Omniframe Hi-Poly Done. Tsi-Hu Humanoid UPDATE

[Grummz]

Okay, so we've got a couple things this week. The big one is that the Omniframe Hi-Poly model is DONE! This means we are one step closer to getting this into the Unreal Engine. Check out the amazing job @JoeSolo did:

Also, I've been revisiting the design of the humanoid form of the Tsi-Hu. If you recall from the earlier concept art, the Tsi-Hu looked like this:

While the beast looked menacing and detailed enough, there wasn't quite enough detail to begin modeling the humanoid form. Recall that the Tsi-Hu shapeshift between these two forms. We needed them to match up more and also have more detailed drawings of the humanoid form itself.

So, we went back to the drawing board. After kicking around some ideas, we decided to make the Tsi-Hu humanoid taller, so that it would not be dwarfed by the Omniframe. We also added a chain firing grapple attack so it could pull down jetpacking Omniframes from the sky. Here is what we came up with:

Working from this we settled on the V1 head and skipped the claw option in favor of three fingers to more easily hold a gun. The near final orthographic sheet (the "blueprints" from which the modeler creates the 3D model) looks like this:

The head has more in common with beast mode now, and overall the figure is more menacing. We lost the cape for performance reasons, but replaced it with the "wheel of chains." Yes, those are tentacles supporting it! Yes, that's a mouth in the middle of it! The chain fires with a living head attached to it that can snag Omniframe and slam them to the ground.

Next week we will post a new action painting of the Tsi-Hu, which serves as our color study for the final colors. Should be a pretty picture. I've already seen the rough drafts and they look great!

That's it for this week. We hope you like the update and there is more to come, of course. Thank you for all the support!

- The Em-8ER Team

 

[EvilKitten]

Ok one observation/question/concern. The hands look good for gripping things, what about the feet though. Can they be designed so they can be flat "like shoes" or those spikes on the outside could rotate downwards at will in order to dig into rough terrain, perhaps giving the humanoid mode the ability to climb walls/cliffs?

Also in leu or conjunction with a grappling hook these guys look like they would be really powerful jumpers. My thought goes towards some of the flood types in Halo: Combat Evolved who could leap incredible heights. This prevented players from simply sitting on a high ledge and firing on the enemy with impunity.

 

[Sonic Nova]

The drafts look great! I personally approve of the more alien appearance of the Tsi-Hu and can't wait to see the (I imagine updated) beast mode of them!

EDIT: Question though, if the hook is alive is it its own organism or a part of the Tsi-Hu?

 

[PIghead Elderberry]

I can't wait to be harpooned!

 

[PIghead Elderberry]

Ok one observation/question/concern. The hands look good for gripping things, what about the feet though. Can they be designed so they can be flat "like shoes" or those spikes on the outside could rotate downwards at will in order to dig into rough terrain, perhaps giving the humanoid mode the ability to climb walls/cliffs?

Having hooked talons on the feet to allow them to scramble up walls and/or lurk on vertical surfaces or ceilings is a great idea. It sure would add a lot more to combat and the feeling of "never being safe" when out and about. A tad more programming... but well worth it!

 

[Schmuky]

just my opinnion here, but i like the legs on V3 better than V1. They look more solid and reliable. maybe try a merging them?

 

[Sonic Nova]

Ok one observation/question/concern. The hands look good for gripping things, what about the feet though. Can they be designed so they can be flat "like shoes" or those spikes on the outside could rotate downwards at will in order to dig into rough terrain, perhaps giving the humanoid mode the ability to climb walls/cliffs?

Just a thought, maybe the feet are shaped that way because of Em-8er's snowy/icy surface, in similar function to snowshoes and skis?

 

[Zarkloyd]

Damn. This is looking amazing. All it needs now is some chaps...

 

[Schmuky]

Damn. This is looking amazing. All it needs now is some chaps...

assless i hope

 

[Zarkloyd]

assless i hope

Well I was the one who got Grummz to agree to the stretch goal lmao

 

[Schmuky]

Well I was the one who got Grummz to agree to the stretch goal lmao

really? well my friend you deserve the Silver Tongue award in my opinion

 

[Harven]

Love the Hi Poly Battleframe! Really looking good. I like the stylized look of it, it doesnt look hyper bulky, slow and squarish, but they look like they could be actually fast, and it resemblaces a bit to the human shape, which is awesome, because Im personally not too much into very Mech ish games. I support Em8er and Im not closed and against its Mech idea because, I may actually find it very appealing this time, and the creator of Firefall is involved, which gives me a bigger reason to believe this time, I may actually enjoy looking at my character.

