Can we get a good, straightforward art direction?
mod
The story was good and all, but all I got out of it was no robot arms.
Looking at some of the early concepts posted here, it seems like there might be a couple others that might not have 'gotten it' either.
So we're like... shadow assasins?
Looking at some of the early concepts posted here, it seems like there might be a couple others that might not have 'gotten it' either.
So we're like... shadow assasins?
Replies
We're still the evil side and as such you might want to go through some of the old entries for aspects that you can carry through.
As for the background, consider the fact that Polycount has had free reign of the solar system/galaxy/whatever for 100 years. This, coupled with the somewhat narcisistic fashion that our brief is written in, leads me to think that our people have become decadent and (more) debauched. Personally, I'm looking at inspiration from French nobility (The whole pre-revolution deal. Marie Antoinette etc) and Imperial Rome (Nero and the like), along with fantasy references from the likes of Warhammer 40k's Slaaneshi cult, The Society of Sensation from Planescape, the Cenobites from Hellraiser... you get the idea. Thats what I got from the brief. Hopefully that'll help coalesce some ideas in your head
I think whats intended is that your character should be some kind of 'special forces' unit. First line of attack - perhaps covert, or whatever tactics would assist your forces. So this guy isnt a grunt, he' could be your Sam Fisher, Grimer Worm Tongue or even a Black Flag Commando.
Other than that, just make sure your character doesn't easily fall in with ancient or mechanical, and is clearly evil and arrogant.
Cues abound everywhere in the brief
He's not too silent, but he certainly penetrates, assassinates, and destroys any forms of resistance while at the same time, secure an opens for the gathering fleets.
Not asking for strict direction, just a clearer explanation of what we can and can't do.
I think I have a general understanding, but I'm just making sure others don't go off on a tangent without the proper information.
that's my interpretation...
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This comp is primarily for covert ops units. anything that can kill something quickly without drawing too much attention to it is ok. If you make a 10 meter monster that charges towards its targets like godzilla in new york... then we have a problem
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I'm glad you asked the question Skanker, because I don't want to get started on something only to find out the vague description, wasn't described as vaguely to the judges and entries get tossed out because 90 foot hulking organic masses aren't allowed. I honestly think the super sneaky ninja assassin is played out and I'm not excited to make a bald ninja with an eye scar and a half face mask...
What the judges will say: "I'm sorry the answer we where looking for was peanut butter... pea-nut butt-er"
my two bits: unified art direction is a bad idea for a lot of reasons, as is getting too much into the specifics of what the brief is about.
it's just not a winning strategy.
look at all the entries that follow the letter (and much of the spirit) of the brief from last year: most of them are buried in the middle of the pack. mostly forgettable.
on the other hand, look at the winning entries: both rockstar and spacemonkey turn in entries that stretch the conception of "general" in their own ways. yes, Beef fits pretty well, but even there kite is stretching with the inclusion of the mech (notice that vehicles are outlawed this year!) because he knew he needed that extra something. Spacemonkey's general is pretty much a cyberdemon, and yet he nabbed third.
so i think it's clear that an imaginative take on the brief helps. and the pitfalls of a unified art direction, however tempting it may seem in theory, in practice should also be clear: if everyone was pulling iD software style antics on their characters, General Corum might not have stood out quite as well, or worse yet, rockstar might have felt the need to alter his style to fit some team style, despite it not being the best for him personally.
the team aspect is justified well enough by nearly unified color schemes (most pcounter designs last year used green somehow, cgchat = red and gold, etc.), while still giving people more than enough room to show their best.
Vig: he pulled the quote from Fred's post in this thread, you knob
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BWHAHAHAaa, I see fred's avatar and think Casey Jones. sigh... I really should stop myself from posting when I first get up.
Essentially, what will cause me from 'losing points'.
Fred's post in here is more informative than anything at the DM site. Perhaps that should be posted there instead of in here.
PeterK thought that a monstrosity is what was being sought, but we now see that Fred shot that down. It's good this came up because that had the potential of being time wasted.
So, how about powersuits/powerarmor?
Vig:
To tell you the truth, I didn't see Fred's post last night either for some reason, and I posted not long after he made his post.
