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Join the ongoing conversation on Discord: https://discord.gg/w6Tpkp2

Please read the current update for instructions on downloading the latest update. Players with Mac versions of the game will not be affected, but you will have a slightly longer wait for your version of the new maps. Please make a copy of your character folder before running the new update, just to make sure you don't lose any of your custom work.

It looks like we can give everyone a list of minimum specs for running City of Titans. Please keep in mind that this is 'for now' until we are able to add more graphics and other system refinements. Currently you will need :
Windows 10 or later required; no Intel integrated graphics like UHD, must have AMD or NVIDIA card or discrete chipset with 4Gb or more of VRAM
At least 16GB of main DRAM.
These stats may change as we continue to test.

To purchase your copy of the City of Titans Launcher, visit our store at https://store.missingworldsmedia.com/ A purchase of $50 or more will give you a link to download the Launcher for Windows or Mac based machines.

Do you have any Art related questions? :)

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Petalstorm
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Do you have any Art related questions? :)

I am back from my family vacation. I know it was bad timing but planned out well in advance of the kickstarter. :P I haven't been here much this past week due to it and wanted to make sure I get to all of your art department related questions! Soo please ask me here, or give me a link to a thread I may of overlooked etc and so forth. :P I will try to do my best to get caught back up and answer as much as I can! :)

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Petalstorm, what programs are

Petalstorm, what programs are majority of your volunteers using regarding the art in this game?

"Hell hath no fury like a wife's agro. God help me when CoT comes out"

Petalstorm
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Well it depends on the artist

Well it depends on the artist and their job requirements. We have several highly skilled and trained concept and graphics artists that do a lot of their work offline as well as working in programs like Photoshop and Illustrator. In our 3d Department majority of our professionally trained guys have worked in and with Maya for many years and are sticking with Maya. Some of our entry level artists are using Blender right now and getting their feet wet with Maya LT and Maya trial subscriptions.

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I know nothing about art in

I know nothing about art in these games, so curious about the division of labor.

Would the same artists work on zones, missions, character appearance? Or would one person specialize?

Thanks!

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Well currently it really

Well currently it really depends on the artist. I have a few that specialize in things like texture, character modeling, environmental modeling etc. I have others that work on concept art, graphic elements like UI and webpage elements. I also have some that are quite capable of doing just about everything. My guys balance each other out pretty well and have gotten real good at working with each other so for the moment I try to keep one team (3d or concept) focused on one project at a time.

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*headbonks Miss Petalstorm,

*headbonks Miss Petalstorm, then walks around her feet in a Figure-8 pattern*

Mew!

I saw in an interview that you're looking for a comic book artist. Does that mean that CoT will have its own comic book? If so, I know a certain costumed kitty would be very happy to model and guest star for them! *rawrs at her shameless self-promotion*

I was also wondering about the possibility of having *some* cat-related choices in the costume designer? Things like a feline face (with *no* attached ears), cat ears, mammaryless chest option, cat tail, cat claws for hands, and maybe foot claws (if not an actual cat leg structure like CoH had). Of course, a fully articulated, costumeable and animated quadruped/cat model would be fabulous (after launch, of course), but any little cat-like tidbits would be appreciated so I can play Amerikatt right at launch (even if she has to look like a catgirl at first).

Mew-mew! ((Thank-you!))

*bribes Miss Petalstorm with a few Boysenberry-flavored Fish-Stix, some shiny Nemmie brass buttons, and a box of Mice-A-Roni*

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I'm not an artist...and I don

I'm not an artist...and I don't play one on t.v. lol. However the visuals of CoX were one of the most astounding features. I can't contribute to the art department (I wish I could) except with concepts...mostly for mission maps.

PLEASE make the 'normal' interiors (like office buildings) make sense. Some of the layouts in CoX were beyond crazy.

Towards the end of CoX I thought I began seeing some maps where you came in from the other end...like they had flipped the map somehow. This might make your job a little easier since the same map can look very different when working it from a different door.

Not sure if this is possible but perhaps some modular maps with common attachment halls/points? Then you could just build a bunch of pieces and switch them around.

If there is any way to make it look like there is a curb but not have a curb there? So many times my MM's pets seemed to get hung up on some pebble in the architecture...

How about more than two colorable (is that even a word?) section per body part? I loved the CC in CoX but being able to add a third color to a specific area would be way cool.

I remember when Star Wars was cool...a long, long time ago...

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ComicsluvrNot sure if this is
Comicsluvr wrote:

Not sure if this is possible but perhaps some modular maps with common attachment halls/points? Then you could just build a bunch of pieces and switch them around.

I asked Positron about this at an SDCC once; another game I played, 'Re-Volt' (a racing game where you 'drove' radio-control cars through tracks that were real-world environments), had a 'build your own track' feature, where you could connect up standard track pieces to make (ugly) tracks and race on them, and I commented that it was clear that CoH's indoor maps used stock map blocks that were linked together to make a map, and how much more flexibility in AE missions there would be if it were possible for players to use an editor to stick these blocks together to make their own map. Positron said that I was right about the map units, but the editor they used to assemble them into maps was user-hostile, requiring hand tweaking to get adjacent pieces to join correctly. I'm sure that everyone has run into at least one map -- mostly office maps -- where there appears to be a black wall across a corridor, but when they go through the wall and turn around, they're still in the hall and can see back down the way they came; this black wall effect is a symptom of the map blocks not being properly joined.

Being able to lay out your own indoor maps would, I think, add a lot of flexibility to mission creation, but I don't think that we should expect to see anything more than design planning that would, in the future, allow a player-friendly map editor to be built; the already-presented plans for there being multiple ways to enter a mission (i.e., through the door, through a window, down a skylight, through ventilation shafts) would make the management of mission-entry points alone an ugly feature to code into a player-accessible map editor.

Petalstorm
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Amerikatt: We are looking

Amerikatt: We are looking into having our own comic book yes. Nothing is there is written in stone yet but it is in the works. As for cat related costume pieces we have many cat lovers in our art department. :) They have their own nice long list of things they want to see but suggestions are always welcome.

