DWIV - Finals

Rules & Regs - Prizes - Judging - Clans - Mini Challenges - Mini#1 - Mini#2

Core Dominance War Team

Fredrik [FredH] Hultqvist

"For 4 years now, Dominance War has come and gone and left a big impact on the game art community. With each new challenge, old and new artists from around the globe take part in DW to showcase their talents and thoughts to the world. This year, with over 1000 final entries, more than 4,000 participating artists and 100x or more of that in public viewing, Dominance War IV was a great challenge to behold. I did not talk much on all forums during this year's event due to backend handling, I am really glad everyone enjoyed Dominance War IV and its new mini challenges. It was an honor to see everyone's efforts and I am really looking forward to seeing everyone again in Dominance War V.

However, everything does not last forever. There are rumors that the series is coming to an End in Dominance War V - a possible conclusive and explosive chapter of an epic series. I cannot say if an end is true, or if it's perhaps a new beginning, everyone must simply wait and see...

To celebrate the launch of Dominance War V, we will have an opening and unveiling ceremony booth in GDC 2010, full with featured artists, speakers, DWV T-Shirts sales, giveaways, tech talks, and questions and answers about the new rules and perhaps even a party! If you would like to be the first to see the new rules for the largest game art event in 2010, and if you would like to talk about it in person with friends from around the world in one location, then start planning to be in San Francisco 2010 - Now! You won't want to miss this!"

~ Fred

Credits: Dominance War Founder, DWIV Creator, Web Designer, Editor, Maintenance dude and Dungeon Master (rules creator)

Barbara [Amethyst] Hultqvist

"Dominance War IV will stay in my memory as an event exceeding my wildest expectations for a worldwide challenge. Game Artists from all around the world share a visual language that can be enjoyed by all art enthusiasts. Therefore, I am honored to have sponsored this event and look forward to future ones as well!"

~ Amethyst

Credits: Second Major sponsor for DWII & DWIII & DWIV

Joseph Mirabello

"Every year I'm continually impressed with the quality of high caliber artwork that comes out of Dominance War, and this year didn't disappoint. Dominance War has raised the bar for top-notch game art on a global scale, and I'm honored to have been able to contribute to the success of such a competition and to play a role in bringing the international game art community closer together. It's been an honor being on the judging and management team this year, and I'm looking forward to next year!"

Credits: Dominance War Article Writer, Primary and Final Judge

Taehoon Oh

"Dominance war IV was another big step for game artists everywhere. The amount of challengers, artworks, topics, and public viewings expanded a great deal since its proceeding chapter, DWIII, in 2008. My job at Dominance War is rather simple, I guide Korean artists and help them join the event and join well.

Dominance War IV was very enjoyable. Each day, I observed Korean artists sharing opinions and feedback and offering each other cheerful support. I also heard that artists chatted online or sometimes met offline for fun. For artists in Korea, it's not only an online competition; it's also a great community building event for game artists. I went to the Dominance war IV award ceremony in Seoul, Korea and it was great indeed. All Dominance war challengers were like family. One day, I hope that other challengers around the world will become a family like that found in Korea.

I'd like to say thanks to all the Korean challengers for their endless efforts.

Cheers"

- Taehoon

Credits: Korean team leader, Korean Translator and Spokesperson for anything related to Dominance War in Korea.

Maxim [Maxx] Miheyenko

"Dominance War is quickly becoming an Olympic Games for Game Artists, if it's not there already. Each year, a LOT of great artists and characters are made from around the Whole world. Dominance War is a place for friendships, for growing skills, for good evening times, and...to realize your dreams and ambitions through the creation of your own personal best art! I believe that many talented artists will realize their Dreams after DW IV Final and I am honored and proud to be part of this awesome Challenge.

Thanks Dmitry Itskov (Newmedia Stars), Alexander Kanygin (PC Games magazine), Alena Udalova and Nadejda Belykh (Cinefex), Sasha Podgorny and Maria Skotnikova (CGTalk.ru) to help us make DW in Russia much better. "

- maxx

Credits: Russian team leader, Russian Translator, and Spokesperson for anything related to Dominance War in Russia. Also showcased Dominance War in GDC Russia and another large CGEvent in Moscow.

Vincent Ganachaud

"Artists from all over the world working hard to create wonderful pieces of art, and also making new friends – I believe this year’s Dominance War was more powerful than ever.

It was a great pleasure to witness artists sharing advices and encouragements and showing their real passion for game art. It was more than we expected, but as usual you, the game art community of pros, students and enthusiasts, keep surprising us.

I'm still convinced that Dominance War, for everyone, is more than a Competition. It's a special place that brings out the best in artists and let's everyone show their talents to the world and secure future positions in the game industry. Congratulations to ours Champions and see you next year for a new epic battle in The Dominance War series.

A big Thanks to 3DVF and to all the DW IV Artists."

- Vincent

Credits: French team leader, French Translator, and Spokesperson for anything related to Dominance War in French.

Dominance War IV Special Thanks

We would like to thank the following companies who believed in this event and supported our cause.

Major Sponsor

Wacom is delighted to be a key sponsor of Dominance War and we look forward to following the artistic battle that culminates in the 2D and 3D winners taking home a Cintiq 21UX interactive pen display, and Intuos pen tablets going to select runners-up. A natural fit for this type of sponsorship, Wacom is dedicated to enhancing the digital art and design input experience through its extensive line of pen tablets and interactive pen displays. Today, millions of creators of digital content count on the intuitive, pressure-sensitive Wacom pen to naturally blend with over 100 creative software applications for a drawing experience that feels just like traditional media. Wacom's flagship product, the Cintiq 21UX, is a shining example of this traditional media feel. Through its advanced technology and modern industrial design, the Cintiq allows users' to work directly on screen, offering incredible creative control, ergonomic comfort and superior productivity. Wacom's Intuos pen tablets are ideal for the serious artist or designer, providing an organic human interface solution to those seeking an alternative way of working with their computer. Whether you are a novice illustrator or a professional animator working for a major Hollywood studio, Wacom has a product to fit your needs. Wacom is continually working with the digital art and design communities to create products that build harmony between humans and technology, and sponsoring events like Dominance War provide valuable feedback that help lead us all down the right path.

