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| Thread: New Heroes V Artwork! |  This thread is pages long: 1 2 3 · NEXT» |
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Asmodean
Responsible
Supreme Hero
Heroine at the weekend.
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posted May 25, 2004 05:39 PM |
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New Heroes V Artwork!
A water wheel structure. Bit cartoony to me. Maybe it won't look so bad when it's animated though - give it a chance.
Probably a life unit. Looks cool to me. A bit more serious than some of the others we've seen. The pic's url calls it a Footman, so is it replacing the pikemen or the crusaders do you think? Or is it something from another town perhaps?
What's with this? Very placid looking.
So are these two 3D views of the same battlefield?
How do you think the wall will differ fom the trees as far as line of sight spells/archery are concerned?
I'd like to see a view of a sandy/volcanic battlefield to compare. To me this looks like an amateur horizon painting. Must get better!!
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To err is human, to arr is pirate.
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The-Filth
Very dead
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posted May 25, 2004 07:09 PM |
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The most interesting pictures here are those of the landscape or arena as the url says. This arena makes me think of a battlefield, so it will be interesting to learn more about it.
The 2 pics looks like they are from the same place, and in 2 different views. This might mean that we get at least 2 different views of the battlefield in the game, and that i like. Since they are preliminary artwork i dont expect to get high quality artwork. I think they are made with the purpose to show us a tiny bit of what we might expect from the possible battlefield. And to give a hint of what style they are thinking about conserning the artwork it self and the feel of the battlefield artwork. At this early state of development the art work we have seen is cartoonish and the 2 pics of landscape just adds to that cartoonish feel. To me the landscape pics and all other pics seem to be made by the same artist(s) since all the artwork looks fairly similar in style, texture and the general feeling i get from them. I must say that the feeling i get from the pics are mixed. I feel that the artwork it self at this early state is good and that i know it will be better as a finished product. But at the same time i think; is this artwork we have seen, Homm artwork? Will it become Homm artwork with the finished product? I guess these thoughts are normal, but i worry a bit. All the artwork we have seen is good, but i need some more convincing before i can fully accept it as Homm artwork.
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I Think. Therefore I'm Damned
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Angelspit
Famous Hero
Warrior of the Heavens
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posted May 25, 2004 08:41 PM |
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This is how I feel today...
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Asmodean
Responsible
Supreme Hero
Heroine at the weekend.
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posted May 25, 2004 08:49 PM |
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Cool. I like it Angelspit.
But what do you think about the artwork?
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To err is human, to arr is pirate.
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Angelspit
Famous Hero
Warrior of the Heavens
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posted May 25, 2004 09:14 PM |
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All in all I like it. The cartoon look and feel is a good thing. I see it as a kind of hommage to the old Heroes games (1&2). It should help the Heroes series to stand out from the other strategy franchises.
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Celfious
Promising
Legendary Hero
From earth
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posted May 25, 2004 09:47 PM |
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yes, homm4 is like, bland appearance to me.
If that guy is a footman, I sort of see why, those are awfuly big feet man.. It's all in the animated thing. I cant wait to see how they move around, walk, and everything.
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What are you up to
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drlucifer
Adventuring Hero
The Surgeon of Death
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posted May 25, 2004 10:01 PM |
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The two landscapes are definetly of the same battlefield- the second shot is taken from the gap in the wall in the first shot.
Does this mean battle will be cartoony but be in 3D?
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Doctors are not necessarily your friends.
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Asmodean
Responsible
Supreme Hero
Heroine at the weekend.
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posted May 25, 2004 10:07 PM |
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It definetly suggests that zooming in/out will play a part in the battle screen, though whether it's just for different views or if it will play a pivotal role in how battles are resolved will have to be left unsanswered until we see actual screenshots.
But one more previous HOMM element looks to be certain - the weekly resurce mine.
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To err is human, to arr is pirate.
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The-Filth
Very dead
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posted May 25, 2004 11:11 PM |
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Quote:
Does this mean battle will be cartoony but be in 3D?
Keep in mind that these are preliminary sketches. So even if the artwork at this state is cartoonish, it doesnt mean that it will be like that in the actual game. However it sertainly seems like they are going for cartoon style, not only because how the artwork is colored, but also because of the shape of things that gives me that cartoon feel.
