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Description
***Since dA is being the wonderful thing that it is, click download for full view***

This is a pseudo mock-up of CattleChess, a game that I'm not really sure we'll actually get around to making, but it served its purpose as catalysing me to work on these graphics which will eventually be used in a much larger project, CowPG (a flash/browser RPG where you take on the role of psychokinetic, telepathic cows). All the 'pieces' on this chess board will serve as either monsters or NPC's, so there was a hidden purpose behind the odd choice of characters.

In addition, I kind of wanted to finish it up to use it in my portfolio for college application into a game design program (since most of the other work I'm putting in the portfolio is quite dated, I wanted something fresh).

As for the concept of CattleChess itself, the idea was along the lines of you move the pieces, and they attack whatever piece they're capturing. 'Player 1 and 2' are just placeholders for where your actual input name would go, and the golden marker thing would sit and bob up and down indicating whose turn it was. If the player was in check, the piece would turn silver and flash (as indicated by pieces on the bottom). Lost pieces turn to stone and are transferred to the pedestals at the top (and the stone pieces are also at the bottom). Theoretically the king piece could be selectable from a number of variants at the start of the game to act as the avatar, but for this instance I just used the farmer (well, they look more like old west gunslingers from their colouring, but the original sprite has blue overalls and a red shirt).

By the by, this is my first actual new piece in a long time, so C&C is welcome (and more likely to actually be taken seriously, relative to suggestions on something I'd made over a year ago).

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To answer some questions I've already received elsewhere:

The cat is flying because it is time cat/kitten. Floating helper of cow.

The "ratfish" is actually called fishraht, related to fishmaus (which are a smaller, more docile quadruped variety). Though fish part is somewhat of a misnomer, because they are still mammals, and have more in common with dolphins or other cetaceans.

Robot is there because he is a robotic farmhand who helps you by growing things for you on your farm. He has a tear in his eye because while he can grow all sorts of delicious fruits and vegetables, he is only programmed to eat potatoes.

Cows have their heads lowered because your weapons in game for most classes are things mounted on your back (flintlock rifles, spears, staves). Having tested a few mounted weapons, the head raised up doesn't work at all.

Ranks were decided as follows:
-Chickenblobs serve as low level fodder monsters in CowPG, hence pawns.
-Robot is very stiff and mechanical, hence rook
-Fishraht is aggressive and lively, so a knight.
-Cows in CowPG are telepathic and psychokinetic (giving them magic-like capability), so bishop.
-Time Cat is queen because he's an important character, and wields powers beyond your comprehension, so queen seemed like a good idea at the time. There's only one of him, compared to cow which could also suit this role, but there are many adventurer cows.
-And farmer/person is of course an avatar of the player, and far more helpless than any of the other high units.

Description
***Since dA is being the wonderful thing that it is, click download for full view***

This is a pseudo mock-up of CattleChess, a game that I'm not really sure we'll actually get around to making, but it served its purpose as catalysing me to work on these graphics which will eventually be used in a much larger project, CowPG (a flash/browser RPG where you take on the role of psychokinetic, telepathic cows). All the 'pieces' on this chess board will serve as either monsters or NPC's, so there was a hidden purpose behind the odd choice of characters.

In addition, I kind of wanted to finish it up to use it in my portfolio for college application into a game design program (since most of the other work I'm putting in the portfolio is quite dated, I wanted something fresh).

As for the concept of CattleChess itself, the idea was along the lines of you move the pieces, and they attack whatever piece they're capturing. 'Player 1 and 2' are just placeholders for where your actual input name would go, and the golden marker thing would sit and bob up and down indicating whose turn it was. If the player was in check, the piece would turn silver and flash (as indicated by pieces on the bottom). Lost pieces turn to stone and are transferred to the pedestals at the top (and the stone pieces are also at the bottom). Theoretically the king piece could be selectable from a number of variants at the start of the game to act as the avatar, but for this instance I just used the farmer (well, they look more like old west gunslingers from their colouring, but the original sprite has blue overalls and a red shirt).

By the by, this is my first actual new piece in a long time, so C&C is welcome (and more likely to actually be taken seriously, relative to suggestions on something I'd made over a year ago).

------------------------

To answer some questions I've already received elsewhere:

The cat is flying because it is time cat/kitten. Floating helper of cow.

The "ratfish" is actually called fishraht, related to fishmaus (which are a smaller, more docile quadruped variety). Though fish part is somewhat of a misnomer, because they are still mammals, and have more in common with dolphins or other cetaceans.

Robot is there because he is a robotic farmhand who helps you by growing things for you on your farm. He has a tear in his eye because while he can grow all sorts of delicious fruits and vegetables, he is only programmed to eat potatoes.

Cows have their heads lowered because your weapons in game for most classes are things mounted on your back (flintlock rifles, spears, staves). Having tested a few mounted weapons, the head raised up doesn't work at all.

Ranks were decided as follows:
-Chickenblobs serve as low level fodder monsters in CowPG, hence pawns.
-Robot is very stiff and mechanical, hence rook
-Fishraht is aggressive and lively, so a knight.
-Cows in CowPG are telepathic and psychokinetic (giving them magic-like capability), so bishop.
-Time Cat is queen because he's an important character, and wields powers beyond your comprehension, so queen seemed like a good idea at the time. There's only one of him, compared to cow which could also suit this role, but there are many adventurer cows.
-And farmer/person is of course an avatar of the player, and far more helpless than any of the other high units.