Raul - Battle Chess

[Raul]

Sup guys and gals?! I think im gonna do this challenge. Not sure how far i will get but at least im gonna try to half ass it till the end!!!

Thinking of doing the rook, figured it would give me the chance of doing something awesome, mech like. My goal is to make it to where not only it looks like it can kick ass, but also put accesorries on it and tell a story.

Alrigths..now for the good stuff. Im not a concept artist so im not even gonna try! lol. However, is my reference, and the block up model ive been messing around tonight.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y259/RaulXpT/2011_gameArt/main_ref.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y259/RaulXpT/2011_gameArt/002.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y259/RaulXpT/2011_gameArt/001.jpg

in a side note, im kinda excited about this comp. this is the 1st personal project for me in a long time. Even tho this is a comp, i expect to learn from everyone else. So good luck to everyone! :)

[Raul]

worked on the guns a bit, although i think im gonna go back and re work a few things. after i get the top finished. it feels a bit noisy down there. I also feel the chains could go a bit further down to aid the silhoutte. Thoughts?

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y259/RaulXpT/2011_gameArt/003.jpg

[Fynn]

looking pretty sweet :)

[krayzgerman]

This is looking great, I was thinking about joining in and doing a rook as well. My take was more traditional I think. I like your approach here. I would emphasize armorment and defensive design (shielding and plating), seeing as how the rook is a castle really.

[snakeeaterjns]

Very good job. I just think it should have something that reminded me a rook

[TonyClifton]

WICKED! Keep it up!

Thoughts: may be you could come up with an alternative rook without legs. More like a tower sort of player. You could then emphasize on an exaggerated 360° all-around firepower. Obviously the hard modeling is your strength.
I have seen your portfolio work, congratulations! Awesome stuff you have there.

[krayzgerman]

Very good job. I just think it should have something that reminded me a rook

This was my first impression as well. Utilizing more armor plating is one way of reinforcing the idea of a castle for its' defensive nature. Something more solid and less mobile.

[krayzgerman]

WICKED! Keep it up!

Thoughts: may be you could come up with an alternative rook without legs. More like a tower sort of player. You could then emphasize on an exaggerated 360° all-around firepower. Obviously the hard modeling is your strength.
I have seen your portfolio work, congratulations! Awesome stuff you have there.

What do you think about tank tread, instead of the legs? Something solid yet mobile. Exchange the legs for some heavy duty tank tread, a castle-tank.

[TonyClifton]

What do you think about tank tread, instead of the legs? Something solid yet mobile. Exchange the legs for some heavy duty tank tread, a castle-tank.

I agree, very good option as well.

[xxxcubanxxx]

Looking good, keeping an eye on this one

[Warlock 279]

Looks like you're off to a great start with the high poly.

I'm thinking you could stand to give it a little bit more of a rook feel tho as others have said. I wouldn't go the tank tread route tho. Personally, I'd just add some heavier armor to the legs and look for a way to work in a subtle battlement look around the turret.

Great start, can't wait to see more.

[hulahuga]

Yeah well either the chains can go down in the old fashioned way like that or they can have fixed positions along a curve to add something to the silhouette... :).

[krayzgerman]

Personally, I'd just add some heavier armor to the legs and look for a way to work in a subtle battlement look around the turret.

With the legs I think heavier armor is the way to go then. From a design perspective, if the mech-warrior approach for the castle is to create it with influence of that from a rook chess piece~then what features would be present in the mech-warrior that would distinguish it from other mech warriors in a mech-themed chess set? Say all the pieces were mech-warriors and the rook was specifically different and unique, it should look like a rook however that may be.

An emphasis on defense yet mobile. The tank tread is one way of creating a sturdy and tough design, very solid. It would be easier to tip over a chicken legged mech than a treaded tank. (Robocop :P)
Tough and sturdy, with the mech I feel like a mech-pawn would be able to tip it over like: cow tipping, center of weight up high on stilts.

Someone should be able to look at it and go "It's obviously a mech-rook chess piece." and not get lost in the sea of other mech warriors designs. But it still looks awesome and is off to a great start.

Imagine you had a box of mech warrior chess pieces and you were setting up the game, how would you know it is the rook piece, what makes it different than the other mech-warrior chess pieces?

[poopipe]

I like this idea, a big effing robot makes a good rook.

I can't help thinking he needs to have a big ol' one shot weapon of total devastation hanging off him to help emphasise the fortressy aspect.

