Curse

Longasc · Feb 29, 2008, 11:51 AM // 11:51

I stumbled upon some concept art pics in various threads here and on other forums.

Some make me cry how things were implemented ingame, rather unspectacular in comparison to the original art.

Also many of the creatures were cut down to fit the existing skeletons. Maybe ANet needs some more 3d modelers/animators to keep up with the creativity of their fine artists?

It is so sad to see how much potential gets "lost in translation" to GW!

See this thread at conceptart.org:

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/sho...=108591&page=1

And some more examples of golems and destroyer/tannek weapons:

We got only the most generic model. It probably fit an existing 3d skeleton the most.

These destroyer weapons actually look good. The sword is a shame ingame, while the axe looks even a bit better. The Wand and Focus are much more fiery.

RTSFirebat · Feb 29, 2008, 11:55 AM // 11:55

The bow still looks like a bitter disappointment, just like its in-game counterpart.

distilledwill · Feb 29, 2008, 02:29 PM // 14:29

All that concept art is so full of motion and emotion. It seems to be bursting with life and drama.

I think that is what is missing in game, I wish GW was a bit more gritty. Id like to have an attachment to characters and be interested in how their stories progress, most of the GW content feels a little too.. static.

I dunno how else to describe it. anyone else feel this?

Celestial_Kitsune · Feb 29, 2008, 02:54 PM // 14:54

Yup, many great things are lost in translation or changed by developer's "vision".

Lyssa

Melandru

Art by Kekai Kotaki

shru · Feb 29, 2008, 03:21 PM // 15:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Celestial_Kitsune

Art by Kekai Kotaki

These pictures are quite simply amazing. I'm not sure if they can't transfer art like this into the game due to time constraints, or actual limitations on the server, but the amount of potential here is just breath taking. I realy hope GW2 can bring to life the sort of edginess the concept artists capture so well

zwei2stein · Feb 29, 2008, 03:26 PM // 15:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Celestial_Kitsune

Yup, many great things are lost in translation or changed by developer's "vision".

Lyssa

Melandru

Art by Kekai Kotaki

Oh my freaking god, they are beautiful.

Shame we we got alien-looking tree weirdo and robed weird statue instead

papryk · Feb 29, 2008, 03:32 PM // 15:32

wow the Chronomancer looks great

Jecht Scye · Feb 29, 2008, 03:51 PM // 15:51

In my Art 101 class in my University we had to write a paper about artwork from a certain artise. I chose Kotaki's art because it was just so amazing what kind of different ideas he could display. I wish I had 10% of the creativity these Guildwars Concept artists have.

Pleikki · Feb 29, 2008, 04:24 PM // 16:24

YEah offhand and wand looks awesome there not so good ingame .

Skyy High · Feb 29, 2008, 05:03 PM // 17:03

The golem pic in the OP is in the PCGamer article; I believe it's referenced in the section for GW2. So...maybe since we only got up to G.O.L.E.M 2.0 in GW:EN, in 200 years they'll be at version 10.0 or something, and we'll have all of those models. Maybe.

lyra_song · Feb 29, 2008, 05:16 PM // 17:16

I wish people would stop using concept art as a mean of bashing the game.

Going from concept to final is a complicated process.

A concept is exactly that A CONCEPT. its an idea. its a visualization.

Someone said, What if we did this, what would it look like?

All a concept does is provide INSPIRATION for the in game artists. It gives them the proper emotion, or adjective that they need to capture.

Until a drawing moves from concept to FINAL design, its completely disposable.

Many many many things change from a concept, wether its technical issues, time constraints, or simply clash of ideas, or trimming down ideas, or cleaning up ideas.

You do a revision, and then you send it for approval, then they send it back for more revisions.

Ultimately its the art director or lead designer who controls what the final look of everything should be. If one piece seems out of place, it will be changed or removed.

Snow Bunny · Feb 29, 2008, 05:18 PM // 17:18

Most concept art looks better than what we actually got.

It's odd how every company fails that way, 'cept for Blizzard with SC

Shadowmere · Feb 29, 2008, 05:23 PM // 17:23

The Golem concepts are amazing, while I can understand them only putting one ingame it would've been nice to have the the G.O.L.E.M. project Golems look a bit different from the mundane worker Golems we see everywhere in Oola's lab.

All the concept art for GW is amazing, anyone know if there's more books with it? I recently picked up Nightfall Collectors and am in love with the concept art book it came with.

Aba · Feb 29, 2008, 05:56 PM // 17:56

Always been a huge fan of the concept art, simple amazing
even if the destroyer weapons are kinda fugly

enxa · Feb 29, 2008, 06:41 PM // 18:41

Some stuff is just stunning in static 2d, but you have to realize its a completly different thing with 3d + animation.

Maybe 20 years from now computers could handle such detail. Today, it all just has to be trimmed down. Its sad, but thats how it is.

Fox Reeveheart · Mar 01, 2008, 06:33 AM // 06:33

Holy Cow The Chronomancer Is Beautiful O_o

Anet! Make One More Campaign Before Gw2!!! Do It Now! Even If Its Just That One Class >.> That Is Just Sickeningly Sweet!

eeks · Mar 01, 2008, 07:41 AM // 07:41

That phallic-monster in Kakai's artwork always terrified me.

Anyhow, for what they failed to translate in-game with monster/character models, they did quite nicely in landscape design.

Bryant Again · Mar 01, 2008, 08:12 AM // 08:12

Concept art is always going to look better than an in-game render. Always!

Sha Noran · Mar 01, 2008, 08:38 AM // 08:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bryant Again

Concept art is always going to look better than an in-game render. Always!

Exactly. This is not a uniquely Guild Wars issue, this is how it is in almost every game. That's all there is to say about it really. =/

Kakumei · Mar 01, 2008, 08:50 AM // 08:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Celestial_Kitsune

I can't help but notice how...old Lyssa looks in this picture. Her breasts are so saggy. :\

Regardless, yes, concept art is beautiful. It's a vastly difficult task to make models as beautiful as 2D art.