I welcome this change to more cartoonish style in the game. Homm 4 was awful and plain boring with its wannabe shiny realism. Homm 2 and 3 was much better, and it seems Homm 5 is heading somewhere in that direction.
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I Think. Therefore I'm Damned
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Svarog
Honorable
Supreme Hero
statue-loving necrophiliac
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posted May 26, 2004 03:27 AM |
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Quote:
Homm 4 was awful and plain boring with its wannabe shiny realism. Homm 2 and 3 was much better, and it seems Homm 5 is heading somewhere in that direction.
Strange. It appeared to me that homm4 was more cartoonish than homm3.
About this pics. They are acceptable (as far as I can visualize them as finished products), but I only hope the colors won't be that strong.
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The meek shall inherit the earth, but NOT its mineral rights.
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Svetac
Promising
Known Hero
Saintified Paladin
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posted May 26, 2004 10:42 AM |
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Quote:
Strange. It appeared to me that homm4 was more cartoonish than homm3.
About this pics. They are acceptable (as far as I can visualize them as finished products), but I only hope the colors won't be that strong.
I must disagree with you Svarog. Heroes 4 artwork was moved towards realism. And the art style of the IV lost the charm of the previous graphics in the series. I think that UBI is wall aware that the art style of the original Heroes games is one of the core elements of the series, and I'm really glad too see not only that they're bringing it back, but also that they're improving it.
I see that very few of the members here have seen the concept art of Heroes 3. In that case, they should know that the concept art that UBI is producing for Heroes 5 is far more serious and proffesional that any previous concept arts done by NWC/3DO. And I take this as good sign.
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--- Paladin of the Macedon ---
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Planeswalker
Famous Hero
Chaotic Good
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posted May 26, 2004 11:02 AM |
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The soldier looked good, actually, but the battlefield did not! It looked like a scene from a cartoon - if they put Pikachu in then the scene would be complete.
They need to make it more "alive".
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Like 2D RPGs? Download Everestia! everestiagame.com
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ThE_HyDrA
Admirable
Famous Hero
The Leader of all Hydras
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posted May 26, 2004 11:10 AM |
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New Artwork
Firstly, thanks to Max_Apes who first brought these pictures to light in the community in my Heroes V Overview at the top of the page. (Yes, even before Celestial Heavens this time, Angelspit) 
On topic with the discussion here:
All artwork presented here by the Ubisoft team seems to be in much the same vibe as its previous concept drawings, apart from one new style, and I'm sure you know which one I mean. This is continuing the trend of a move away from the NWC style of medieval and drawings based on paintings of the era to a more modern and lively feel not seen in Heroes games after and including Heroes III. There is one major qualm I have with this new style though. It separates itself to much from the classical and traditional works of NWC.
This comment is directed at Svetac here; I'm sure people would have seen concept art for Heroes III, and even for II and I, seeing as it was printed on pages of the manual, and they were hard to miss. While these were not in colour, it is easy to see the difference between the two styles. Myself, I much prefer the artistic style of the artists at NWC. The art by Ubisoft is delving more and more into the style of today's gaming world, derived from European and Japanese comic books, not from the traditional view of such structures and creatures. This, in my mind, does not reflect the style of the Heroes Series, and I am optimistically hoping that this will be changed, or at least revised slightly when they convert it into sprites. (Which, I imagine, they have already started doing).
On to a more specific analysis of the sketches:
Water Wheel
While it does say Water_Whell as the url name, I take it they mean Water Wheel, since I assume French peoples' first language is not English.
Again, this style is similar to the other drawings, especially the Alchemists lab. The white wall and the red roof does not seem typical of the era, and is the obvious difference between NWC's version in previous games.
When I first saw the picture, I immediately thought of the 'Worms' game, and how their buildings and art looked. This suggests a more cartoony feel than the other Heroes games, which is good, to an extent, but should not go too far, because Heroes II was similar, but it was colourful and realistic, which, in my opinion, is the epitamy of the series.
Footman
This is in much the same vibe as the archer. While the feet aren't as big this time, they still do have that imposing presence. The element that I noticed moreso than last time was the size of the head - very small, even with a helm on. I wonder how small it would look without the headgear? On a 3D battlefield, the footsoldier would look rather irregular, and stylised creatures weren't a trademark (or even employed) by NWC.