Comicsluvr: There is a balance between having a normal RL interior and having one that will encourage the flow or pattern a level/mission/instance flows. We are wanting to find a good balance between a interior that makes sense but also keeps the game flowing. :) I know it gets hard after doing endless instances and they all start to look alike.. We are working hard on giving you guys a decent variety to start with. Curb issue with pets I am unsure but it may of been an issue with the game engine or artifact issue. We are using a different game engine and code base. If we have glitches like that we will deal with them as they are found. :) As for colors on costumes we have a lot of ideas and that is for another update. :)

Srmalloy: thank you for the bit of insight into modular maps. :) We have been testing and figuring out what will work best for us with the game engine and what will give us the most flexibility. With that said.. ideas on how to accomplish the most variety and flexibility is still in the works.

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Does the team know yet how

Does the team know yet how many base body models their will be?
Like:
child male
child female
adult male
adult female
bodybuilder male
bodybuilder femaile
overweight male
overweight female
omg steamtank size

and the basic outline of what sliders those models will have? (height, weight, which limbs can be extended, which will be static)

or are you going more of an approach of 1 male, 1 female... but enough sliders to accomplish anything from massive hulk muscles to mr plastic to the human blob?

Supporting how I can, Starting up a DA group for art, stories, and concepts to be collected
http://city-of-titans.deviantart.com/
Please join up if you plan to make or collect CoT related art.

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Comicsluvr wrote:
Comicsluvr wrote:

...many times my MM's pets seemed to get hung up on some pebble in the architecture...

Ohh... that can happen in Unreal too. But it seems in Unreal, they have a method to cut down on such issues:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCN5TEO7JGk#t=01m38s (jump to 1min 38sec)

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My question might come across

My question might come across as a bit of a strange one, but here it is anyway. Why skyscrapers for the R&D district?

Tech companies and laboratories these days tend to go with a more Campus-like format, with parks and gardens in-between buildings that aren't always very tall. That doesn't really mean that they couldn't have skyscrapers at all, but I can't help but wonder why the department didn't go with something more along the lines of a park-like region with lots of buildings that look more like modernist architectural expressions, rather than a region that, based on the description, sounds more like a Downtown type of area.

Though maybe I should be asking the Composition department about this. I'm not sure!

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D-Pad wrote:
D-Pad wrote:

My question might come across as a bit of a strange one, but here it is anyway. Why skyscrapers for the R&D district?
Tech companies and laboratories these days tend to go with a more Campus-like format, with parks and gardens in-between buildings that aren't always very tall. That doesn't really mean that they couldn't have skyscrapers at all, but I can't help but wonder why the department didn't go with something more along the lines of a park-like region with lots of buildings that look more like modernist architectural expressions, rather than a region that, based on the description, sounds more like a Downtown type of area.
Though maybe I should be asking the Composition department about this. I'm not sure!

Pretty sure the shot of buildings in the art attached to the update is more of a test area than anything final. It would be a bit of the Innovation Center area, which *is* the most "Downtown" like part of NRD.

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Not exactly sure if this

Not exactly sure if this would be the right thread to ask this question, but it is sort of "art" related and I figured somebody knowledgeable might respond to it regardless.

It's very cool that MWM is offering to allow people to get custom-made weapons and costumes for CoT via the Kickstarter pledges. What I was wondering is if it'd be possible to pledge some money towards getting a certain kind of hairstyle instead? The reason this hairstyle might require the extra backing of a Kickstarter pledge is that it'd be a long, braided ponytail that would hang down to around the waist. The following links are examples of the style I'd be looking for from around the web:

http://shoppingcartdisco.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/denna-back.jpg
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/4411/ep10kahlanwarden.jpg

The real trick of doing this hairstyle would be that it would effectively have to be like an animated tail (or maybe a better analogy in animation terms would be like a hanging piece of rope made of hair) that's attached to the top of the head. Obviously that kind of thing would probably present some animation challenges to the Devs and I accept that it's quite possible it might not be doable without considerable extra effort. Still my idea is that I could pledge say $1000 for the "Registered Lethal Weapon" and get this hairstyle instead of a weapon. Basically I'm asking if the amount of work $1000 would get me for a custom weapon is roughly equivalent to what it would take to create this kind of hairstyle.

For what it's worth I'd probably opt for this hairstyle to be open to everyone from the beginning. It was something I was always interested in for CoH but never held out much hope for it there. Perhaps it could finally happen for this game. Thanks for your consideration on this.

CoH player from April 25, 2004 to November 30, 2012

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Lothic wrote:
Lothic wrote:

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/4411/ep10kahlanwarden.jpg

Now, now. Let's ask the important questions first.

What I wanna know is, can we get this guy's expression in the game?

/wut?

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Who did the art for the

Who did the art for the stretch goals? It looks like Alison from Extra Credits did it.

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Questions:

Questions:

We're seeing a lot of realism (which I love) in the environments we're seeing.. I hope you keep it up in the character creator. What are you doing to be sure the different artists can share the same vision for the character models?

If you choose the realistic look/feel (which I love) then what are your plans on dealing with the whimsy of superhero lore? I think it brings a serious tone (which again.. I love) but sometimes lore in realism can have a problem expanding lore. How do you plan to address Gold, Silver, Bronze and Modern age heroes "feel" in the same game? Will the avatar creator also attempt to deal with this (using neon and metallic textures scarcely, lol)?

P.S. - The hotter the hair looks the better people assume the graphics are *wink*

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Lothic
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JayBezz wrote:
JayBezz wrote:

Questions:
We're seeing a lot of realism (which I love) in the environments we're seeing.. I hope you keep it up in the character creator. What are you doing to be sure the different artists can share the same vision for the character models?
If you choose the realistic look/feel (which I love) then what are your plans on dealing with the whimsy of superhero lore? I think it brings a serious tone (which again.. I love) but sometimes lore in realism can have a problem expanding lore. How do you plan to address Gold, Silver, Bronze and Modern age heroes "feel" in the same game? Will the avatar creator also attempt to deal with this (using neon and metallic textures scarcely, lol)?
P.S. - The hotter the hair looks the better people assume the graphics are *wink*

I tend to be more of a fan of the realistic/modern looks in general. But I think we'll be able to get many of the "classic" options through the cleverness of the costume system. Even towards the end of CoH they were adding "Retro Sci-Fi" items that gave people the option to do more old-school Gold and Silver era concepts. I'll bet we'll also get enough face and body slider control to be able to modify our looks to be slightly more classic comic book looking as well.

