WIP and finished screenshots

[XXXconanXXX]

I accidently deleted my old thread so I just made a new one. I've got some more coming, but I only have one to show right now. In this picture, we see a screenie of a path to the light team's fortress. Tell me how it looks, what I could add, and if I should add more ruiny type of stuff (like a statue with mold and grassing growing on it, lights, stuff like that).

When I took this shot, I also realized I'm not as bad as I thought I was of a terrainer. I'm not trying to brag, but to me it looks good and can compete with some of the things I see on www.wc3campaigns.com. I'm also considering entering the Weekly Terraining competitions on there, so tell me if I should give up as a terrainer, if it looks good, if it looks realistic, stuff like that. I'm also working on a way to make it look better from the bird's eye view since this is an AoS.

I'm also thinking of changing the sky, and maybe change the terrain to a more gloomy look with ALOT more fog and deserted lands. I want to give a gloomy, foggy, and decaying look for the dark side, which I haven't accomplished yet.

[EDIT] Updated the screenshot, the other one was sort of dark and wasn't the effect I was looking for.

 

[SD_Ryoko]

Nice.

The path looks unsuitable for walking; how its jaged up and down on the terrain, perhaps the path shouldn't follow up the sides of the hill like that.

Some areas look undetailed, like something is missing. I'm not getting that 'complete picture' feeling, its lacking some elements.

Very good job.

 

[XXXconanXXX]

Thanks for the advice. I haven't tested it yet in game, and if the heroes are constantly going up and and down. then I'll smooth it out a little bit. I amd going to keep the dug in part, I like the effect of a forested area but with a dug out bank (I don't know what you call them, a place where a river has previously been there and it digs out a path.

Yea, this is a WIP. I'm going to add more detail, but I wanted to see how they looked so far.

 

[Cyclical]

Looks very, very nice.

I would advise that you put some more trees on the left side, and add some bushes or something that don't block pathing. A couple of bird doodads would fit in nicely, too, methinks.

All in all it looks like a very tranquil, secure place. Well done.

EDIT:

On looking at it again, I think it'd be a good idea to make the lowered area where the path lies a bit wider. It'll look like more of a path then, and less of a ravine.

 

[XXXconanXXX]

Thanks again. That's a very good idea. I always forget about birds and bushes, *blushes* since I was focused on getting a proper looking grass model hehe.

I looked at it again, and it does seem a little to thin.

You know what burns my ass? A flame about this high.

No really do you know what does? When your writing 2 different messages, and your computer does it's occasional freeze up everything. Sigh.

 

[Cyclical]

You know what burns my ass? A flame about this high.

Thanks, Azgalor.

 

[BrokenX]

Nice job im no good at terrian unless i take my time :S

 

[XXXconanXXX]

This one took me about 2 minutes heh.

The key thing about terraining forests and such is to not plan it out, plan what your going to add and the basic path of it, but don't plan on exactly ow it's going to look. The screenshot is pure randomness, no painting involved. My idea was to create a sort of trench (if that's what you call those things) witha cobble path going down and it trees up on the sides. Everything else is randomness thrown in with grass, flowers, etc.

 

[AceHart]

You know, when I'm presented a view like that,
I start to wonder what's going on at the other side
of those gate things...


The grass (well, grass, might be crops), from this perspective
somehow looks like it should be more "inside" the ground...
Hm...

Other than that, it's quite nice.

However, where's the rest?

And, what was wrong with the darker sky?
Quote: " I want to give a gloomy, foggy, and decaying look for the dark side ".


AceHart

 

[XXXconanXXX]

Hehe, I'm still trying to penetrate the form of "art" and playable. the fortress part hasnt come out the way I wanted it to. The darker sky doesn't go along with the feel of this portion of the map. This portion is supposed to be of the light team's force, emaning it's suppose to be very vibrant and natural. The darks ide is supposed to be foggy, decayed, and have a poisonous feel to it.

However, where's the rest?

What do you mean by that? The rest of the map or the rest of that area? Do you mean detail wise? I'll give more screenshots of the dark side when I get the feel I'm wanting to acheive. The light team's fortress was more of a city and the layout of the map was going to be set in a city, but I changed that so now I need to change it to more of a camp. I'll add a few screenshots of it when it's finished.

 

[Rinpun]

Very nice. The only thing I can mention (the rest has been seen by the other guys) is that some of your plants are kind of...floating. Hopefully your heros get a slightly more zoomed out look so that the plants are hidden from such shame.

