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Team Fortress 2: 1850 Edition

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Swizzle polycounter lvl 15
EDIT: Hello, people from other regions of these vast internets! Please read this before you make too many speculative forum posts and such:

  • My models are loose interpretations of the designs seen in the group shot from the comic. They are not meant to be exact copies. Other models people have posted may follow different design goals.
  • These are not going to be skins without a standalone mod. The proportions of most of the characters are far too different from standard TF2 characters to make anything like that work.
  • I can't speak for the models other people have posted in this thread, but my models are mainly for portfolio use.
  • I would be willing to release the source files to the public under a Creative Commons license if someone is interested in making a mod.
  • No, I probably won't add you as a friend on Steam.
If you guys have any questions, just feel free to ask.

[/EDIT]






The year: 1850

Blutarch Mann, son of the late Zepheniah Mann, hires a group of nine mercenaries to appropriate a piece of land from his brother, Redmond.

Representing the most skilled and dangerous individuals of their respective disciplines, these nine men came together to blow the shit out of the other nine mercenaries hired by their employer's brother, Redmond Mann.

This is not their story.





Anyway. I started work on this sucker after seeing the Loose Canon comic on the TF2 blog. The engineer from this group shot was what started me off doing this. The model's obviously a pretty loose interpretation of the engineer in that image, but I just liked him a bit better this way.

I'm thinking I'd like to tackle the soldier next, though I don't know if I want to do all nine classes. That seems like a crap-ton of work. I admit it would be kind of fun, though. We'll see what happens.

Any crits or comments or whatever are cool.

cstmi.jpg

GWmNH.jpg

Replies

  • killingpeople
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    killingpeople polycounter lvl 18
    Oh dude, you have got to make the rest happen. You'd be the shit.
  • JFletcher
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    JFletcher polycounter lvl 13
    Outstanding work, fits perfectly! :)

    Eyes maybe too open? Dunno.
  • Zipfinator
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    Zipfinator polycounter lvl 9
    Cool beans! Definitely do the rest if it's not too tough. Have you considered making weapons for them too?
  • ScudzAlmighty
    from your first post to now it's been under 12 hours, and the comics only been out for two days, so I'm thinking you could get it done and it would probably make for one of the best portfolio peices EVER. but hey, no pressure ;)

    now that that's out of the way, are you going to add a normal map for clothing folds the way the reg characters have em, or just stick with having them modeled to keep it simple?
  • danshewan
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    danshewan polycounter lvl 8
    Swizzle wrote: »
    I'm thinking I'd like to tackle the soldier next, though I don't know if I want to do all nine classes. That seems like a crap-ton of work.

    And that seems like a cop-out, you tease - get to it!

    I agree about the eyes - I think cold, steely-eyed expressions would look awesome. Seriously, though, loving the design and I'm sure everyone else is as excited as I am to see what you do with the rest of the classes.

    Because you will do them. You have to.
  • Zipfinator
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    Zipfinator polycounter lvl 9
    Looks like he already has a normal map for folds. Look at the end of the arms and the bottom of the pants and compare it to the wireframe.
  • n88tr
    The face reminds me of the medic but the garb reminds me of the engie. Sort of confused personally but it's OK.
  • Moosey_G
    You never cease to amaze me swizzle, subscribed!
  • ScudzAlmighty
    I bet he's already got it all rigged up for different expression's like Steely Eye's Blue Steele

    you may be right zip, my eye's just werent registering the lighting in those area's.
  • Swizzle
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    Swizzle polycounter lvl 15
    killingpeople:
    I admit it's extremely tempting, but goddamn if it wouldn't be tough.

    JFletcher:
    The eyes are pretty much exactly the same as the medic's in the bind pose.

    Zipfinator:
    The thought of making weapons for them is about as appealing at the moment as snorting live shrimp up my nose. While it'd be cool for them to have weapons, I don't think I have the energy for it after the Polycount Pack contest.

    ScudzAlmighty:
    I spent the entire night and well into today working on this guy. I got two hours of sleep between 11:00am and 1:00pm and then I went straight back into working on him. This is super-stupid and I won't be doing it again tonight.

    danshewan:
    AUGH PEER PRESSURE

    n88tr:
    Just relax, go with the flow, and don't mind that tingling sensation.

    DKK:
    HA! Show me whatcha got, bish!

    Moosey_G:
    I'm blushing. Or having hot flashes. Is this menopause?



