CONCEPT ART 03

Hi, another concept piece here as I'm finding it close to impossible to grab any meaningful free time to work on the actual objects as I'm also trying to get acceptance on to a Concept Art Class early next year so have to dedicate a bit of spare time to that end.

In a way, it's a nice compromise as I can build up my folio alongside fleshing out more ideas for NOVA ZONAs vast landscapes too...

Anyway, I hope you guys like it. :)

CONCEPT ART PRACTICE

This is an image I completed using a different technique, as I'm currently trying to refine my concept art.

I started with a photo plate and used that to colour pick and to get some values from- this is the end result.

I'm pretty happy with it as it only took about 5 hours and was really good fun- it's a nice way to approach a piece. I tried to rely as little as possible on the underlying photo, drawing over most of it and completely creating a new environment.

This image was inspired by a great tutorial by the amazing Shaddy Safadi..!

It's a great way to create a nice clean sharp piece from a photo, and the method lends itself to being really flexible as everything is on its own layer with a corresponding layer mask.

I chose this photo as it presented quite a challenge because it's in values only and those values are really close together- it took a lot of squinting to see the value separation and I resisted the temptation to "fog out" the background behind the train to make it pop more than it does in the photo.

3 SHOT VARIATIONS

At the risk now of over using some structures, I've taken three shots of the same scene to again show how much the atmosphere can change on NOVA ZONA- I haven't got time to create any new structures right now and won't have for the next few months so this'll be it for awhile unfortunately.

Either way- I hope you like them...

And most important of all, follow this one simple rule at all times when on NOVA ZONA:

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES, TWENTY FOUR LITTLE HOURS...

Two shots with two purposes: 

One to show the difference a single day can bring forth whilst traversing NOVA ZONAs many splendid environs.

Two to answer numerous requests by certain unnamed individuals seeking sun soaked Zones. (Ie: "Why is it always f&*$£!g raining in NOVA ZONA..?!")

++ IN THE LOFTY HEIGHTS ABOVE THE NEW ZONE, THERE ARE SOARING ANGLES THAT BREACH THE CLEAR DAWN ++

++ IN DARKNESS SHEER, TRAPS AND SNARES WITH HEIGHT SHALL INVADERS CLEAR ++

The "++" quotes above and below are taken from a guide that will accompany the release of NOVA ZONA: "SURVIVAL BY MEANS OF DECEPTION THEN EXTRACTION FROM THE NEW ZONE"

++ THIS PLACE EXISTS TO KILL YOU ++

ANOTHER QUICK UPDATE

Hey up, as I'm again pushed for time, here's three screen shots I've taken to show a new building in the engine and also a shot of the Raised Block again- this time with a sister..!

I read elsewhere that it's always seemingly dark and stormy on NOVA ZONA- this is just for the purposes of all these screens- in the final map, the sun will be making an appearance and there will be the full range of weather situations, although it be biased about 65% to stormy/gloomy weather.

GENERAL UPDATE

Wow, it's been awhile but I'm having a really difficult time to find any time to work on NOVA ZONA right now, but I've managed to scrape together some more progress and I'll just dump some images and videos here without much description guys- I'm really pushed for time as always..! :(

If you want to read about development please check out the thread over at BI Forums as it's always kept up to date:

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?142308-Large-S-T-A-L-K-E-R-inspired-Island

Anyway, here's the dump lol:

And here's a couple of videos too to showcase the general atmosphere you'll find in NOVA ZONA:

Well there you go- I'm sorry I haven't got more time to describe in depth these latest updates, but as I say, you can always check out the BI Forums link if you want to know more..!

SPHERICAL PRESSURE VESSELS

Ok, I've managed to squeeze in some VERY late nights here, and eventually finished the new structures I've been working on at last. 

These are medium sized Spherical Pressure Vessels, and there's two variations of them- one is the basic one and the other is linked to the "underground" (Don't get your hopes up yet!) by an inlet pipe and has a raised platform accessible by stairs.

I've always loved the strange look of these containers when I see images of them or in real life- they look like they might just start walking towards you or something..! 

I have chosen to make some for NOVA ZONA as they are such a weird and alien sight on the landscape and lend a feeling of other worldliness to the island. From a distance they really help to break up the horizon line with simple spherical geometry that looks very out of place- this is going to be a continuing theme in my development; creating large big bold basic geometrical shapes that will turn the skyline of NOVA ZONA into a very uneasy place to be. 

I've changed them a bit from how they'd look in real life so as to fit better into this environment- things like making the base supports that horrible industrial tiling you used to get and rusting the hell out of them with drab colours.

I mentioned that these are medium sized vessels (Being 12 meters high from ground to top of sphere). I also plan to make really small ones about the height of a man and huge ones 2-3 times larger than these ones here- so you can imagine how freaky they'll look as they loom all around you in some dark Industrial Area of the map. I have in mind to create some areas that have nothing but these structures, so in effect you're surrounded by these strange spheres everywhere you look- it'd make for a unique environment I think! :)

Again, variations on all of these will play a large part in removing repetitiveness- I have some sketches down for how to chop and change these up and increase the alien feeling of them. ;)

Anyway, I hope you guys like them and here's a shot of them in game, just sitting there and waiting for the next unfortunate soul:

Also, as I am currently bogged down with RL work, I can't bite off another large structure right now so made a couple of VERY quick wallpapers of the NOVA ZONA logo with a few captions to capture the islands atmosphere:

The captions refer to the islands Industrial and Experimental background that went so horribly wrong- there is a back story to NOVA ZONA and I've fleshed it out quite a bit more, but you'll have to wait until release to find out for yourselves. Suffice to say it's not pretty and the island itself will tell the story if you can piece it all together...

As a final treat and because it's been so long since the last update I decided to make my first EVER Youtube video (Yahhh!) showing some of the structures I've already got in game and working. There is a lot you'll have to excuse about this video though- firstly I haven't the foggiest idea about best settings when recording (FRAPS) or uploading, so I don't think it's the best quality but maybe someone can PM me with some advice for future ref?

Also, as mentioned in the description this is a VERY BASIC setup that took me 1 minute to create in the Editor. I just picked a random place, then threw in these NOVA ZONA assets and placed OPFOR and BLUFOR on a collision course. If you look closely you'll notice the large Cinder Warehouses are "floating" slightly too- this is a very easy fix. Little things like oil drum/fences/sign posts are ALL still to come... 

Ok guys, I hope you liked this update and I'd love to hear any feedback you might have. 

It's probably going to be a LONG time again before I get the chance to work on this, but I'll try to find time when I can.