From concept art to in-game-implementation - Guild Wars Guru archive powered by Guild Wars Legacy

Longasc

Forge Runner

Join Date: May 2005

29 Feb 2008 at 11:51 - 1

I stumbled upon some concept art pics in various threads here and on other forums.

Some make me cry how things were implemented ingame, rather unspectacular in comparison to the original art.

Also many of the creatures were cut down to fit the existing skeletons. Maybe ANet needs some more 3d modelers/animators to keep up with the creativity of their fine artists?

It is so sad to see how much potential gets "lost in translation" to GW!

See this thread at conceptart.org:

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/sho...=108591&page=1

And some more examples of golems and destroyer/tannek weapons:

We got only the most generic model. It probably fit an existing 3d skeleton the most.

These destroyer weapons actually look good. The sword is a shame ingame, while the axe looks even a bit better. The Wand and Focus are much more fiery.

RTSFirebat

The Humanoid Typhoon

Join Date: May 2005

UK

Servants of Fortuna [SoF]

R/

29 Feb 2008 at 11:55 - 2

The bow still looks like a bitter disappointment, just like its in-game counterpart.

distilledwill

Forge Runner

Join Date: Sep 2006

Blighty

The Legion of the Blue Blade

R/Mo

29 Feb 2008 at 14:29 - 3

All that concept art is so full of motion and emotion. It seems to be bursting with life and drama.

I think that is what is missing in game, I wish GW was a bit more gritty. Id like to have an attachment to characters and be interested in how their stories progress, most of the GW content feels a little too.. static.

I dunno how else to describe it. anyone else feel this?

Celestial_Kitsune

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Jun 2006

Me/

29 Feb 2008 at 14:54 - 4

Yup, many great things are lost in translation or changed by developer's "vision".

Lyssa

Melandru

Art by Kekai Kotaki

shru

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Apr 2006

29 Feb 2008 at 15:21 - 5

Quote:

Originally Posted by Celestial_Kitsune

Art by Kekai Kotaki

These pictures are quite simply amazing. I'm not sure if they can't transfer art like this into the game due to time constraints, or actual limitations on the server, but the amount of potential here is just breath taking. I realy hope GW2 can bring to life the sort of edginess the concept artists capture so well

zwei2stein

Grotto Attendant

Join Date: Jun 2006

Europe

The German Order [GER]

N/

29 Feb 2008 at 15:26 - 6

Quote:

Originally Posted by Celestial_Kitsune

Yup, many great things are lost in translation or changed by developer's "vision".

Lyssa

Melandru

Art by Kekai Kotaki

Oh my freaking god, they are beautiful.

Shame we we got alien-looking tree weirdo and robed weird statue instead

papryk

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Feb 2006

Nancy

The Autonomy[?????????]

29 Feb 2008 at 15:32 - 7

wow the Chronomancer looks great

Jecht Scye

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Dec 2005

Lucky Crickets[Luck]

N/Me

29 Feb 2008 at 15:51 - 8

In my Art 101 class in my University we had to write a paper about artwork from a certain artise. I chose Kotaki's art because it was just so amazing what kind of different ideas he could display. I wish I had 10% of the creativity these Guildwars Concept artists have.

Pleikki

WTB q8 15^50 Weapons!

Join Date: Nov 2006

???oo ???ugs ???lan [?????????]

29 Feb 2008 at 16:24 - 9

YEah offhand and wand looks awesome there not so good ingame .

Skyy High

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: May 2006

R/

29 Feb 2008 at 17:03 - 10

The golem pic in the OP is in the PCGamer article; I believe it's referenced in the section for GW2. So...maybe since we only got up to G.O.L.E.M 2.0 in GW:EN, in 200 years they'll be at version 10.0 or something, and we'll have all of those models. Maybe.

lyra_song

Hell's Protector

Join Date: Oct 2005

R/Mo

29 Feb 2008 at 17:16 - 11

I wish people would stop using concept art as a mean of bashing the game.

Going from concept to final is a complicated process.

A concept is exactly that A CONCEPT. its an idea. its a visualization.

Someone said, What if we did this, what would it look like?

All a concept does is provide INSPIRATION for the in game artists. It gives them the proper emotion, or adjective that they need to capture.

Until a drawing moves from concept to FINAL design, its completely disposable.

Many many many things change from a concept, wether its technical issues, time constraints, or simply clash of ideas, or trimming down ideas, or cleaning up ideas.

You do a revision, and then you send it for approval, then they send it back for more revisions.

Ultimately its the art director or lead designer who controls what the final look of everything should be. If one piece seems out of place, it will be changed or removed.

Snow Bunny

Alcoholic From Yale

Join Date: Jul 2007

Strong Foreign Policy [sFp]

29 Feb 2008 at 17:18 - 12

Most concept art looks better than what we actually got.

It's odd how every company fails that way, 'cept for Blizzard with SC

Shadowmere

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Jan 2007

The Grim Squeakers [REAP]

N/

29 Feb 2008 at 17:23 - 13

The Golem concepts are amazing, while I can understand them only putting one ingame it would've been nice to have the the G.O.L.E.M. project Golems look a bit different from the mundane worker Golems we see everywhere in Oola's lab.

All the concept art for GW is amazing, anyone know if there's more books with it? I recently picked up Nightfall Collectors and am in love with the concept art book it came with.

Aba

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Dec 2006

Vancouver,Canada

29 Feb 2008 at 17:56 - 14

Always been a huge fan of the concept art, simple amazing
even if the destroyer weapons are kinda fugly

enxa

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Sep 2006

Novi Sad, Serbia

Rt/

29 Feb 2008 at 18:41 - 15

Some stuff is just stunning in static 2d, but you have to realize its a completly different thing with 3d + animation.

