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Ladies & gentlemen, Unearthly Challenge is ON!

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polycounter lvl 19
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adam polycounter lvl 19
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CLICK ABOVE FOR INFO

-September 4th 2008 to October 27 2008-


If you're like me, you've been waiting for this for a few years now: A contest to the same caliber of the Dominance War where us environment artists can finally stretch our wings and fly.

Anything and everything you'll need to begin your entry can be read here.

Some highlights of the specs & rules include:

:icon_arrow: Each entry will begin from a choice out of 89 concepts provided by some of this industries top studios & artists

:icon_arrow: Broad technical restrictions

:icon_arrow: Render in any 3D application or videogame engine of your choice

:icon_arrow: Teams of up to 3 people maximum! Name your team and make a logo if you wish

:icon_arrow: Priceless exposure: Have your entry seen by all of our sponsors & judges

Replies

  • Tumerboy
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    Tumerboy polycounter lvl 16
  • Kovac
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    Kovac polycounter lvl 18
    Good work Adam and everyone helping organize this... time to kick some ass! (assuming I get the time :()

    Edit: Tumerboy already wooted
  • Tulkamir
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    Tulkamir polycounter lvl 18
    Awesome. Can't wait to see the entries for this. Show em what the Black and Green is all about guys!
  • Armanguy
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    Armanguy polycounter lvl 17
  • moose
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    moose polycount sponsor
    niceeeeeeeeeeeeeee

    edit: This competition is closed for new entries.
  • man_o_mule
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    man_o_mule polycounter lvl 18
    YAY!!! i dont have to do my own concepts. #1 step to me deciding to enter #2 was the freedom this challenge presents. seems WAY WAY WAY more open ended than any of the dominance wars were. i just hope i can put my life on hold for 7 weeks....
  • Em.
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    Em. polycounter lvl 17
    Crap. My third team mate was a concept artist...that really, really bites. Oh well, I'll do the best I can with what I got. But my concept artist could kick anyone's ass!! XD
  • adam
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    adam polycounter lvl 19
    You can still utilize a concept artist as part of your team. Read the specs :)

    moose - ya, Fred just opened up the specs, rules, and concepts so people can begin. Registry/login will happen over the weekend most likely as there are still kinks to iron out.

    Everyone else - KICK SOME FUCKING ASS.
  • Steve Schulze
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    Steve Schulze polycounter lvl 18
    The necessity to start with an existing concept is an interesting choice. I'm quite happy with it as I couldn't concept my way out of a wet paper bag, but I imagine it might cause a little grumbling in the ranks.
    I'd be interested to know what the philosophy behind this choice was.

    Anyway, It looks like it'll be a lot of fun. Props to the organisers.
  • Armanguy
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    Armanguy polycounter lvl 17
    woot cant wait i already chose the concept im using gonna make it look different though
  • adam
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    adam polycounter lvl 19
    Jackablade, definitely a good point to bring up.

    Why did we want to make it so contestants had to start from concepts?

    There's a few reasons, I'll start with the bigger ones.

    Beyond saying "Here's 200k triangles, 4096x4096 textures, now make some evil" we needed to tighten the scope of this contest so that proper guidelines and restrictions were in place beyond technical limitations and an underlying theme. Dominance War would never have been successful if people were told, "Make someone Evil." That's too broad. It's too vague. Not to mention it'd be hell on the judges.

    There's no backstory for this like there was for Dominance War. We're not specifically making War Generals or Planetary Infiltrators, we're making worlds within worlds. And those worlds all have a starting point within each of the 89 concepts.

    We want to see what people can do when a vague direction is presented to them and they're told to run with it.

    And while this is extremely helpful for people learning the trade or to those who cannot concept, I believe it'll be a real challenge & fun exercise to the industry professionals out there. We ran this idea past a lot of professionals out there and worked with them to ensure that we could make as many people have with this as we could. Personally, I can't flippin' wait to get my hands dirty with the rest of my team.

