December Discussion Topic: Artistic Direction of StarCraft II

[img width=650 height=137]http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/2715/dotmdecgr7.jpg[/img]​

As everyone has already seen, StarCraft II has brought the world of StarCraft into 3D and added many new units, landscapes, and effects that have never been seen before. On this journey of consistent artistic evolution, we have seen Warp Rays changed to escort ships, the infamous Carrier brought back into action, and even the Siege Tank get a makeover. There is still much left to this artistic journey and now is the community's chance to let us know what you love about StarCraft II visually and what you would change.


Community Questions for Fans:

* Do you like the new look of the landscapes?
* How does the Terran faction look visually?
* How does the Protoss faction look visually?
* Do you feel that SCII's art is more like SC or WCIII?
* How much cartooniness is necessary in the SC universe?
* How should the switch to 3d affect this universe's art?
* Do you like SCII's art style?
* What overall theme do you think fits the SC universe best (ie realistic, huge disproportionalities, etc)?

* Additional Feedback you would like to give

Each StarCraft II fansite will be featuring different types of questions, so be sure to also visit those sites. All of this feedback will be compiled and sent to the development and community team.

If your fansite would like to participate in these monthly discussions, feel free to email me at karune@blizzard.com.

Please structure feedback as follows:

-----

<question you'd like to answer>
<your answer>

<question you'd like to answer>
<your answer>

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We are looking forward to some great discussions about the StarCraft II visuals!

Source: http://www.battle.net/forums/thread.aspx?fn=sc2-general&t=178740&p=1&#post178740


Bonus 200 minerals for a News Post

 

* Do you like the new look of the landscapes?
I like the landscape, nothing really need to be change except maybe more detail
* How does the Terran faction look visually?
Everything is cool except for the Vikings and Ghost. Make the Viking more like the concept picture shown in the website and make the ghost black
* How does the Protoss faction look visually?
Immortals need more details

 

I never post here, only lurk, but I'd love to chime in on this one.

* Do you like the new look of the landscapes?
Do I like em? I love em. So far I think the landscapes are the most impressive part of Starcraft 2. That new white landscape you revealed with the Overlord in it looks incredible. People were originally criticizing the new jungle for being too bright, but I like that looks incredible too. Maybe include a "Badlands" type landscape to keep some of the grit to counter all the shine, if you are exploring that path.

* How does the Terran faction look visually?
Great! Just a few things:
1. Medic looks quite cartoony. If you can tone down that without taking away from its distinction, more power to you.
2. Ghost...numerous complaints about him being white and the antenna or whatever it is out of his backpack. I have to agree with these to a degree. Overall I think he looks pretty cool, but improvements could be made.
3. The Siege Tank....argh, still....still doesn't look quite right. Right now the siege tank looks more menacing when its in tank mode - its bigger and bulkier looking. The new Siege cannon was an improvement over the old one with lips, but the two prong 'laser-look' seemed like a step in the wrong direction to me. Not sure where to take its design though.
4. Reactor and Tech Lab...something about these goofy looking buildings hooked up to the *great* looking Barracks and Factory doesn't look right. They're way too cartoonish. Look like something out of the Protoss faction without some wires coming out of them to make them more Terranish.
5. Nomad - needs a complete redesign.

* How does the Protoss faction look visually?
Excellent. Particularly the look of the buildings. Just one thing - Zealots running animation - I didn't know Riverdance was coming to visit! Wow! (baaaaad)

* Additional Feedback you would like to give
Keep up the great work, and give us some Zerg. Then we'll really have something to gripe about :thumbup:

 

< Do you like the new look of the landscapes? >
< Yes the new landscapes are very intuitive and have many new things I have never seen before like my favorite the asteroids and planets moving with the screen in the gaps of space and also the new texture quality is beautiful. >

< How does the Protoss faction look visually? >
< The Protoss look a lot more futeristic than before and now hold the famed 'favorite looking armie' possition and I doubt that will change due to their new colors and shapes, the Protoss are naturally a 'rounded' and advanced species and should look the part and in the first one they had a lot of sharp edges and now they have few of those and are much better suiting thier role than ever before. I doubt you could make them better than they are now. >

 

* Do you like the new look of the landscapes?
I just LOVE the new landscapes! They are so awesome and realistic. I think that those
canyons that are replacing water are great! They give the game a depth and make it
look more real.