Maybe 20 years from now computers could handle such detail. Today, it all just has to be trimmed down. Its sad, but thats how it is.

Fox Reeveheart

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Jul 2005

Michigan

none q.q

D/

01 Mar 2008 at 06:33 - 16

Holy Cow The Chronomancer Is Beautiful O_o

Anet! Make One More Campaign Before Gw2!!! Do It Now! Even If Its Just That One Class >.> That Is Just Sickeningly Sweet!

eeks

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Jul 2006

Sydney, Australia

Lubricated Volcano Love [Club]

Rt/Mo

01 Mar 2008 at 07:41 - 17

That phallic-monster in Kakai's artwork always terrified me.

Anyhow, for what they failed to translate in-game with monster/character models, they did quite nicely in landscape design.

Bryant Again

Hall Hero

Join Date: Feb 2006

01 Mar 2008 at 08:12 - 18

Concept art is always going to look better than an in-game render. Always!

Sha Noran

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Nov 2005

http://tinyurl.com/2jlusq

Idiot Savants [iQ]

R/

01 Mar 2008 at 08:38 - 19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bryant Again

Concept art is always going to look better than an in-game render. Always!

Exactly. This is not a uniquely Guild Wars issue, this is how it is in almost every game. That's all there is to say about it really. =/

Kakumei

Forge Runner

Join Date: Jul 2005

Grind is subjective

learn this please

01 Mar 2008 at 08:50 - 20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Celestial_Kitsune

I can't help but notice how...old Lyssa looks in this picture. Her breasts are so saggy. :\

Regardless, yes, concept art is beautiful. It's a vastly difficult task to make models as beautiful as 2D art.

Longasc

Forge Runner

Join Date: May 2005

01 Mar 2008 at 10:39 - 21

No doubt that it is complicated to make a concept art into a great 3d model. For some it might be impossible or just too hard to be worthwhile.

Still, it is almost mocking people when the final result does not do any justice to the original. Just think of the ice crown.

I also want to add, this is just my observation. Maybe they need some more 3d-modellers, as I said above. We had so many re-skins, but new models were scarce. This wastes a lot of the potential of their artists, and this is just sad.

I am sorry if some read this as me bashing ANet.
I have seen this as a chance to post a link to the stunning EOTN artwork. Some of it was from Utopia, the norn mesmer armor was originally not norn, but supposed to be part of Utopia. I hope to see parts of it in GW2, with its supposedly even better graphics engine.

Numa Pompilius

Grotto Attendant

Join Date: May 2005

At an Insit.. Intis... a house.

Live Forever Or Die Trying [GLHF]

W/Me

01 Mar 2008 at 13:03 - 22

After browsing some of the threads at conceptart, I've always felt that GW was quite good at implementing the concept art. That the lighting is simple and detail is lower is unavoidable technical constraints (a MMO must use graphics simple enough that the average home computer, not just the latest & greatest gamer rigs, can display it comfortably).

For a more obvious example of how technical constraints compromize the source art, check World of Warcraft (where pretty much all detail is removed).

@longasc: the golems were Utopia as well. That's probably why only one of them (which I btw disagree is the most generic - I feel the one furthest on the left is) made it into GW:EN.

Turtle222

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Oct 2007

:D:D

D/W

01 Mar 2008 at 13:48 - 23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Celestial_Kitsune

Yup, many great things are lost in translation or changed by developer's "vision".

Lyssa

Melandru

Art by Kekai Kotaki

Christ, the grenth concept art is incredible

Bryant Again

Hall Hero

Join Date: Feb 2006

01 Mar 2008 at 14:17 - 24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Longasc

I also want to add, this is just my observation. Maybe they need some more 3d-modellers, as I said above. We had so many re-skins, but new models were scarce. This wastes a lot of the potential of their artists, and this is just sad.

I think it was more release date pressure than anything. I'd expect a higher quality product all around if they weren't so rushed.

Eldin

Forge Runner

Join Date: Dec 2005

America. How about you, commie?

Fellows of Mythgar [FOM]

R/Mo

01 Mar 2008 at 16:39 - 25

Unfortunately renders can never beat concept art in any way - as it is art and made by hand, it always is superior to anything modellers can pull off.

Like the Ice Crown, which I still don't like that much!

Some things are implemented fairly well, but not always.

I don't like the Destroyer Bow by the way, looks like the thing you put in a car to fill it up with gasoline.

Mr. G

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Jul 2006

S. Wales

Mo/Me

01 Mar 2008 at 17:17 - 26

/cry for lost professions...

the chronomancer...and the buccaneer....they looked...so...goo *whimper*

Sora267

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Dec 2006

01 Mar 2008 at 18:33 - 27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. G

/cry for lost professions...

the chronomancer...and the buccaneer....they looked...so...goo *whimper*

Hey, there's always GW2, right?

And this art is breathtaking, it's some of the most amazing things I've ever seen. I wish it was possible to achieve this level of emotion with 3D art...

MarlinBackna

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: May 2007

[TAM]

W/

01 Mar 2008 at 18:53 - 28

I've never seen all of that concept before, but seeing those new enemies with flaming heads and the supposed chronomancer concepts......this is the first time I really regret GW: Utopia not coming out.

You have to understand though: the ANet art team is amazing. I think their modelers need to be better

I hope that GW2 will have enough of a facelift to be help better capture this essence. I think the burning forest in GWEN is an okay indication of the future.