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pixelsaurus — Circle of Thorns
Published: 2011-11-18 08:44:48 +0000 UTC; Views: 2474; Favourites: 27; Downloads: 46
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Description
As seen in the pages of PC Gamer magazine and our own Ustream casts, this is the Circle of Thorns concept I created as part of COH FREEDOM.Whether or not you liked the original version of the group, they had a few artistic issues to overcome, including lowres textures from 2004 and a high degree of repetition among enemy types. And subjectively, they also had a "low-rent" and unthreatening sort of vibe, which might work for a low level villain group but becomes increasingly problematic as one's level goes up.
This new take cast the group as significantly better equipped and more formally dressed. ...and also more dangerous. 'Circle' and 'thorn' motifs abound, and the old burlap/plain cloth has given way to intimidating pointed forms throughout. Luxurious, textural fabrics (patterned snakeskin and dense filigree) befitting a group of high-powered mages help to complete the visual, and we can tell at a glance that the Circle has evolved into a bigger threat.
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Comments: 28
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I still think that the low level Thorns should use the old costumes. Why would entry level thorns get the same gear as the experienced high level thorns.
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I like this costume set a lot and it looked good when you saw it in game and in motion. The screen shots did not do them justice imo, and I think that was what created a lot of controversy. The bosses looks especally cool and are the ones who needed rewamping the most.
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Especially since the screens shown on the forums were of unfinished art and NOT official anyway. People got oddly hot and bothered before any final assets were shown--not sure why that happened this time. Typically, our player base is pretty cool and trusts us to make cool stuff without flipping out, so I can't account for it.
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It is because it was a change, remember all the complaints about Concil overthrowing the collum even though the concil is cooler. People in game seems cool with the new look though.
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In game, I think they look great. 
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looking at this again I can't help but think about not only what we didn't get, but how much of this boss artwork also didn't make it. like the new staffs for both Lt.s and bosses or how the skirt was actually going to ride up a bit higher on the hips and the belt would have hung low.
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That's entirely normal for these sorts of things. Character artists only have a certain number of days to execute on a given project, and there's rarely time to do EVERYTHING. As for the skirt, that's just a matter of us wanting to make the parts available for players. There's a waist seam on the player model that makes such a skirt impossible. If we'd made the part for NPCs only, no problem, but then you wouldn't have gotten any of the parts.
Recently, we've shifted over to a new concept pipeline where I only draw things that are actually going into the set. So eventually, you'll notice less and less of a discrepancy between concept and final 3D assets.
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I understand in the end. I mean it's not like you can just magically wave your hand and BAM! concept art becomes perfect 3d models with animation.
Though it does always feel a bit-... I'm not sure what's the word, but it feels like that to realize just how much of this sort of thing ends falling wayside.
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Which is why the new pipeline makes so much sense. This way, I don't have to draw the item unless it's actually going into the game, and players don't have to long for things that got cut. The Fire & Ice concept we showed at the Player Summit is one where we expect EVERYTHING shown to make it into the the game.
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I'm looking forward to Elemental order, I do kind of hope there's a glowless option for it, but otherwise it looks like it'll be sweet for formal military wear.
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No glowless option that I'm aware of, but you can could try tinting it black to essentially eliminate the effect.
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Well there's that, either way it looks kickass.
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Cool. I'll pass that along to Bill and Eric!
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Please get them to change the Death Mages to that....NOT black/grey and pink. There is no point doing a 'threatening' redesign and then having someone screw up on the colour-balance side of things. Ruin Mages suffer from this too; garish orange/yellow clashing with blue only offends in an artistic way.
I also still don't get why they have modern heels and soles to the 'shoes' they have. It kind of breaks from the whole 'ancient magical threat' vibe.
That said, I do love these drawings, and the actual results grew on me more than I had expected. The decision to change them back to having face-less style hoods was a good one; it was a key part of the CoT look.
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I still wonder why so many pieces got held back in the end.
Not helped that Positron's own response seemed to imply none of you guys were told why either.
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I don't know the answer to that one, but they must've had their reasons.
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I don't doubt it, I'm just wondering who's reasons.
I mean your a leader artist and don't know, positron apparently didn't know, and it doesn't sound like Marketing's department. So it all just becomes a weird game of Clue.
(It was Jay, in the Breakroom, with the rope!)
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Most likely, it was an Art Lead decision based on technical issues presented by the character artist. That's typically the case, but I'm only guessing.
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Holy crap that is amazingly awesome
CoT has always been my fave group as far as looks. The back piece on the boss is *ahem* "boss" lol.
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Thank you! I think a lot of the early COH designs are strong actually--Vazhilok, Nemesis, etc.
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So many great pieces we didn't get.
And yet, yeah. The CoT NEED concealed faces or they lose the right feel.
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Personally, I don't agree, but that's what Beta's for, right? We added the darkened faces based on forum feedback.
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Mm. I feel exposed human faces detract too much from the "body-hopping menaces" factor.
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Fair enough, and I agree with you, but I also think that it makes more sense for the BOSSES to embody that look. Previously, only the scrubs looked truly vacant and possessed, whereas all the bosses looked like the same old guy in the same pope hat over and over. I didn't find them scary at all (certainly not in comparison to the minions), and I feel like the signature, scary CoT void face works quite well on them. Where I may have miscalculated is that you see the bosses much less often than the minions, so in terms of actual numbers of enemies encountered, the reduction in void faces ends up being too extreme. In the end though, they all got that look back, and in a way, it's the best of both worlds: now everyone looks vacant and possessed, which works with the group's concept.
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Technically, IIRC, now the minions (which you see most of in theory) and the bosses have the "faceless" look, thus embodying both the "faceless horde" and the "faceless great evil" feels, while the LTs still (IIRC) have their faces visible, or at least half of it, driving home the fact these are ultimately stolen human bodies without plastering it all over the minions.
Best of both worlds IMO.
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