TF2 look ?
schkorpio
I can mspaint Join Date: 2003-05-23 Member: 16635Members
I can mspaint Join Date: 2003-05-23 Member: 16635Members
Comments
I love the look for TF2, but it is not for NS.
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Agreed. I'd stab my eyes out if NS2 had that kind of graphics. Seriously. We don't need cheesy anime Marines with long, randomly colored hair / skulks that look like some kid's show monster.
Well, we aren't really going for straight-out realism actually. Cory gave NS a very unique look and feel with his amazing hand-painted texture sets, and we are striving to maintain that look for NS2.
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ahh yes, i always thought NS looked almost painted, now i know why. pitty the hl1 engine didn't bring it out to its full effect
NS doesn't share that game gameplay and I really would hate for it to be cell-shaded and extremely colorful. I like dark, drab, mysterious environments.
The TF2 artstyle works for TF2 because it does actually have a "cartoony" gameplay to complement it.
NS doesn't share that game gameplay and I really would hate for it to be cell-shaded and extremely colorful. I like dark, drab, mysterious environments.
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nobody said it would have to look like barney and friends, there are plenty of japansese cartoons -ninja scroll, ghost in the shell etc which are very dark even though they are animated <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" />
Well, we aren't really going for straight-out realism actually. Cory gave NS a very unique look and feel with his amazing hand-painted texture sets, and we are striving to maintain that look for NS2.
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Why not branch out? I'm kind of sick of the same textures in every map to be honest. It would be nice to see some more variety...
I think of when you go to make an NS map you have really creative architecture but it's limited to always re-hashing the same textures.
Start with making new sets of textures to compliment the orginal. You can have the same artistic "theme" you are looking for but can get unique at the same time. Right now I'm worried that the art department at UWE is still thinking inside the box with regards to trying to fit inside the box the original NS created.
Go back to NS's roots. Sci Fi. Science Fiction Horror is the speical catagory that inspired NS and some of the games that NS was inspired from as it is well known. But why not take in new aspects?
For example VALVe does a really good job of creating atmosphere in their games, with little things added in and overall subtle themes in both architecture and texturing. Feelings of ruins. Feelings of the Combine oppression taking over. (you'd see combine architecture take over familiar human 20th century achitecture for example) NS did a good job doing that with the alien infestation but there is so much more.
Why not make a forest jungle map? Complete with destructables, a breeze, waterfalls, rain & lightning, and scary subtle ambience. God I'd love that. Plus you could tie it into a hint at the underlying theme in NS:
<!--QuoteBegin-x5 in another thread+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(x5 in another thread)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->The TSA is a model of how humans evolve and adapt: though our technology. The naked human would never stand up to the Kharaa, let alone Earth's own environment's challenges. So humans invent. Invent solutions to the poroblem. And in this case, the marines must either adapt or die. The TSA is machine based and computer intelligence driven with a definitive preference to ranged attacks.
The Kharaa is an allegory for nature. One could also argue they are an avatar of vengance towards humanity's brutality towards nature. They are a collective that thinks totally different from us (perhaps a psychic collective mind link like Star Trek's Borg but more natural) and prefers to get up close and personal and melee the threat with speed & stealth as keys to this. The Kharaa prefers to match new creatures and abilities to specific threats.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Have you ever seen the film <u>Princess Mononoke</u>? Watch it and think of it in terms on NS and you'll see how it fits perfectly. Kharaa are the guardians of their forest. The TSA is trying to save their lives and the lives of other humans.
<b>Natural-Selection at it's core is simply an epic, bloody (literally) tragedy.</b> A tragic story of survival. If you can master subtle means of incorporating that theme into your art and unifying it will related textures, ambience, and music... you have created something epic. You want NS2 to be epic. Not only for pride and fame, but if you want to be capitalistically cynical: it means money too (return on investment).
