Lookin real good Erik, your style is solid and your character is really interesting. Not much to say from me, Im just excited to see the model. Will be a little challenging to capture all this in a pose haha.
DWIII - 3D - erik_j - Regent
system
#27
Hallö! 
Very nice concept you’ve got going. I like the fact that his power has a mind of its own, a sort of curse! I dont get how its an artifact really… You could just have it as it is and add som kind of artifact that is the source of his curse but also gives him powers… Im not sure i think his weapon(the big sword thingy) works well with him and his veggyfriend, i guess you’ll work more on most stuff so ill sit back for now and check it out as it developes! Good stuff!
Good luck!
-Niklas
jocz
#28
I really like your last drawings, It will be difficult to choose a “curse level” for your final modeling
IV V and VI are fantastic, but I and III are good too …
3D stuff now, go go go !
XP-58
#29
Hi! At last I got to visit your entry 
Got to warn you that I’m a noob, and as such processing my words through brain quality filter is a must.
My first word is … Wow~! The sketches and the lines hooked me in. The concept of the polycount dude got screwed is just great. Loved the idea of branches growing into caesarian crown, good utilization of cliche. Because it doesn’t have leaves it looks like Jesus’ thorns, but I also like it that way. Face is very expressive and I’d want to see the feel sustained in 3D. I also got reminded by your photos on how vegetation looks different on the other side of the globe
The clothing from waist down + 2 pairs of sword in the very first picture flash in my eyes. Got to admit that I’m a FAN of that kind of shape which somehow I found more on sf (this, this, this) although there’s this too. To me it denotes speed since everything is pointing backward and spreading. The big sword also looks speedy. Looks great especially on the first pose, though it’s not working on last pic no. V for example.
Last pic no. IV also strikes me. I just love the armor shape on the torso, hip, and pelvis. The flow is very nice. Doesn’t seem to have any hint of tree though (I know it’s because of the storyflow).
Anyway, about the -wow- thing you asked about: I do think that the polycount dude screwed up pic is really wow. Maybe you can implement this on the winning pose, turning it into a bit of diorama. Large amount of branching from the body covers much of the body’s design though. If for example, he’s standing and only his arm (or something) spread upwards into branches stabbing the polycount dude, you got the: ‘wow’, design, details on both thing, diorama, all of them in one shot. Looks better presentation wise, although more cliche stuff is going on. Not a good model for game production and it becomes more of a game art sculpture but well, the wow is there.
About the wow and balance thing, usually what happen in my mind is: plug 1 or 2 main design highlight(s) that has dominant silhouette + detail, then put secondary highlight(s) which is still a bit strong but less attracting away from the main one to balance. The rest, slap tertiary detail/highlight here and there to balance more and make the eyes travel around. Sounds kind of like composition on illustration but basically it is. May not work for everything and since this is devised by noob like me don’t just gulp it to the brain Somebody please crits me too if this is apparently wrong.
Sorry for the long post, especially in other people’s thread, but hope this can help. Great job so far! 
erik_j
#30
Martin, KP, ColdKodiak, viky70in: thanks!!
FrozZT: tack! well I was insecure about that from start but grew (höhöh) to really like the hawthorn idea so I’ll crashland this guy through any stern criterias on artifact (nothing says it has to be a fully separate or detachable object right? (tell me otherwise :U\))
about the swords idea is he’ll use them quite unrespectfully… hack a sword to bits against machines… toss, grab a new one, etc… I wanna draw on the strength he receives from the h.t. (which makes his muscles mega über) and so whatever he uses to swing about matters less as long as it’s sharp
jocz: yeah 3D already! x¨D I’m gonna start 3D tomorrow no lies! the level I’ll choose is probably around first illustration… so between VII and IX (IX: think more or less a tree… don’t have time to do more now… I get so nitpicky and slow down immensely)
here’s one of the throwaway stuff I did before I started (don’t say the bikini must get in there)
XP-58: Wow excellent commenting! those refs on waist"wings"(?) are really what I’m inspired by! (great gundam model! saved) I think I love that silhouette like you seem to do (your thumbnailing made me drool!) that last pic was really annoyingly similar to my dude! x¨P well… probably both inspired by samurai clothes where clothes lifted up by sheeths.
great suggestions on how to achieve a working presentation thanks! I really haven’t thought much about that yet. but I guess I’d be lame if I didn’t cram in a tetsuo:ish thorn-growth in the polybudget… thanks for the composition notes! great post!
so here's two steps more of the sequence towards tree.
