This blog represents the artistic side of the upcoming projects from SND Games that are currently under development. All content shown
should be considered a work-in-progress. All feedback regarding gameplay should be directed to the main blog of SND Games.
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Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Week #007: How Fortuitous...

This week we're going to take a look at the process involved in the creation of the game's first boss area. This was one of the first of the game's assets I tackled, second only to my initial work on the game's player characters. Despite this, we haven't shown much of it off yet. It took roughly a week and a half for me to finish this with my limited environment experience, which is sure to grow and quicken as work on HTD moves on. Please keep in mind that these images, as always, represent a game currently in development.

The earliest documented work-in-progress of the "Fortuitous Cave" area.
Early on, I really didn't have an idea of just what Sam and Dan had in mind yet. Taking what brief ideas they had given me I started to put ideas down on paper (so to speak), which we then refined gradually (as you can see above) as the stage began to take shape.

The pictured dragon (his name is Clyde) was only a temporary resident
and you should expect future residents of the Fortuitous Cave to be much more menacing.
Once we were happy with the layout of the stage, I started to polish it all up. This part of the process easily took longer than the early design phases for obvious reasons. Part of it was talking Clyde into sleeping on the couch while we refurbished. I don't know what his deal was, I mean the Fortuitous Cave doesn't even get cable.

Do you have any idea how tough it is to convince your construction crew
to use the cement mixer to keep the lava from cooling? Sheesh.
At this point, I started messing around with environmental effects, to enhance the mood of the place. This didn't go over too well... Many of them looked tacky, and ultimately we didn't have the time to spare, as the new tenants were ready to move in. But hey, those lava pools will save bundles on the heating bill this winter. After we cut our losses, I finished up the necessities (still no cable, Sam can be such a scrooge).

Clyde was convinced that the new rules were made just to inconvenience him...
but come on, you're only level 57, and high-class places like these have standards, you know.
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18 comments:

  1. Sly KamauiNovember 8, 2011 at 2:13 AM

    I really like it. It has a cartoonish feel that will make it an enjoyable game, but it still has a certain aspect of grit that will make it not too childish. :)

    Keep up the good work. The update came super late this week :P

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  2. Sly KamauiNovember 8, 2011 at 2:14 AM

    Btw, absolutely can't wait to face that monstrous fiend of picture 2. :P

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  3. Kevin X. NelmsNovember 8, 2011 at 2:16 AM

    @ Sly Kamaui - Yeah, I kind of had a bad night of not being able to get up off of my ass. Not even going to make excuses... Just feeling incredibly sluggish today.

    Congratulations on your first... first. First First!

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  4. GonNovember 8, 2011 at 7:55 AM

    Well I have to say its a bit... how to I say... ahaha joking =P Its great. LOOOOOOOVED the tiny rock (and the shadow it casts) on the entrance =D

    BTW how are we supposed to get the loot from that pile? I know! We need a flying pet to go back and forth to pick it =P

    Lol at Clyde the fearsome =P

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  5. boomariobrozNovember 8, 2011 at 7:57 AM

    4th and it's awesome keep on working to be the very best.

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  6. AnonymousNovember 8, 2011 at 8:19 AM

    sorry im anonymous. Oh i want to ask you to make the lava glow bright to dark etc. that will make it awesome!!!!!!! :)

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  7. HellRa1SeRNovember 8, 2011 at 11:31 AM

    Oh I just love it..!! Great work Kev.

    I usually play Battleheart on Android which is somewhat based on the same them and they have great graphics which I think you will be able to do get better at. Good luck mate.

    Ps- love the art , only if you could introduce some bubbling effect in the lava maybe....

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  8. jespokeNovember 8, 2011 at 1:36 PM

    Can you sum up to us what the names of the characters you have made yet are? (Including Clyde!)
    I want to make and update a list to have fun with when the game is released :D

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  9. Sly KamauiNovember 8, 2011 at 2:42 PM

    Haha woot now I have a first on both blogs :)

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  10. Kevin X. NelmsNovember 8, 2011 at 6:41 PM

    @ Anonymous (8:19 AM) - Most of what I tried with glowing lava looked really cheesy. I'll give it another shot later if there's time.

    @ HellRa1SeR - I did! You can spot some bubbling along the northern wall, and there will be much more in the in-game layout. I just didn't think to include an animated preview. Maybe next week.

    @ jespoke - Most of the character names I've given are placeholders, codenames or just for fun. Only bosses and major NPCs will have distinct names, really. You'll be naming your heroes yourself.

    But in the name of fun; I call the two human heroes Maximus (Max) and Cheryl respectively. Then of course there's Clyde the Content...

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  11. GonNovember 9, 2011 at 6:08 AM

    @ Kevin - the rock on the bottom left (the one that looks like a pilar) doesn't fit lol looks like it was set there.

    Not sure on that prespective we'd see the southern part of the lava incoming.

    The outlines are too thick in the smaller rocks that stand in the lava.

    Cool bubbles ;)

    ps: sry, forgot you don't like when I just say say good things /jk lol

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  12. UmeNovember 9, 2011 at 10:17 AM

    Omg! its time for....

    Whose that Pokemon!?
    ...
    Its Exeggcute! disguised as peach? & with white polka dots. Looks like Easter Eggs! Gets? :P
    Cause some games have easter eggs..ok I'll stop..

    sorry,I just had too ;D

    Anyways, Since Clyde is such a couch-potato dragon, Where is he supposed to get cable in the medieval times anyways? Im getting side tracked again..

    I was gonna comment on if the dragon would be moving towards the exit like a tower defense game.. but now i seem to have forgotten what i was gonna say ;(

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  13. Sam OteroNovember 9, 2011 at 12:42 PM

    Well played Kevin, well played indeed

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  14. HellRa1SeRNovember 9, 2011 at 1:48 PM

    Hmm.. I like the way the final turned out.

    Also I know and can imagine that the animation will be super awesome. I have seen your previous sprites and they have great animations.

    Good luck Kev. Super excited.

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  15. AnonymousNovember 9, 2011 at 8:31 PM

    Any idea if we'll see some art for pets soon?

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  16. Kevin X. NelmsNovember 9, 2011 at 9:46 PM

    @ Ume - RUN EXEGGCUTE THEY'RE ON TO YOU

    @ Sam - Sam sighting!

    @ HellRa1SeR - I'll probably post the animated preview next week, since I'm thinking about the post itself focusing on the blog's design and getting some feedback from viewers.

    @ Anonymous (8:31 PM) - Pets are a pretty distant priority, honestly. As we tighten our focus on getting the game released we've had to really pick our battles on what gets included in the first build... and I feel like pets might fall into that "if I finish everything else that needs done ahead of time and need something to do" category.

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  17. luxNovember 10, 2011 at 12:26 PM

    awesome
    ORSOME
    random ... !)zzzzz*sleeping*

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  18. SabruroNovember 10, 2011 at 4:08 PM

    I have a picture for you for an eye for a dragon. If you consider to use it and combine it with a dragon in an animation. Just comment me back with your email or look at my profile and send me an email. Please, I would like to contribute with the dragon part of the artwork and design. Thanks for reading Kevin, Sam, and Dan.

    -Sabruro

    ReplyDelete

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