    How are you able to take something and make it evil? What is evil and how do you represent that in an environment? How do you take a concept, a world, and add to it to make it your own while maintaining some elements of the original design?

    That is what this contest is. That is why we collected nearly 100 concepts from some of the best artists out there.

    That is make makes this the Unearthly Challenge.

    And before anyone tries to call me on it: I totally didn't practice this post in preparation for the question at hand. I swear!
  • maltuna
    So wait... we can't enter the contest with a team of two 3D guys and a concept artist?

    edit: nevermind. :)
  • adam
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    adam polycounter lvl 19
    Yup, you can. Read the rules :) You're encouraged to concept out your scene. Specifically the new changes you'll be making to the concept you choose to start from.
  • Peris
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    Peris polycounter lvl 17
    I don't like the idea i have to choose from a concept. I had a pretty fun thing i wanted to do but now i can't :(. Using a concept as a starting point, does that mean i can completely change it to something else?


    The spec limits are awesome though!

    edit: quite a lot of cheesy concepts :(
  • adam
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    adam polycounter lvl 19
    Knowing you, I'm sure you'll find a way to be creative ;)

    Now then... bed!
  • Em.
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    Em. polycounter lvl 17
    I am sleepy and excited and yes..I should have read the rules first. :P

    Until tomorrow.
  • Peris
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    Peris polycounter lvl 17
    adamBrome wrote: »
    Knowing you, I'm sure you'll find a way to be creative ;)

    Now then... bed!

    fsidufgsigdf

    ok, i just take on of the blurry concepts that look like a 5 minute sketch then =)
  • kwakkie
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    kwakkie polycounter lvl 12
    I hate how you cant let the concept artist of your team create something from scratch, whats the point of teams if you have to work seperately? A concept artist doesnt want to recreate someone elses concepts, he wants to create something new!
  • Armanguy
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    Armanguy polycounter lvl 17
    Peris wrote: »
    fsidufgsigdf

    ok, i just take on of the blurry concepts that look like a 5 minute sketch then =)

    hehehe thats what im doing :P
  • Cody
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    Cody polycounter lvl 15
    Yeah, boooyyyyyyy!
  • kio
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    kio polycounter lvl 15
    kwakkie wrote: »
    I hate how you cant let the concept artist of your team create something from scratch, whats the point of teams if you have to work seperately? A concept artist doesnt want to recreate someone elses concepts, he wants to create something new!


    ohh thats not soooo correct imo - because normaly in production you have a fixed setting to fit in.

    soo look at it more like a lose direction to choose from i guess, a startingpoint to begin with and to expand.
  • Mark Dygert
    Awesome concepts! So many to choose from...

    No one is going to get pissed if we paint over the concepts are they?
  • Cody
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    Cody polycounter lvl 15
    I like how if you click the green part of the banner on the Unearthly website, it changes to a green theme. Nice touch.
  • katzeimsack
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    katzeimsack polycounter lvl 17
    don't like the concepts,
    hate the specs

    no challenge for me :(
  • rollin
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    rollin polycounter
    mimimimimi

    whats your problem with the specs?
  • Armanguy
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    Armanguy polycounter lvl 17
    yeah the specs are pretty awesome! you can always change the concept however way you want .
  • |Buddy|
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    |Buddy| polycounter lvl 11
    AWESOME.

    However,
    1100x1100 for beauty shot? If we want a wide shot (16:9 for example) we're supposed to add black margins right? (top bottom)
  • TheSplash
    |Buddy| wrote: »
    AWESOME.