* How does the Terran faction look visually?
They are good, but a little blocky and too shiny. I have a feeling that the bases are
made of rubber or something. They look a little unreal. I think the new firebat is
too big. And I hate the shields that marines carry. You have to remove them.

* How does the Protoss faction look visually?
It looks great! Much better than the terran faction. I like everything about them.
I love the new design of the warpgate and the stargate. They are awesome.

Keep up the good work, guys!

 

Do you like the new look of the landscapes?

A resounding yes. From what I've seen so far in the screen shots and the demo videos, I absolutely love every bit of it. As an example, let's take the space platform shown in the Protoss release video. The doodads were all over the environment, 3D, and stunning. In space, we had planets and asteroids in the background, some far away and some close by. It all looked very good, and the same types of things could be said for the other terrain types.

How does the Terran faction look visually?

The Terrans look like... Terrans. A few items (namely Bunkers, Supply Depots, Vikings, and the Ghost) look a little too square/blocky for my taste. For the most part, I feel like the buildings look appropriate, much how I would imagine a futuristic human race would be. The units are also cool looking (I am very glad the Siege Tank was remodeled). I would still go through and make small changes as the game development progresses though. While the Terrans look pretty good, I feel like there are a few things missing (I can't put my finger quite on what) which I'm sure will be perfected as we get closer to completion. Also, some units have a little too much shine, as other people have said.

How does the Protoss faction look visually?

The Protoss look sweet. I love the new look of the shields being hit, and the warp-in animations. The buildings all look ... Protoss, for lack of a better word, which is perfect. The units are very pleasing to the eyes as well. The only real 'complaint' I have is of the Carrier. I always imagined the Carrier to be as shown in the Starcraft cinematics, and Starcraft II did not really carry that over.

 

* How does the Terran faction look visually?

Units: Truthfully, I think the new siege tank graphics are really neat but I don't believe it looks as Terran as it used to (in the first SC)... As of now I'm not quite sure what is fired from the disk shooty turret (for lack of words). All I can say is that the gun on the tank doesn't look like anything that would shoot a war head. If it shoots like a laser shot or something faster then light, well I don't think the explosion would go with that type of shot.

Buildings: I am sorry but I actually liked the designs of a lot of the first SC terran buildings better... I don't like the small add on buildings that are very cartoony... The supply depots don't look terran anymore. Before it looked human. Now they are way too rounded...

* How does the Protoss faction look visually?

Units: All of the units look Very impressive so far except for the Imortal which in my opinion needs to walk more like the dragoons and the graphics don't quite fit in. The photon cannon doesn't have a cannon anymore. It is a floating sphere... so why do units use cannons now if they aren't as effective?

Buildings: WOW! Utterly astounding! I love how they are animated while warping in units or upgrading. The Nexus could be altered a little bit though to better match the others...
Maybe it's just me but that is my feedback none the less. GREAT job though Blizzard! I love your development so far!

EDIT: Quote: "@Pure Vengeance. The question you're answering is 'bout the PROTOSS faction, not the TERRAN. Might wanna edit that."

I realized that while I was adding more input... Thanks for picking up on that though.

 

Do you like the new look of the landscapes?
I really like what has been presented so far, but I would like to see more range, between tilesets and within tilesets.

How does the Terran faction look visually?
I like the way Terran units look overall. However, I am concerned with some believability issues with the Banshee.
How does it stay up in space? I know that the Zerg get away with this like crazy, but the mechanics of the Banshee's rotors are more familiar to us, so it is harder to ignore.
I think the Medic needs to be softer than it currently is.
The Nomad can use a serious facelift.
The way ads-ons attach to structures needs to be reconsidered. At the moment they don't look as if they "belong" with the structure they attach to.