[Raul]

Thank you guys for your suggestions and comments. I will take them into cosideration next time i sit down to tweak and finish this guy. For now, all i got to show is a small test render i did. ( problably the most productive thing ive done in a while, since i got to clean my place while this was rendering..lol )

Not exactly the kind of update i wanted to shwo, as im still trying to figure out the legs and how to bring that rook feel to it. Also had a few small props like backpacks floating around but i wont be showing that at the momment.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y259/RaulXpT/2011_gameArt/004.jpg

[Zelenkov]

Big guns man! Bring out the weapons of mass destruction! Very nice start man. The silhouette is raging! I feel the pass that could get a lot more love is the front of the main torso. It grabs my attention immediately but it doesn't have the cool details the other parts do.
Can't wait for the legs man :) The machine guns look pimp and spell doom on anyone who dares to challenge the big DM!

[Raul]

did a few fixes here and there that i noticed in the last renders. also started playing around with a new set of legs. I must say this doesnt look anything like when i 1st started.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y259/RaulXpT/2011_gameArt/005.jpg

[The Prime]

Really nice modelling, great work.

From a slightly technical aspect, do you think that the guns are a little too realistic? I mean in the sense that to the rest of the body, they seem a bit scrawny. Could possibly do with some sort of inflation, or bulking up, just to help describe the shape better when you come to the low poly.

[TonyClifton]

I like the way this is going. Especially the top turned out great. I think it is a bit steampunky, you know, may be with some welded metal plates? I mean from older battles, where it had to be fixed?
I like the legs, too. But I agree with The Prime, and would suggest to put the high detail weapon "inside", more protected. I think it is called gun embrasure.

[BiG ToE-3DT]

just keep an eye on stability. The new legs look good, but they seem to be off in location. As a whole it looks top heavy and may fall over. The new legs look as if they can handle the weight, but not from the location they are in now. Bring them forward a bit.

[krayzgerman]

Looks good, Rex from Metal Gear Solid 2 had a really stable set of legs.

[chichiri]

The model is great so far, there's a lot of details, good work.

[Raul]

thanx everyone for the kind comments! :)

So i really hated the direction i was going. It was totally not what i had envisioned. I think i was too concerned about getting this done as quick as possible. After a few bitch slaps from some of my coworkers and myself. I decided to start over. In an attemp to get a little more organized i decided to make a quick paint over. Nothing fancy. But at least now i got some sort of blue print i can follow. I hate just doing **** on the fly.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y259/RaulXpT/2011_gameArt/006.jpg

[AlucardAssassin]

I think I like the new design even better than the old one. I seriously cannot wait to see this realized in 3d. Good luck!

[xxxcubanxxx]

def liking this one better, thumbs up

[wil_himura]

Same here, get on working on this one ;)

[krayzgerman]

One word: sweet!

[TonyClifton]

Oooh yeah (very dark voice)

[chris_solo]

oops! looking reallly goOd!! I like the way and your concept! keep it up :)

++Chris

[Raul]

thanx guys!

im still in the planning stages here. Thinking that im liking what have now. The last one felt a little too weird on the front angle. So i changed up a few things. The back will problably stay the same. expect for the spine things. As i want it to be less spine and more tank like so the whole head can rotate and support itself.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y259/RaulXpT/2011_gameArt/007.jpg

thinking on gonna go for the one on the left, the yellow one. make a desert like pedestal for it as well.

[Pockets]

cool design man! I like the first color scheme the best. Although I think if you do a throwback to the standard rook piece for deco instead of the flaming grim reaper it'd fit nicely?

[krayzgerman]

thanx guys!

im still in the planning stages here. Thinking that im liking what have now. The last one felt a little too weird on the front angle. So i changed up a few things. The back will problably stay the same. expect for the spine things. As i want it to be less spine and more tank like so the whole head can rotate and support itself.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y259/RaulXpT/2011_gameArt/007.jpg

thinking on gonna go for the one on the left, the yellow one. make a desert like pedestal for it as well.

The middle one is my fav, but what about a digital camouflage design?

http://armorama.kitmaker.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=SquawkBox&file=index&req=viewtopic&topic_id=147427&page=1


Tha zaku III was one of my favs. http://lparchive.org/MS-Saga-A-New-Dawn/Update%2035/17-amx-011.jpg

[Kaiune3D]

+1 on the first one (yellow)

[AlucardAssassin]

+1 on yellow one, -1 on Digital Camo. IMO it would busy the surface texture excessively.

[Vitrux]

Great work mate! really cool concept... i like the colors of the first one ! :dance:

[eon13]

I say you should model the all black(dessert Colors) one, lol keep it up!

[Cordero]

Yay! Raul is in!

Very cool so far man, I was just wondering if u were planning on making it a little bit more chest piecey", I mean maybe putting him on a rounded pedestal, so it looks like a chest piece.

Anyway, cool work so far!

[washka]

Piew, piew, piew, keep it up, nice piece so far!