Alright, people, I've sent to RambOrc a sheet fulled with sketches for the Swamp Thing sprite, containing all of it's movements. As I explained to him, the drawings are to be used as guides, as a "canvas" where you just have to paint on, making way easier than draw it in the pc, with a mouse. When I finish the Human sprite sketches, then we will be able to make npcs in lesser time, and probably better ones too. In either ways: Firebrand my boy where are you? I really need your help over here. If we can split the work in some aspects, we could do much more than what is expected. I would also need Wolverine's help, we need every artist's hand we can get! <!-- s:) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" title="Smile" /><!-- s:) --> As I said a hundred times: I just don't have the time anymore, and I really need help to get some things done before I turn forty. <!-- s:roll: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_rolleyes.gif" alt=":roll:" title="Rolling Eyes" /><!-- s:roll: --> Post something as soon as you two can.

And I think theres still some more damage skins to do.

Here is the full description Mago mailed me yesterday:

Alright, here is the first group of sketvhes, covering the THING in all his movements. Could you post it in a new sprites file, so Firebrand and Wolverine can see how they should make their npc's/monsters? If there's still need for an explanation: the drawings only need to be resized to their normal sprite size (I thought of about 2x the plyers, around 110 height). Only thing you have to do is select the frame you want to work on, copy and paste it as new image, then resize, add the colors and start working on the masses. Oh yeah, if they find it difficult to create new ones, I would sure like a help in coloring the frames. They just need to ask me for a sample, so they can see the group of colors I picked for the sprite. Anyways, I'm still working on that Human series, it's huge, but once it's finished, I think it will make things easier for me and every artist on the team, so npc's could come in greater numbers. See you later pal.

The image itself you can find at <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.korax-heritage.com/koraxdev/conceptart/Thingoriginal.gif">http://www.korax-heritage.com/koraxdev/ ... iginal.gif</a><!-- m --> (it's 727 KB and the reason I didn't upload it zipped because then it was 726 KB and this way at least you can view it at once).

Oh yeah, I forgot to ask you all with youre happy with all frames/sequences. I personnally think the monster is ok, I specially like the death sequence, but you may not, so post some suggestions here, if you want. I don't think I would want to remake something, but if there's a huge fault, I will have to. <!-- s;) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_wink.gif" alt=";)" title="Wink" /><!-- s;) --> Anyways, next thing I'll send will be the Human standing sequence, with all views, so that standing-only npcs can begin to be done. I already completed it a long time ago, but since I'll be busy with the others sequences for a while, I thought of sending that part, and let you work on it in the meantime. I'll also send some flats and patches I've altered while I was testing some color functions in PSP4. They aren't anything special, but are mods of the originals nonetheless, and I think they look good enough to be taken as an option while texturing the maps. And one more thing: I'll make the sketchs for the U-H too, so tell me which one do you guys like more, and what should he do. Will he talk, how he attack, how he dyes, that sort of things Alright, gotta go sleep. It's 4am, I haven't eaten anything this night.See you tomorrow. ( [o]D (it doesn't resemble it much, but if you look it form the botton, you'll see an alien with the mouth opened, and the tongue inside) <!-- s;) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_wink.gif" alt=";)" title="Wink" /><!-- s;) --> Not that I'm a fanatic about it, I just like a lot the Cameron's movie.

I like this one! <!-- s:) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" title="Smile" /><!-- s:) -->

That's good, cause I don't think I would have time to redo the damn monster again. <!-- s:) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" title="Smile" /><!-- s:) --> Ok, once I'm finished with the Human sketches, I'll paint this one, so some of you guys could begin to think how to implement it (a full explanation is in one of thoes "Ideas" topics). It will be good to have this new monster around.

Full explanation here more so I can find it easily than anything.

