After having no WTE for a week due to some business on my part, this week the exercise is back with an all new theme inspired by my situation: "Look Alive". What does this mean? Simple - I'd like you folks to make a terrain that humms with activity and buzzes with life. Whether this is a Terran factory or the insides of a Zerg Hatchery is up to you: just make something that seems lively.
Thats interesting, I love the sky effect and the snowflakes... But I feel like the ground in front of the camera need something, it feels empty to me. Also, the camera angle is a bit weird to my eyes as I think it doesn't catch everything it should. Your main focus is the buildings, and with those lights, it is what attract the eyes... And if I folow the rule of thirds, the building on the right is way off. If you rotate slightly the camera clockwise to get all the buildings in a the hot points, even though it doesn't catch the mountain on the left with the texture play, I think it would be better. I think I would even play with the "texuvset (scalex) (scaley) (offsetx = 0) (offsety = 0) - Change the texture uv tiling values for the current terrain" which would make the ground looks like a very vast place.
I wonder if instead of having the buildings as the main focus, have a character in sight of the camera... For example a Zergling or Zeratul or a group of marine coming back from something, looking towardd the base. Maybe a camera more down, like a first person view, would be nice.
Um, it's getting interesting. Although we've lost some snowflakes, maybe just a question of timing with the screenshot. About the crashed ship(?) I wonder if you could slightly more develop it. Like, the fire is so big... Have you ever seen a crash of anything where litteraly the whole thing goes in fire? I think generally it's more focussed on something, like fuel tanks or something... I like the omni lights around the fire. I think if it is really a crash, a bigger crash line that has pushed the snow on the front part and removed behind would be nice. And make the whole thing like a small asteroid. The texture looks better, I don't know if you used the console, but you got it here. Another thing, something annoys me... the little house in the far... they don't fit with the huge buildings on the moutains... Are they really adding something nice to the screen? Or could the background be really on the big buildings. Also, I think you could try adding another big building / mountain in the very very far in the middle with a very thin light glowing through the fog just like the other buildings. That would add even more depth to the picture. Also, some small details; what about truck tire trace in the snow and marines steps? There is also something I don't get... why does the marines not have a shadow at all while they are in front of a big fire?
Oh, they have shadows, they're just very difficult to see because of blizzard's rendering/shaders engine. I like what he has so far, but I think (with pitch and roll) he can use the fire to simulate wind... put lots of smoke pillars, lots and lots of smoke pillars!
Thanks for the feedback, guys. First of all the fire casts no shadows. Unfortunately, we have no shadow-casting omni lights (hint hint Blizz). I can try playing around with hidden floodlights and the like to cast shadows. As for pitch and roll, I honestly forgot that those were a thing now in terraining. I'll try them out later when I get back home.
Edit: Invisible floodlights do not work, unfortunately. I have tried making some other small changes.
Especially the first one look nice already. This has alot of potential but also need alot of work.
Perhaps a more darkblueish- lightning could work? I would have painted some paths in the forest and made some changes to the trees. Perhaps cluster togheter some of the trees to make room for paths and make the trees more beliveable.
Well, if "that" thing was actually a real Zerg mutation from the Korhal biggest city...it would not be long before the infestation...
However, your picture is extremely inspiring... It would take time and complexity to do such a terrain, but the result would be really epic. Most of what you see on the picture could be remade in sc2 with a few mix of doodads and pitch and roll. There is nothing crazy in that, just something that needs alot of time investment.
Why don't we take this as a whole WTE (the picture from Sheo's post)? Like, someone starts the terrain, someone else continues, etc, until we get something really epic and polished, instead of few terrains with low polishing... Although Nebuli's terrain this week is pretty nice and must have taken at least 1-2 hours of work. Like... really trying to make this be a really EPIC terrain and post the picture somewhere to try n grab some more people for wtes...or something. You know... take my idea, push it further and you get the next wte for sure. ;)
Weekly Terraining Exercise #147
Hey folks!
After having no WTE for a week due to some business on my part, this week the exercise is back with an all new theme inspired by my situation: "Look Alive". What does this mean? Simple - I'd like you folks to make a terrain that humms with activity and buzzes with life. Whether this is a Terran factory or the insides of a Zerg Hatchery is up to you: just make something that seems lively.
Good luck, and have fun!
The Global Information/Idea thread for Terraining Exercises can be found here:
http://forums.sc2mapster.com/development/terrain/14658-terraining-exercises-global-information-idea-thread/
Some really busy place um... building interior with windows, cars traffic all around, and a man with a zergling pet... Most likely.