I personally really liked the old Tsi hu design concept. Although I like the new idea of it more, like the chains to pull people down from jetpacking and such (I guess because I never got to see what the old ones were capable of without a battleframe, maybe my fault and missed it and it was actually written somewhere), the old model was physically more appealing to me. It didnt totally look full alien, They also had this low heigh looking thing (maybe it just seems like that because of the giant mech behind) which I really liked, and LOVED that cape, it gave some mystery to them. I think the look of it wasnt the generic Alien thing Im used to in games, where they become kind of lizardish looking.

Although Im not against it, I think both have their own things, one looks more human, more relatable because of that, and kind of less generic Alien, and the other one looks more evil, less relatable as it for sure doesnt resemblance much of humans, and for sure, looks more like a total outsider, as its getting more Alien looking. It was a big dramatic change for sure, and I would stay with the old one.

Cant wait to see more updates! Also, I hope we can get to see more art of the game Concept art always gives a beautiful view of the world the creator is trying to build, and always hypes the fuck out of me.

 

[Terricon4]

I am a bit concerned by the change in feeling/vibe the Tsi-Hu now give off. Part of what I liked about the first concept was that it made them look like a solidly grounded and somewhat intelligent enemy. Clothing, a lower build, a sense of mystery...

This one without the clothing and with its body being made to look far more aggressive in nature has kind of lost that sense of it being an intelligent individual, and feels more like a random/throwaway enemy you'd find dropped into any old game. You know, the mindless mobs that just run at you and you don't really care about. I think you might want to give them even just a partial cloak or something to add back a bit of that hidden, mysterious, unknown vibe. Clothing also hints towards intelligence, and with a slightly less threatening physical vibe gives the impression they might be more likely intelligent rather than something purely there for killing/fighting. Any little trinkets or additions that would imply they have culture is good I feel as long as it doesn't look out of place. The taller body with the crazy skinny midsection is I feel kind of overused, and makes this thing seem far more generic, and less real (a thin midsection IRL is a bit questionable, especially for a biped).

These heads also are far less identifiable and more... almost insect and alien in nature. While having it be a human copy isn't great, I did like how it was close enough in the first one to help it feel more associatable to humans and thus intelligent. New one has larger jaw/mouth area, higher eyes, more angly spiky bits and as a result negative space with the quills and stuff, but a smaller cranium further reinforcing the idea of lesser inteligance and being more of a simply agressive animal. Hordes of mindless enemies was more of the thought I had with the smaller kaijus, but making the Tsi-Hu themselves look less inteligent is I feel throwing away part of what helped them feel more unique and would have made them a more interesting enemy to fight in game.

These are just my thoughts on what I'm seeing, and I understand that it can be hard do to time and money limitations to outright go back and try over, but some quick additions like small scraps of fabric or another head design would be comparatively easy and may be worth looking into (and smaller scraps of fabric can be far more easily put into a model and animated simply as part of the normal skeleton system so it could still meet that goal of simplifying the process of making and implementing them). Fabric and clothing can also have patterns, colors, and other things on them that help them look more unique or vary their color in ways that make them more visually interesting than just having the entire creature be flesh and bony/metal like bits.

 

[FuPlaayz]

I feel like Mech Frame Design is over clustered with details, at least more than it needs to be. Reminds me of Lawbreakers : Super detailed but you have no time to appreciate all it. Surely in the mmo however the gameplay is very slow. I guess we'll see when the game "might" releases.

 

[ZombieSlayer324]

BUT WHERES MY CHROMA CHAPS GRUMMZ SEND HELP

 

[Harven]

I am a bit concerned by the change in feeling/vibe the Tsi-Hu now give off. Part of what I liked about the first concept was that it made them look like a solidly grounded and somewhat intelligent enemy. Clothing, a lower build, a sense of mystery...

This one without the clothing and with its body being made to look far more aggressive in nature has kind of lost that sense of it being an intelligent individual, and feels more like a random/throwaway enemy you'd find dropped into any old game. You know, the mindless mobs that just run at you and you don't really care about. I think you might want to give them even just a partial cloak or something to add back a bit of that hidden, mysterious, unknown vibe. Clothing also hints towards intelligence, and with a slightly less threatening physical vibe gives the impression they might be more likely intelligent rather than something purely there for killing/fighting. Any little trinkets or additions that would imply they have culture is good I feel as long as it doesn't look out of place. The taller body with the crazy skinny midsection is I feel kind of overused, and makes this thing seem far more generic, and less real (a thin midsection IRL is a bit questionable, especially for a biped).