    So yeah. It does have a normal map on the sleeves and the cuffs of the pants, but that's it. The rest is all flat like the real TF2 models.


    Anway, here's the first concept crap for the soldier as based on that group shot from the comic. I'm not sure I dig how long his head is, but whatever. WE CAN FIX IT IN POST!
    xJjMv.jpg
  • bounchfx
    I was hoping someone would do this.

    specifically Valve.

    but this is just as cool!


    ..just not playable :(.





    .... yet!?
  • Moosey_G
    bounchfx wrote: »
    I was hoping someone would do this.

    specifically Valve.

    but this is just as cool!


    ..just not playable :(.





    .... yet!?

    Calm down, lets tackle one issue at a time here.
  • Frump
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    Frump polycounter lvl 12
    Ugh, dude, this is too awesome. You've nailed it, the TF2 style, weapons and characters; this guy is no exception. Can't wait to see what else you come up with.

    My only crits are that you should maybe add a subtle noise layer. The TF2 character textures seem to be very noisy and this guy's is really smooth. Also to maybe darken your AO layer. The TF2 characters also seem to have really dark AO in parts. Darkening it would probably pop some of the noise in the AO as well.

    It's really making me want to try my hand at the old timey chinese spy! I can't though, I have other things to do! Your skills and my inspiration are a blight on my other projects.:)

    I am now imagining a TF2 1850's expansion pack.:poly142:
  • Ani
    Glad you made a thread for this so we can follow this awesomeness. Great job so far, Swizzle!
  • larolaro
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    larolaro polycounter lvl 9
    GREAT work swizzle, Come on, it would be a crime to not do the rest :p
  • ScudzAlmighty
    I don't think the head is too long, but maybe the neck is? Valve's concept looks kinda squat in the neck department.
  • Mark Dygert
    Awesome swiz, pure awesome!
  • The Scrub
    great job and you're an epic modeler so you'll make it happen
    And the way it's going you may be finished before the Engineer update comes out :D
    Then reveal this as a skin pack! and submit it to Valve! they will then include it as part of a game mode if the skins are all set up! no way this can go wrong!

    The Engineer: MV5BMTQyNDQyNDM5OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwODE5OTI3._V1._SX450_SY326_.jpg
    the resemblance is uncanny
  • achillesian
    wait, so like the medics going to be holding a leech and a bonesaw?
  • StealthSilver
    wait, so like the medics going to be holding a leech and a bonesaw?

    Medigun should totally be a big leech.
  • Swizzle
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    Swizzle polycounter lvl 15
    Ani, Vig:
    Thanks!

    bounchfx:
    Considering I lack the resources and skills to rig and animate these, it's they're going to be unplayable until somebody makes me an offer I can't refuse. It's the sad truth.

    DKK:
    Uh huh. Aaaany time you're ready. ...Well? I'm waiting.

    Frump:
    Noise in the textures is definitely coming. I also need to tweak the hairline and shaved parts of the engie, along with doing some other teaks. I still need to play with the AO, honestly. I've just been slapping it on at 75% opacity and not thinking much about it.

    larolaro:
    I don't know if I'd be able to handle doing all of them, but I'm just going with the flow and seeing where things are headed at the moment. I won't shy away from getting them all done if I think I can do it without going nuts.

    ScudzAlmighty:
    The neck is a pain in, well, the neck. Some of the TF2 characters have longer necks than others and they're proportionally different to their heads, so figuring out the right proportions for this stuff is a bitch. I'm not above making changes, though.

    The Scrub:
    Like I said before, I dunno that I currently lack the software and knowhow to get rigging or animation done, so it's off the table for now. If Valve wants to use them, though, I'd be more than happy to fork over all the source files.

    achillesian:
    Maybe. Except I refuse to make any weapons for these unless absolutely 110% necessary. Getting the weapons done for the Polypack contest was a pretty huge undertaking, so it'd just be murder to add on top of doing the character models.




    Hokay. Got some work done on the soldier. I still need to retopo and finish up the head, but the body's looking alright. I think I'm going to try an experiment with the beard and hair textures, but I dunno if it's going to work. We'll see about that when I get to the texturing stage, though.

    The uniform is based on Confederate Officers' uniforms from the Civil War. I figured that the soldier in the group shot looked enough like Stonewall Jackson that it'd fit pretty well. I'm not really excited about the design so much, though, so I'm going to keep massaging the proportions until I'm satisfied with it.
    ItRW1.jpg
    79LZ8.jpg
  • rasmus
  • Swizzle
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    Swizzle polycounter lvl 15
    Well hello, Mister Fancy Pants! I double dog dare you to make that guy kick ass even harder.