Working on projects:
Does this qualify?
(I know it's not exactly teeming with life, per se, think of it as life in a barren wasteland)
@Nebuli2: Go
Thats interesting, I love the sky effect and the snowflakes... But I feel like the ground in front of the camera need something, it feels empty to me. Also, the camera angle is a bit weird to my eyes as I think it doesn't catch everything it should. Your main focus is the buildings, and with those lights, it is what attract the eyes... And if I folow the rule of thirds, the building on the right is way off. If you rotate slightly the camera clockwise to get all the buildings in a the hot points, even though it doesn't catch the mountain on the left with the texture play, I think it would be better. I think I would even play with the "texuvset (scalex) (scaley) (offsetx = 0) (offsety = 0) - Change the texture uv tiling values for the current terrain" which would make the ground looks like a very vast place.
I wonder if instead of having the buildings as the main focus, have a character in sight of the camera... For example a Zergling or Zeratul or a group of marine coming back from something, looking towardd the base. Maybe a camera more down, like a first person view, would be nice.
What do you think? :P
Working on projects:
I have made some changes.
@Nebuli2: Go
Um, it's getting interesting. Although we've lost some snowflakes, maybe just a question of timing with the screenshot. About the crashed ship(?) I wonder if you could slightly more develop it. Like, the fire is so big... Have you ever seen a crash of anything where litteraly the whole thing goes in fire? I think generally it's more focussed on something, like fuel tanks or something... I like the omni lights around the fire. I think if it is really a crash, a bigger crash line that has pushed the snow on the front part and removed behind would be nice. And make the whole thing like a small asteroid. The texture looks better, I don't know if you used the console, but you got it here. Another thing, something annoys me... the little house in the far... they don't fit with the huge buildings on the moutains... Are they really adding something nice to the screen? Or could the background be really on the big buildings. Also, I think you could try adding another big building / mountain in the very very far in the middle with a very thin light glowing through the fog just like the other buildings. That would add even more depth to the picture. Also, some small details; what about truck tire trace in the snow and marines steps? There is also something I don't get... why does the marines not have a shadow at all while they are in front of a big fire?
It's getting better ;) really nice ;)
Working on projects:
@Scbroodsc2: Go
Oh, they have shadows, they're just very difficult to see because of blizzard's rendering/shaders engine. I like what he has so far, but I think (with pitch and roll) he can use the fire to simulate wind... put lots of smoke pillars, lots and lots of smoke pillars!
@ScrinKing: Go
I agree with you, fire with pitch and roll would add something much more interesting, less linear.
Working on projects:
Thanks for the feedback, guys. First of all the fire casts no shadows. Unfortunately, we have no shadow-casting omni lights (hint hint Blizz). I can try playing around with hidden floodlights and the like to cast shadows. As for pitch and roll, I honestly forgot that those were a thing now in terraining. I'll try them out later when I get back home.
Edit: Invisible floodlights do not work, unfortunately. I have tried making some other small changes.
Added invisible floodlights and a few more adjustments.
NIGHT MISSION *DUN DUN*
@ScrinKing: Go
Those cliffs could definitely do with some work, as could the lighting.
@ScrinKing: Go
Especially the first one look nice already. This has alot of potential but also need alot of work.
Perhaps a more darkblueish- lightning could work? I would have painted some paths in the forest and made some changes to the trees. Perhaps cluster togheter some of the trees to make room for paths and make the trees more beliveable.
Falls of magnitude
@ScrinKing: Go
Nice
Sorry, couldn't help myself :D
Was doing a toxic environment thing, something along the lines of this, but I crashed. All that is left is this hermit crab:
@SheogorathSC: Go
Well, if "that" thing was actually a real Zerg mutation from the Korhal biggest city...it would not be long before the infestation...
However, your picture is extremely inspiring... It would take time and complexity to do such a terrain, but the result would be really epic. Most of what you see on the picture could be remade in sc2 with a few mix of doodads and pitch and roll. There is nothing crazy in that, just something that needs alot of time investment.
Why don't we take this as a whole WTE (the picture from Sheo's post)? Like, someone starts the terrain, someone else continues, etc, until we get something really epic and polished, instead of few terrains with low polishing... Although Nebuli's terrain this week is pretty nice and must have taken at least 1-2 hours of work. Like... really trying to make this be a really EPIC terrain and post the picture somewhere to try n grab some more people for wtes...or something. You know... take my idea, push it further and you get the next wte for sure. ;)
Working on projects: