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September 13 Update (Patreon)

Published:
2020-09-13 21:49:39
Imported:
2021-07

Content

OEA: Other than some communication with the mapper I've hired, I didn't invest any time in this.

TLS: I'm further along than I would normally be one week after a public release, but not as far along as I'd hoped. Still, events and dialogue are done and things are moving forward to finish the Gathering.

Annual Patronage: I'm glad I delayed asking that question, because I underestimated how much of a response it would get. You guys had strong feelings! My general plan is to stick with the status quo and see if anyone ever requests the option to go annual.

Faceset Offer:

This week I received an interesting offer: some fans of TLS with more artistic ability than money have offered to work on minor game assets for free. Their particular passion was the feeling that the Aramite faces didn't match the style of the rest of the game. We've worked together a little, so take a look at this comparison:

They're quite friendly people and open to artistic guidelines. If they kept working on this, they could potentially rework facesets that have vastly different styles, such as the Erosian characters.

Thoughts?

Comments

Runcible Technician

If it brings everything closer to a definitive art style, go for it!

JJS

I think the light shading is great for an improvement but the coloring is worse, the old colors are just fine

Retromancer

I really like this and would be excited to see more. A variety of facesets for NPC's really brings the world to life, and these are both very good and to me fit within the existing style. Thumbs up.

JJS

So you said you are much further ahead than you thought but not as far as you wanted? Would that mean it'll be ready next week or the week after?

Anonymous

I like it. Especially if the person volunteered - that tells volumes about the artist, so kudos from us, who are not so artistically gifted, for making the game even more appealing for all of us. I really hope it'll work out and maybe even grow into something more. Maybe even into a semi-regular, potentially commissioned work.

Anonymous
>>43992356

Expecting a new release to be ready two weeks after the previous one went public is not realistic. If Sierra has a release date in mind, she generally says so; if she doesn't, it's safe to assume she doesn't yet have a date she's willing to share.

Taium

Can't wait to see if the Anak's obsession with balance ends up spiralling things out of control.

JJS
>>43993411

Hasn't it already done so? Tanurak got a shard, and the anak was too dumb to stop it. And from the investigation of nyst. It seems that he splintered a fraction of his shard to create him. So it's almost certain that that is exactly what will happen.

DukeLeto7

Hmmm... I wonder why you never used the original picture from the upper right hand corner. Maybe I should ask my friend Mr. Popo...

Anonymous

I've always found the inconsistency of the Aramite and Erosian facesets quite jarring, and I think the updated faces strike a good balance between being closer to the game's general art style while still being recognisably the same characters as the originals. If they're freely offered and you're happy with the quality, I can't see any reason not to take the artists up on their generosity.

sierralee
>>43992170

Thanks for the feedback. They're open to comment, so this is the time to get our chosen aesthetic right.

sierralee
>>43992520

I've actually considered commissioning them to cover for the AWOL artist on OEA, since they seem reasonably flexible.

sierralee
>>43993824

I think that one was a significant part of their motivation to offer, haha.

sierralee
>>43993836

Thanks for your feedback! Though I want to keep each region identifiable, I agree they could be more consistent.

Anonymous

I never noticed any inconsistency with the Aramite face sets, TBH, but I'm also not the most observant person. The Erosian face sets really feel like they don't belong though, even to my oblivious eyes. I'd suggest taking these artists up on their offer.

Anonymous

I like the new ones a lot, mostly because they got rid of the Mr. Popo lips on the top-right face.

Darthjake

I like the bottom 2 rows, not just for the popo lips as has been mentioned, but also because it doesn't seem that the old man just got beat up.

Ditto

Seems like a good offer. Do they also plan to do matching sprites?

Anonymous

That's quite kind of them. Color me impressed!

Anonymous

I really do like what they did with the faces. The original brown hair was ok IMO, but other than that I’m a fan. :)

Anonymous

Those portraits are remarkably improved. To the extent that one fan's opinion weighs on this, count me 100% for.

WaxerRed

Hey they fixed the Mr.Popo face! And they did it without just coloring him blue. Good job artist. No but all seriousness artist if you read this, good job! These faces look great.

Anonymous

The reworks look really nice. I hope they have the motivation to keep going. The last time I played there were a few places were the portraits seemed to not fit with the overall style of the game, but it's been so long that I can't point to where.

Anonymous

I like the new style, but not the reshading. Can they redo the Givini princess as well?

Anonymous

Oh yeah~ these are cool! I really like what this artist did and definetly would love them to help out more with some of the sets that don't match. Though I think you need to be careful not to create inconsistencies with the CGS that have been done already based on the original facessets. It would suck if there were differences introduced later. Like Tertia for example could use a little help on her face sets, but she already has a CG.

Anonymous

I have shared their concerns for a long time, but had come to accept that revision wasn't in the cards after the loss of your original portrait artists. And so, what a delightful surprise this weekly update is! The Aramite overhaul looks positively fantastic! I am very excited to think that they might bring out the unique visual spirit of other nations next.

Anonymous

I honestly think that the different subspecies of orcs is priority number one, over the erosian humans. I know that the species is described to be physically diverse, but the erosian, blood orcs, and skullcrusher orcs look like they are from totally different games. The different succubi could do with a change as well. If the generous artists are willing to provide free help, then I would personally love some improvements there.

Hund

That's some pretty good work. A massive improvement, no doubt about it.

sierralee
>>44011364

Their offer was NPCs, but if that process continues to go well, we might discuss it.

sierralee
>>44011878

Any changes we make certainly wouldn't extend to redesigning main characters.

sierralee
>>44029632

Hmm, outside of the Erosian orcs/succubi, I don't know how much I agree. I like the idea of both races varying immensely between continents, and if we did redo any of their art, I wouldn't want to lose that diversity.

Anonymous

Their art looks great, and has look like their styles are very consistent, was really done by multiple people? Either way go them!

sierralee
>>44057533

They work as a team, so it's one person doing each aspect of the art. But yes, I hope it will lead to a more unified look for the game!

Anonymous

Some of the facial features are better proportioned, so it's an improvement. They do also better match the style of other facesets. I hadn't really worried about the style, though, because by the time we encounter Aramites or Erosians, it is pretty clear that stylistic differences are part of what signifies racial or ethnic group differences - particularly noticeable with succubi. If you want the Erosians altered, I'm indifferent so long as the result doesn't look worse. I also notice these are all Maranite faces and have been darkened. That makes sense for desert nomads, but I hope Aramites in general will continue to exhibit a range of skin tones... preferably avoiding a pattern that amounts to color-coding by social strata. I notice that this chief has the lightest skin despite what should be a lifetime of weathering.

Anonymous

I love the idea! The writing always made the world feel very alive and varied, but sometimes the limited amount of assets ground my gears a bit. If you have the opportunity to get some more varied assets that better fit your visions, I'd say go for it! Especially for succubi, since there is a very limited number of faces for them, and basically only one model (plus the archivist from the Orgasmic palace)

sierralee
>>44078604

There's too much intermixing on Arclent for every group not to have a range of skin colors. They wanted the Maranites to look more like a single group, but Aramites in general will have a broad range similar to the current set. Though obviously I wouldn't want hypothetical new Erosians to look bad, making them match the rest of the characters would mean replacing the richly saturated coloring with simpler cel shading.

Anonymous

I think the new faces are pretty nifty. Although I do feel like the change alters each of the faces "personalities" just a tad. For instance: the young woman is framed with sharper lines and has a slightly longer/narrower face- making her look a bit more confident IMO. The sideways facing young man has a flatter nose and extra shading shading around the jaw which makes him look ho- uhh more sly. The older woman's darker hair and fuller cheeks/chin making her look a tad younger. The child has just ever so slightly rounder eyes- perfect for staring at fountains all day. I quite like the change, but it is a change IMO.