But because NS is such a dark tragedy you may want to add something uplifting to it too. For example in most RPGs there is a main area where there is peace and good survives admist all the evil and cruelty surrounding. It's hard to think of how to make a ray of good light in the NS tragedy seeing as it is multiplayer. Literally some day light perhaps on some maps? Music perhaps? Like when you are winning you get enegizing and uplifting battle music which seemlessly switches to the victory theme motif when you win. The TSA and the Kharaa have unique motifs. Perhaps each lifeform or class you are fighting with has it's own motif. You should also hear some tragic music that makes you want to cry (or feel a desire for vengance on the next map) when you are loosing.
Damn I think that's it! A way to indirectly make each map an epic battle and give it a sort of plot based on how the game flows: well composed trigger based music. And don't worry, when you are doing something stealthly it can be very, very quiet tension music (think Ghost Recon).
Something that makes you feel you are on something huge. What was that term Merkaba said... oh yeah: "perspective."
I can't seem to put my finger on it. My first reaction was textures specifically but now I think NS needs more out of the box with the places we visit. Make no mistake I love NS and love that concept art, that's why it's my background right now. But can we visit some worlds? Worlds with oceans, fjords, volcanoes, forests, black holes, anything?
After all, your company name <i>IS</i> Unknown Worlds, no?
As for visiting other strange and exotic worlds, that is really up to the level designers for the most part. So we'll all have to wait for the NS2TR before we see where the mapping community takes us.
What did you think about the trigger bases composed cinematic music idea?
I think trigger-based music is geared more towards a singleplayer experience, but this isn't really the thread for that kind of discussion (I&S would be more appropriate).
That's something that I feel is really important to place emphasis on and will make your job a bit easier in the sense that you have a unifier.
Have you ever watched Princess Mononoke JJJ1? Rent it and watch it if you haven't already.
That quote box above is probably one of the most important things I've ever posted on this forum, honestly. See if Charlie and max like that. I really hope they do, but I guess I have to be prepared for rejection. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad-fix.gif" />
for some reason the frontiersman strike me as virus-like. maybe just <a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/blog/2007/04/11/ModularMachinery_Environment.jpg" target="_blank">this</a> concept art made me think of some kind of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacteriophage" target="_blank">phage</a>
<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/T4bacteriophage.jpg" border="0" alt="IPB Image" />
It kinda makes sense too since the marines are attacking bacteria based lifeforms and are, in the alien point of view, invading and attacking the kharaa.
@slink and whoever suggested it: actually i think drab would be a good idea and then have color introduced mostly by alien structures and infestation.
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ty
...for some reason the frontiersman strike me as virus-like. maybe just <a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/blog/2007/04/11/ModularMachinery_Environment.jpg" target="_blank">this</a> concept art made me think of some kind of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacteriophage" target="_blank">phage</a>
It kinda makes sense too since the marines are attacking bacteria based lifeforms and are, in the alien point of view, invading and attacking the kharaa.
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Dunno about that... since all the battles partake on/in marine facilities. It would have to be the first virus I'd ever see play the role of the "host". I'm thinking the kharaa and the "infestation" are more along the lines of the virus form here.
ahh yes, i always thought NS looked almost painted, now i know why. pitty the hl1 engine didn't bring it out to its full effect
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Aye, but it was damn good lookin'.
And scaryface, I'd have to agree. A lot of Marine structures/technology seem reminiscent of micro and insectoid organisms. Look at the organic ship in Machina's ready room, it looks similar to a large flea. The res tower has legs, and the protolab has wings. It's quite interesting how the marine team, no matter how mechanical still retains a sense of life.
I like NS's gritty visuals. It's incredibly atmospheric.
I like NS's gritty visuals. It's incredibly atmospheric.
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Make the marines more like armored insects from the order Coleoptera? <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/confused-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="???" border="0" alt="confused-fix.gif" />
If you want to add more variety that's always good, but variety is not anime, variety is variety.
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