Concept101: Extending a Hand

It's clear that the concept process is a lot more complicated than anyone first imagined. Tonight, I'm going to finish up talking about the process, and give you some hints at what's coming up next. But tonight, it's time for new art and artists... oh, and Hawkules's second tier!

Everyday this month, I'm offering a new Concept101 post with new art, new sources, and a new look at the concept process. On the first day (Preceding Darkness and Death), I talked about how and where KingsIsle went looking for artists, and showed Xavier Garcia's Valencia art test, and planted seeds about a past or future Valencia.

The second day (Red Hair and Painted Shields), I talked about textures and building 3D models. I discussed layering and texture mapping, as well as the creative freedom that 3D artists have, and showed some of Isaac Oster's work. The third day (Complexity by Design), I continued with 3D models, and talked about vector vs. raster images, dynamic shadowing, and display modes in programs used by the artists. I also showed some of the original models of Ambrose and Greyrose. Yesterday (Hidden in Detail), I talked about vertex lighting, textures, and gave examples of everything that had to be planned, drawn, painted, and created to go in the game.

The End? Not Exactly.

While I'll be covering animations and visual effects today, and calling that good for my explanation. There are further steps to creating areas, enemies, NPCs... whatever it may be. Sounds have to be collected, voice actors recorded, dialogue typed, etc. But this is as far as I'll be going.

I've got a video for you of KingsIsle animations. You can watch it here or on YouTube, but no matter where you watch it, turn it up to High Detail, with the quality at 720p or 1080p. That'll give you the best possible picture, as these are already low polycount items, so they aren't crystal clear to begin with.

Questions to Consider

Here's a few things that I found curious, and I'd be interested to see what you thought about.

1. Could the glitch in which Wizards hold their staff through their arm possibly be due to this original run design?
2. Why can't our wizards have staff animations like that!?
3. Who decided how the Water Moles danced?
4. Why were Grandmother Raven and Dworgyn given a run animation?
5. Why were Pirate101 weapon animations designed on Wizards? Is this why we see wizard outfits when things aren't loaded?
6. When is Hawkules going to get that epic outfit?
7. Is is just me, or have we never seen those Private Mills and Ulysses?

Finished Products

Artists of all types, including Visual FX artists and animators, work hard to create the finished products we see in-game.

I wanted to share another of my favorite artists with you, as well as one who has some photos of finished products available for you to view. Nik does good work, and has done art for the Avalon and Azteca expansions, as well as much of Pirate101. Take a look at his site HERE. Bryan Panting is responsible for the finished location shown up top, and has one or two more on his site HERE.

Conclusion

There's more to come, and Concept101 isn't slowing down as it nears the end of the month - instead, it's heating up! Get ready for more tomorrow! Thanks for reading and see you in the Spiral!