Arena - Battlefield
This is the new style of image. It looks simple enough, though there aren't any obvious undulations, which would be a loss in the battlefield from the isometric depressions in the Heroes IV battlefield.
The thing that disturbs me about this painting is its catering for ordinary sized humans. There is a wall, which appears, in context, no more than 3 or 4 feet high, and probably used as a barrier or outpost for archer and ranged attackers to launch there arrows - not seen in Heroes IV, and in the vibe of my Interactive Landscape idea. The problem here lies in its capacity to be a wall, if anything, when compared to the much more immense creatures like Dragons, Titans, and other high level creatures. This wall is well suited to humans, but when it comes to creatures, I see it offering little resistance. If the wall was situated atop a hill, it would make much more sense.
Again, we must remind ourselves, as The-Filth has done, that these are preliminary sketches, and should not be perceived as images that will be copied into the game, verbatim. That is why there is hope for those who do not like this art style as much as NWC's.
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"Dragons may breathe fire, but Hydras have many heads." - The Creed of Hydras
"As the Dragon drew its breath, the Hydra pounced, swiftly but powerfully, and the Dragon was defeated.”
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The-Filth
Very dead
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posted May 26, 2004 02:02 PM |
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We must remeber that NWC isn't making this game. UBI is. And because of that we must accept that the artwork from UBI is different from the artwork NWC made for the series. UBI must have the freedom to do sertain things their own way, such as the artwork.
While nwc focused on more medieval style for the artwork, it seems that UBI is going for a more modern fantasy look. This might not be a bad thing for them to do since it may attract a new audience of players. But for some hardcore Homm players this new style will be blasphemic or in my case a little worrying. But i know one thing for sure; i dont wanna see a Homm 5 look like Homm 4. I want Homm 5 to move towards the look and charm of Homm 2-3, and improve further on that tradition.
Even if i worry a bit, it seems they are well on their way. But since i dont like nasty angels and humans, it is hard for me to be too positive. When i see the Undead artwork in all their rotting glory i think i'll be able to be more positive(, or more nagative)
But all in all i like the artwork so far, and i guess we will get more artwork that i like.
And Svetac. You are right about the concept art for the other Homm games. I dont have them by hand right now, but i recall that they verent much to brag about. UBI has done a better job than NWC conserning the consept art so far. Ps. do u know where i can find the consept art for the earlier Homm games on the web? I didnt find any on your CH site. maybe you could post it there so we can compare NWC consept art with UBI consept art.?
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I Think. Therefore I'm Damned
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Asmodean
Responsible
Supreme Hero
Heroine at the weekend.
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posted May 26, 2004 02:15 PM |
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BTW - I saw MuadDib online earlier and he was checking out this thread.
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To err is human, to arr is pirate.
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Svarog
Honorable
Supreme Hero
statue-loving necrophiliac
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posted May 26, 2004 02:33 PM |
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Quote:
This comment is directed at Svetac here; I'm sure people would have seen concept art for Heroes III, and even for II and I, seeing as it was printed on pages of the manual, and they were hard to miss.
Heh. Knowing how the market works where he and I come from, it's not likely that he even thought about it. Perhaps he doesn't even know that the concept art was in the manual; the simple fact that there are few original games here and exactly the same number of manuals. 
Quote:
I must disagree with you Svarog. Heroes 4 artwork was moved towards realism. And the art style of the IV lost the charm of the previous graphics in the series.
Perhaps I didn't clarify myself enough back there. Heroes4 artwork as a whole was moved towards realism, agreed. However, the result of it were structures that had little in common with realism, funny buildings, strong colors, odd-lookiing creatures, in one word like the whole world of Barbie dolls had become real. Like strange plastic toys. At least that's my imression.
About heroes3, entirely different story. There were two major artstyles: the creatures and town screens as the first, and the adventure map as the second. The first one was very realistic and I loved it. It was exactly the opposite of homm4's artstyle. They looked pretty realistic as designings, although you could tell that ther were drawn by an artist. The adventure map artstyle was very simplified, with strong colors; like the one we see on medieval treasure maps (only in color). Wasn't my favourite though.
Heroes5 artstyle is a different story. I think it'll be like nothing seen so far. From what I can tell, it will resemble mostly to Warcraft3, which doesn't make me especially happy. I was hoping more for similarities with the Age of Mythology artstyle, but then again, nobody asked me, so I'll just shut up and buy whatever they make.
