Which graphics style do you prefer?

[Josh Atack]

Probably one for the distant future, as you said, the danger of confusing people about the game we are actually making. This is generally why 90% of concept art isn't released, it's done very early in development as an experiment to see what our options might be (I did 5 variants of that asteroid image in the middle). But we gradually refine more and more.

Though I do agree it would make an interesting article, so one for the future I hope. As you can imagine it's not a nice linear process designing the look of a game.

*Edit* Oooh sniped by Ashley there!

 

[Gimi]

Actually, Frontier has already released some of this stuff if you look around carefully. Especially The Art Journal update from the Kickstarter period has some interesting stuff in it in this regard.

 

[Josh Atack]

Though those are early unreleased bits (the top left are early sketches of mine). Those aren't the ones Mike was referring too. Most of those are simply sketches done by the art team to test composition.

 

[Gimi]

Though those are early unreleased bits (the top left are early sketches of mine). Those aren't the ones Mike was referring too. Most of those are simply sketches done by the art team to test composition.

Even so, I think that they to some extent show how things have progressed. Interesting stuff I think. I assume that the Anaconda in the video shows some very early rendering examples. Is that within the modelling tools or in the game engine as it was at that particular stage?

 

[jabokai]

Hey Josh, just a quickie - as the game development progresses and the style become more locked down, does your role lessen? Are you still heavily involved in ED or are you working on other things already?

 

[Josh Atack]

Gimi I'm not sure what was used to create those I'm sorry Gimi, I was fairly full steam pushing out concept art at that point in development.

jabokai My job doesn't change in so much as I'm still designing, but it changes it's focus from big and gradually gets smaller. At the start we are trying to work out the look and feel of a world, as it goes through development you take a look at ship types, then specific ships, UI, weaponry etc.

Oh also early on you can just throw paint around, later you have to do all the break downs, full turn around of those ships you thought might be fun thinking about where all their doors and llamas go so you can give it to the modellers and they are suitably happy.

 

[Tinman]

@Josh & @Ashley

Thanks for your replies! Hopefully we'll get to see an update of this sort some time down the line then. Now, get back to work! You got an different update to prepare for today!!

(If you got more than one today that's fine too! )