Next MiniComp Thread!

[blankslatejoe]

Well, The Minimoo Minicomp still has an evening left to go, but I told everyone I'd get the 'next comp' thread started a bit early this time, in order to get the next comp up and running without much delay after minimoo ends..


To recap,
The last three comps have been themed; vehicles, horror-avatar potluck, and animal fighters.


So, let's hear those ideas, everyone!

[poopinmymouth]

What about a fps weapon, where the final beauty render has to be from FPS perspective?

http://www.mr-chompers.com/images/poop.gif (http://www.poopinmymouth.com)

[YdoUwant2know]

i like that idea poop

[Gavin]

Probably repeating a lot from last time...

-Sidescroller in 3D (Metal Slug, Mega Man, Bionic Commando, etc.)
-Bizarro Game Character (Female Mario, Evil Master Chief, Vampire Simon Belmont)
-Impossible Creature (Lion with Lobster Claws, Zebra with Wings, Owl with a turtle shell, etc.)
-Failed Superheroes/ Supervillians
-Steampunk Pets
-Organic Crate (Severed Heads That Hold Coins, Cocoons With Loot, Trees with giant holes for hiding)
-Mini Pro Wrestlers
-Ornate Helmets

...

[MM]

What about a fps weapon, where the final beauty render has to be from FPS perspective?


thats a cool idea! I second that.

ps. if we do that then do we show the hand holding the weapon?

organic crates is also cool.

[blankslatejoe]

the FPS weapon would be interesting... I would think whether or not to show the hand would be up to the design of the weapon (an fps weapon COULD be melee....)

I think if we went that route it would be nice to make it next-gen specs.



gavin-- I think we should save impossible creatures, steampunk pets, and minipro wrestlers for later, since those three were a little similar, in subject or scope, to the Minimoo theme. I still like all three of those ideas though--so don't forget them!


keep them coming, guys!

[elbaz]

I like the weapon idea...

What about some sort of space ship? Mini-fighter? or planes even?

el.

[Chasarsis]

I like Gavin's Ornate Helmets idea. Its sounds fun, fairly quick, and also pretty cool. I mean consider how many times do we get to design helmets in our characters?
The answer? Not enough.

[East]

I vehemently (been looking for a reason to use that word all day) second Gavin's Ornate Helmets idea. Vehemently.

Seeing how I have blankslatejoe hogtied in the trunk of my car it would appear I am now calling the shots in this matter, and it is hereby decided, etc, etc, and so on and so forth.

Right?

Right.

:approve:

[blankslatejoe]

hahaha, well geeze...now we gotta go with helmets..don't we?

I actually grazed right over that option on my first read.... it WOULD make for an interesting quick comp...I'd be all for it.

Still, the next comp thread's only been up for a few hours, let's see how supportive the weekday crew is of the idea/what they've got to offer

[East]

Oh, now I see where I left my laptop. In the trunk of my car. Though I don't even want to start imagining how you are doing the typing.. :p

You are right, tho. The more suggestions/opinions the merrier :)

And if people are totally unreasonable, I can always pack some more into the trunk :P

[davidhalo]

I'd go with FPS weapon overall.

Alternate method of Santa Clause transportation ?

[QuikBE]

bust of your favorite comic/cartoon character

[ThatDon]

Mini Pro Wrestlers

[BuroKun]

FPS weapon is a good idea, but can it be one that doesn't use traditional ammo?

[butt_sahib]

buro:
i'd take a wild guess and say- ofcourse ;)
it can also be a mechanised (sp?) arm for all i care haha

plus we all know where the FPS idea came from.

but yeah, FPS would be excellent.
Would help in ANY portfolio i think :)

[Vikkie]

And if people are totally unreasonable, I can always pack some more into the trunk :P

haha, I vehemently laughed at that comment :D

I think the helmet would be a little too quick, maybe it can be combined with gloves, shield, or a weapon.

here are a few ideas

- Totem Pole

- Hovercraft

- A device that you can attach to your head that would boost a skill (of the artist's choice) like, Idea Generator 2700, Dumbo Hearsall X400 etc. Providing that everyone uses the same provided base head for the renders.

