'correct' base so I can finally move on to making the characters I want and clothing/accessories, etc.
So, here it all is:
Here's where I'm at for the full body... still bashing away to fit the pose and make the anatomy work with it....
The head is a messy attempt at making a smile, solely for the purposes of making the teeth/gums. I tried making teeth with mouth closed, but couldn't get it quite right so I thought if i make a smile then It would help with positioning and sizing everything better.
As with my earlier work, I've been working to match the UE4 mannequin for posing purposes and IK joints. Also I've been following the heads/heights proportions for reference.
To be honest, I was hoping to get it to a more polished state before posting, but I kinda reached a point where I can can't get past second guessing myself and stuck in a circle of reworking things over and over.
I'm determined to get this 'standard' character model finished and satisfied with so I can use it as a 'correct' base so I can finally move on to making the characters I want and clothing/accessories, etc.
So, here it all is:
vavavoom
1 ·
Re: [WIP] Transport Miniverse
Hey guys!
It's been a while again!
I've been busy, and now it's time for a little update.
I've finished a few more designs since last time, and I also put together a webstore for those who are interested.
That took me some time as this was waaay out of my comfort zone, but eventually with the help of ChatGPT (significantly reducing the google search times) I've managed to place the right codes to the right places.
Hope now I will have more time to work on more designs and on an actual game prototype.
Transport Miniverse
It's been a while again!
I've been busy, and now it's time for a little update.
I've finished a few more designs since last time, and I also put together a webstore for those who are interested.
That took me some time as this was waaay out of my comfort zone, but eventually with the help of ChatGPT (significantly reducing the google search times) I've managed to place the right codes to the right places.
Hope now I will have more time to work on more designs and on an actual game prototype.
Transport Miniverse
CsabaSzilagyiArt
1 ·
Re: Looking for retro games with an old rigging technique
... and this prompted me to look for this book ... only to notice that the back cover has a screenshot of the character from this one tunnel shooter/prototype (probably made alongside the book) that I had been curious to track again for a few years, but completely forgot the name of : Bettty Bad !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urIqLheLwtU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urIqLheLwtU
pior
1 ·
Re: Looking for retro games with an old rigging technique
That prompted me to pull his Animating real-time game characters book off the shelf and browse through it.
it's amazing how little has really changed in the last 20 years if you ignore the specifics of the tools.
it's amazing how little has really changed in the last 20 years if you ignore the specifics of the tools.
poopipe
1 ·
Re: LOW-POLY ART
hola!! hice esta figura en papel o papercraft como le dicen algunos , modelado en low poly en 3ds max y hecho en altura de 30 cm
Camayoc
4 ·