All Things Art: NPC Conversions

The left one is on ultra mode graphics, right one is on lowest setting (notice the 'flat' look, lack of shading, and the flames barely being visible because particle effect slider is turned down to lowest)
If you right click on the picture on the right then view info, he's made a false representation there by copying the other one off paragonwiki (wiki.cohtitan.com) where most of their pictures are years and years old.

That's actually the same outfit other than the change in face, boots and logo. Old style looks better. He's a punk/gang leader, not tom cruise - the old one looks cooler, that one looks s-eating and smarmy, old one looks like he'd wipe that expression of his face while recording on cameraphone to upload to Trolltube




And yeah, even on ultra mode the new graphics still look like mannequins compared to the other games I mentioned in my previous post, I think in Cityof they were too scared of giving us sliders that let us do more than minor adjustments because the thing they use for clothes is quite old and doesn't intelligently wrap around when the body isn't the same shape as every other body, it 'clips through the model', but Champions seems to give a lot more variance in what you can do with sliders for some reason, yet still have the same issues on some of the other stuff (I remember trying to put on armlets and a bracelet and found that just because my (female) character had a bit of muscle on her (not huge even) they were only half visible and looked stupid sticking out of the skin in random bits. Hmm maybe they don't use the same thing to resize accessories rather as the main outfits.

Also yeah, even on max the facial expressions, still mannequins, you don't really notice it in screenshots of course where it's static anyway, but talking to other players or 'talking' to characters (hey, we need that. NPCs' mouth should at least move and expressions, rather than relying on gestures so much in cutscenes. You really notice it with the ridiculousness of the blank staring faces of the characters in the new Trial cutscenes), Cityof characters look really terrible compared to FallenEarth where emotes actually change, and there are even dedicated emotes to change expression - the face stuff is so much better than champions

But both games are horribly boring grind games and have terrible excuses for communities compared to Cityof, which really wins on that part and I think that is why it has lived so long - it's not the grind that has kept people (especially if you think about that there was very little 'grindy' stuff in the game for years, it was mainly people creating new characters after 50 and having fun with friends), it's the very social play which is why this game is still so successful so many years on, and should be the focus and improved upon further rather than trying to turn it into warcrap

Cityof should just learn from others is what I'm saying really I really hope the developers take a look at APB's tattoo/clothes editing system when it re-releases in a couple of months ... Tattoos, scars, can even make your character look totally inhuman by basically making a 'skin' out of tattoos!

▬ ▬ ☻☻☺ READ!!!☺ ☻☻ ▬ ▬

Quote:

MMORPG.com's Angie Webb recently had some hands-on time with Realtime Worlds' APB. One of her assignments was to write an article based on her own unique perspective as a female gamer. I expect my opinions to be a bit "unconventional" for this site, but lots of women play MMOs [..]Some of us are girly; some of us want to be "one of the boys"; but we all look at games in a slightly different way than guys do. And our interests and concerns are poorly served in the industry. [..]Would it really be that hard to allow us to change the "package" size? If I can make my female avatar's melons bigger than her head, it only seems fair? Or is everyone OK with this double standard? For the sake of equality, Realtime Worlds please let me make the bulge on my virtual Ken doll a tad bulgier. [..] Makeup! My goodness, the detail on things like the eye-shadow designs are astonishing. [..]apply them in multiple ways, high on the arch or wide across the whole eye. Eyeliner has some great choices too. You can do just upper or lower, smudged, or the "I've been crying for hours" sad-panda look. I also had fun playing with the eyelashes. I'm the type of girl that puts on loads of mascara when I'm going out clubbing, and, to be honest, the lashes were lacking in the awesome. There was a limited length allowed ... and I want LONG lashes! I was going for a street look and the longest length I could find was "clumpy". Lipstick, like the eye shadow, comes in many shades, and can be applied in different shapes and styles, including geisha girl, the Joker, and a smear that makes you look like you just kissed a guy for an hour. I know that for a guy makeup is an incredibly minor deal, but it's one of those little things that makes a game like this stand out to players who really care about making their avatars look "just right", and it's an experience that is enjoyable to do, and hopefully for others to look at ... if you care about that kind of thing. [..]I decided on a design and shape that worked well on the back pocket: a dragon over a periwinkle chevron. You can adjust the sizes of all your designs, so I modified it until it fit the back left pocket of my jeans perfectly. I then added this design to my shirt and tattoo too. No sparkles, but it was cute. [..] I like the fact that the game has "true crafting" instead of fixed recipes that require no thought or inspiration. I like that I can design my own theme music and "jingles". I like that I can form a clan and socialize with friends. I like that I can become an artist and run a business selling my designs.