CoH player from April 25, 2004 to November 30, 2012

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JayBezz wrote:
JayBezz wrote:

Questions:Will the avatar creator also attempt to deal with this (using neon and metallic textures scarcely, lol)?

Hey now, don't go limiting someone else's costume selections because of how you want your characters to look. The NPCs may need to fit a unified artistic vision, but the characters can look however the hell we want them too, neon and all.

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Hm... art questions... Are

Hm... art questions... Are you planning on any sort of layered texturing? One of the things that consistently frustrates me in CO is being unable to combine, for example, snake skin texture + tattoo color patterns + textured clothing. (In fact, you can't even combine any two of those, aside from a few pre-set and rather limited tattoo + clothing options.)

And if you are, how would that work with, say, the fashionista kickstarter pledge level? Say someone wanted something vaguely akin to CoH's valkyrie textures, that you could use as bits of armor over scaled skin - would that be one texture, or two?

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Ok...here's one: What are the

Ok...here's one: What are the chances of animated interior stuff? One reason why interiors looked stale is because nothing ever moved except the characters, the enemies and the NPCs. How about fans blowing...monitors lit up etc to make things look more lively?

I remember when Star Wars was cool...a long, long time ago...

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syntaxerror37 wrote:
syntaxerror37 wrote:

JayBezz wrote:
Questions:
Will the avatar creator also attempt to deal with this (using neon and metallic textures scarcely, lol)?

Hey now, don't go limiting someone else's costume selections because of how you want your characters to look. The NPCs may need to fit a unified artistic vision, but the characters can look however the hell we want them too, neon and all.

Unreal 3 has a knack for semi-realism, and bright neons tend to be textured. I'm personally hoping this continues.. I know it sounds like it could kill customization but I don't know many fabrics that do some of the things I've seen in other games.

Even the bright Reds are not forcing me to blink and the blue neon is in the inlay instead of the main polygon.

( I used X-Men Destiny art as EXAMPLE.. this in no way means this is how characters will look in City of Titans. I use it because it is another superhero game with Unreal 3.. Tera, DCUO, and even WildStar all use the same engine.)

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Comicsluvr wrote:
Comicsluvr wrote:

Ok...here's one: What are the chances of animated interior stuff? One reason why interiors looked stale is because nothing ever moved except the characters, the enemies and the NPCs. How about fans blowing...monitors lit up etc to make things look more lively?

Extraneous animation was a concession to required computing power; IIRC, the engine CoH used didn't have any real mechanism for reducing animations (i.e., not animating fans, monitors, trees waving in the wind, et al.) when lowering graphics detail to recover frame rate on slower computers, so the devs didn't put much work into making the environment dynamic.

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Petalstorm wrote:
Petalstorm wrote:

Amerikatt: We are looking into having our own comic book yes. Nothing is there is written in stone yet but it is in the works. As for cat related costume pieces we have many cat lovers in our art department. :) They have their own nice long list of things they want to see but suggestions are always welcome.

Thanks, Miss Petalstorm. If your comic book artist needs a model, I work cheaply -- my weight (5 lbs.) in fish-stix per modeling session.

I can understand that having a fully poseable, animated, and costumeable quadrapedal feline model will take quite a bit of time to develop and will not be available at launch. However, may we please have at least:

1. Feline face

2. Feline head either with cat ears already attached or with no ears "baked on" but which are chooseable from a menu.

3. Cat paw gloves

4. Cat legs

5. Cat tails

6. Non-mammaried cat chest (just a simple "flat" chest)

7. Textured (and colorable) fur

What I'm hoping for is either a quadrapedal cat or, at least, an anthropomorphic cat-like character who can stand-in for a cat until the quadraped is available.

Thanks!

*huggles and headbonks*

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Amerikatt wrote:
Amerikatt wrote:

Petalstorm wrote:
Amerikatt: We are looking into having our own comic book yes. Nothing is there is written in stone yet but it is in the works. As for cat related costume pieces we have many cat lovers in our art department. :) They have their own nice long list of things they want to see but suggestions are always welcome.

Thanks, Miss Petalstorm. If your comic book artist needs a model, I work cheaply -- my weight (5 lbs.) in fish-stix per modeling session.
I can understand that having a fully poseable, animated, and costumeable quadrapedal feline model will take quite a bit of time to develop and will not be available at launch. However, may we please have at least:
1. Feline face
2. Feline head either with cat ears already attached or with no ears "baked on" but which are chooseable from a menu.
3. Cat paw gloves
4. Cat legs
5. Cat tails
6. Non-mammaried cat chest (just a simple "flat" chest)
7. Textured (and colorable) fur
What I'm hoping for is either a quadrapedal cat or, at least, an anthropomorphic cat-like character who can stand-in for a cat until the quadraped is available.
Thanks!
*huggles and headbonks*

Amerikatt---part of your answer was provided in another forum section. Zombie Man wrote ---Flat chested will be an option on the female rigs. Both the male and female rigs will be able to create androgynous characters. Not only suitable for youthful females but for non-human characters like the fae.---

Hope this helps

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What will the over all "tone"

What will the over all "tone" of the art design be, in the game?
will it mimic one of the previous released Superhero MMOs (COX/CO/DCUO), will it be based on modern media (MCU movies, modern Superhero Cartoons), or a particular comic age (Silver, Bronze, Modern, etc)

I guess... what is the "feel" of the art design in the game.... is it gritty, or campy, or saturday morning cartoon.... is the art team inspired more by real life cities like New York, or heavily themed (aesthetically speaking) cities like Gotham?

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JayBezz wrote:
JayBezz wrote:

Even the bright Reds are not forcing me to blink and the blue neon is in the inlay instead of the main polygon.
( I used X-Men Destiny art as EXAMPLE.. this in no way means this is how characters will look in City of Titans. I use it because it is another superhero game with Unreal 3.. Tera, DCUO, and even WildStar all use the same engine.)

I also like that those shots show a black that looks black. One thing that bugged me in CO (at least in the early days... perhaps they changed it later) was that you'd end up with a kind of gray (at best) or a tinted color (if there was any lighting color nearby) if you chose black. Well, except during the time in pre-release when you could get a black-hole black, which was striking and awesome-looking, but wouldn't be a very normal clothing-black (since it had no reflection at all, so it didn't show any detail).

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When you've got a game engine

When you've got a game engine that can do things like THIS ... I sincerely doubt you're going to have to worry about the kinds of trivial color problems that CoH's graphics engine produced.

