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Author Topic: AoD map  (Read 100328 times)
Vince
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« on: December 13, 2007, 05:47:27 pm »

Nick and Oscar didn't like the cartoonish icons, so Oscar decided to use his artsy magic and replace the icons with 3D models of the locations. Looks pretty damn good, eh?

The first one is "before", the second one is "after". What do you guys think?

PS. I had to reduce the size and it looks a bit unclear now, but it will look crystal sharp in-game. The map file is 18MB in its full glory.

[attachment deleted to save space]
« Last Edit: December 13, 2007, 05:49:38 pm by Vince » Logged
Tuomas
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« Reply #1 on: December 13, 2007, 05:49:24 pm »

Holy shit

Looking good. Amazing. The models fit perfectly with the mountains and the desert. The pass looks especially awesome.
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cardtrick
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« Reply #2 on: December 13, 2007, 05:50:58 pm »

Wow! That's . . . incredible. One of the nicest looking game maps I've ever seen.
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Vince
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« Reply #3 on: December 13, 2007, 05:52:21 pm »

Yep. Amazing work.

Edit: the Horde's tents look great too (the upper left corner).
« Last Edit: December 13, 2007, 05:55:29 pm by Vince » Logged
Tuomas
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« Reply #4 on: December 13, 2007, 05:54:43 pm »

The cartoony icons do nothing to suspend my disbelief or feed my imagination. The models really do that.
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cardtrick
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« Reply #5 on: December 13, 2007, 06:04:39 pm »

Edit: the Horde's tents look great too (the upper left corner).

Yeah, I think they're my favorite part. I didn't even notice them at first, and only saw them when I was comparing the two different maps . . . at which point I marveled at how brilliantly they blend in with the map. Everything looks great, though. Can't wait to explore.
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Mimir
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« Reply #6 on: December 13, 2007, 06:07:42 pm »

The cartoonish icons don't seem to quite fit with the rest of the map. They stand out a little too much. However, the models blend in surprisingly well. They seem to stand out just well enough for you to tell they are important locations without feeling like they don't belong. It's an extremely beautiful map, and I can't wait to really explore it.
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Vince
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« Reply #7 on: December 13, 2007, 06:08:40 pm »

Thanks, guys.
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zhirzzh
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« Reply #8 on: December 13, 2007, 06:11:00 pm »

Holy shit

The new one is a hundred times better at suspending disbelief, and looks kickass besides. I haven't seen many industry CRPGS (with maps) that have 3D models.
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Haraldur
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« Reply #9 on: December 13, 2007, 06:18:58 pm »

I like the tower especially, can't say why.
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CandyStick
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« Reply #10 on: December 13, 2007, 06:34:45 pm »

i guess I am a minority, but for what it's worth, I like the first one better. To me locations look more interesting as there is kind of "alive" vividness to them , resulting in the whole map being more visually interesting. On the second one, everything just blends in too much, you actually have to "try" to see locations, instead of having your eye bounce from one to another like on the first one. 
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Oscar
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« Reply #11 on: December 13, 2007, 06:45:15 pm »

i guess I am a minority, but for what it's worth, I like the first one better. To me locations look more interesting as there is kind of "alive" vividness to them , resulting in the whole map being more visually interesting. On the second one, everything just blends in too much, you actually have to "try" to see locations, instead of having your eye bounce from one to another like on the first one. 

Yes, that might be considered a drawback, but I like them much better this way. I prefer a more realistic look, one that blends with the map, instead of screaming LOCATION! in your face. One that makes the locations natural to their surroundings, instead of being on top of them. A style that when a location appears on the map it looks right, as if it was always there and you wonder why you haven´t seen it.

Besides, you won´t have to worry to pixel hunt them. You will have a list with the locations, and when selected, they will be highlighted in the map.

Those are pretty quick drafts, though. I´m working on them, adding details that will make them blend more with the surroundings, but at the same time making them stand out more. Pretty contradictory, I know, but that´s what I´m trying to achieve.

Thanks for the comments, guys Smile
« Last Edit: December 13, 2007, 06:48:32 pm by Oscar » Logged

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renkin
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« Reply #12 on: December 13, 2007, 06:55:23 pm »

i guess I am a minority, but for what it's worth, I like the first one better. To me locations look more interesting as there is kind of "alive" vividness to them , resulting in the whole map being more visually interesting. On the second one, everything just blends in too much, you actually have to "try" to see locations, instead of having your eye bounce from one to another like on the first one. 

Agreed. Both are really nice, but the I like the first one better. The icon like locations have more character in their own right. It makes them more memorable. And they're clearer, as CandyStick says. The icons simply "click" better than the realistic looking locations. Maybe it's because I'm a fan of symbols. Smile Anyway, good job with both of them!
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Plalito
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« Reply #13 on: December 13, 2007, 07:07:03 pm »

I prefer the new ones by far. Nice job.
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pkt-zer0
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« Reply #14 on: December 13, 2007, 07:11:00 pm »

I prefer the first one - drawn icons fit better with a drawn map than 3D models, I'd say. What I would do is get rid of the white outlines instead. Or only have said outlines appear when you hover the cursor over the locations. So, while the 3D models blend in better than the original version, I'd rather have the 2D icons blend in better.
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