Dear Insane Children,
Omri sent over a concept image capturing some initial thoughts on the Chess Realm. As discussed in a previous post, this realm is a mix of Chaos and Order. The inhabitants of this realm embrace the natural relationship between these two elements and their realm reflects that decision throughout.
Of this concept, Omri writes:
We said that Depression is gray but i don’t see it.
This of this image in a “color scheme” and vibe right now, it’s very drafty.
I think everything- black OR white with red edges, every material or black or white. the red comes from infection that inserted itself into everything but beautifully. everything can come in black or white btw, every model/material here should come black and white. balance!
Think of the light as sparse, the cubes are examples although i like them. like the whole sky was beautiful and light but now there’s maybe 2 cubes here and there, very dark, very black. i think this is far more interesting and a look we never explored.
In response I wrote:
The most immediate detail that catches my eye and drives my imagination is the way you’ve represented the space with a “sky” and a “beneath” (The Deep) and filled that space with Chaos. I really like the idea of the white spaces on the board (sky) emitting light.
There’s something about this which captures both a “heaven above” concept and an “ocean’s deep” motif. Both are great and both reflect the notion of an existence in which Chaos and Order work side by side. Perfect.
One more thought evoked by this image… the notion of a Chess Board as a thing of orderly black and white spaces… but under the board lurks the Chaos of all the possible moves in a given game.
I had not imagined the Chaos (tentacles) being such a dominate aspect of the environment but now that I’ve seen them in this fashion, I think it works. One thought… try to avoid having it look like the Chaos has “overrun” or otherwise conquered this realm. That’s not the idea – it’s meant to be a symbiotic and healthy intermingling.
Maybe those overhead tiles can move slowly across the sky like clouds? And please keep in mind the idea of this realm also being broken (cleanly) into lots of separately floating islands. In this case, each island might be its own “game” – with its own duplicate set of characters (chess pieces). Some games more rational (orderly) than others (more chaotic).
Looking forward to more iterations on this theme!
Let us know in the COMMENTS below what you think. Like the look of the Chess Realm? What other details do you think might be added to improve the connection to the theme?
Omri also sends over an iteration on the Mock Turtle / Manipulator Boss from inside The Moon scene. Of this he says:
I wanted to solve in my mind the Boss look first, I kept thinking on what will work not only visually but mentally and i had a feeling i need to merge the hell out of the Manipulators into one large “animal bug” and i think that for the real life boss platform this look works! it needs proper rendering but i think it works! hope you both agree that for the “real boss”, it works!
Mix this large beast with waves of enemies and it’s fun and i think can be a really good boss.
Again, let us know in the comments below what you think!
Omri also sent over (busy Omri!) this image illustrating the adjustments needed to make Roman’s 3D model look more like Joey’s 2D concept illustration. These are in line with the comments provided by our Insane Children but it’s good to have it visualized.
Roman is working on these adjustments and also on a first draft of the Ash Dress.
I’m hoping we’ll have some progress to check out by the time of this week’s Live Stream.
Live Streams and Recordings
Most of you are aware by now… we are using Twitch as our primary Live Stream Platform.
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If you happen to miss a Live Stream on Twitch – no fear! – you can still watch the recording of it over on my YouTube Channel:
www.youtube.com/americanmcgeeofficial
Another variation on the Boss we’ll encounter in The Moon.
Let us know in the COMMENTS below – do you prefer this one or the one (above) with Mock Turtle riding on its back?
Shameless Marketing and Child Exploitation
I know I said I’d avoid posting about Mysterious stuff but this Tapestry is so cool … I’ll feel bad if any Insane Children learn about it too late…
This is Lucky sitting on a large and beautifully printed “Red Cheshire” Tapestry Print (art by Alex Crowley). This tapestry print is included in a Jewelry Set put together by Yan and offered during July over on Mysterious. If you’re interested in owning one of these tapestries, CLICK HERE. (Lucky not included).
From Shanghai with Lucky,
-American (ba ba ba)