That's a Castanic character in TERA, for anyone who's interested, wearing one of the end game armors. If anyone would like to look through the galleries on that (russian) site, here's a LINK. Mind you, a lot of the "looks" made for TERA, particularly for the females, is designed more around Sex Appeal than around Practicality Of Armor Protection, since (as we all know) ... SEX SELLS.


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god, I hated Tera's art

god, I hated Tera's art design.....
That said.... just because an engine CAN do something, doesn't mean the art team will utilize it the same way (or even in a similar way) aesthetically.

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Redlynne wrote:
Redlynne wrote:

When you've got a game engine that can do things like THIS ... I sincerely doubt you're going to have to worry about the kinds of trivial color problems that CoH's graphics engine produced.

I see they subscribe to the WoW school of shoulders. If she ever shrugs she's going to be in a world of pain. :P

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Darth Fez wrote:
Darth Fez wrote:

I see they subscribe to the WoW school of shoulders. If she ever shrugs she's going to be in a world of pain. :P

It's a Fantasy game. Ridiculous shoulders ARE REQUIRED in that genre.

My point being that the City of Titans artisans wouldn't be duplicating costume designs such as this one, but that the Unreal Engine is capable of supporting costume designs that are this level of elaborate and complex ... as opposed to being simplified and "cartoony" looking for lack of polygons, textures or details.


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I am getting conflicting

I am getting conflicting answers about the Fashionista reward between the forums the KS Comments:

Forum:

Doctor Tyche wrote:

Er, Zombie, you have Fashionista slightly off. It does incorporate the overlay pattern from Plaid, but also allows you to make a full on texture with bumpmaping and such. But it does not include a full on custom costume mesh. It also includes the custom props from earlier tiers as well.

KS Comments:

Quote:

Creator Missing Worlds Media about 21 hours ago

Ok, since I confused people over Fashionista by using internal technical terms.

The pieces of the costume which are unique to that person are, indeed, their own pieces. If they need a custom mesh component to pull it off, no problem. They will be parts available in the Avatar Builder. The costume is not a single component, or single entity, and will be as modular as every other costume, assembled out of components.

You want to build an anthropomorphic dragon, no problem. Your chest and legs will likely be the base models, with a customized skin. Your head will likely be customized, wings and arms too. Someone else may want to make some kind of hyper-technological android, which has a stock head and torso, but with custom made arms and leg models.

That's what is exciting about this perk, it leaves this in your hands.

We'll be putting up an update better describing the digital perks and add-ons later on as well.

Which is correct? I upgraded last night based on the KS Comments answer, but the forum answer has me leaning towards reversing that decision...

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The impression I've gotten is

The impression I've gotten is that, if you get fashionista, you'll get a custom texture that is your exclusive thing, and (based on the KS comment above) they will make custom meshes if need be... but that those custom meshes won't be exclusive.

If I'm correct, you could make a robo-raptor as a fashionista - and while nobody else would have access to those textures, anyone could pick out "raptor feet" boots, or the "raptor head" component, just they'd get them with, say, a generic scaled & feathered texture instead of your custom mechanical texture.

...But, err, this is just me trying to hypothesize based on assorted comments that I'm not going to go track down right now. An official answer would certainly be useful.

Edit: And even if it doesn't include custom mesh as part of just making the costume components, it does still include props. So, for example, if I have to spend a prop slot on "raptor feet" to get the full robo-raptor ensemble, well, that should still be an option.

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Potato-Girl wrote:
Potato-Girl wrote:

I am getting conflicting answers about the Fashionista reward between the forums the KS Comments:
Forum:
Doctor Tyche wrote:
Er, Zombie, you have Fashionista slightly off. It does incorporate the overlay pattern from Plaid, but also allows you to make a full on texture with bumpmaping and such. But it does not include a full on custom costume mesh. It also includes the custom props from earlier tiers as well.
KS Comments:
Quote:
Creator Missing Worlds Media about 21 hours ago
Ok, since I confused people over Fashionista by using internal technical terms.
The pieces of the costume which are unique to that person are, indeed, their own pieces. If they need a custom mesh component to pull it off, no problem. They will be parts available in the Avatar Builder. The costume is not a single component, or single entity, and will be as modular as every other costume, assembled out of components.
You want to build an anthropomorphic dragon, no problem. Your chest and legs will likely be the base models, with a customized skin. Your head will likely be customized, wings and arms too. Someone else may want to make some kind of hyper-technological android, which has a stock head and torso, but with custom made arms and leg models.
That's what is exciting about this perk, it leaves this in your hands.
We'll be putting up an update better describing the digital perks and add-ons later on as well.
Which is correct? I upgraded last night based on the KS Comments answer, but the forum answer has me leaning towards reversing that decision...

Agreed. I am moving funds around to buy Fashionista on Friday. I want to be sure I can design the costume I want (texture, pattern, and all).. Also my proposed costume incorporates 3 pieces (A jacket, A tights pattern, and leg armor) I've already designed and am close to rendering..

Also this will be a uniform used by other members of my guild (Not all three pieces together but individually). I want to be assured that I can share these three parts for members of my guild to use (separately .. some just want the jacket.. some just want the tights.. some want combinations).

Can I get some clarity?

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It was a technical language

It was a technical language confusion when nate wrote his original response. It think his original reaction was in replay to someone wanting to be a full on horse walking on 4 legs etc and Fashionista doesn't change the base character mesh and bone structure. It is a complete costume designed by you from start to finish with our base models as long as it doesn't infringe on other companies IP's that could get us sued.

Soo if you want to be a lumberjack in a tutu we would make you a lumberjack in a tutu.. or you want some crazy cool steampunk costume we would do that too. If you wanted to be a person with a halloween costume mask like horse head and 2 horse legs instead of human legs and a tail without changing the bone structure we can do that too. Just don't expect it to be an animated realistic horse head more like that mask horse head you see in vids and meme's on the net. :P It would work as a mask and hide normal face animations etc.

We do fully intend to have animated anthro heads but that is fully beyond the scope of fashionista. If you haven't seen the costume update Rocket Cat did the sketch at the bottom of the anthro ideas we have and is working on fleshing them out further.

