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the Escape - Information, Q&A

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  • ScudzAlmighty
    Just want to make sure I'm clear on this, having re-read the rules and this thread. If I want to use an in-engine effect like fire for example in udk, is that considered a pre-existing asset or do I have to create the fire fx myself using particles and cards or however it's done? (It would literally be one single fireball and probably not worth the effort of finding and adding an fx artist).

    Answer: Everything needs to be made exclusively for your entry.
  • heinous
    If I make some game items for this contest and then submit them to the steam workshop, should I show the escape logo on the preview shots in the workshop even though it's outside the contest requirements, or is that bad?

    Answer: You only need the Escape logo on your submissions to this contest.
  • 0SCUR0
    Hello! I'm new to the forums (As in a few days) And I accidentally named my thread "ESCAPE - Bounty" Instead of "ESCAPE - Bounty Hunters" is there a way to edit this? Is this the right place for asking this? (sorry if not! :S) And in the future what should I do if a similar problem arises?

    Answer: Done.
  • iagodiehl
    Hey guys, I have some doubts.

    First, my screen has just 1024x768 resolution. Can I submit screenshots of WIP with this resolution and the final beauty shots with the resolution the contest requires?

    Second, my first ideia was to make an environment with some characters. The problem is that I won't have time to model the characters. Could I use an average model as those can be found on Zbrush and modify them?

    Third, can I put one more person in my team during the contest?

    Answers:

    1 - So long as the final submissions are of the required resolutions, you're fine.
    2 - You cannot use anything you haven't created exclusively for this contest.
    3 - Yes, you can add team-mates to your entry.
  • freakadelle
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    freakadelle polycounter lvl 4
    http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=118098

    I know it's a bit late to ask but we are framing in 2:1 so we get black bars in the 16:9 final submission shot which will be 1920x1080.
    We planned this from the beginning on so we can have a cinema like framing and the logo not covering any pixels.

    Would this be ok?

    Technically we are not modifying any pixel rendered by cryengine with photoshop. Everything inbetween the black bars is 100% in-engine.
    As a fallback I could theroetically just attach two black objects in front of my camera and get the exact same effect

    Answer: That is fine.
  • fei-rukawa
    As I'm actually working on the lightings in Toolbag, I'm also using the default lightings/skyboxes that comes with it, I was wondering if I also had to draw (or take a picture of) a skybox by myself and then create my own skybox or if it's fine to use the default ones, considering it like an in-engine tool?

    EDIT : Nevermind, I found a cool picture I took myself of a beautiful sunset... :D
  • EvanL
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    EvanL polycounter lvl 11
    Had a similar question, we're allowed to use sites like CGtextures for photosources, but what about something like a movie poster? Or ads and newspapers? Could I use those as a base for a texture or would I have to create them from scratch?

    example in the latest update of our escape thread

    Answer: IT's suggested that you try and come up with something original, but we won't stop you from using a poster.
  • MaYdaY
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    MaYdaY polycounter lvl 8
    actually I have the same question as fei-rukawa, I am currently using a standard sky which is included in the free cry sdk. Do I need to replace this with my own one? Probably CG Textures then. Cheers
  • d1ver
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    d1ver polycounter lvl 14
    It's a very vague topic. For example Cry engine features out of the box shaders while someone working in UDK would have to make their own. Would it be reasonable to ask cry-people to go and get dirty with hlsl to get their "own" shaders?
    I think the line here is really hard to nail. If you go with the default sky, but just tweak the material instance a bit I don't think it should be too bad, 'cause your work is not about the sky and it won't be praised or judged for the sky. If anything the default sky could hurt you, but it's your choice.
    But that's of course just my two cents.
  • freakadelle
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    freakadelle polycounter lvl 4
    I would suggest that all default assets that come with the engine are good to use. We talked about this in our team and although we try to make everything ourselves there are some assets we cant even access because they are hardcoded in some system, like for example a rain effect.
    Furthermore there are some default light projector textures, that are simple greyscale masks with a fall off or a simple white circle in the middle. You couldn't even make your "own" version because they are just too generic. They will always look exactly the same.

    Of course everything that has only the slightest artistic aspect is created from scratch.

    But it would be nice to have this claryfied. So for us its just about really simple masks that ship with our lighting and flares systems but I would even be ok with other contestants use default skies or even effects as long as they are standard engine assets.
  • adam
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    adam polycounter lvl 19
    Hey, I'll reply to these here.