 

[XXXconanXXX]

Added some more doodads, trees, birdies, etc. I din't raise it because I tested it in game and it looks pretty good. I'll post a picture of the fortress once I can get the right effect. The grass floating part does look a little odd from that angle but in game it looks like real grass.

[EDIT] Once again, was to dark. Took it furing the night and not during the day.

 

[Rinpun]

Alright, very nice. Tell me if you map works well with all those plants, because then I have proof that I can do the same with my map--it's the only reason why I don't have lots and lots of eye candy everywhere in my Virtua RPG.

 

[XXXconanXXX]

Works fine. Tested it on Battle.net (which shows the lag of maps even if your on alone) and it doesn't lag. All I can say is to go for it and later if it lags horribly, find ways around it.

 

[Rinpun]

Alright, cool, I just noised everything so now it doesn't look so annoyingly flat.

I must say, I hate the canned shadows they have for their units (I've just removed them, they were floating over their head!) but their lighting backround images are truly awesome. I just changed the camera angle and watched the sun rise and try to picture exactly how they made it look 3d yet 2d--the clouds.

 

[Cyclical]

Superb.

Now... are you doing a whole map, or just formulating lovely screens? If it's the former, congratulations, you're done.

If it's the latter, then we're both in the same little hell right now, bucko.

PS - Rinpun, I have to take this opportunity to speak out against noising. Friends don't let friends use the noise tool. Patterns have a sneaky way of emerging out of those "random" elevation changes - score one for Order over Chaos.

Then again, a machine brain can't calculate chaos.

I think I just had a Fatal Error.

 

[XXXconanXXX]

Yes, this is for my AoS map. I'm still thinking of increasing their site range so it doesn't look like a rain forest.

Rinpun, noise is good to use for places your not really planning on raising and lowering the terrain. Remember to smooth it out afterwards or your going to have a horrible looking map. It's good to make big hills and dug out places, you can accomplish this simply by selecting a very big selection circle and use the raise/lower terrain function. Just don't dig it to deep, or you'll come up with a very weird set of lines in a tube sort of thing.

 

[Rinpun]

That's what I'm doing

 

[XXXconanXXX]

Here are a few more screenshots of the Human fortress, and these are still in VERY early development. Only the 'scenes' are made, and the rest (environmental things, eye candy stuff, etc.) I haven't gotten to yet. So before I go any furhter, I would like your opinion on how you like these and the basic idea of it.

Picture 1: Here we see a commander commanding his army. In game this looks much better, as the units actually move around, and use different animations.

Picture 2: This is a picture of the archery range, where you buy high-end weapons. In game the archers attack the targets as they are practicing, and they mvoe around. Behind the Arhery range we see a Preist who is summoning an almighty being. (this is used in the game, and there is a story behind it, I'll get to that later)

Picture 3: This is a farm where you buy food and food ingredients. (life regenerating items and potion-type items) THis one also looks good in game because the farmer moves to his crop feilds and picks crops, he also gathers water and stores grain in his Windmill.

Picture 4: This is the starting area where heroes start out at. It has the basic things, and the cheaper items. It also has the Taverns and the Fountain of Health. (actually called the Fountain of Purity in game)

Remember, please comment on the 'scenes' only, not the stuff around it. (IE, commenting on I need more doodads or eye candy things) I just needed to know hwo you liked the ideas and if I should change like the archery range to a Battlegrounds or something.

I'm also working on a Graveyard where your heroes respawn. That one is taking longer because I can't seem to find a good place to put it in the town and I want to add things like a Crypt and stuff like that.

 

[Mind]

Originally posted by XXconanXXX
Picture 1: Here we see a commander commanding his army. In game this looks much better, as the units actually move around, and use different animations.

I suggest to place the troops displayed in the first picture in a different formation. The Footmen should stand in front of the Chaplains, which should stand behind the Riflemen. Also, the two groups of soldiers should be controlled by only one Captain.

Originally posted by XXconanXXX
Picture 2: This is a picture of the archery range, where you buy high-end weapons. In game the archers attack the targets as they are practicing, and they mvoe around. Behind the Arhery range we see a Preist who is summoning an almighty being. (this is used in the game, and there is a story behind it, I'll get to that later)

The Priest summons an omnipotent being, capable of causing the game to end abruptly? This sounds like the "Deus Ex Machina" of the ancient Romans.