Seven-Way Scuffle
polycounter lvl 15
A few people were somewhat frustrated with the handling of the Unofficial Character Mini-Challenge, so we've decided to take the idea and run with it in another direction. We're putting a bit more emphasis on letting the participants choose the theme and scope of the challenge for this thing.
So, daphz, DKK, JMYoung, Makkon, ScoobyDoofus, Zwebbie and myself will be creating characters in a common theme using a brief and specs we've all agreed on. I've opened this thread so that we won't have to send out multiple PMs just to discuss things, and so that other people can provide feedback and suggestions.
Alright, bishes. Rules and regs. If you guys feel there need to be changes, just tell me.
Brief
Create a post-apocalyptic human-animal hybrid hero or boss character.
Make it as awesome as possible.
Specs
- 20,000 triangles. All characters, weapons, mounts and effects such as flashy magic crap or bullet tracers must be, total, 20,000 triangles or less. This is a big number, but it doesn't mean you have to meet it; using less is always fine.
- 1 2048x2048 material. Any and all textures are allowed as long as you'd see them in a current-gen game on a character. Basically, if it isn't displacement, it's probably okay. Breaking up texture space is A-OK. For example, using a 2048x1024 for the main character, a 1024x1024 for his weapon and a 1024x1024 for his mount is fine.
- For the final image, any and all realtime effects are allowed as long as they would work in a modern game engine (UDK, Crysis, etc.)
- Your character MUST BE POSED for your final images, but how you do it is up to you. Rig it, pull verts around, whatever.
- Pedestals are optional and have no texture, shader or polygon count limits.
Deliverables
- A final beauty shot larger than or equal to 1024x768 using the above restrictions.
- A construction shot larger than or equal to 1024x768 showing how your character was made. This can (and should) have wireframes, textures and multiple views.
Restrictions
- Mounts of any kind are allowed and encouraged. Mounts' polycounts and texture budgets cut into the overall budget.
- Characters should be part human and part animal. The ratio of human to animal is up to you, but it'd be nice if we could tell what animal it was you're trying to mix with your human.
- Gore and nudity? Yes.
Soft Deadline
March 7th, 2011
If you don't finish your character by that date, we won't think any less of you. Well, actually we will, but we won't tell you to your face.
So, daphz, DKK, JMYoung, Makkon, ScoobyDoofus, Zwebbie and myself will be creating characters in a common theme using a brief and specs we've all agreed on. I've opened this thread so that we won't have to send out multiple PMs just to discuss things, and so that other people can provide feedback and suggestions.
Alright, bishes. Rules and regs. If you guys feel there need to be changes, just tell me.
Brief
Create a post-apocalyptic human-animal hybrid hero or boss character.
Make it as awesome as possible.
Specs
- 20,000 triangles. All characters, weapons, mounts and effects such as flashy magic crap or bullet tracers must be, total, 20,000 triangles or less. This is a big number, but it doesn't mean you have to meet it; using less is always fine.
- 1 2048x2048 material. Any and all textures are allowed as long as you'd see them in a current-gen game on a character. Basically, if it isn't displacement, it's probably okay. Breaking up texture space is A-OK. For example, using a 2048x1024 for the main character, a 1024x1024 for his weapon and a 1024x1024 for his mount is fine.
- For the final image, any and all realtime effects are allowed as long as they would work in a modern game engine (UDK, Crysis, etc.)
- Your character MUST BE POSED for your final images, but how you do it is up to you. Rig it, pull verts around, whatever.
- Pedestals are optional and have no texture, shader or polygon count limits.
Deliverables
- A final beauty shot larger than or equal to 1024x768 using the above restrictions.
- A construction shot larger than or equal to 1024x768 showing how your character was made. This can (and should) have wireframes, textures and multiple views.
Restrictions
- Mounts of any kind are allowed and encouraged. Mounts' polycounts and texture budgets cut into the overall budget.
- Characters should be part human and part animal. The ratio of human to animal is up to you, but it'd be nice if we could tell what animal it was you're trying to mix with your human.
- Gore and nudity? Yes.
Soft Deadline
March 7th, 2011
If you don't finish your character by that date, we won't think any less of you. Well, actually we will, but we won't tell you to your face.
Replies
Lookin forward to seeing how this goes... cheers dudes
All of these ideas sound great!
Perhaps another idea to throw into the bundle, we could make original characters for a fighting game like Soul Caliber, Street Fighter, or even Super Smash Bros.
And I am fond of interpreting characters from competitors sketchbooks.
This but anachronistic like Samurai Champloo's characters or that one Chemical Brothers video.
I also like the idea of doing some sort of religious person like a monk. There's a ton of historical stuff to draw on for that sort of thing.
What if we combined things? Anachronistic fighting game characters. Samurai with machine guns, cyborg warriors with warhammers, that sort of thing?
I agree that the sketchbook idea is probably problematic. Whoever gets to pick something from Makkon's sketchbook wins then and there.
Here be list. Remember that I'm willing to go for anything as long as it's not bloody Warcraft, it's just advice.
- Retro sci-fi is based on cleanliness and stock characters, so I don't think it allows for a whole lot of creativity.
- Killer/detective sounds neat, but I don't think complicating things is a good idea. Plus, 7 can't be divided by two.
- Zombies have been done a million times before, and we already had such a competition on Polycount.
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R. doesn't allow for more than a gas-masked guy, so I don't think that's enough diversity for 7 people.
On the plus side:
+ Same character is still one I like a lot, if we can find a good character. (We can also do this with a real life person who wouldn't ever end up in a game. What would a JRPG or gritty shooter version of Nietzsche look like? Climb his Shadow of the Colossal moustache, etc.)