    I'm just going to have to say that those vague lines are up to you. We're not going to police things like greyscale maps for light gobos or the sky you use in a skybox or cubemap.
  • jsargent
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    jsargent polycounter lvl 5
    surely sky textures/materials should be made from scratch as should all particle effects right? It says that in original rules and would be unfair to people who had made everything from scratch to change that now. :)
  • adam
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    adam polycounter lvl 19
    Sky textures/material should be, definitely. But we're going to take your word for it that you've made the textures as much your own as possible.
  • aphexx
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    aphexx polycounter lvl 12
    hi, the deadline is May 12th 23:59 EST.
    but i don't get it, how to calculate this for germany. is it today 6 pm (so in about 3,5h) or tomorrow 6 am(in about 15,5h)?!
  • EmAr
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    EmAr polycounter lvl 18
    This website should be correct about the time. It is correct, right?

    http://www.timeanddate.com/library/abbreviations/timezones/na/est.html
  • aphexx
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    aphexx polycounter lvl 12
    thx for this tip! but this site says:
    "US states using EDT in the summer and EST during the winter"
    now i am completely helpless..lol. so, i will put edt in there and i will get the correct time then?! so it says i have roughly 12 hours left.
  • freakadelle
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    freakadelle polycounter lvl 4
    We had the same problem being located in Frankfurt. Currently there are only countrys in EST that don't have daylight saving time (sommerzeit). New York for example is in EST but has daylight saving time, so it changes to EDT. With the deadline stating EST we should be 7 hours ahead of EST (The usual 6 hours + the 1 hour because EST is not the same as EDT)

    So Id say the deadline is May 13th 0700 AM in Germany.

    But you should check that for yourself, I don't guarantee anything ;)
  • aphexx
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    aphexx polycounter lvl 12
    ah thank you freakadelle ;)
    interesting, i never thought about the daylight save time. when this applies, then the better..we still have a heapload of stuff to do.. :poly134:
  • freakadelle
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    freakadelle polycounter lvl 4
    Someone in EST or EDT should just tell us what time it is for him. Because maybe im completely wrong and it's 23:58 already!

    Anyways, good luck to you guys!
  • adam
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    adam polycounter lvl 19
    As of posting it is 10:37PM or 22:37 EST
  • uk-stryder
    im hoping all the obviously not in game entrys wont be counted.
    granted they are top draw but obviously not in game also there relevent escape posts show lack of design process
  • adam
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    adam polycounter lvl 19
    Which entries, to you, are obviously not in-game?
  • uk-stryder
    is marmoset a game engine?
    is toolbag a game engine

    also i love the mafia car 1 but i would like to see in editor shots as i feel it has alot of post trickery. would be lovely to see it moving or atlest an in editor shot. ive used the engine for years and cant get those effects lol.

    its a sure winner just im scepticle at the best of times.

    if its all done in engine and rendered in engine then i apologize.

    Also the prison one with loadsa shots, was that created from ground up for this competition or did they do the usual which happens alot and pull something they were already creating and just post

    apologise again if im offending anyone but i dont like it when people work hard on there entrys and then a team post up there stuff thats been in production for monthes
  • Ulrick
    Marmoset is maybe not a "game" engine, but it's surely a real time engine, with real time Post-FX system, like in UDK or Cry-Engine (and so with the same constraints)...

    And as Marmoset is one of the sponsor of this challenge... I really think we could use it to achieve it :D
  • uk-stryder
    I would suggest that all default assets that come with the engine are good to use. We talked about this in our team and although we try to make everything ourselves there are some assets we cant even access because they are hardcoded in some system, like for example a rain effect.

    the rain effect is a simple set up in particle effects you just need to create new material files and set up a new particle.

    ive created all particle effects in ours from scratch as particles are a main feature in the scene,
    specially for an in game rendered image
  • ScudzAlmighty
    Toolbag is specifically listed in the rules under what you're allowed to use
    shown in a real-time solution UDK, CryEngine, Source, Toolbag and so on. this is a video game art contest; do not show straight 3D app renders.

    It's simply the realtime presentation version of the engine 8 Monkey Labs developed for Darkest of Days, and beyond.
  • uk-stryder
    Toolbag is specifically listed in the rules under what you're allowed to use



    It's simply the realtime presentation version of the engine 8 Monkey Labs developed for Darkest of Days, and beyond.

    ahhh i did not know that :)

    i am now schooled. is this engine available to buy?
  • adam
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    adam polycounter lvl 19
    Marmoset & CryEngine are fine. And knowing that should address your concerns.
  • EmAr
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    EmAr polycounter lvl 18
    Will we be able to learn the complete rankings anytime soon? I wonder whether I got any votes :P :P

    Thanks again for organizing this :)
  • aphexx
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    aphexx polycounter lvl 12
    yes, our team would also be interested in the rankings. any chance you will publish them?
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