Hill Top Zone

How about that new pattern, but somehow on a smaller scale? Sorta like a pineapple?

 

There is no dirt in HTZ at least that I know of. Its just grass on the blue rocks.
I think the they way it grows out of the base is purely coincidence by the way the truck is positioned with a thinner piece of the pattern at that location. Maybe my base design helps though.
If you want a believable shadow, the whole trunk would be covered in shadow!

 

That's a surprisingly good point. There must be more ways like this to vary the pattern slightly in certain key places (like the base - not that it was modified at all).

Gambit's would have to be my favourite trunk now. It's a bit hard to look back on all the straight up and down trunks now. That's not to say that nothing can be taken and used from them, as they all have their strengths.

Ross's colours actually look really beautiful when they're put into a mockup like that (with the grass changed too). I know it's very unlikely, but it really does look good.

Also, can I just ask... Where would I get an image of just the tree top (MDM's latest), with a transparent background?

 

Trunkless tree and with base in its correct position. So just slide your trunk on a layer underneath.

 

:specialed: EHZ.

 

Thanks for that!

 

With shadow, anyone? It does do something to make the leaves seem to have more depth. I also made a very slight contrast tweak to the lit part of the trunk.


Yes, I realize that since this actually does have a somewhat realistically defined shadow (compared to the rest of the game) it could be considered against the art style, but hey, its an attempt to make the top part stick out properly. I would also like to see MDM's treetop on the "GambaTrunk" for the heck of it. Something tells me it would agree surprisingly well...

 

This is the best trunk so far... :v:

 

D, please. Looks the best and makes the most sense physically.

 

Tree A: Gambit's Trunk render + Lighting Work.
Tree B: My blueprint screw up.
Tree C: Gambit's Trunk render + Ross colors
Tree D: Bark if you like bark. Woof.[/quote]
D, please. Looks the best and makes the most sense physically.


I prefer B, A projects inwards which makes it thinner and to me looks more like a palm trunk. Would it be possible for whoever made these initially to try making them indented less, you know so the projections and indentations are not so pronounced. That might make it look less like a palm and more like some sort of geometric bark. Then post them with the BG. I have a good feeling about this!

 

Honestly, I like D the most, for the same reasons as Tweaker. If I had to pick between A and B, though, B gets my vote.

 

So I wanted to see more geometric patterns for the trunk, because slight alterations in the design greatly impact the appearance, given the nature of a repetitive pattern. They are self-explanatory. I'd be interested to see some more... but I like B the most of these.



Oh, well well well... look who finally showed up. Go away "C", we already got a replacement. I said GO AWAY, oh my good, he's drunk! Get outta here Drunk "C", and take that, that-that, thing with you!

 

I dunno, I'm honestly not too much of a fan of the bevels and such. It reminds me too much of a palm tree trunk. Or a lego tree with the way its segmented.

Neat design on a palm tree I found.


And here is a lego tree.

 

I had made the same comment earlier. But, at least for now, the staff has chosen this direction so if we have anything to contribute it probably ought to be with that in mind.

 

Trunk: darkened sides, added very faint checker pattern over top (to make it a bit less flat). Played with contrast a little, eg. lightened squares in the middle.

Also "cleaned up" the edges of the treetop. Just needs to be contracted by 1px!

Original Trunk : Modified Trunk : Modified With Shadow



Also, does anyone else feel like it needs a little something under the treetop where it meets the trunk? It feels a bit separate. Like it's not quite connected. Just something subtle.

As a quick example...



?

 

That's what I was saying! :v: At least with the shadow. Perhaps if your underleaves were shaded similarly to the top they would look like they truly belong. The extra little checkerboard pattern was a master stroke, if you don't mind me saying. However, I don't know if CN and Canned Karma will consider it a texture or not.

 

Sorry for bringing an already seriously worn-out topic back from the dead, but did we ever decide what kind of fireball we were going to use in the end?

Seeing as this is HTZ, there is an abundance of fire, lava, and fireballs around. So it would only be logical to continue working on what is one of the main aspects on HTZ.

I've recently found another interesting idea for a fireball effect - except perhaps with less black bits:

Or there's this one I've found on Imageshack and other places (unless that's one which was created on here?):
or this one:
And we could have it spinning around [albeit slightly slower than this]

this one looks pretty cool too

Last one (for now) - and I think this one has a nice feel to it:


It's a shame a lot of them are too realistic, really