I kind of get what you are saying. But could you be a bit more specific. Because I kind of did that with Chemical Plant Zone. But I did that with a 2.5D side render and composited the background in with photoshop. For the most part, these models are made specifically to look as it should from a profile view first and foremost. Then to make it functional as a 3D platform is kind of an afterthought. For example: the purple pipe with the railing on top. I originally just made one, but then you figure how is Sonic standing on it? I just copied it over to make another. I still didn't bother to add an actual floor to it. Same with the break-away gold floor. It was originally more of a square with a single gold tube coming from the bottom because that is just how I interpreted it. From there I stretched out, to match the purple platform because it looked odd from a 3D point of view. If I were to turn to the other side of the platform, you would see how the backside is far less interesting than the front. I try to save putting polygons where I don't need to. So again, could you be more specific as to what you were looking for to make it more of a complete scene. Because I think I could make the oil look pretty cool from a 2D view with some photoshop, there is no way I could do a photoshop ocean from a 3D point of view. And 3D liquids are scary and they come with scary render times too, but I'll look into it. I tried this originally with CPZ, but I couldn't make the megamack look any good from a 2D view so I just drew it in photoshop.
I'd like to see OOZ with a bit more of a rustic look, since it IS an oil rig after all. It's not supposed to look clean and shiny. But I'm impressed by the 3D work nonetheless.
I suppose this is mostly what I mean, but whatever fits your fancy I suppose. With 3D, you're providing everyone the benefit of the 3 full dimensions using your own interpretations and renditions of any and all art contained therein, which is better for achieving that "big picture" understanding of the art direction and such, but with orthographical 2.5D, you're using the same view they (the artists) will be drawing in, which is probably better for the actual remastering of the art. Of course, to actually know that, you/we'd probably want to find out from the actual artists themselves, and not base it off my assumptions. Oi, tell me about it. I recently finished a GHZ wallpaper, and - because of the water alone - it is taking well over 24 hours to render. I'm at about the 29 hour mark or so at the moment, and it's currently working on part 6 of 16.
It may be an oil rig, but look at the design. It is colorful, slick, shiny and has rotating jewel things, Even it's badnicks are especially colorful and fancy. I wouldn't mind little extra oil dabbed around on the ground very sparingly for variety's sake, but rust/rough textures? No.
Awesome MaximusDM! I think your renders are some of the most important concept work that has be done for this project because they suggest that a 2.5D approach is feasible, at least for the more mechanical levels. Keep up the good work!
Yeah, same with Drex and ICEknight. When you look at the level, the only thing messy about it is the oil on the bottom of the pillars sticking into the oil ocean which I don't have here, I figured I would photoshop it if I went ahead and made a composite. It could be a quite easily textured on though. I guess you could give the break-away floors more of a rustic look to indicate more visually that it will fall apart once stood upon. The whole zone to me gives the sense of wealth and luxury, especially seen through the colors of gold (metal/jewelery) and green(money). Then with the soundtrack it sounds like just another day at work. It sounds very smooth, almost laid back, with an underlying sense of a sinister motive. And quite obviously foreign. That is my take on it.
Agreed. I never got a dingy feel from OOZ at all. If you do choose to add any extras, what you already had in mind is about what I would suggest anyway. Should be interesting to see where this goes.
You guys are out in left field somewhere. You're misunderstanding my comments, so let me clarify what I was trying to say -- I'm not suggesting it should look beat up, rusty, adding extra details that weren't in the original, etc. "Rustic" was just a word I choose to use to say that it isn't supposed to be a palace. It looks like something magical. And it looks far more pink than it does purple. It just doesn't look right to me. Your previous work is terrific, but respectfully, I think you've missed the mark with Oil Ocean. It looks cool, but it doesn't feel like OOZ to me. I'm just suggesting making it darker, reflect less, and look more dull. You can still have the lights and things around it that decorate it, but the purple platforms I'm fairly sure are rugged metal. It certainly looks like an oil rig, but your 3D imaging doesn't make it look like an oil rig like it did in the original game.
I agree the colors aren't true to their originals, but maybe it would help if you are visually seeing the driving light source of the scene which is the orange coming from the back. I think it is that which is throwing off the colors a bit. I took some sunset images from google and I think it makes the colors look a bit less out of place. Again, not my photography. I can't take credit for that. But rather to just give you an idea. Same renders with backgrounds.
tbh they're still not really that true to the originals =P but as far as light sources go it'll be really difficult to emulate that perfectly in 3D. I mean for example it looks as if you've put the light source in the centre of the image - in the Mega Drive game it's almost always at the top left (or top centre) for every chunk or tile of the level because the technology wasn't there to calculate light reflections or whatever. That's why I think it would be better to keep it in 2D.
Some of you guys are forgetting that this is a mockup, and that the light source won't (can't) be applied like this in the final game. If I understand correctly, what needs to be done after approving these, would be to individually apply the needed light source to each chunk of foreground, and then taking PNGs of them. Then, each PNG could then be altered to match the original colors better, anyway.
Black Squirrel, its as ICEknight said, to match it perfectly, I would need to light each "tile" seperately, render, and then it would be cut and cropped to fit into the tile sheet and during the same time touched up in photoshop. I really wasn't making it to be tile-ready, but rather awesome-ready. Also the light sources are more on the left side if you look at it, the left side is brighter and it gets darker as you to the right. Because if you look a few pages back, I had only done the left side. And I never moved the lights. On my render a few pages back I also did 2 renders. I did a render of the back posts and back metal grate separately from the front. From there I darkened up the back to appear more like it is in game. Here I did not do that. Its a straight render of everything on screen.
*Plays the sunset beach ending theme* EDIT: Seriously though, Oil Ocean is supposed to be like the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco. I have never been there, but I can pretty much guess you can't see your reflection in the bridge beams. Colors aside, if we are going to have pre-rendered 3D in this game, then we must probably reject everything that has the same quality as every movie including pre-rendered 3D before Star Wars Episode 1 (where things finally didn't look glossy). I still love your work Maximus, as it shows more function and design than anyone has ever done for this project yet. I am just having a problem with the material used. Yet again, I not in charge of the graphics so I'll shut up now
The Golden Gate Bridge is certainly flat, so flat that it looks like it has a veil of white residue at close inspection, as I have been there. Oil ocean is, with all due respect, not very similar to it. My personal interpretation of OOZ was sort of a... 1950's science fiction theme with lots of brassy, simple mechanics, combined with pre-modern ideas of orientalism.
The first word that comes to mind when thinking about OOZ's design (excluding "purple") is "steampunk". It's not entirely steampunk, but I think it has some of the characteristic, mechanical, brassy design that steampunk exhibits. We can try to bring that out more in the details. On the other hand, it also has a bit of the "crystal palace" feel too.
I don't know, the majority of the platforms in OOZ are purple. It's kind of like purple with gold highlights everywhere. Also quite a bit of green on the gold tubes. Kind of steampunk-ish, I guess...but *shrugs*.
Maximus, if Project Needlemouse was 3D, with 2D gameplay, I would wish it wasn't any different from your examples. Awesome really!