Also:
ve3d.ign.com/videos/51831/PC/APB/Developer-Diary/Video-Podcast-5-APB-Tattoos-vs-Real-Life-Tattoos

Also:
joystiq.com/2009/06/09/interview-ej-moreland-lead-designer-of-apb






Also:
dariopane.com/commercial-work/apb - APB's lead artist's portfolio

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(images are from in-game shots) [..]There are around 100 morph targets and normal maps per gender (of which I made the majority) that are used to customise body and face of the character. There are also many other textures I worked on: skin tone, moles, freckles, skin ageing, eyebrows, irises, etc. These characters were created using the APB Character Customisation System:

it's an AMAZING system, and really is way more suited for a more social game - even ignoring roleplay, Cityof is much more team-based, people see and interact with each others' characters a LOT more than other games like Cityof than APB. That kinda thing *belongs* in Cityof, which was good years ago but seriously don't rest on your laurels or you'll find that the competition has overtaken you in leaps and bounds soon enough, and that would be a terrible shame when there's so much potential to build on the good system already in place in Cityof!

... damnit I should start a blog for this stuff, lol.

I would like to bring back some of the old costume pieces. Namely the old Gladiator shoulder.

Exhibit A:

Front: http://imageshack.us/f/52/tankwin1.png/
Back: http://imageshack.us/f/703/tankwin2.png/

Exhibit B:

Front: http://imageshack.us/f/534/tankfail1.png/
Back: http://imageshack.us/f/696/tankfail2.png/

I posted about this many moons ago but nothing has been done yet. Fixing the clipping is an option, but would it really be so difficult to just have Gladiator 1 and Gladiator 2? More options never hurt this game. Even if it didn't clip the texture just doesn't match, and I feel the small shoulder floats too high. I just want my old shoulder back so I can play one of my favorite characters that I've created, looking the way I envisioned him.

But that's a personal note. I'm all for holding off new pieces in favor of NPC parts. There is just so much unused content and potential to tap into, stuff that I've wanted to put on characters ever since I saw it. And I'm sure it would be easier for you guys to take existing parts instead of having to design new ones from scratch. We don't need brand new designs, we have so many parts already, yet so few, considering how many we can't use. Let's change that.

So, I just went through this entire thread to try and keep track of what pieces were discussed the most and it's obvious that people want Carnival of Shadows costume pieces and Kheldian Sashes. I think the best option, would be to release a Carnie Pack, including a sash. Include a plain version like the Kheldian NPCs wear, and one styled like the Carnie Sashes. This can pretty much kill two birds with one stone by giving players the two most highly requested costume pieces at once. If the devs aren't already aware of this, then they should be now.

It's not quite Carnival of Shadows, but have you seen what people have been making with the Steampunk pack yet?

Yeah, I saw a pretty good Carnie costume using the Steampunk pieces but as good as that looks, I would assume most people want actual Carnie pieces.

For reference, here is that concept art;



vs



Yeah, slight degredation in concept there. And couldnt she at least get some better hair? Really?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zwillinger GG, I would tell you that "I am killing you with my mind", but I couldn't find an emoticon to properly express my sentiment.

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Originally Posted by Captain_Photon NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.

Went to go train with Vanessa deVore in the Resistance Base in Underground Nova ... and for the first time REALLY LOOKED at her costume.



This costume is practically dripping with stuff I'd want on my PCs.

• The boots!
• The garter and stocking leggings!
• The micro skirt!
• The BELT and the SIDE SASH (latter not visible in this pic)!
• The corset! (I don't think the Victorian matches this, and it has the Leather neckpiece)
• The neck ruff!
• THE MASK!
• ... and of course ... the Backpack of Sticks And Rings ...

It's the end. But the moment has been prepared for ...

The seated, tea drink emote that the Midnighter's have would be nice.

Since this got bumped I'll take the opportunity to mention something while excusing myself for not looking through the twenty pages to see if it was already mentioned (aka I'm lazy and it's late).

Personally, the one costume that I've always wanted to have access to is the witch costume. The Cabals' one, more specifically. But also the one worn by the Midnighter witch who is sitting and drinking tea. At. The. Same. Time.

I'm mostly looking at the hat, skirt and shoulders, since the boots and gloves are either already accessible to players or have very minor differences that prevent me from noticing them when I look at their models (bad eyesight may also be a cause, but eh).
I'd also think a shirt or something might be needed to make it a 'set', but player creativity can get you places...
While I do know that the hat is somewhat accessible in-game, I have yet to have the opportunity to make it so. Perhaps this is just on my side, but still.

In any case, I just got a flash. I think it was on the first page, but someone mentioned updating NPC costumes while making them accessible to players. Well, in this case, making a pair of boots and/or gloves to go with the set would be a pretty good deal.

Before you mention that these girls (the Cabals) aren't found everywhere throughout CoX and that i might be a 'waste' of time (<gasp!>), well I'd like to suggest making it so. Or rather, putting more content in Croatoa involving the Cabals.
See? More content, costume update and even more costume in one shot!

Okay, I get it, I'm an idealist...
but the idea's still there!


(Oh and I just remembered something, the witch hats from the magic booster are pretty meh. And I'm not looking at the hats specifically, but how the hair color is linked to the second hat color on one of them and also how the hair looks completely retarded if you wear a Magic Bolero. I mean, it goes through it!)

This has been said before, so let's say it again: Resistance pistols and rifles. Preferably with pyewpyewpyew effect as well.