    Don't be afraid to really push the curves of the legs and torso. You're not constrained by realistic anatomy, so go for something wacky-awesome. The hands look a little off for some reason I can't quite pin down, so consider comparing them to the actual TF2 models' hands and see what they do.
  • ScudzAlmighty
    if uhm, you're gonna open this up than I'd like to hit the two of you in the face with a big hammer...
  • Swizzle
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    Swizzle polycounter lvl 15
    Scudz, you need to calm yourself right down.

    Also, word has come to me that the chans (or at least TF2 chan) have seen this thread. It's a blessing and a curse, I'm sure.
  • Simmo
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    Simmo polycounter lvl 12
    Awesome stuff guys!

    DKK, that guy reminds me of Jigen from Lupin III:

    jigen2.jpg
  • MattQ86
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    MattQ86 polycounter lvl 14
    Jigen, but with Merde's face.

    [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5vb-anBY6I[/ame]

    ...because you just know 1850s Demoman would be extra haggard.
  • ScudzAlmighty
    Swizzle wrote: »
    Scudz, you need to calm yourself right down.

    Also, word has come to me that the chans (or at least TF2 chan) have seen this thread. It's a blessing and a curse, I'm sure.


    uhm, are we talking about the same thing? cause I was refering to moddeling the John Henry Heavy with the giant hammer there...
  • McDiamond
    Tesla looks amazing! However, I think that the bottom of his apron should be a bit darkened. Valve's design philosophy is to draw attention to the center of the character, where you can most easily see the whole of their silhouette as well as what weapon they're carrying. You've done this with Tesla's pants, but not so much with the apron; it kind of just goes from a dark red to a dark gray. Then again, adding a some kind of detail to his chest could do just as well (even though it's not completely true to the source material).

    Just a little critique. Don't mind me.
  • AyesDyef
    Oh god, stepping up to the plate with class replacements now are we Swizzle? :P
    Well I'ma try make the heavy >_>
  • Swizzle
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    Swizzle polycounter lvl 15
    A couple of people have asked me how I actually went about making these models, whether I sculpt everything and retopo, etc. To answer that:

    I just use pretty basic box modeling techniques for the bodies, but I do use retopo for the heads. While the TF2 characters (and these I'm making) don't use normal maps except on the cloth bits, doing a rough base sculpt for the head is useful for getting proportions and major facial features in place. It's also easy to model over the top of something that's already there with some retopology tools instead of just poly modeling from scratch.




    I start with a rough head sculpt. I don't get too detailed because I know I'm not going to be using this for normal maps. The main thing I'm concerned with at this stage is making something with large, solid forms that will easily translate to a low-poly model and will be good for laying good topology over the top of. Big, chunky shapes are the order of the day.
    VTFsN.jpg



    Once I'm happy with the overall shape of the sculpt (even if some smaller details suck), the proportions and the general planes of the face and head, I'll dump it into Modo and start laying down some strips of polygons over the top of the exported model. There are tools for doing this in most major modeling apps.
    aNqBm.jpg



    As I start laying down these strips, I try to make them follow the contours of the face while having respect for good topology and edge loop layout. It helps to get some of the major loops first (eyes, nose, mouth, nose to chin, forehead to chin/jaw) so you can then go back and start filling in between them. After you've been at it for a little while, things start to take shape. A little more work and you have a decent model to show off.
    citEs.jpg



    There's nothing really revolutionary going on here in the modeling department, but I hope it helps some people in some small way. It's a very simple process, but I know it didn't occur to me until I read about it in a 3D modeling magazine a few years ago.
  • Simski
    On your concept art of the Soldier it looked as if it was going to have a lot of problems having the in game hats fit due to the shape of his head, however this is starting to look a lot better now :O

    I love the Engineer by the way, great work.

    I wonder what would happen if anyone modeled the Demo though, he looks tiny compared to the regular one :S
  • NeoDement
    Simski wrote: »
    On your concept art of the Soldier it looked as if it was going to have a lot of problems having the in game hats fit due to the shape of his head, however this is starting to look a lot better now :O

    I love the Engineer by the way, great work.

    I wonder what would happen if anyone modeled the Demo though, he looks tiny compared to the regular one :S
    Please stop putting :O after every single post you make.