Basic costume pieces like tights, ties, etc that is already designed I can't give exclusives on but if you want them in your custom costume design we will work with you to tweek yours and make them extra special and stand out just for you. If you want a tutu and we already have a tutu we will make a different one that is exclusively yours until the time runs out.

You guys are supporting us and making it possible for us to create this game and we are going to try to bend over backwards within reason to make you happy.

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Kaxiya wrote:
Kaxiya wrote:

Amerikatt---part of your answer was provided in another forum section. Zombie Man wrote ---Flat chested will be an option on the female rigs. Both the male and female rigs will be able to create androgynous characters. Not only suitable for youthful females but for non-human characters like the fae.---
Hope this helps

Thanks *very* much! I missed that reply from ZM!

Every little bit helps, and this little bit already puts CoT (City of Tabbies) *far* ahead of CoH (as far as kitty kustomization goes)!

*squees with delight, then helps an elderly man get across the street*

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So now for playing catch up.

So now for playing catch up. I am sorry I had vanished for a few days. Between kickstarter work and getting a darn cold things have been a bit wacky.

Q) Does the team know yet how many base body models their will be?
A) Right now we have a base male/female model and a brute male/brute female model. These two sets were needed because of skeletal/muscle differences between the two different ones. This does not rule out us adding other sets down the line it is just where we are starting at and we will add more as needed.

Q) and the basic outline of what sliders those models will have? (height, weight, which limbs can be extended, which will be static)
A) We do have a general idea of what we want to do. Once we are able to test things out and insure that what we think will work and what we want to work does work we will let you guys know. Watch for blog updates in the next few years. :)

Q) or are you going more of an approach of 1 male, 1 female... but enough sliders to accomplish anything from massive hulk muscles to mr plastic to the human blob?
A) This has also been discussed but with the muscle and bone difference we are leaning towards at least two different sets of base characters with enough sliders to accomplish just about anything without being too overly confusing.

Q) What I was wondering is if it'd be possible to pledge some money towards getting a certain kind of hairstyle instead? The reason this hairstyle might require the extra backing of a Kickstarter pledge is that it'd be a long, braided ponytail that would hang down to around the waist.
A) Yes we would be willing to do a hair style at lethal weapon's pledge level instead of a weapon. Even a long braid with movement. :)

Q) What I wanna know is, can we get this guy's expression in the game?
A) LOL That is funny.. We will see. :)

Q) Who did the art for the stretch goals? It looks like Alison from Extra Credits did it.
A) I had to wiki up what alison from extra credits was.. well then I see why you think that. Originally it was Yoko and then Rocket Cat picked up and finished them along with myself and my husband Shard.

Q) What are you doing to be sure the different artists can share the same vision for the character models?
A) by using a visual guideline/bible for the artists to stick too and standards to keep the look and feel of the costume pieces consistent.

Q) If you choose the realistic look/feel (which I love) then what are your plans on dealing with the whimsy of superhero lore? I think it brings a serious tone (which again.. I love) but sometimes lore in realism can have a problem expanding lore. How do you plan to address Gold, Silver, Bronze and Modern age heroes "feel" in the same game? Will the avatar creator also attempt to deal with this (using neon and metallic textures scarcely, lol)?
A) We feel we can allow for a vast range of looks and styles without disturbing the look and feel of the game or upsetting anyone's immersion. One person's view of a super hero is not another's view and we are creating a world where everyone's views can co exist. The avatar creator is there for people to be able to create their dream character with as little limitations as possible. Our job as the art team is to insure that everything that goes into the avatar creator is of a consistent look.

Okay I need to scoot for a bit but I will work on getting to the other questions when I have a spare moment. :)

Art Director

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Petalstorm wrote:
Petalstorm wrote:

It was a technical language confusion when nate wrote his original response. It think his original reaction was in replay to someone wanting to be a full on horse walking on 4 legs etc and Fashionista doesn't change the base character mesh and bone structure. It is a complete costume designed by you from start to finish with our base models as long as it doesn't infringe on other companies IP's that could get us sued.

This sounds great for the most part. My character wears heels.. and while most games give you access to a "Heels" option for females (some for men too!) I rarely see them with a platform.. technically this is probably a new base model (or a model that is raised above the ground plain permanently?) So is this possible?

The reason I want the fashionista perk is to design my character's uniqueness. The Hair, Heels and face model of my concept are not typical and therefore I want to be sure that these unusual pieces are, in fact, what I am "buying". I've already made a commitment to the KS in any case.. but want to be assured before I up that pledge to Fashionista level.

I know you're not offering post KS options (at LEAST not till the KS is over) but if there will be other opportunities for these perks to include player designed ideas into your virtual world (Buildings, Costumes, NPCs) I look forward to more.

I've emailed you the concept art, Petalstorm. I hope you understand the limits I am seeking to challange.

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Petalstorm wrote:
Petalstorm wrote:

Q) What I was wondering is if it'd be possible to pledge some money towards getting a certain kind of hairstyle instead? The reason this hairstyle might require the extra backing of a Kickstarter pledge is that it'd be a long, braided ponytail that would hang down to around the waist.
A) Yes we would be willing to do a hair style at lethal weapon's pledge level instead of a weapon. Even a long braid with movement. :)

I know you're busy but thanks for the answer. I've already thrown some money at the Kickstarter - now I have to decide if I want to throw some more at it or eat for the next few months lol. :)

JayBezz wrote:

I know you're not offering post KS options (at LEAST not till the KS is over) but if there will be other opportunities for these perks to include player designed ideas into your virtual world (Buildings, Costumes, NPCs) I look forward to more.

This question has been raised in these forums at least a few times already. Can the folks at MWM give us any word on whether or not they would entertain the idea of players being able to pay for custom items (like the KS Registered Lethal Weapon Pledge allows for) to be added to the game AFTER the Kickstarter? Like once the game launches could this be a service we could pay for just like other kinds of typical MMO services (e.g. character renames or additional character slots)?

CoH player from April 25, 2004 to November 30, 2012

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Uh... Petal......

Uh... Petal......

Quote:

What will the over all "tone" of the art design be, in the game?
will it mimic one of the previous released Superhero MMOs (COX/CO/DCUO), will it be based on modern media (MCU movies, modern Superhero Cartoons), or a particular comic age (Silver, Bronze, Modern, etc)

I guess... what is the "feel" of the art design in the game.... is it gritty, or campy, or Saturday morning cartoon.... is the art team inspired more by real life cities like New York, or heavily themed (aesthetically speaking) cities like Gotham?