How does the Protoss faction look visually?
While I like that team colors have been applied to unit lighting, it is overdone in several units and structures to the point that it is difficult to believe. We've come to think of the Protoss race as being "blue and gold" and the "blue" has been stamped out by the new team colors. I am not sure about the addition of the Dark Templar units in the color scheme. Adding more colors kind of dilutes their image. We know the Dark Templar are just fine with making gold-colored ships, as we had the Corsair in Brood War. Perhaps the Dark Templar units can have different shape themes or weapon themes instead?

 

10-Neon - I believe that on the Space Platform environments there has to be artificial gravity/atmosphere. Otherwise, troops would simply float away, and Zerg could not breathe (land Zerg units are transported through space in an Overlord). So if there is artificial gravity/atmosphere, the Banshee can fly on the Space Platforms. However, I don't think it can just fly through normal space, it would need to be transported.

At least that's how I explain it.

 

* Do you like the new look of the landscapes?

GREAT! can't wait for the weather effects. ^^

* How does the Terran faction look visually?

TERRAN LOOKS GREAT. they dont need to look like the terran in sc1 because it was a mistake and ugly. hahaha.

really. the terran looks fine right now i think this is how the future human oor terran should look like in the first place not like in sc1. xp

* How does the Protoss faction look visually?

GREAT.

 

* Do you like the new look of the landscapes?
Excellent. The new landscapes looks much better than they did in sc1 and are much more realistic. I can't wait for this game mainly so I can view the final landscapes first hand. I would gladly play the beta version to comment on the environment and to see how the units interact with it.

* How does the Terran faction look visually?
I think the units mostly look like something that a human civilization would have. The thor does look a bit out of place with its massive armor and animation, but it does fit the terran's style of heavy armor and firepower. The banshee looks good, but I don't see how it would move in space platforms because there is no air for the propellers to push.

I like the new animation on the buildings. The tower is a very nice addition and makes the terran defence look more cemplete. The bunkers do look a little small, but that doesn't bother me. However, I do like how the supply depots looked in the original more than how they look now. But besides that, they look excellent.

* How does the Protoss faction look visually?
This is currently my favorite part of the game. The new colors for the units makes them much more interesting to look at than they did in sc1, especially the new carrier design. The unit's animations fit perfectly and all of them are a marvel of protoss's knowledge.

The new design for the buildings looks great. I do like how the pylon's crystal is the same color as that person's unit color, instead of them all being blue like the original.

 

Do you like the new look of the landscapes?
Yes, detail is fairly good and i don't have much to say against the landscapes at this time.
How does the Terran faction look visually?
I think the Terran faction in its present state is fairly good however it might help give the terrans the "gritty" effect by making the buildings/Units have more signs of age on them (example: rust on buildings)
How does the Protoss faction look visually?
The Protoss faction currently looks great, well fitting of their new "shiny and technological" style.

 

Do you like the new look of the landscapes?
I love the new landscape...very realistic. They look amazing...excellent work!! They seem much more diverse than sc1.

How does the Terran faction look visually?
They look futuristic...which is nice. I like the liftoff animations...much more detailed. I think bunkers could look a little more "military" than so smooth and sleek. The deployed siege tank still jus doesn't seem right. I love its design in tank mode, but I cant get it out of my head that it needs a more "angry" look when its in siege mode.

How does the Protoss faction look visually?
I can say without a doubt or exaggeration that the toss look amazing. Very detailed, very organic, very...alien. I love it! They finally look like the advanced species they really are. I'm very impressed. Excellent work!