Yes, thank you.Here it's : "SWAMP THING: It has 3 different attacks: 1- tentacle ; 2- Throw arpoon/sharp bone from tentacle ; 3- Bite. It's a monster which shows up from inside the waters, and possess 8 tentacles, which one having it's own life, and in terms of engine, it's own will and behaviour: when it comes from inside the water, it has 2 directives - the 1st one is to attack any near enemy, and the 2nd one is to "populate" the zone within 180? in front of the THING's head, in order to prevent charges and attacks to it's most vulnearable and fragile part. The tentacles move slowly, and 3 at the maximun move toward a single enemy at the same time, the others keep the area in front of the head protected (in fact, all tentacles WILL attack the player if he gets too near from one, even if the 3 are already tracking him-it means that not only 3 tentacles will attack the player, but only 3 will go AFTER him. Others will also follow and attack him if he go near them, untill he "leaves" the area protected by it). When a tentacle looses all his HP, it's destroyed and won't come back. So it has a defense mechanism, which consists of: when the tentacle is receiving too much repeated damage (like the 3 fast hits of the red mage's wand), it dives into the water, and emerge in another place (often from behind the player). Other tentacles may do this, even when aren't being attacked, in order to surprise the hero. When the player is out of the area the tentacles can reach (often it's the own lake where the THING is located, but large lakes may need to have a marked area for this), the THING will attack by throwing the sharp bones that are placed in the tentacles. In terms of gameplay, they are endless, and have poison, which acts like the Cleric's flechette, but stronger. When hitting with the tentacles, all the damages merge to be one (the cutting damage, the concussion damage and the poison damage). The head moves veeerrryyy slowly, and can't get out of the water. It has an absurd amount of HP, and can attack the player by bitting him. It can act just like the tentacles when attacked too much, diving and appearing around the player, bitting him in a fast move. The damage of it's bite is VERY big, to add a bit more of difficluty, since the head only attacks by bitting when the player manages to avoid the tentacles and get near it, or, normally, when all the tentacles were destroyed. It's common to see the head diving (when it's out of tentacles), and taking a large amount of time (like, 10 seconds...), before appearing suddenly. If the player get out of the water, the SWAMP THING will wait for him for about half a minute, and then will dive, and won't come out untill the player gets into the water again, and go near it. " Anything that I didn't covered, just lemme know.

One more thing: if you want to make things harder for the player, the map in which the thing will be should consist mainly of water, so it can dive and attack the player all the time, who won't have many places to feel safe.

I've got this map called Swamp Ledges (# 11 in SE) with a mid-sized goo pond in the middle and a bunch of rooms around it in a circle. I originally wanted to put a wyvern in there but if the tentacle critter will be done in time, I'll put that in there, should suit even better (and besides there are quite a couple of wyverns in other maps).

I'm back again, I got you all some bad news, it seems that Wolverine won't be able to continue working on the project, as he got some other real life ocupations, making him to have no more free time to work on this, I have talked with him about it, but he seems to have made a decision, and that's it. But on other things, the damage skins are going slow, but I'm really happy with the results, I have bought a new monitor and it seems to be more easy to work on the bigger screen (fortunately for me), I think I will be uploading the finished skins on 2 weeks (I'm kinda busy right now) I got a lot of work on school, and I have to study (exams, yuk!). About the swamp thing, I think I will be able to do it with the sketches you posted Mago, but I got some questions about how to do it, could you explain it to me in a more easily way? I didn't understood all the things that you posted, well I have to go now, see ya again folks!!

It's good to see you back lad! It's also funny about you mentioning school work, because I'm writting one right now, about Iron Architecture in XIX century, and since my head is killing me and it's 3 am, I came here to relax for a few minutes. <!-- s8) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_cool.gif" alt="8)" title="Cool" /><!-- s8) --> Anyway, I'm glad to see you worked on those skins, cause I didn't want to go back to them. As for the thing, I don't know what you didn't understsnd, but here is somethigs you should know: To edit a frame (lets do the A1), you just have to select with the square tool the respective image in the sketches. When selected, you copy it, and in edit, you choose to paste it, but as new image. With this new image, who should portait only the frame you wnat to work on (A1), you just have to Resize it to a sprite size (I guess 2x the player would be good, around 110-120 pixels). with him resized, you juist have to paint it, using the lines to guide you. They sometimes mean shadow lines, but sometimes they are there just to define a mass, so be careful not to paint them all darker than the body itself. I'm still not sure about the base color, but I was thinking of somthing like the real octopus, like a mix of grey, blue and violet. I don't know, but you can try.

Good to hear from you Firebrand. <!-- s:) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" title="Smile" /><!-- s:) --> As for Wolverine, it's regrettable but nothing I can change. BTW 19th iron architecture, Tour Eiffel would be a product of that, right?

Yes, done by Gustave Eiffel in around 1889. i'm not sure I like it, but anyway, it's work! I gotta go to college now, so see you laters.

Good! I will try to work a bit on it, as I'm now finishing some damage skins... When I got something to show, I will come back again!

Good. Since the bad past of the week has passed, I'll try to make that green wendigo today, and with luck i'll be able to send it tomorow. And RambOrc, why didn't you said anything about stone monsters? They can be done just as easily as any other color replacement... I'll try to make some anyway, if time allows it. Laters.

Wow if you'd have time for that, I'm not sure which ones I listed back then to have a stone form, but besides Centaurs I think Ettins and Chaos Serpents should have the stone form - and I guess Wendigos, for the simple reason they are fastest to make. <!-- s:) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" title="Smile" /><!-- s:) --> Stone afrits wouldn't be bad neither, they are then kind of real gargoyles. Oh yes another thing, make yourself some thoughts about the possibility of a Serpent Flier, i.e. a wizard (Disciple of D'Sparil in Heretic) - which you already have been playing around with - riding a Death Wyvern. If you think it can be done, it'd be great, OTOH if you think it'd be very difficult, then let's postpone it for TSP.