....any word? or is this not the sort of question you're looking for?

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Ghosthack sorry I wasn't'

Ghosthack sorry I wasn't' done answering questions yet I had to scoot and deal with a few things. Today is a lil crazy at my house it's Halloween I have a 3 year old and we have company. :)

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Ah, no worries... just

Ah, no worries... just thought you missed mine in the shuffle of trying to answer everyone.... It's not like any of this is time sensitive, exactly... just curious.

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Redlynne wrote:
Redlynne wrote:

Darth Fez wrote:
I see they subscribe to the WoW school of shoulders. If she ever shrugs she's going to be in a world of pain. :PIt's a Fantasy game. Ridiculous shoulders ARE REQUIRED in that genre.

Not just fantasy, although you could argue that Star Wars was 'space fantasy' -- in the Sith Empire, there appear to be sumptuary laws that mandate that higher-ranking Sith have more ornate and impractical shoulders. And I've seen a number of heavy-armor sets with shoulder pieces that have prongs that look designed to snag on things if the wearer turns wrong.

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srmalloy wrote:
srmalloy wrote:

Redlynne wrote:
Darth Fez wrote:
I see they subscribe to the WoW school of shoulders. If she ever shrugs she's going to be in a world of pain. :P
It's a Fantasy game. Ridiculous shoulders ARE REQUIRED in that genre.
Not just fantasy, although you could argue that Star Wars was 'space fantasy' -- in the Sith Empire, there appear to be sumptuary laws that mandate that higher-ranking Sith have more ornate and impractical shoulders. And I've seen a number of heavy-armor sets with shoulder pieces that have prongs that look designed to snag on things if the wearer turns wrong.

I made a point on my Sith Lord to have small shoulder armor, especially since I chose a thinner body type.

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other than Samus Aran.... I

other than Samus Aran.... I hate big shoulder stuff.:P

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Potato-Girl wrote:
Potato-Girl wrote:

I made a point on my Sith Lord to have small shoulder armor, especially since I chose a thinner body type.

I don't recall off the top of my head what the chest piece for my Assassin has for shoulder pieces, but both my Juggernaut and my Sorceror have custom-grade chest pieces (so I can keep upgrading them on down the line) deliberately chosen to have neither Shoulders of Doom nor Spikes of Villainy.

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What Design Programs are

What Design Programs are being used for the different aspects of the game (Specifically Character Models)?

Marvel Heroes defined their process of character model creation from Sculpting to FX in this video:

http://goo.gl/ubksgn

Sculpt models in Z Brush, Skeletons animated in Maya.. any plans for City of Titans defined yet? It will help me approach friends in the industry with skills in modeling to volunteer.

MH uses a single full body character model for each character.. with City of Titans planning interchanging costume pieces have you defined the process you want to use to create character models? Will they layer? Where/How will you split the character models? Will each model be expected to use two humanoid arms and two humanoid legs (I think the answer to this is yes).

From the look of your models in the video I see 3 main polygons for each arm (Counting only 1 for the hand), One for the Torso, One for the Head, One for the Groin, and Three for each leg, (Counting only one for the feet).. Will this number be increasing for the animators?

Do you have plans for the Unreal engine in regard to and what parts will move with physics and what won't (Capes Yes, Hair Yes, Breasts No) I'm hoping things like tails, wings, and other things get animations and are not just affected by game physics, but if you don't get to tails, do you have a plan for them to follow the physics as a separate piece? If you DO will players get to choose between animated and non-animated tails?

Do you plan for costumes to be customizable enough to use a different pattern on the left than on the right? Top/bottom same question. will moving "Emblems" be given depth in the character creator or just color blocked pattern?

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Less of a question, and more

Less of a question, and more of a reference for the Art Team should they be so inclined. *^_^*

Real World Man Portable Working Coilgun video.

Real World Man Portable Working Full Auto Coilgun video.

Consider something like this for a "high tech" NPC group such as the City of Titans "spiritual successor" to either Crey Industries or even the Malta Group. Should give not only the artists and animators something fun to work with but also the sound people a handy reference on the off chance they'd like to make use of this.

Enjoy.


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Redlynne wrote:
Redlynne wrote:

Less of a question, and more of a reference for the Art Team should they be so inclined. *^_^*
Real World Man Portable Working Coilgun video.
Real World Man Portable Working Full Auto Coilgun video.
Consider something like this for a "high tech" NPC group such as the City of Titans "spiritual successor" to either Crey Industries or even the Malta Group. Should give not only the artists and animators something fun to work with but also the sound people a handy reference on the off chance they'd like to make use of this.
Enjoy.

Mm, railguns. :) Looks like the kind of weapons the Black Rose might be carting around.

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Q) My question might come

Q) My question might come across as a bit of a strange one, but here it is anyway. Why skyscrapers for the R&D district?
A) I think Beamrider hit the nail on the head with his response.
Pretty sure the shot of buildings in the art attached to the update is more of a test area than anything final. It would be a bit of the Innovation Center area, which *is* the most "Downtown" like part of NRD. (Beamrider's responce)
Basically we have some stuff set up in UDK for testing areas, we have general laying out of what will be here in the future. We have a few placeholders here and there so we can work out the way the world works while waiting for art assets to be made to put them in there place. So the shot you see there while representative will change by the time we are ready to launch.

Q) Are you planning on any sort of layered texturing?
A) Yes snake skin + colored tattoo patterns are possible.

Q) And if you are, how would that work with, say, the fashionista kickstarter pledge level? Say someone wanted something vaguely akin to CoH's valkyrie textures, that you could use as bits of armor over scaled skin - would that be one texture, or two?
A) at fashionista level we will be willing to work with you to make it work.

Q) What are the chances of animated interior stuff?
A) It is part of the plan. :)

Q?) Unreal 3 has a knack for semi-realism, and bright neons tend to be textured. I'm personally hoping this continues.. I know it sounds like it could kill customization but I don't know many fabrics that do some of the things I've seen in other games.
A) Not exactly sure what your question in here is and by neon's do you mean neon bulbs or colors in the neon spectrum like a bad 80's flashback of neon pink and green biker shorts?