 

* Do you like the new look of the landscapes?
-No and Yes, the landscapes look great, you can tell that a great amount of work and detail was put in it, but the colour pallet seems too bright, specially with the contrast of units and explosion effects. This also concerns with the faction developments, i understand that BLizzards trade mark is quality and giving their games that cartoonish look, but Star Craft origional seemed more for mature players, (even as a kid i was scared because it looked too scary) but it was because the tones and the atmosphere of the game was serious and enabling the gamers to focus on the story (mission) more then visual candy. I really would like to feel that fear and the intense of the game the first time i play. Basicly dont overcolour the landskapes, because the player will get over whelmed and will ignore it during the play. The Shakuras maps got just the right ammount of dark tones in it to get that orrigional feel for the game, so good job on that one.
* How does the Terran faction look visually?
-They look great, but some buildings and units could use some more aging look, cause i kinda get a feel that the units and the buildings are like toys have that plastic look, too shiny and sparkly. Again use some more darker and more aged (realistic) tones. Also if you want to break the wall between the cartoony units and the realistic environment is to get all the units effect the environment, like siege tank actually have ground breaking under it when its in siege mode, or when a collasus walks down the hight ledge he would create bigger boot print then if he was walking off a smaller ledge, Buildings also should inpact greatly on the inviroment, terran should crumble ground as they land. little stuff like that will give volume to the units interacting with the environments.
* How does the Protoss faction look visually?
Prottos looks well specially with buildings, they are perfect. but some units looks cartoonish and plastic again. Prottos is an old rase so you should not be affraid to show the ageing of culture in units and buildings, (exp. Immortals). Zeelots need a better attack animation and more frames in it, you should rethink the physics of their attacks, cause they look like girls with nitting sticks poking you to death. also in space there is no much light, why do zelots look like a tinkerbell all shiny and blocky, again dont worry about effects and all to fit the unit and its inviroment, cause its hard to match a unrealistick effect with a realistick unit and background. find the ballance between both. I really would like to see the changes like from ST alpha to the origional ST, cause your facing similar problems.

 

Do you like the look of the landscapes?

IMO this is the best looking part of SC2. The individual tilesets are very detailed and look great. I especially like the desert and twilight tilesets. They look really detailed. I also like the wide range of doodads and that some of them are destructible.

How does the Terran faction look visually?

It looks good for the most part, but the only problem I have is with the color palette and some of the models. Right now the colors for the Terran buildings seem a little bright and solid, I would prefer it if the colors were more gritty and dirty. Also some of the models that need redesigning are those of the ghost and the nomad. Right now the nomad only needs a smaller backpack and it needs to have a darker color. The nomad, on the other hand, needs a total makeover. It's easily the ugliest model in the entire game. I suggest that it looks a little more like the science vessel or at least something that doesn't remind me of a playground structure.

How does the Protoss faction look visually?

The Protoss are great. They look just as I always thought they should look. I was especially impressed by the shields and the new effects such as the immortals' attacks, which I thought were great. Buildings also look better now, they have a more advanced look to them that I really like. Only unit I have misgivings about this is the MS's Planet Cracker animation. I think it would look better if was multiple beams rather than one.

 

whats wrong with the terran?..

see this in lcd and widescreen. v

http://img45.imageshack.us/img45/8599/starcraftii200708030031dc1.jpg

looks really great to me. does not look like toys. looks gritty enough now. see the reapers the tanks. just look at how cool looking the viking is. look how great the command center looks like, do you want it to look like in starcraft 1? that command center looks like its going to fall apart while sc2's command center looks really strong. IMO making the terran look more gritty etc will make them UGLY and will further disturb the gameplay. The environment looks dark enough in this screenshot, i think the issue is the jungle tileset which makes the unit looks bright and shiny etc... but guess what its daytime and the jungle is lively so you get a brighter setting. lol.

All i can say is that sc2 is what starcraft should look like in the first place. xp

 

To me the Vikings in air mode are WAY too shiny... When I look at that picture I sort of agree with it being better textured but the team colors on everything are simply too much. Either there is too much of the team color or it is too bright or it isn't textured. The CC in that picture looks good but the gun could be better... It looks like 2 cans put together... Also, when I see that picture the marines shooting and not shooting don't seem right. The ones not firing look like they are holding knives from our back view and the ones firing look like the guns are turning into energy or something.

Yah, that's what I got out of that picture...

 

So far, SC2 is shaping up to be a great game. But in terms of the art direction, I really think there are many things that should be addressed.

Do you like the look of the landscapes?