    However,
    1100x1100 for beauty shot? If we want a wide shot (16:9 for example) we're supposed to add black margins right? (top bottom)

    it says "UP TO" 1100x1100, so if you wanna make it widescreen just make the height smaller.

    still, 1100 is a seemingly random number for max res, to me 1280 would make more sense haha
  • Emil Mujanovic
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    Emil Mujanovic polycounter lvl 18
    I was curious about the lightmaps myself, Per. So I'm glad you asked.
    I don't understand why there is so much disappointment about having to choose a concept. The rules specify that you are to use the concepts as a starting point or reference.
    • Mandatory: Choose one concept from our selection of 89 and use it as a base to begin your 3d entry.
    • Concepts should not be copied exactly, in fact, simply duplicating your chosen concept is a very bad thing. - Additional objects, lighting changes (night to day), art style, scene composition, etc. are all things you are free & encouraged to add, change, or develop yourselves.
    GET THIS SHIT ON, BITCHES!

    -caseyjones
  • Xenobond
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    Xenobond polycounter lvl 18
    HARR HARR HARR
    1328.jpg
  • Target_Renegade
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    Target_Renegade polycounter lvl 11
    I don't understand how playable the environment is supposed to be, or how much we can modify the concepts. Will the whole environment have to stand up on closer inspection, or do we take it that on a large environment the camera is going to be pushed back so much that it doesn't matter?
  • Xenobond
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    Xenobond polycounter lvl 18
    I don't understand how playable the environment is supposed to be, or how much we can modify the concepts. Will the whole environment have to stand up on closer inspection, or do we take it that on a large environment the camera is going to be pushed back so much that it doesn't matter?

    '-Concepts should not be copied exactly, in fact, simply duplicating your chosen concept is a very bad thing.'

    The environment should be able to hold up and look awesome in both beauty shots. If you want to pull the camera back, that's your choice.
  • Mark Dygert
    perna wrote: »
    Lightmaps:
    -Can we use a second UV channel for these or do we need to duplicate geometry?
    -What are the specs for the lightmap, 4096px?

    What are the maps we are allowed to use? The specs don't specifically list the types or maximum number.
    Yup, I'd like a little more info on this also. I suspect a second UV channel for the light maps is going to be ok. I'm not fond of the alternative...
  • monkeyboy_garth
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    monkeyboy_garth polycounter lvl 9
    Some bad ass concepts there! Good work. Can't wait to see different artists' approaches to environments.
  • Emil Mujanovic
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    Emil Mujanovic polycounter lvl 18
    Go Per! It's your birthday! <3

    -caseyjones
  • katzeimsack
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    katzeimsack polycounter lvl 17
    I like connect-the-dots ...

    I have concepts all day at work, when I do personal stuff i don't want to be too limited.
  • Mark Dygert
    "Courage isn't the lack of fear. The lack of fear is stupidity. Courage is raising up to the challenge in spite of it"

    Now get off your ass, stop making excuses and start kicking ass there is plenty of freedom in the challenge and plenty of time get some kick ass art done. GO GO GO!
  • Joshua Stubbles
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    Joshua Stubbles polycounter lvl 19
    Anyone need a partna'? : )
  • Snefer
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    Snefer polycounter lvl 16
    Yeah, I really didn't understand that part either.. can you pick a concept, then totally change the style of it and the setting but still use some of the composition, etc? Cause some of the conets are really nice, but I would like to do something similar but with a different style, etc. :)

    anyway, its on! ^^
  • Peris
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    Peris polycounter lvl 17
    yeah I'm going to just take the general idea of a concept as a starting point and then do my own thing with it. if i understand the rules like this it's not as restricting as i first thought. I still agree with katze though, i have to work with other peoples concepts at work all the time so i was initially disappointed we had to do it in this contest as well.
  • Pedro Amorim
    I wants a team!!!111
  • Target_Renegade
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    Target_Renegade polycounter lvl 11
    Whats the naming convention for starting an Unearthly Challenge thread?

    Something like: Unearthly Challenge | Team Name | Name of Environement ?
  • Cody
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    Cody polycounter lvl 15
    Obviously, the triangle limit is huge, what really is going to hold people back is the 4096 texture limit. That's not a lot, will determine the size of it all quite a bit.