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The meek shall inherit the earth, but NOT its mineral rights.
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The-Filth
Very dead
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posted May 26, 2004 05:51 PM |
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[quotePerhaps I didn't clarify myself enough back there. Heroes4 artwork as a whole was moved towards realism, agreed. However, the result of it were structures that had little in common with realism, funny buildings, strong colors, odd-lookiing creatures, in one word like the whole world of Barbie dolls had become real. Like strange plastic toys. At least that's my imression.
Yes, strange plastic toys is my impression of the homm4 artwork too. If Homm 5 will be different from that, i will be happy with almost anything, as long as it is the work of professionals. And so far i am quite happy with the consept artwork from ubi.
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I Think. Therefore I'm Damned
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Svetac
Promising
Known Hero
Saintified Paladin
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posted May 26, 2004 06:14 PM |
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Quote:
Heh. Knowing how the market works where he and I come from, it's not likely that he even thought about it. Perhaps he doesn't even know that the concept art was in the manual; the simple fact that there are few original games here and exactly the same number of manuals.
Quote:
I must disagree with you Svarog. Heroes 4 artwork was moved towards realism. And the art style of the IV lost the charm of the previous graphics in the series.
Well, luckily I am one of the few proud owners of original Heroes games  Yes, as Svarog said, the economical stanrad here doesn't allow us to buy original games. And even if one want to buy original game, he must obtain it from Greece. But coouldn't afford not to have original copies of my favourite game of all times, so I bought Heroes 2 and 3.
Quote:
Perhaps I didn't clarify myself enough back there. Heroes4 artwork as a whole was moved towards realism, agreed. However, the result of it were structures that had little in common with realism, funny buildings, strong colors, odd-lookiing creatures, in one word like the whole world of Barbie dolls had become real. Like strange plastic toys. At least that's my imression.
I understand now. When I was talking about the realism in H4 I had in mind only the creatures. And that bothered me, because the creatures in the earlier Heroes games (especially in 1 & 2) reminded me of the orthodox fresco paintings. Heroes 3 departed from that style, and Heroes 4 lost it completely. But as of the buildings, you are right, they were fantasy. As of the strong colours, they tried to bring back the colorfullness of H2 back, but this time they did it with different art tools - H2 was hand drawn (pixelized) 2D graphics, while H3 and especially H4 used rendered 3D objects converted into 2D sprites. That's why H4 looked so plastic.
Quote:
Heroes5 artstyle is a different story. I think it'll be like nothing seen so far. From what I can tell, it will resemble mostly to Warcraft3, which doesn't make me especially happy. I was hoping more for similarities with the Age of Mythology artstyle, but then again, nobody asked me, so I'll just shut up and buy whatever they make.
Yes, the new art will be original and completely new to the series. You're right, the style will be similar to WC3, but I don't think it will be cartoonish to that extent. I mean WC3 is very similar to the Disney art style, with exhagareted movements.
Well, we can asume this or that, but we can't give proper comments until we see the 3D models. And I think they will be toned down versions of the concept characters, and will be closer to the more "real" looking creatures of previous Heroes games.
Quote:
...but then again, nobody asked me, so I'll just shut up and buy whatever they make.
I coulnd't put it better myself, so instead of retyping it I'll just quote it
To Filth:
I'll try to find the concept art of previous heroes games. I hope they are stored somewhere.
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--- Paladin of the Macedon ---
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Daddy
Responsible
Supreme Hero
and why not.
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posted May 26, 2004 06:25 PM |
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They look pretty good.
@ "cartoonish": Well, have you ever seen the Warcraft III Artwork? It looks like this style, but the game itself did not get that cartoonish, so we still got hope 
regards
Daddy
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The-Filth
Very dead
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posted May 26, 2004 07:27 PM |
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Quote:
Well, we can asume this or that, but we can't give proper comments until we see the 3D models. And I think they will be toned down versions of the concept characters, and will be closer to the more "real" looking creatures of previous Heroes games.
I think you are right about this. Consept art and in-game art will most of the time be different from each other in some sort of way.
The in-game characters and the rest of the artwork will in the game come together to make a whole product. So if sertain characters and buildings from the consept art seems strange and not in the spirit of Homm now, it may just happen that when all the pieces are put together in the final product, we get a great looking and fun to play game afterall.
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I Think. Therefore I'm Damned
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