    Although your Engy looks amazing, I'm going to make a request, could you possibly make old man Engineer's head as an alternate, for the same body? I know it's a lot of work, but just try and say no to that face.

    references.jpg
  • Simski
    NeoDement wrote: »
    Please stop putting :O after every single post you make.
    I'm offended :O
    I'll try to cut down on it though :3
  • Torabi
    Oh wow, you guys are talented! Imagine having a full 1800's pack for TF2, one can only dream.. or can it be made a reality?
  • Mico27
    I get dibs on the asian spy :D
  • TOBBE_LA
    If you keep this up... you know that Valve WILL make a TF 1850 :)
  • Swizzle
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    Swizzle polycounter lvl 15
    Woops! Looks like I forgot to sleep again! Oh well, I'm young and stupid.

    J4QMM.jpg

    "Oh Swizzle," you say, "you silly sausage! What're you doing? Putting alpha planes for hair? On a TF2 character? Surely you jest!"

    But no! I jest not! All will be revealed in time, fair frankfurter friends!
  • The Scrub
    because I am enormously lazy I decided to get a start on the Heavy because I can't model a face to save my life and mostly the only thing wrong with the face are it's proportions
    heavyp.jpg
    I got started on the body. any criticisms other than his chin which I modeled like that for the heck of it?
  • NeoDement
    Swizzle wrote: »
    Woops! Looks like I forgot to sleep again! Oh well, I'm young and stupid.

    J4QMM.jpg

    "Oh Swizzle," you say, "you silly sausage! What're you doing? Putting alpha planes for hair? On a TF2 character? Surely you jest!"

    But no! I jest not! All will be revealed in time, fair frankfurter friends!
    Anything transparent breaks pretty obviously when you cloak, I'm afraid. Glass is okay, but anything like hair looks awful.

    + I like the body, but the hat and head both look too cartoony in my eyes.
  • ScudzAlmighty
    but the soly doesn't cloak
  • Swizzle
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    Swizzle polycounter lvl 15
    But the spy does with disguises.

    But it doesn't matter anyway. I've gone and changed my mind again like the silly sausage I am.
  • d1ver
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    d1ver polycounter lvl 14
    A MAZING! I would play with those guys!. And the soldier looks alot better then I imagined him form the concept.
    You truly are young and stupid. XD
    And that's kinda the biggest thing I could wish for any artsist.)
    so it's a compliment)
    ( doesn't work with ladies tho=)) )
    keep it up!
  • Mico27
    haha , his face reminds me strangely of Francis from L4D :p
  • The Scrub
    can't wait to see all the finished models :p
    They're looking great even though there are only 2
    TF 1850 could be an expansion or something built on the same engine or just a mod(If Valve feels like it)
  • ScudzAlmighty
    well, yeah ok I guess they do at that....

    face is poop, base sculpt, heavy hands and feet:
    1850HeavyWip.jpg
  • Mico27
    Not sure the heads fits the original drawing. The nose doesnt look like that and the top of the head should be smaller emphasing the big and square jaw.
  • Skamberin
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    Skamberin polycounter lvl 13
    Damn guys, you're doing some fine work in here. Swizzle, I honestly see no reason for Valve to not at least give you a goddamn internship with the TF 2 team, you seem very very comfortable with their art direction. Seriously, I've shown these to hardcore TF 2 folk who know game development and people who don't, they all thought it was official.

    Thread bookmarked, awesome stuff :)!
  • ScudzAlmighty
    Mico27 wrote: »
    Not sure the heads fits the original drawing. The nose doesnt look like that and the top of the head should be smaller emphasing the big and square jaw.

    yes, as I said: "the face is poop" :poly122:

    Dkk, Demo looks a little different from the concept to me, but vbery sweet still (maybe it's the hair)... actually the more I look at him the more he looks like Abe, so maybe you should save that head for the pyro?

    Swizz, damn you and your sausageness. young and stipid, I'm not so young anymore...
  • EVIL
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    EVIL polycounter lvl 18
    Sweet work, although some crits, it looks excellent! The engineer is obviously drawn after Tesla, except your model's face doesn't really look like the one in the picture. To square jawed IMO. I'd think if you really want to do this, make it look like the stuff in the image! other then that, awesome stuff!

    edit: and I kinda want to make the medic now .. can I can I?
    I never really done any serious character modeling and I think it would be quite a fun practice :) especially after the contest it really put me into a modeling mood!

    edit2, so yeah if nobody before took dibs on the medic, then I say! DIBS on the medic! Going to start as soon as I get home, going to draw me up a nice model sheet!
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