These heads also are far less identifiable and more... almost insect and alien in nature. While having it be a human copy isn't great, I did like how it was close enough in the first one to help it feel more associatable to humans and thus intelligent. New one has larger jaw/mouth area, higher eyes, more angly spiky bits and as a result negative space with the quills and stuff, but a smaller cranium further reinforcing the idea of lesser inteligance and being more of a simply agressive animal. Hordes of mindless enemies was more of the thought I had with the smaller kaijus, but making the Tsi-Hu themselves look less inteligent is I feel throwing away part of what helped them feel more unique and would have made them a more interesting enemy to fight in game.

These are just my thoughts on what I'm seeing, and I understand that it can be hard do to time and money limitations to outright go back and try over, but some quick additions like small scraps of fabric or another head design would be comparatively easy and may be worth looking into (and smaller scraps of fabric can be far more easily put into a model and animated simply as part of the normal skeleton system so it could still meet that goal of simplifying the process of making and implementing them). Fabric and clothing can also have patterns, colors, and other things on them that help them look more unique or vary their color in ways that make them more visually interesting than just having the entire creature be flesh and bony/metal like bits.

I agree. I believe one of the reasons why I liked the Chosen, in Firefall, was because they looked resemblant to humans. Also, chosens got help from creatures that were not very resemblant to humans.

Also, when I look into other games, such as Warframe, or Blade and Soul, etc... , I believe the Big Enemies that you can take seriously are more human resemblant in those games, than alien. Even in warframe, one of the big enemies has a human mask as his whole body is very alien. And you immideately feel like its a bigger threat. But maybe Im just wrong, and my memory is failing right now.

So yeah, the old ones actually show more emotion, culture, and even opose a bigger, more mysterious threat, than the new ones.

The new ones look like a secondary villain, that have an alliance with the old Tsihu concept.

 

[Dracomon]

It needs to be said...



WHAT'RE THOOOOOOOOOOOSE!???

 

[PIghead Elderberry]

As far as old vs. new loss of the intelligent humanoid aspect, I can see that.

However, I don't think that enemies need to humanoid if the lore doesn't require it. On the other hand, it certainly helps us human players relate to enemies when we can identify with them more.

So...

It seems to me that taking the newer concept and filling it out with a more refined and prominent face/head can give us back some of the brooding/intelligence that the first concept had for Tsi-Hu in non-beast form. That lets them still keep some of the claws and more animalistic aspects AND have a more relatable feature with the head/face.

I don't personally mind if they aren't clothed as humans are...

Having them keep this more animalistic form which can change to the full beast form also makes sense, as going from 100% human form with a cloak and clothing is perhaps more change than needed. Instead, going from a more agile and thinking enemy with tactics and strategy to the more beastial combat form can be the focus vs. the human to beast change.

That is in keeping with the idea that they can use their animalistic skeletal features to let them access terrain. If they are too 'human' then they can just become another human in a mech suit. If they are "humanoid" but not so human, they can have extra features without being clones of us.

Plus- if they are not so human then we can avoid the censors and DISMEMBER THEM!

 

[NanoTechnician]

Here's my two cents on what I though the antagonist of what I thought the Tsihu where going to be.

I had two characters in mind being the mysterious elf from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and the main antagonist from Dragonfable Book 1, The Mysterious Stranger. Both being mysterious, I'd also think that this character also had a similar edge. One that protects from forces outside of the Gatestriders but is also sees the Gatestriders as a plaything, but the Gatestriders are elusive and sneaky enough not to be caught. The minions that it controls are his strength similar to The Stranger's call of dark creatures to join him, possibly so big that his shadow does block out the sun?

The Mysterious Stranger and The Mysterious Elf. Mysterious huh.

Perception / Impressions

What the feeling I received from the initial art was that he was skilled, controlled, mean, strong, empowered, a codified warrior, regimental.

The patterned brown cloak with fade to purple, the emblem on his waist. The technological shoes and heal, clenched fist and toned muscles. The fact that the body itself appears to be wearing armor as well, so refined and sleek, nothing unnecessary.

Perhaps a melding of them? Some of the older one with a touch of the new.

 

[Joe Solo]

Apparently Mark and My phones hate each other. Here are some beauty renders of the Omniframe from Marmoset. Happy friday


EDIT: These are all 4K Renders so enjoy your new desktops

- Joe Solo