The new landscape looks decent IMO. Especially the Twilight one. It looks amazing. So far, I have no complaint with the new landscapes.

How does the Terran faction look visually?
Overall, I don't really like looks of the Terrans so far. A lot of their units looks like toys. Not only that, many of them either look too shiny or too blocky.

What I meant is this:
http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/2104/screenshot023mn9.jpg
Everything in here basically looks bad. Siege Tanks looks like a block toy. Marines looks like something I brought from a Toys R Us store. Barracks looks like I a lego set. Everything in here looks too shiny. Blizzard should really tone down the color.

Tone down how much? Here is an example:
http://www.starcraft2.com/screenshot.xml?s=51
Everything in here looks excellent. From the landscape, to the BattleCruisers, to the Siege tanks roaming in and the Marines marching. The color scheme is excellent (dark, and gritty which is what the Terrans are suppose to look like). Blizzard should tone down all the Terran colors to match up the screenshot that I just provided above.

Nomad is a unit that I truly believe needs a remodel. It looks terrible. I don't think I have to go into much detail about this.

Other units that I think needs some fine tune are the Marines + Shields and Ghosts.

Marines looks fine. But when they have their shield upgraded, that is when the problem arises. It looks too plain and blocky. Here is an example from our forum member "zeratul11" that I really like.
http://larcenciel-11.deviantart.com/art/take-cover-71363915
Notice the shield has the Terran symbol on it? I suggest that Blizzard implement the Terran symbol on the Marine's shield and perhaps, remodel it so that it doesn't looks soo blocky.

Ghosts on the other hand looks too big. They should be small and stealthy. On top of that, their sniper rifle is almost bigger then themselves. I think Blizzard should reduce the size of the backup and sniper rifle for the Ghosts. I prefer the Ghost to have a "sleek and stealthy" look to them.

How does the Protoss faction look visually?
I don't have much complaint for the Protoss. I love how they all look shiny and sleek which really suits their theme of a technological advanced race. However, I do believe that Blizzard should tone down the Team colors for the Protoss. I believe pylons and psi colors should all look blue.

Stalkers I think should have a minor tweak. They look too blocky and once again, look like a toy. Blizzard should reduce the size of the Stalkers so that it doesn't look soo blocky.

Conclusion
The real problem that I'm having with the art direction is that a lot of stuff looks too cartoony. My main complaints is that Blizzard should tone down the Terran colors and changing all the Protoss pylons/psi colors to blue. Everything else is just minor stuff.

 

Do you like the look of the landscapes?

the new landscape is really great, especially the desert

How does the Terran faction look visually?
ill have to wait for you(blizzard) to reduce the team colors like you promised, but i have some points to comment already:

-the ghosts backpack and antenna look to big and bulky
-the thor just doesnt fit the terran feel
-the cobra looks to shiny

how does teh protoss faction look visually
great, i really like how the team colors apply on such a large scale, it really fits the protoss, and i think the removal of blue as general color really gave it a new look

 

Do you like the look of the landscapes?

Hell yea!!!!
Keep up the good work!!!!


How does the Terran faction look visually?

To shiny and round.. they need to have a more torn and used look... they look like toys.... make them more realistic..

The Viking should look more like the concept art.
The bunkers look to small.
The ghost doesn't look like a super-trained elite soldier... more like a sniper that says: here i am, com on shoot me!!!
The Nomad needs to be redesigned....

Am i the only one that think something is wrong with the BCs (They look great) attack animation?? A tiny little laser... i can`t even think how it can hurt anyone... the old animation in SC was thick laser that really did look like it hurts to get shot.... I just think animation/design of ts attack must look like it really comes from the heavyest ship the Terrans got....


how does the protoss faction look visually

Really nice... they look so alien

Although i have a problem with the zealot (they look great) attack animation.
I thought that they stab, not slash when they attach... (old SC)
Also the sound should really be something that suits the psi blades (more like the sound from the DC attack in old SC)

I hope i don't sound to negative... SC2 really looks amazing.. i only think that there are things that could be better and in some cases much better (nomad).