- Art Nouveau furniture

- Art Nouveau weapon

[Beartastic]

I like Organic Crate and Ornate Helmet the most, but I also like FPS weapons.

My own idea would be the Batphone, you've got to design a video comunicator and someone important on the other end.

[Deto]

HUD + weapon?

The hud could be simply design layout or even a helmet view :)

[Japhir]

I like the totem pole idea a lot!

[-JL-]

Hmm.. I kinda like the "bust of a comic/cartoon character", QuickBE mentioned...

[andrei313]

I like the Totem Pole idea but tbh I'm still waiting for the kind of idea that was mentioned last week and made so many people enter. What we have here so far... is decent :p

[brian_h]

The FPS weapon sounds good since it opens up the imagination to being just about anything...

How about simply creating a superhero...busted or no...or more specifically mutant superhero...but it still all has alot of room to run

Gauntlet of ?....basically a glove that does...whatever...power, energy, etc...again, lots of possiblities.

Ultimate villian...a badass badguy...something that could beat the bad off vader.

Undiscovered fantasy creature...dragons, orcs, etc. have all been done...come up with something that could in the same class or something completely different. Or even something like the creature stuff from Star Wars...futuristic fantasy or classic fantasy...doesn't matter, perhaps something with a specific power that makes it fantasy (ie dragons breath fire)

There are a couple of ideas.

B

[Amethyst]

"...there is this strange bottle that you open and something alive comes out...up to your imagination what it is ...he,he my 2 cents

[FredH]

Heavy Demolished Gear could be a cool comp. Make a destroyed, demolished, broken, tarnished, melted, blackened, ruined, and/or shattered item. Basically, we want to see something that went through hell, and only a fragment remains to hint at what it originally was. The item could be anything except a vehicle or character. So chairs, your sister's doll, your mother's favorite vase, your father's tools, your friend's psp etc are just some possible candidates for you to rip apart in a glorious fashion:D



~

[Vikkie]

Heavy Demolished Gear truly sounds great :D I can think of a few already :)

[elbaz]

The totem pole idea is excelent, but maybe with a twist?

A "themed" totem maybe, such as a totem of faces, a totem of symbols, creatures, game consoles, cell phones etc

on another note, why not a bonsai tree? or bonsai <insert something comical here>

el.

[meltdown]

superhero bust and totem pole are great suggestions...
but i def support the translation of the 2d scroller in 3d

[ryuju]

i would be all for 2d scroller in 3d, theres lots of things to choose from in there but fps weapon also sounds like a lot of fun, but maybe it should be fps weapon with some restriction or theme... not really sure what though...

[TryForce]

Element Creature.

What shape would you give the Elements? (Lighting/Thunder,Water, Fire, Earth/Stone, Wind, and extra: Underground/hell [other side of lighting and thunder])

but... thats just me.

[auctane]

Heavy Demolished Gear gets my vote!!

Another character comp would be cool too since the mini moo worked some rust off... yeah my entry was not submittable. :)

[BuroKun]

Big Fight Scene! two weird robot or animal or whatever things fighting in a city scene. eh?

[QuikBE]

i vote any thing that gets the dust off z brush before the next big comp I do like the idea of a side scroller into 3d idea and TryForces idea is great as well

[brian_h]

I think BuroKun's idea is a good one...I'm almost done...now. lol

[XenoZiden]

Self Portraits maybe? That might take to long though.

[East]

Heavy Demolished Gear and Superhero Bust sound great to me, I'd be up for that :)

I still like the Ornate Helmet idea best, and if we up the specs a little bit we could make for some truly intricate things, while not taking too long, or too short, to complete.

[Deto]

Self-portrait would be cool :D

[hobodactyl]

I have to vote for Superhero Bust (or just a bust of some sort) followed by Heavy Demolished Gear.

[BuroKun]

would the superhero bust be a hero we make up?

[typhus22]

if its superhero bust i say a zbrush sculpt maybe with a base mesh we all work from?

[kirilot]

edit :didn't see the second page, defiantly Demolished something especially if it can be a building!