Q) May we please have at least:
1. Feline face
2. Feline head either with cat ears already attached or with no ears "baked on" but which are chooseable from a menu.
3. Cat paw gloves
4. Cat legs
5. Cat tails
6. Non-mammaried cat chest (just a simple "flat" chest)
7. Textured (and colorable) fur
A) Yes. :)

Q) What will the over all "tone" of the art design be, in the game?
A) We are still hammering out our art guidelines because we are not entirely happy with the language we are using to describe the answers to this question. One of the biggest jobs I have once we are done running about for kickstarter is to finalize the visual 'bible' for the look and feel of the game art design wise. We have a general idea of how we want it to look and feel and we are leaning more towards realistic kinda like the current marvel movies. We are not aiming to mimic one of the previously released superhero MMOs more on making this our own world taking into consideration a lot of requests and feedback from the fans and mush it all into a coherent seamless world that makes sense.

Q) Will black look like black and not gray?
A) It depends on what shade of black you want? :P Looking at my closet I see at least 50 shades of Black or is that gray?

Q) Platform Heels?
A) If they are reasonably sized platform heels then it is not a problem. There are ways to make it work. If your talking 20 inch platform heels then it is a new bone structure because UDK skeleton's root is between it's feet.
On a side note I have seen your sketches of what you want and it is within reason and we can do that.

Q) Can the folks at MWM give us any word on whether or not they would entertain the idea of players being able to pay for custom items (like the KS Registered Lethal Weapon Pledge allows for) to be added to the game AFTER the Kickstarter?
A) It has been brought to our attention but not something we have decided upon one way or the other yet. So it's not a yes but it's not a never either. If we do it will be quite a bit down the road as we already have a good deal of work ahead of us in the que already.

Q) Shoulderpads?
A) We have both types country and western.. er both types crazy to insane and realistic to non existent depending on your taste or lack of. :P

Q) What Design Programs are being used for the different aspects of the game (Specifically Character Models)?
A) We are working mainly with Zbrush and Maya

Q) have you defined the process you want to use to create character models? Will they layer? Where/How will you split the character models? Will each model be expected to use two humanoid arms and two humanoid legs ?
A) Right now, we're not really ready to talk about our internal production methods and designs. We want to make sure we have everything finalized and functional before discussing the matter. It'd be horrible if we promised something we wind up not being able to deliver due to lag or clipping. It happened in CoH, and we don't want that to happen here.

Q)From the look of your models in the video I see 3 main polygons for each arm (Counting only 1 for the hand), One for the Torso, One for the Head, One for the Groin, and Three for each leg, (Counting only one for the feet).. Will this number be increasing for the animators?
A) I think you mean bones. And there are many more bones in the model then you have listed. :)

Q) Do you have plans for the Unreal engine in regard to and what parts will move with physics and what won't (Capes Yes, Hair Yes, Breasts No) I'm hoping things like tails, wings, and other things get animations and are not just affected by game physics, but if you don't get to tails, do you have a plan for them to follow the physics as a separate piece? If you DO will players get to choose between animated and non-animated tails?
A) Exact physics implementation is in flux, but the plan is drapery clothes ( cloaks, capes, etc ) and hair. We have categorized Wings and tails ( and some other assets ) into passive and active. Passive will not have animations, active will.

Q) Do you plan for costumes to be customizable enough to use a different pattern on the left than on the right? Top/bottom same question. will moving "Emblems" be given depth in the character creator or just color blocked pattern?
A) We do plan for costumes to be highly customizable but I am not going to make promises until I have guaranteed that something will work. Many have given suggestions and have put in there two cents how they want stuff to work but we need to go thru the list and see how much we can make work within reason and still look good.

Art Director

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Whew, lot to digest. Thanks

Whew, lot to digest. Thanks Petal!

(regarding your response to my own question:
from my own humble opinion... The recent marvel films, while awesome... fall short of the mark, aesthetically, in their desperate desire to seem "real". I do hope that the team will take into consideration the radically different worldview of a setting where costumed "heroes" are not only commonplace, but (at least on some level) governmentally recognized and sanctioned. that is to say..... In a world where wild costumed people with extraordinary abilities is a normal component of society.... the aesthetics of Marvel's Cinematic Universe would not be as omnipresent.)

Also, a further question: You mention layered texturing....
Q1: your answer implies that players will be able to manipulate the layering themselves (choosing a skin texture, then the cloth texture that sits on it) Is this correct, or is it simply that there will be "multi-layered" costume options of set varieties.

Q2: the question, and answer, referred to a mixing of scales (skin texture) with "tattoos"...
is this the limit of layering or will we be able to layer multiple tights patterns, or layers of skin texture and tights pattern, as well?

Q3: if we are able to layer patterns with skin texture, will it result in a "tattoo" (maintaining the skin texture throughout) or will it be able to be a "cut out pattern" layed OVER the skin texture (to look like cloth, leather, whatever....)

Q4: your response mentioned the idea of scaled skin.... is the team considering multiple textures and albedos for skin, then? will there also be various textures and albedos for tights? (Or will it be more like COX, where different tights had their own built in textures?)

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Okay sorry ghosthack I took

Okay sorry ghosthack I took your question to be about the visual lighting and building shapes and texture mapping. What your asking and referring to in the marvel films sounds to be more of a lore related question. I am more speaking to the visual look and feel in general. Not is this a world without wildly costumed characters or not.

Q1: your answer implies that players will be able to manipulate the layering themselves (choosing a skin texture, then the cloth texture that sits on it) Is this correct, or is it simply that there will be "multi-layered" costume options of set varieties.
A) How we get to the end results either your option a or option b will both have the same end result. We would like to get every possible option available which is our intention. We are still deciding which way will have the least issues and take up less resources. But again we can't make promises until we are able to push the limits of UDK.

Q2: the question, and answer, referred to a mixing of scales (skin texture) with "tattoos"...
is this the limit of layering or will we be able to layer multiple tights patterns, or layers of skin texture and tights pattern, as well?
A) The limit is still to be determined but the basic availability is decided.

Q3: if we are able to layer patterns with skin texture, will it result in a "tattoo" (maintaining the skin texture throughout) or will it be able to be a "cut out pattern" layed OVER the skin texture (to look like cloth, leather, whatever....)
A) I think I am completely not seeing where you are going with this but there is skin textures, there are patterns like stars, flames, camo, there are clothing options and there are texture options for clothing just like there are pattern options for clothing.
So If you want a snake guy with star tats who is wearing a leather tshirt with stripes on it then yes we can do that.