Well, the flying Ryder would be great, and a good challenge. I'm quite sure I can make the drawings fast, but the real problem is the coloring, which takes much more time than sketching. I specially like the idea because somehow I feel more and more attached to Heretic's world. It has this different feel, maybe because it has unique design, or due to the most welcome deeper look in it's world, characters and characteristics, in Heretic 2. Not that I don't like Hexen, but somehow the Heretic world seems richer, more magical, and so more appealing to an artist! <!-- s:) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" title="Smile" /><!-- s:) --> Anyway, enough dreaming. I stopped the Human sketches for a while and began to drawing the 1 frame npcs you asked. I'm now on the Leaders, and tomorrow I'll send the all around standing position I forgot to send earlier for the Human. I also have to draw the U-H, so I still don't know when I'll have time to design this one, but I definetly wanna do it (if not in SE, in TSP). One doubt though: isn't the Wyvern too small to have a human in his back? I mean he is so little. Are you planning to enlarge it? Or should I draw another mount?

Actually, I was rather thinking about using existing sprites and merging them. As for the wyvern's size, increasing its size by 2 shouldn't be much of a prob.

Hey, I was re-reading this trhead, and NOW I finally understood what you meant with the D'sparil rider. Well, merging them will be harder than a HS, but isn't that hard. I'm just not sure about the time... I really want to do it, but I already have more work than I can handle in the development time... I'll try it though. I'm still working on the Warrior leader, and the npcs (already made the Mage new leader, but I try to recolor it). Hopefully, since I "mastered" the "art" of recolloring, I'll be able to cheat a little and work on pasting/recolloring parts of the same npcs, in order to have a bigger variety.

That's exactly what I wanted to suggest but forgot, to recolor NPCs' clothing to get "more" NPCs. Oh and BTW a large chunk of 2D art, the "cutscenes", should IMO be scrapped - using the original Hexen-style inter-episode text thingie is a cool thing too and that way we would be able to use that one and use the Antara-like stuff in TSP. Could be another "new feature" on the long list for TSP over SE. <!-- s:) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" title="Smile" /><!-- s:) -->

Here's something you might want to use in Serpent Power. I created this thing for my game, but like the Magma Serpent, it turned out so well, that I figured you might want to use it. It doesn't really have a name, since it will only be on episode 5 (Oblivion). I guess you could call it a shadow beast or something.

Nice work... what about "Beast of Oblivion"?

Nah... The monsters on the features page is basically the known monsters. Since no one has ever actually been there, these things are completely unknown. Besides, it's nice to have a few surprises, heheh. I still might come up with a name eventually though...

Hi, sorry for the long delay. "a large chunk of 2D art, the "cutscenes", should IMO be scrapped - using the original Hexen-style inter-episode text thingie is a cool thing too and that way we would be able to use that one and use the Antara-like stuff in TSP. " Alright, youre the boss! I also think a fresh story would be better to illustrate. Just remember to send me a script as soon as it's done, cause it might take a while, and I want to work on it untill satisfaction. "Beast of Oblivion" Nice work, again Ichor. Great monster, would be great in dakened areas,. like caves, etc. Thanks a bunch. <!-- s;) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_wink.gif" alt=";)" title="Wink" /><!-- s;) --> Well, report: I've been extremely busy lately. I've just read things, but couldn't spare much time to answer. I'm still stuck with the warrior DS. I'll try to make it up, but I can't say when...

I just realized that I forgot to make a frozen frame. Silly me, heheh...

Ok, I created that missing frame. Here's a few screenshots just to show what this thing might look like in the game: 01.jpg 02.jpg 03.jpg

Well, as I thought, they look extremely good in dark areas. Good job, lad! <!-- s:) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" title="Smile" /><!-- s:) -->

Here's Swamp Thing description. A pity, screenshots are missing. <!-- s;) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_wink.gif" alt=";)" title="Wink" /><!-- s;) -->

There are a bunch of screens in <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://downloads.orcishweb.com/koraxdev/mago/">http://downloads.orcishweb.com/koraxdev/mago/</a><!-- m -->

There are also some cool map shots. Are those maps available?

If you mean the village map, it's up somewhere on kdev.

WOW, RambOrc, know what, we had some cool "Total Posts" values just now: me: 1111, you: 3773 <!-- s:lol: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_lol.gif" alt=":lol:" title="Laughing" /><!-- s:lol: -->

[quote="Crimson Wizard":jayr2v2u]WOW, RambOrc, know what, we had some cool "Total Posts" values just now: me: 1111, you: 3773 <!-- s:lol: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_lol.gif" alt=":lol:" title="Laughing" /><!-- s:lol: --> Heh, I spent my 666th post reviewing a heavy metal concert I went to. <!-- s:) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" title="Smile" /><!-- s:) -->: [url:jayr2v2u]http://korax-heritage.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1513 PS: Still reviewing those SE-candidate maps Rambo posted.