So, on behalf of all of us at Wacom, we wish all the contestants good luck. Let the games begin!

US Regional Sponsor

Game artists today have extraordinary vision. ZBrush helps them achieve that vision by providing a medium to “concept sculpt” rather than sketch. Multi-resolution modeling, 3D layers, Gravity Brush modifiers, Transpose, Mesh Extraction and more make it easy to experiment without ever becoming locked into a decision. PolyPainting enables the artist to paint while sculpting so that the color map matches the sculpted details. Cavity masking enhances additional painting by telling the brush to ignore highs or lows in the sculpt. And this painting can all be done before a single UV has been laid out! Of course, no artist today would dream of creating a hero game character without normal maps and this is where ZBrush brings its trademark high resolution detailing to the economy demanded by Dominance War. In DW1 the grand prize went to a ZBrush artist, Vitaley Naymushin. In DW3, three out of the top five winners (that we know of) used ZBrush, including the Ultimate 3D Champion, Dmitry Parkin.

ZBrush has been empowering game artists for many years now. It is therefore Pixologic’s extreme pleasure to be able to help sponsor what promises to be the world’s most intense exhibition of game talent: Dominance War IV.

Canada Regional Sponsor

The ideals of GCCore Arts is to provide game artists all over the world friendly activities that help break down cultural barriers and gives artists something to believe in and look forward to. When working hard at work, or buried in assignments at school, artists generally loose site of how great it is to be a game artist. As artists, we have the power to create, we can make the sad look happy and make the angry look kind - we have the power to deliver a story with the creation of our images. Unrestricted by employment or school assignment pressures, we hope to continue providing activities that free artists and lets them be the true storytellers behind their creations.

For the fourth year in a row, GCCore Arts is Proud to bring you Dominance War IV. Good Luck to all those who enter.

3D Printing Partner

GROWit Rapid Prototyping & Manufacturing is extremely honored to partake in this year's Dominance War Contest by GROWing the actual championship trophies. This community is filled with incredibly talented and creative individuals who are continuously blurring the boundary between CG and reality . We at GROWit are thrilled to have the opportunity to bring your creations to life. With our top of the line 3D printers, you can now literally grasp all that hard work by growing a physical model. Good luck to you all and let the WAR begin!

	*Blizzard Entertainment* is pleased to be a part of this year’s Dominance War contest. We’re always looking to see what the top and up-and-coming artists are producing, and we look forward to checking out all of the great artwork submitted for the competition. Best of luck to all of this year’s competing artists.
	*Saber Interactive* is excited and pleased to be among those with a role in Dominance War IV. Each successive year's battle of the artists has attracted ever-greater crowds, an amazing set of skills and a demographic that ranges from High Schools to Triple-A development houses. We continue to depend on our amazingly talented technical artists, classical and storyboard/sketch artists, accomplished leads, and art design for all of our projects. Being part of Dominance War feels like we are supporting our own and the game industry's future+ And this the type of war we all need!
	*The Gnomon Workshop* is always excited to sponsor an event that Inspires and Elevates the level of art created by aspiring artists and professionals alike . At Gnomon we believe it's important to work with companies who share the same passions we do, companies founded by artist, for artist. It is our hope that this years Dominance War is the biggest and best yet!!! Good Luck.
	*Eat 3D* is honored to be a part of the Dominance War IV contest. Our goal at Eat 3D are to give artists the highest quality next-gen training imaginable. As fellow game artists we know how much time and effort goes into these contests and we continue to be inspired by your ambition. Good luck to all those who pour their soul into the contest.
	Every year, I am awed by the creativity and skill displayed by Dominance War participants. You guys rock.
	*Realtime Worlds* are very pleased to be part of a competition that draws together such a high standard of talented people and provides them with the medium to showcase their work and compete against the industry's tops artist and rising stars. We'd like to wish all competitors the very best of luck.
	*Digital-Tutors* is honored to be one of the sponsors of Dominance War. As a company that focuses on the development of artists, we're excited to see the work contestants will produce and see how they push their creative limits. As the convergence between film and games gets closer, it's amazing to see the work artists can create. Our mission at Digital-Tutors is to make learning new software or techniques a fast, fun, and easy process for any artists. Best of luck to everyone.
	*Infernal Engine,* being the new dominating force in the engine middleware business, is proud to support Dominance War IV. Infernal Engine was designed with artists in mind, with a plethora of cool tools and features to make their jobs streamlined. We want the artist community to know we're pushing the limits of technology, and opening up new paths of creativity for them. Game engines should enable great art - not limit it. The Infernal Engine is the new artist choice for technology.
	*Splash Damage* is very excited to be a sponsor of this year’s Dominance War competition. Character art is a major part of almost every game and throughout the years, many game characters have become icons in popular culture; their creating artists managing to convey the character's personality and purpose to the audience at first glance. Dominance War has always managed to attract artists of the highest caliber from around the world and we can’t wait to see the fantastic character designs that this year’s competitors will be creating. Best of luck to all participants!
	*Liquid Development* is thrilled to be a part of Dominance War yet again in 2009! We are consistently inspired and enlightened by the work this contest draws from the amazing talent in the world wide digital arts community. We are confident that Dominance War IV will carry on the tradition of blowing minds and shattering expectations.