Q4: your response mentioned the idea of scaled skin.... is the team considering multiple textures and albedos for skin, then? will there also be various textures and albedos for tights? (Or will it be more like COX, where different tights had their own built in textures?)
A) Yes we are considering multiple textures but there is no finalized list of this is what we will have just yet.

I think really the best I can give you is yes we have discussed all of the above and we know what we want to be able to do but we are unwilling to make any promises along these lines or finite statements that we will be doing (X!) when in fact we are leaving some flexibility for ourselves to change direction in this department to what works best.

Art Director

GhostHack
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I think my original question

I think my original question was asking a bit of both, so thank you for putting up with me (re: aesthetic style as "quality" and as "design")

as for the rest...

I think what I was trying to ask, was a problem i encountered in City of heroes(and champions as well, really), back in the day.... where many "patterns" (i.e. things that were meant to be "clothing") ended up looking like "tattoos" (ink/paint on skin) rather than fabric,

My wish or hope, is that we will have the ability to have costumes that have "cut outs" (in the past, this was usually achieved by putting a pattern on skin... which, again, just looked like a tattoo/paint) that still look like physical material (fabric, leather, metal, etc) without being specifically limited to a set of pre-designed tights that are "tights with cutouts".

(beyond that, semi-separate issue entirely, I really want to layer multiple patterns onto my tights, to further create unique and complex pattern options :P)

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GhostHack's questions got me

GhostHack's questions got me thinking. What if we could have a layer "inherit" properties from the layer beneath, at the player's discretion?

Example: Capt. Awesomesauce is trying to decide how the big star on his chest will look. He can have it inherit nothing from the layer below, making it appear as a separate piece of material tacked on. Or, he could have it inherit just bump mapping, but not shininess/reflectivity, making it appear painted on. Or, he could have it take on everything but color, making it look 'dyed in' to the shirt below.

Maybe this could be handled with clearly named presets, to avoid confusion and odd results? The 'dyed in' option would work for tattoos or body coloring, regardless of skin textures.

Firefly of Phoenix Rising

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cool idea, but probably way

cool idea, but probably way too much work without a high return on the investment... :-/

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IMHO, it depends on how much

IMHO, it depends on how much you can abuse the shaders.

Has anyone seen my mind? It was right here...

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Petalstorm wrote:
Petalstorm wrote:

Q) Platform Heels?
A) If they are reasonably sized platform heels then it is not a problem. There are ways to make it work. If your talking 20 inch platform heels then it is a new bone structure because UDK skeleton's root is between it's feet.
On a side note I have seen your sketches of what you want and it is within reason and we can do that.

Thank you very much. I just upped my pledge amount.

FYI I'm looking to raise the standard "heels" that you have up about 3 inches. This means all the animations would be raised by the same amount. I just saw the lead singer of that group you had on KS. Can't wait to have wedges.

Petalstorm wrote:

Q) Can the folks at MWM give us any word on whether or not they would entertain the idea of players being able to pay for custom items (like the KS Registered Lethal Weapon Pledge allows for) to be added to the game AFTER the Kickstarter?
A) It has been brought to our attention but not something we have decided upon one way or the other yet. So it's not a yes but it's not a never either. If we do it will be quite a bit down the road as we already have a good deal of work ahead of us in the que already.

Look forward to hearing about new ways to support the game!

Crowd Control Enthusiast

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Petalstorm wrote:
Petalstorm wrote:

Q) Will black look like black and not gray?
A) It depends on what shade of black you want? :P Looking at my closet I see at least 50 shades of Black or is that gray?

I am not so mysterious an old man! The black from that picture included in the earlier post, which I was complimenting as my idee of black, is indeed my idee of black. Don't be so coy! =^.^=

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I have two questions

I have two questions concerning the art department. First, do you still need volunteer concept artists, and if so how would said volunteer his services? Ok maybe three questions. Can said volunteer telecommute?

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mhchris wrote:
mhchris wrote:

I have two questions concerning the art department. First, do you still need volunteer concept artists, and if so how would said volunteer his services? Ok maybe three questions. Can said volunteer telecommute?

Check out this post... http://cityoftitans.com/forum/yes-i-am-looking-artists

Working remotely should be fine... seems like that is the general model for the volunteers.

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When you say semi-realistic

When you say semi-realistic for the character avatars, what exactly do you mean? Like CoH was closer (and more comic book) than CO? Are you looking to go closer to The Secret World style (sigh), SW: TOR (sigh), TERA (yay), Blade & Soul (yay), Elder Scrolls (please no)? I'm guessing nothing like WoW or the upcoming WS.

I'm guessing you have some idea as to what you want the character avatar art style to look like.

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It's almost too late.. ALMOST

It's almost too late.. ALMOST

Can I design a "Light" to come off my uniform in my insignia .. like with the new Green Lanterns?

Seen here:

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Brand X wrote:
Brand X wrote:

When you say semi-realistic for the character avatars, what exactly do you mean? Like CoH was closer (and more comic book) than CO? Are you looking to go closer to The Secret World style (sigh), SW: TOR (sigh), TERA (yay), Blade & Soul (yay), Elder Scrolls (please no)? I'm guessing nothing like WoW or the upcoming WS.
I'm guessing you have some idea as to what you want the character avatar art style to look like.

my gut, says realistic means "as opposed to Comic Dysmorphia"
Essentially, we're not talking aesthetic "tone" per say (not referring to color scheme or costume piece design aesthetics, for example).....
but the physical bones of things.....

...and those bones will err on the side of realism. (at least, that's what I got out of it... Petal will be by a little later to call me a noob. :P)

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http://static.squarespace.com

Will it look like this? Which is fun comic book super hero style?

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there's nothing "fun" about

there's nothing "fun" about Boo 52

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GhostHack wrote:
GhostHack wrote:

there's nothing "fun" about Boo 52

I could have easily linked The Tenth or Adrenalynn or Danger Girl, but I figured less people would know those character. :p

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I really have nothing to add,

I really have nothing to add, not knowing what questions to ask, but I just want to give props to Petalstorm who, in the middle of the chaos of the final day of the KS, came up with some serious answerage here for everyone ^_^

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Excellent! Thank you.

Excellent! Thank you.