+ Colossi are neat.
+ '50s Film Noir is, again, a theme where I think you don't have a great variety of characters, but I think it'd be cool to have a competition where you're be restricted to greyscale.
I'm digging that anachronism idea too! and the religious theme too, maybe we could step it up and do a deity of some sort? and apply an anachronism to it somehow...(oh oh, maybe pairs of gods? their opposites or something...)
As for the noir theme, perhaps some-kind of cops and robbers theme?
anyhoo, I'm down for anything
(Abe's Oddysee/Abe's Exodus etc)
Hybrid human/animals like sphinxes and such could be pretty fun.
And just what the hell is wrong with lizard men? I likes me some lizard men.
Seriously, though, post-apocalyptic animal-human hybrids. Do you guys like this theme? I like this theme. It's simple, to the point, and it also leaves a ton of room for creativity.
Isn't there another thread with a Warhammer competition? Warhammer has lizardmen galore.
Ours have big teeth, talons like razors and a suave demeanor that all the ladies love.
They also have giant penises.
*i'm totally going with a lion-dude
I want to get to concepting soon. Still don't have my new rig, but I hope to be able to do a fair amount of concept artwork fleshed out before I get the new computer. Then I can jump right on (cept zbrush will be a beast)
DKK:
The Rifts idea was a bit of a joke because it is somewhat of a Shadowrun clone and I was being cheeky lol.
Funny thing is the setting for Rifts is actually completely in sync with all the ideas you guys had.
Largely because its so awesomely open ended and over the top. :poly108:
This is actually a good summary:
http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=7893732
They has mutant pet peeps as well. :bear:
I think I might do a huge half man/half bear tribal something something....
- Post-apocalyptic/post-nuclear war fantasy; burly mutated people as orcs, purebred humans with body mods as elves, etc.
- Kung Fu masters
- Dieselpunk fantasy
- Religious people (monks, medicine men, etc.)
- Post apocalyptic animal-human hybrids
- Also, atompunk sounds cool as well.
So yeah, if you guys want to go with the hybrid thing, I think that would be an interesting challenge. I'm down.
Brief
Create a post-apocalyptic human-animal hybrid hero or boss character.
Make it as awesome as possible.
Specs
- 20,000 triangles. All characters, weapons, mounts and effects such as flashy magic crap or bullet tracers must be, total, 20,000 triangles or less. This is a big number, but it doesn't mean you have to meet it; using less is always fine.
- 1 2048x2048 material. Any and all textures are allowed as long as you'd see them in a current-gen game on a character. Basically, if it isn't displacement, it's probably okay. Breaking up texture space is A-OK. For example, using a 2048x1024 for the main character, a 1024x1024 for his weapon and a 1024x1024 for his mount is fine.
- For the final image, any and all realtime effects are allowed as long as they would work in a modern game engine (UDK, Crysis, etc.)
- Your character MUST BE POSED for your final images, but how you do it is up to you. Rig it, pull verts around, whatever.
- Pedestals are optional and have no texture, shader or polygon count limits.
Deliverables
- A final beauty shot larger than or equal to 1024x768 using the above restrictions.
- A construction shot larger than or equal to 1024x768 showing how your character was made. This can (and should) have wireframes, textures and multiple views.
Restrictions
- Mounts of any kind are allowed and encouraged. Mounts' polycounts and texture budgets cut into the overall budget.
- Characters should be part human and part animal. The ratio of human to animal is up to you, but it'd be nice if we could tell what animal it was you're trying to mix with your human.
- Gore and nudity? Yes.
Soft Deadline
March 7th, 2011
If you don't finish your character by that date, we won't think any less of you. Well, actually we will, but we won't tell you to your face.
-
Here's my first idea so you don't claim it before I do:
Half man, half lobster, who is, ironically, a post apocalyptic chef cook. His secret ingredient is sweet, sweet revenge.
Hahaha! Awesome.
I'm thinking of doing either a bird guy or a salamander dude. I'm not sure which yet. I have to do more research.
Decided to explore some puma-people first before I try the lizardman concept (I got a million of those anyway).
note to self, draw more
I'm going for a post apocalyptic Liberian rebel lion hero character
Sorry HappyFool, this is only for us, not for you. Jeez, why dont you go pick your own theme? I am of course kidding. Who would do that? That would be a total dick move right.....? :P Love you Jesse!
ouch!
I'm going for funny.
-
To all ye fellow competitors: If I were you, I'd play around more with actually combining features, rather than putting an animal head on a human body. It's fun!
I'm currently planning on my vulture dude having bird legs and fingers that look more like bird toes than normal human fingers. I just need to actually dig up some good reference images.
Haters are gonna hate...
Zwebbie: You took the funny one, I think Swiz got the creepy....
I'll take the furry. Bawhahahahaha.
Seriously, though, I agree. I want to incorperate proportions and traits, but mine will probably be the most furry of all
Makkon: That lizardman is epic I like where your going with that!
Malus: Dude if you dont do something here your off my xmas card list!! whats that sound ?... thats the sound of your drawing arm busting out of that concrete case it has been in for the last few years! ohhhhh shits gettin real!!
Swizzle: badass man!
Trouble is, I don't know if I'm feeling the lizard man this round. I'm leaning more toward the escaped puma-lady experiment, or the puma cyborg soldier.
Thoughts?
That sound isn't my drawing arm.....fap fap fap... o_0
But yeah, I'll have to start something this weekend.
Just have to blow the cobwebs off of my girly soft manager hands. lol
Out of curiosity gents apart from apocalyptic do we have any boundaries on setting?
Anyone mind if I fuse fantasy and tech?