Jump to content
The Dark Mod Forums

Old Concept Art

Springheel

By Springheel
in The Dark Mod

 Share

Recommended Posts

Springheel

Springheel

Posted
Posted

Was looking through some of my old files and got a bit nostalgic. I suspect most people here have never seen these--they're some of the earliest concept sketches I did back in 2004 during the very earliest development days of TDM. I thought I'd post them for those curious about how things started.

 

The very first concept piece, from August 23, 2004. We didn't even have a name for the mod yet:

 

concept%20thief.jpg

 

The first Builder concept, Sept 19, 2004, then a slightly adjusted colour version with pauldrons added:

 

builder_concepts.jpg

 

The second Builder Priest concept. Oct 11th, 2004. This was the piece of concept art that got Oddity, our character modeler, interested in joining the mod:

 

concept%20priest2.jpg

 

The first concept sketch of the City Watch, Oct 16th, 2004:

 

watch_concepts.jpg

  • Like 3

TDM Missions:   A Score to Settle  *  A Reputation to Uphold  *  A New Job  *  A Matter of Hours

Video Series:   Springheel's Modules  *  Speedbuild Challenge  *  New Mappers Workshop  *  Building Traps

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Springheel

Springheel

Posted
  • Author
Posted

The nobleman concept, Oct 28th, 2004:

 

concept%20nobleman.jpg

 

Noblewoman concept, Oct 30th, 2004:

 

 

concept%20noblewoman.jpg

 

The earliest Main Menu mock-up, from Nov 6th, 2004:

(Look! I just noticed that even this early clock has the same non-time that we had to fix in our actual loading screen...wtf was up with that...?)

menu13.jpg

 

A mock-up of what real-time reading would look like. It took a bit of selling to get this idea accepted. Nov, 13th, 2004:

 

bookreading1.jpg

 

This was an alternate Main Menu we were considering in Dec, 2004, when we were talking about some kind of ridiculously ambitious animated Menu, where each option swung the camera to a different location within a 3d room:

 

 

mainmenu1.jpg

 

My God, it just struck me I've been working on this mod for almost seven years now.... :wacko:

  • Like 3

TDM Missions:   A Score to Settle  *  A Reputation to Uphold  *  A New Job  *  A Matter of Hours

Video Series:   Springheel's Modules  *  Speedbuild Challenge  *  New Mappers Workshop  *  Building Traps

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Glyph Seeker

Glyph Seeker

Posted
Posted

Ooh! Thanks for sharing, SH - I LOVE this stuff.

 

I also like the insight into the rather over ambitious menu , ha ha. I think the much subtler one now with the iconic music works a lot better!

 

I've got to ask, I don't get what's wrong with the clock face there... *confused.*

"No proposition Euclid wrote,

No formulae the text-books know,

Will turn the bullet from your coat,

Or ward the tulwar's downward blow

Strike hard who cares—shoot straight who can—

The odds are on the cheaper man."

 

From 'Arithmetic on the Frontier' by Rudyard Kipling

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Springheel

Springheel

Posted
  • Author
Posted

The hour hand can't almost point at the 12 when the minute hand is only at the 20. It's weird, because that very same problem was present in our actual loading screen clock, even though it's an entirely different image.

TDM Missions:   A Score to Settle  *  A Reputation to Uphold  *  A New Job  *  A Matter of Hours

Video Series:   Springheel's Modules  *  Speedbuild Challenge  *  New Mappers Workshop  *  Building Traps

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Fidcal

Fidcal

Posted
Posted

That clock face would make a good game texture - although I guess in most cases the player doesn't get close.

 

Yes, nice to see the birth of so many new concepts - and much of the art is very close to how it is now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Melan

Melan

Posted
Posted

Coolness. I like that second menu. Relaxingly blue.

  • Like 1

Come the time of peril, did the ground gape, and did the dead rest unquiet 'gainst us. Our bands of iron and hammers of stone prevailed not, and some did doubt the Builder's plan. But the seals held strong, and the few did triumph, and the doubters were lain into the foundations of the new sanctum. -- Collected letters of the Smith-in-Exile, Civitas Approved

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Sotha

Sotha

Posted
Posted

Wow! Thanks for the screenies.

 

It is nice to see how the things came to be.

 

Is it just me, but those early main menu screenies look much better than the one that made it into the game. Why's that? I like the night blue theme, and always wondered what's with the pentagram-orange we have in the current menu?

Clipper

-The mapper's best friend.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
STiFU

STiFU

Posted
Posted
Is it just me, but those early main menu screenies look much better than the one that made it into the game. Why's that? I like the night blue theme, and always wondered what's with the pentagram-orange we have in the current menu?

I guess it just fits well into the dark mod universe and the overall design of the game: subtle and effective. It doesn't look too spectacular to me too though. I always loved it when I fired up TMA and saw the animated steamwork et cetera. I also got myself a custom menu animation for TDS, showing some gears and stuff, so I wouldn't be opposed towards some steam punk upgrade to the mainmenu. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Glyph Seeker

Glyph Seeker

Posted
Posted

I find the slow change of in game model shots to be a great introduction when loading TDM combined with the music. You see the noblewoman, a mage, the Thief himself, a hideous revenant etc. I thought the sepia tone of it was perfect - like a draftman's workshop lit poorly by candlelight.