    However, look how much this Beast of a Juggernaut did with ONE 1024 -->
    http://chrisholden.net/dm01_05.jpg http://chrisholden.net/dm01_07.jpg
    Cholden's Sketchbook --> http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=52565

    And I second target_renegades question...is that how we name these suckers?
  • Mark Dygert
    Unearthly Challenge | Team Name | Name of Environment

    This sounds good to me. The team name seems kind of silly I kind of thought it was team polycount vs team CGChat (err I mean GameArtisans) but that's a contest thing, thems the rules no matter how weird.
  • Tumerboy
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    Tumerboy polycounter lvl 16
    bah, not bothering to read all of the responses, but I personally think it's great to start with an existing concept. Fuck, there's 90 of them, you've got be able to find SOMETHING in there you like!
  • Sandbag
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    Sandbag polycounter lvl 18
    not too happy about starting with an existing concept...like others have stated I do that every day at work...

    After looking at the rules and concepts I have a question, if I chose this concept:

    http://www.gameartisans.org/contests/events/4/concepts/images/concept_23.html

    Could I make my scene about what would be inside that bunker?
  • adam
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    adam polycounter lvl 19
    Hey guys, I can't talk much as I am running late this morning but I wanted to clear a few things up.
    -Lightmap resolution doesn't count towards your final texture resolution and should likely be half of your texture resolution, 2048x2048, for this competition. Fred will update the rules with actual specifics.

    -Standard texture passes apply: diffuse, spec, normal, bump, height, detail, emissive, parallax, opacity and so on. Fred will update the rules with actual specifics.

    -You're encouraged to alter and break from the concept as much as you can while still maintaining some of its elements. The judges should be able to look at the concept, then look at your beauty renders, and see the connection. There's some hellacious* looking environments in there... imagine what the GA guys will have to do to make it look 'Good'. They're require a HUGE overhaul in lighting, props, look, wear, all of that.

    -You can draw over concepts if it makes planning your work that much better, no ones feelings will get hurt

    -If you have a concept artist on your team thats awesome, part of me wishes I did for my team. You're encouraged to add, remove, edit, or update your concepts environment. Don't forget you need a center of focus, it has to look evil, and it shouldn't be a direct copy of your concept. Lots of stuff to get creative with!

    -1x4096x4096 texture space is huge. To put it in perspective, here's an image showing a 4096x4096 @ half-resolution. The smallest squares are 512x512 textures. TONS OF SPACE!

    -It's only up to 250,000. If you can make an amazing scene for this competition in, say, 60,000 triangles then by all means. We just wanted the free to be there for people who wanted to do sprawling environments like a forest, lava worlds, huge landscapes, etc.

    -As for mixing 2 environments together, you cannot do that. However, because you can update a concept as you need it to be for your idea you're welcome to bring over elements from another in to your chosen concept. So long as 'the concept can be seen in your environment' I would think you are fine to do with it what you will.

    -Threads @ Polycount for this should be titled as such: UNEARTHLY CHALLENGE | Team Name | Name of your environment*
    *If you don't have a name for your environment yet you can always edit your title later to update it.

    Also, it's on bitches! I've been waiting a long time for a concept like this and I'm so stoked to be entering.
  • Jesse Moody
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    Jesse Moody polycounter lvl 17
    Unearthly Challenge | Team Name | Name of Environment

    Will be fine for the contests thread.

    I'll be posting up the specs for this in there as well later today and making a sticky for questions, comments, etc....

    This will help a bit I think.


    Edit: Thread created at..... http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=55449
  • bounchfx
    yeah I thought 4096 was a crapload of space, was kinda confused when I saw complaints about it not being much.
  • EarthQuake
    Yeah, 4096 is 4 2048s, or 16 1024s, or 64 512s. Plenty of space, this is enviro work so you can do a lot of modular stuff, and a lot of tiling textures with that space.
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