Zombies

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doofus-01
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Re: Zombies

Post by doofus-01 »

Got a WIP for a scorpion zombie (part of #5589)
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LordBob
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Re: Zombies

Post by LordBob »

Looking good, though overall colors might be a bit dull at the moment. I would suggest to run wild with colored reflections on the shell. Maybe decay does strange things to its physical properties (but! with sickly colors), or maybe in places oozing fluids give it an oily sheen (the iridescent kind, like a car leaking oil)
Also, cracks in the shell and more fleshy bits. Noting says zombie like revealing inner parts that would normally not see the light of day.
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Re: Zombies

Post by LordBob »

Also while I'm at it, a quick callback to the beastrider. We can live without them, but I outlined some possible revisions with a paintover:

- beast's head could cast a shadow on the rider's (our) right leg to improve depth perception
- for some reason I did not spot it on the first version, but the horns weren't quite facing the same direction as the snout
- while the rider is very dynamic, in contrast the beast is very static. Maybe the front legs could be shifted to throw it off-balance. Also, you could use the flow of fur to suggest movement and the turning of the head. This one's really more for your personal improvement than something that absolutely needs fixing, though.

Another side note, something all 3 have in common (beast, rider, and to a lesser extent the scorpion), is that you are maybe too shy with damage on your zombies. The rider, for example, could easily pass for a grey-skinned person who has had a rough day. I'm not saying to make this a gore contest, but it might help to show some unmistakable damage that immediately tells the viewer "this thing shouldn't be alive". I do see the damage you've already painted in there, but they're either too subtle or located in places the eye doesn't immediately land on. It could all be enhanced by added details that stand out enough to make it clear they're zombies on the very first read.

Unless of course we are shooting for ambiguity, but since these are afaict generic zombies, ...we probably aren't ^_^
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doofus-01
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Re: Zombies

Post by doofus-01 »

LordBob wrote: March 11th, 2021, 8:52 pm Also while I'm at it, a quick callback to the beastrider. We can live without them, but I outlined some possible revisions with a paintover:

- beast's head could cast a shadow on the rider's (our) right leg to improve depth perception
- for some reason I did not spot it on the first version, but the horns weren't quite facing the same direction as the snout
- while the rider is very dynamic, in contrast the beast is very static. Maybe the front legs could be shifted to throw it off-balance. Also, you could use the flow of fur to suggest movement and the turning of the head. This one's really more for your personal improvement than something that absolutely needs fixing, though.
Thanks, I'd somehow convinced myself I'd fixed the horns, but your image showed that wasn't true. I think it's fixed now. I also spent a little more time on the light/shadows, hopefully it's more convincing. Point taken on the off-balance beast, but just in the interest of time, I will file away for now.
Image
LordBob wrote: March 11th, 2021, 8:52 pm Another side note, something all 3 have in common (beast, rider, and to a lesser extent the scorpion), is that you are maybe too shy with damage on your zombies. The rider, for example, could easily pass for a grey-skinned person who has had a rough day. I'm not saying to make this a gore contest, but it might help to show some unmistakable damage that immediately tells the viewer "this thing shouldn't be alive". I do see the damage you've already painted in there, but they're either too subtle or located in places the eye doesn't immediately land on. It could all be enhanced by added details that stand out enough to make it clear they're zombies on the very first read.

Unless of course we are shooting for ambiguity, but since these are afaict generic zombies, ...we probably aren't ^_^
Not saying this was a reason I did anything, but in a perfect world, we could explore the Soulless idea a bit more - so they aren't just animated rotting corpses that got a minor level-up.
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doofus-01
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Re: Zombies

Post by doofus-01 »

LordBob wrote: March 11th, 2021, 8:22 pm Looking good, though overall colors might be a bit dull at the moment. I would suggest to run wild with colored reflections on the shell. Maybe decay does strange things to its physical properties (but! with sickly colors), or maybe in places oozing fluids give it an oily sheen (the iridescent kind, like a car leaking oil)
Also, cracks in the shell and more fleshy bits. Noting says zombie like revealing inner parts that would normally not see the light of day.
Well, I made some progress on the scorpion, but it may not be done yet. Rereading what you said, I'm inclined to darken this, then have multicolored speculars from a high, blue-green lightsource.
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Re: Zombies

Post by LordBob »

Colors are much better already. The speculars will definitely take it a step further, looking forward to it. Also, thumbs up for the beast rider! The bluish lightsource you added really makes it more interesting visually while adding a bleak moonlight tone that perfectly fits the zombie theme.
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doofus-01
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Re: Zombies

Post by doofus-01 »

LordBob wrote: March 15th, 2021, 9:11 am Colors are much better already. The speculars will definitely take it a step further, looking forward to it.
This is what I've got, I hope it makes sense and fits. It seems a little garish on its own, but clicking through the help screen, it seemed OK.
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Re: Zombies

Post by LordBob »

Specular works fine for me.

One thing I had previously missed is the abrupt separation between the light and dark halves of the dorsal shell.
If it is a color pattern on the shell, then the regularity of it is a little misleading.
If it is shading, then obtaining such an effect would require an almost horizontal lightsource placed on the left, which the legs and claw arms don't quite have (they're more top-lit). I think it would help to soften that transition and generally make the pattern of lights and dark a little easier to read (see paintover: I toned down the secondary lighting to make shadows from the key lightsource more obvious)
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doofus-01
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Re: Zombies

Post by doofus-01 »

Thanks, I see what you mean. Hopefully this fixes it.
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Re: Zombies

Post by LordBob »

Hey there. Sorry I didn't drop in earlier, but yes, this latest fix does work perfectly :)
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ghype
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Re: Zombies

Post by ghype »

the undead scorpion looks ghastly. Can't look at the image maybe it just phobias but yeah, good job!
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