[img]http://nim.pansarvagn.net/pub/pics/DominanceWarIII/nim%20%28erik_j%29%20-%20DWIII%20entry%20cand%201%20-%20Regent%20-%20Infestation%20sequence%20second%20half.jpg[/img]
I really like VIII now that I tried him with leaves on (had planned that from beginning but was too lazy to draw them in x¨)) they'll be dark blood red to denote the h.t.'s nourishing on the hosts blood :) sorry for the lame updates :> trying harder!
(idea: h.t. needs blood to do these outbreaks and that draws from guy so very costy to use up and would make him weak and floored if used excessively… level of blood at disposal in h.t. is shown by how red (full) vs black (empty) the leaves are… and the neat thing is if you find red-blooded enemies you can have h.t. have a refreshing drink :P… also h.t.'s strength which is based on blood level also reflects the Regent’s excessive vigor… so drained h.t. and he’s pretty much mortal with a heavy and stupid bush on his back… and for instance can’t use that big two-handed sword anymore (it’s a solid metal mold!))
if you'd like I'd love to hear vote on severed and hawthorn-replaced arm or not. :(/7
I was intending to avoid the power-arm trend but it seems like such a given choice for this guy.. atleast somewhere near end of game (or depending on how player plays).
inneractive
#31
I love your sketches. You have some great ideas in there. I’ll be keeping an eye out for more.
system
#33
Hellö again…
Now i understand your concept a bit better, silly of me not to have understod it before. I really like the idea you explained about him tossing and grabbig weapons as he goes along, maybe try to show stuff like that in some of your submissions. I think the hawthorns work well for me as an artifact, but in the judges eyes it might be a problem… I didnt mean you should scrap the h.t. idea, i really like it. You could simply add another object that could play as the origin of the curse/infection or something like that, maybe an item that gives a hint of control to an otherwise freeminded and deadly parasite. You could just leave it as it is, i think its really cool… VIII looks sweet! 
Kör hårt!
-Niklas
BloodTaster
#34
Fantastic concepts so far! I think you have a powerful character on you hands, keep it up your great job. Looking foward to see your model:bounce:
kinonato
#36
hey there, thanks for cheacking out my thread, i like your concept, tree/vagetation creature. very nice. i guess it grew weapon from its body, mine does:P best of luck!
erik_j
#37
my inactivity since last has been due to my mouse arm worsening so haven’t been able to use it at the comp kind of at all 
so no chance to finish in time I guess. pout
I’ve made a base mesh man with my left arm though (ctrl and alt on mouse side buttons ftw!)). you can grab the model if you like in my DWIII dump folder.
gonna buy that new logitech left hand mouse and get ambidextrous, so booya! (“first left hand mouse”?? how did left handed people get by without ergonomic 8btn mouses?)
it’s got teeth and stuff… it’s some ugly compromise between character-tweakable base mesh and riggable lowpoly I guess.
ScudzAlmighty
#38
dude,
really sorry to hear that:sad:
lefties have always been a little screwed in that dept. but that just means they work harder than the rest of us!
nice basmesh btw, slightly feminine but still a guy, and not in that Final Fantasy glam-rocker kinda way! i’m so gonna pretend i made this for my next model:twisted:
even if you don’t make it for the comp i hope you finish this guy anyway, it’s an awesome concept:thumbsup:
erik_j
#39
PS: I forgot to export obj in polys (roadkill had me export in tris last). overwrote file with poly version.
Scudz: thanks for the encouragement I’m going to finish him when my arm is less sucky
anyone feel free to do whatever with the model if it is useful in any way.
The_Flork
#40
haha aww man! I wasnt intrested in the plant talent at all, i thought how boring and lame, and then you come along and make it look so cool and fun that i wish i woulda done plant stuff hahaha
good work! those sketches are great! and i cant wait to see more of the modle!
XP-58
#41
The guy’s looking cool! I’m eager to see the finished model!
I certainly hope you can make it into deadline. How’s your hand? It’s not because of hand-arm working pose, is it? One time I got a friend who managed to get her hand swollen really fast just because of a wrong working pose …
Miqosis
#42
You gotta be kidding me. First of all I cannot believe I still hadn’t commented on this one yet. It is by far the thread I’ve been visiting the most of all the DWIII submissions…
but the thought that you won’t finish is bloody tragic. Have you considered just submitting it as a 2D entry? Your illustration skills sure seem to be enough to make that a viable option. Given the course that your designs have followed, the development of the concept and how well-planned his back story is (perhaps the best I’ve read in the forum and certainly the one that works best with the DWIII story structure) I’d hate to think of this one getting overlooked in the final 50.
Best of luck to you man, and don’t give up the ghost yet!!