This is the last day for us artist to figure our art out, at least so we can finally get started.  The other artist and I switched jobs.  I have decided I want to focus on environmental art, so I will be modeling the level.  Still, one of the hardest things right now is figuring out our direct art style.  We know we want paper, but what about realism or cartoon?  I think we're leaning more towards a cartoon style because our game appeals to kids.  So, now it comes down to how to make our game look like it's made of paper. Art can be so frustrating some time to figure out :(

Here are some renders I made in Octane Render.  The models I made in Maya as concepts for the video game I am helping create for the Kinect.  I'm finding it hard to portray these animals as paper craft.  I'm hoping once they are actually textured they will look better...assuming these concepts will be used.  Nonetheless, no matter what I make for this game I will try my best to help it look like paper.  I did talk to the creator of the Paper Fox, Jeremy Kool to get some insight on how he created his paper animals.  He said he made low-poly models and the rest was texturing.   Those were really the only tips he gave, so I can only hope the team and I can create something great like Jeremy has been.

Staring Off A New Semester

So, a new semester has arrived and it's time to fully dive myself back into the video game I am helping create.  However, our team decided to take a different approach to our game and change it.  It it now a game that will procedurally generate the level with different 'tiles' of the map us artist create.  There is also no longer an end to our game.  You keep running through it until you die.  The team also decided that the player is no longer playing with the Rat, Cat, and Ox within the Zodiac, but rather the Tiger, Goat, and Monkey with a power up you can get to play as the Dragon.

I personally don't quite like this change.  It seems too boring to me.  Sure, this will make the game easier to make (according to the programmers), but I think by doing this we've lost some of our edge somehow.  It also means more work for us artists since we're starting over. However, we will try to make the base of all the animals basically the same so it will require less modeling time to create another animal.  We can also use the same skeleton rig for all of them, which would be nice.

Our game is due October 31st for IGF and I personally don't think our game has enough spunk for it with the change.  However, with experience and with talking with others I have noticed games have constantly changed for better or for worse.  Maybe this change is for the better?  I guess we'll see.  We'll present our new idea on Monday to our professors and fellow students and see if it flies.

In the mean time, I quickly modeled a tiger concept and slapped on a texture.  Very blocky at the moment, but maybe with good texture and further modeling/touch ups it'd look OK.  It is a concept after all!

Other Summer Stuff

Here are some other things I did over the summer so I wouldn't lose touch with Maya.  I also found out about a render software called Octane Render!  The following 3D models I made in Maya were rendered with Octane: My HTC Sensation Cellular Phone, Gimli's Axe, and Mission Concepcion.