"Shadows," will penetrate, assassinate, and destroy any forms of resistance while at the same time, secure an opening for their team's gathering fleets. It is through these Shadows that a new power shall attain dominance in an epic battle that would later become known as...
Penetration in the sense of "let me sneak in like a bitch", or "let me plow through like a juggernaught" ?
For some reason this quote comes to mind:[ QUOTE ]
Barbossa: you must be a pirate for the pirate's code to apply and you're not. And thirdly, the code is more what you'd call "guidelines" than actual rules. Welcome aboard.
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We be pirates here mr peter. Bendin' the rules is what we does best. (just don't make a lame entry because the "push the envelope" door swings both ways)
I think I'm still able to salvage 60% of my original idea. Although given the fact that I grew quite attached to it over the last month while I waited it's sad that I can't use it to its full extent. I'm glad I didn't do anything other than flesh out a few quick sketches.
They both do the job.
Shadows can be hidden in the corners, or all encompassing. Penetration can be through clever tactics or sheer strength. Assassination doesn't have to be quiet.
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Shadows! Do not stop after tearing them apart. Do not stop after killing their spirits. Stop only after every last one of them has begged for forgiveness in wasting our precious time to crush them ALL! Now GO! Kill them! Destroy their fleets, generals, and leaders..
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Destroy their fleets? Sounds like a job for the juggernaut... bitch.
If that means punching through doors in a blitz on an HQ, what's wrong with that?
where is the line FredH?
If that means punching through doors in a blitz on an HQ, what's wrong with that?
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I think he/she would need some stealth capability (getting to the enemy without being destroyed by their artillery would probably help) but otherwise that's exactly what i was thinking.
Edit: From Fredh's cgchat thread
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My thoughts on how to attain victory:
- A cool weapon is almost more important than the character herself.
- stealthy looking is a must and she must have very
advanced (almost magical looking) tech.
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Weak.
- Create a "Shadow" with one or more of these proficiencies: (these are only a few of many other possibilities)
Penetration, Assassination, Recovering, Demolishing, Sharp Shooting, Hand to Hand Combat Specialist, Stealth, Spying, Deception, Searching, Tactician, Weapon Specialist, Defender, Navigation Specialist, Space Combat Specialist, etc.
I would go for Hand-to-Hand, Deception and Stealth. But, you can choose whatever you want from that list (that i clipped from the website, for those who don't recognize it)
So the bottom line is: the char should pass as a Shadow, and be a battle specialist. We should really choose different traits for our Shadows, but keep in mind! We are Evil and Arrogant! We won the previous war (i was not even born then), thanks to the genious tactics of our War Generals, and i feel that we should pay homage to them, since they are the heroes of the past. Let us make this fluffy! Let us win, for POLYCOUNT!
BWHAHAHAaa, I see fred's avatar and think Casey Jones. sigh... I really should stop myself from posting when I first get up.
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So... You're saying you take no heed to my posts?
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Vig --> You and me both. I see casey's avatar, and it feels like I already replied. But then I see the green face...
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Sorry for the confusion, I may change my avatar soon.
OR NOT!
-caseyjones
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Big Bads are just as in as skinny bads. Hope this answers your question
Meaning, yes, you can make a big beefed up armor plated character on steroids. For instance, a character from Gears of War is perfectly acceptable.
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I think keeping it slightly broader (ie. anything from a thin, dark, ninja assassin type to a full-on Gears-style character) is much better than trying to limit everyone to a very strict brief.
Obviously stuff like a crazy alien cyber-hulk on steroids is going too far, but I think the range should still be fairly broad.
if i take a huge brute, and give all kinds of big weapons... he's not covert-ops... vut if i add a sniper rifle to his armoury; he becomes a sharp-shooter. Right?
so is "huge brute wit a sniper rifle" good 2 go?
EDIT: after seeing other threads... i've noticed that not too many ppl are avoided the 'brute.' and they don't even care about it! i think we're worrying too much?
plus, even at CGChat they have ppl wit huge guns (not very covert-ops) and nobody is stopping any1... so: i think we're worrying too much.
and ur enjoying this arent ya fred?
I hear you on this rv_el, I too had my piece deemed "not-futuristic-enough" and "too fantasy". I guess more glowly bits, and armor is what some expect. However, Cgsociety is now making the ancient race. So I'm not sure if they should have less sci-fi stuff.
B