WIP Images From The A Valley Without Wind Art Revamp

[x4000]

Original: http://christophermpark.blogspot.com/2012/08/wip-images-from-a-valley-without-wind.html

These aren't final yet, but it's been a while since we've shared any images from the art rework project and I wanted to give you a taste of what's coming.  These are coming along well!

Part of a scrolling parallax backdrop

Desert Building

Desert Building 2

Desert Hut

Again, bear in mind that none of these are final yet, but it's cool to see how the progress is coming along, no?

[Misery]

Hm, these are actually quite good.  In particular it's also nice to see examples of different sorts of things beyond what was originally shown (which was all abandoned-town stuffs).   These really do look nice.


So, these arent final, but does that mean that these particular images will be further refined and THEN you do something with them, or are they making multiple possibilities, and this particular group might not be chosen?

[x4000]

Glad you like them!  These are all actual images that will be part of the game, it's just a matter of them being refined to the exact style that the final game would have.

[Mánagarmr]

Looks good so far! My main issue with Heavy Cat was characters. Still waiting to see how they turn out.

[infestedandy]

I agree with Moonshine Fox. My biggest gripe has been with how the characters look so I'm definitely anticipating the new models for the game!

Other than that, I'm excited to see the new buildings coming along so nicely. Now, maybe this question isn't warranted since it seems everything is getting an aesthetic rework, but are the spells also going to be getting an overhaul? Will Heavy Cat be behind that as well? With the new style, I just wouldn't want to see dated material paired with the new as it'd more than likely look awkward.

Can't wait to see more! Keep up the good work Arcen!

[Mánagarmr]

I seem to remember Chris answering that in that other thread about art. Spells will, for the most part, not be remade since they are mostly particle effects anyway.

[x4000]

Yep, spells are mostly staying the same as particle effects pretty well go with anything.  And pretty much everyone uses the same baseline sorts of tools for particle effects, anyhow.  Some of the worse-looking spells like forest rage will be getting an overhaul by me, but in the main I'm happy with most of them.  Those are just about the only part of the game not getting an overhaul, though (I think they may literally be the only part of the game -- even the spell icons and so forth will get an overhaul).

[Snave]

Looks great! If just to please the crowd, please throw us a preview of the new spike traps. I wish to know the form of my destroyer.

Also, urgh, Forest Rage. Happy to hear that's slated for a polish.

[x4000]

Awesome ghostbusters reference you snuck in there.

In terms of the spike traps, their graphics have not been redone yet, it's going to be a multi-month process here.  There is far more that is at least partly completed compared to what is shown here, but I'm just posting on what is at a point that is ready for public consumption, so to speak.  We've learned our lesson on showing things too early.

[Giegue]

I'm excited to see what the new mideval era will look like. I love the dark desolate look of it, but its a little hard to see underground.

[Brise Bonbons]

These look really nice! I wasn't in need of converting since I've always preferred Heavy Cat's work, but I'm even more impressed by these than I thought I would be. And to the point, they feel like a really good match for AVWW to me. Full of personality and funky raw energy.

I will say they are still not as slick as some of the other studios - at least not yet - but that seems to be part of H's work process, and I respect them a lot for that. Having the discipline to start a little rough and let the work get refined over time isn't easy.

I can't wait until they get enough put together for us to see a final composite of a whole scene of finished assets - or better yet, some animated characters running around! Very exciting times!

[Maledictus]

I like this as is. It reminds me of the somewhat painterly/pastel style of Broken Saints, which I really like. Dreamy, which is good.

On a related note: I read that the idea was to introduce pieces of the artwork as they are finished into the game through updates, which would mean that until finished the game would contain two different art styles. I'm not looking forward to that, why not wait until everything is finished and release AVWW as AVWW reloaded? It's only a few months to wait anyway.

[x4000]

Mainly for our own workflow, but also so players have a chance to comment. If we wait until the end to integrate all this, that's going to be excruciating. It's going to be buggy for a while, plus the volume of integration work is uncertain and likely to cause delays for us. But given this is only releasing to people playing the post-release betas, people get to help us out doing what you do in a beta -- making sure everything stays sane.

On the other side, heavy cat is receptive to feedback. However, if players can't see the new art in game until the end of the process, there is no chance for players to be involved in that at all. Seeing images out of context or even in screenshots is simply not the same as seeing them in-game.

In terms of official releases: yes, we're releasing this all at once in a few months as something like avww reloaded. It's just the beta that will see things be in the in progress styles.

[zebramatt]

And it's not like the art's super cohesive at the moment anyway - hence (in part) the change!

[x4000]

Yep, that was my other argument.