"No proposition Euclid wrote,

No formulae the text-books know,

Will turn the bullet from your coat,

Or ward the tulwar's downward blow

Strike hard who cares—shoot straight who can—

The odds are on the cheaper man."

 

From 'Arithmetic on the Frontier' by Rudyard Kipling

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Springheel

Springheel

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Is it just me, but those early main menu screenies look much better than the one that made it into the game.

 

There's no pleasing everyone when it comes to artistic design. I personally love our menus.

TDM Missions:   A Score to Settle  *  A Reputation to Uphold  *  A New Job  *  A Matter of Hours

Video Series:   Springheel's Modules  *  Speedbuild Challenge  *  New Mappers Workshop  *  Building Traps

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Glyph Seeker

Glyph Seeker

Posted
Posted

I like the variety of heads and bodies you got into the final mod - I always feel like the guards I'm evading are all different people with personalities rather than cardboard cut outs.

"No proposition Euclid wrote,

No formulae the text-books know,

Will turn the bullet from your coat,

Or ward the tulwar's downward blow

Strike hard who cares—shoot straight who can—

The odds are on the cheaper man."

 

From 'Arithmetic on the Frontier' by Rudyard Kipling

Link to comment
Share on other sites
7upMan

7upMan

Posted
Posted

Springheel, can you plz post the concept shots in a higher resolution. Also, @nielsbohr, wouldn't it be good to do comparison shots of concept vs. actual model and post them on Moddb.com?

My Eigenvalue is bigger than your Eigenvalue.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Springheel

Springheel

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Springheel, can you plz post the concept shots in a higher resolution

 

I don't have them in a higher resolution.

TDM Missions:   A Score to Settle  *  A Reputation to Uphold  *  A New Job  *  A Matter of Hours

Video Series:   Springheel's Modules  *  Speedbuild Challenge  *  New Mappers Workshop  *  Building Traps

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Springheel

Springheel

Posted
  • Author
Posted

That was an even earlier mock-up than the one I posted, before we started working with the clock motiff. The background is TDS, not D3. :P

  • Like 1

TDM Missions:   A Score to Settle  *  A Reputation to Uphold  *  A New Job  *  A Matter of Hours

Video Series:   Springheel's Modules  *  Speedbuild Challenge  *  New Mappers Workshop  *  Building Traps

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Glyph Seeker

Glyph Seeker

Posted
Posted

Thanks, Andrey! Digging the stylised quiver there in the loadout sketches.

"No proposition Euclid wrote,

No formulae the text-books know,

Will turn the bullet from your coat,

Or ward the tulwar's downward blow

Strike hard who cares—shoot straight who can—

The odds are on the cheaper man."

 

From 'Arithmetic on the Frontier' by Rudyard Kipling

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Glyph Seeker

Glyph Seeker

Posted
Posted

I think the final Builder priest model in game is one of my favourite ones - Feels very unique. Encountering one wielding a hammer in a FM was a very nasty surprise! =-D

"No proposition Euclid wrote,

No formulae the text-books know,

Will turn the bullet from your coat,

Or ward the tulwar's downward blow

Strike hard who cares—shoot straight who can—

The odds are on the cheaper man."

 

From 'Arithmetic on the Frontier' by Rudyard Kipling

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 9 months later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recent Status Updates

    • OrbWeaver

      OrbWeaver

      Does anyone actually use the Normalise button in the Surface inspector? Even after looking at the code I'm not quite sure what it's for.
      · 6 replies
    • Ansome

      Ansome

      Turns out my 15th anniversary mission idea has already been done once or twice before! I've been beaten to the punch once again, but I suppose that's to be expected when there's over 170 FMs out there, eh? I'm not complaining though, I love learning new tricks and taking inspiration from past FMs. Best of luck on your own fan missions!
      · 4 replies
    • The Black Arrow

      The Black Arrow

      I wanna play Doom 3, but fhDoom has much better features than dhewm3, yet fhDoom is old, outdated and probably not supported. Damn!
      Makes me think that TDM engine for Doom 3 itself would actually be perfect.
      · 6 replies
    • Petike the Taffer

      Petike the Taffer

      Maybe a bit of advice ? In the FM series I'm preparing, the two main characters have the given names Toby and Agnes (it's the protagonist and deuteragonist, respectively), I've been toying with the idea of giving them family names as well, since many of the FM series have named protagonists who have surnames. Toby's from a family who were usually farriers, though he eventually wound up working as a cobbler (this serves as a daylight "front" for his night time thieving). Would it make sense if the man's popularly accepted family name was Farrier ? It's an existing, though less common English surname, and it directly refers to the profession practiced by his relatives. Your suggestions ?
      · 9 replies
    • nbohr1more

      nbohr1more

      Looks like the "Reverse April Fools" releases were too well hidden. Darkfate still hasn't acknowledge all the new releases. Did you play any of the new April Fools missions?
      · 5 replies
×
×
  • Create New...