- FPS is definitely something good for portfolio, especially if we hike up the specs

- all for ornate helmet, but it might be to quick...unless we add stuff to it as mentioned, or we shorten the deadline

- dig the organic chest idea

Heres mine: design a throne or a throne room, but we all know how environment comps go :P

[blankslatejoe]

kiril -- a throne room enviro comp might be ambitious...but just the throne itself? That might be fun, self contained, and be a good portfolio piece!

[typhus22]

agh props! likeing the organic chest over thrones

[kirilot]

if we hike up the specs it could be cool, and room for detailing *cough* *cough* normal maps, give some of us newbs to dust off on high poly, but like i said we all know how enviro/prop comps go, i don't think so many would jump on it as the previous one.

[Kalango]

tokusatsu..........ULTRAMAN!
or....mortal kombat dolls...jsut love it....

[typhus22]

dude i just thought of a really fun comp in the veins of ultraman: kaiju battle monsters!!

[blankslatejoe]

okok, well, whatever we choose, im with you kiril -- it's about time we do something that's a bit more conducive to normal maps/sculpting

that said, the most popular ideas on the table:
-FPS gun
-ornate helm/ (or perhaps ANY armor piece?)
-demolished item/gear
-superhero bust
-totem
-self portrait

I'm slightly against self-portrait comps-- its hard to judge how accurate the likeness is, and I personally feel like they look like 'school project' pieces when you see them in a portfolio... BUT, if people want to go that route, I'm cool with it.

SO, in the spirit of getting things rolling, let's cap the new ideas for now and choose from one of those. I'd like to settle on a theme in the next 24 hours and then get the brief up tomorrow night, hopefully :-)

[blankslatejoe]

.mortal kombat dolls...jsut love it....

the absurdity of that is awesome... :)

still, lets keep to choose from one of the above list this time around, and toss the 'doll' idea in quick 2-3 weeks from now!

[Beartastic]

Ornate helm/gear wins it for me.

[hobodactyl]

Superhero bust FTW lolxorxxx

[-JL-]

Ornate helm/gear, is cool... that or if possible the bust idea, just please don't limit it to only superheroes :), comicbook/cartoon characters like mentioned earlier :D

[Deto]

About self portrait. Maybe we should post our frontal face view along with the portrait? Or similiar 'view' to the actual model presentation :)

[jec1183]

Ornate Helm or Totem. The hilarity that might ensue would bring some more levity to the comps. The last mini one was great for some fun and interesting entries so why not keep it going.

Will be interesting to see which will be more enticing, the big comp or the mini comp?

[scorn-maniac]

A lot of cool ideas. I am up for a FPS gun or superhero bust. :D

[Kalango]

Super Hero Bust...xD

[elbaz]

ornate helm/totem followed by demolished gear i say

el.

[BuroKun]

here is a new Idea, old to new theme switch EX: what mario would look like in gears of war

[kirilot]

sticking to the list, the first thing that pooped in my mind when self portraits came up was, "what is this, class?" totally sounds as an assignment some lame teacher would give :P, count me out if thats the popular choice, if we do busts i call dibs on LOBO.

vote - helm/armor or totem

BuroKun - he'd be the guy with a mustache ;)

[ryuju]

actually Burokun, over at the 3dtotal they just had a character re-design comp and they had two separate mario entries.
http://forums.3dtotal.com/showthread.php?t=54536

[FredH]

FPS Gun and Demolished Gear for me. Either one sounds fun.

[BuroKun]

ryuju - oh.....

[damagecontrol]

I like the FPS gun idea!

[BuroKun]

Hey, Here is an Idea that might be good: Start a thread called Comp Ideas (or whatever) and the first post (which would be made by a MOD or I would do it) that would contain all the ideas that were thought of, and that same thread could be the place were people can post there ideas for comps, so every time we need a new comp idea we have this huge post that already has all of these ideas that are numbered, then there could be a voting system that people could go to, it could maybe things go a lot smother I think.

[YdoUwant2know]

I love the helm idea. It's different. it's open, it could be a lot of fun.

The totem idea is cool as well, but might be a bit limited.

also like the destroyed item idea. This is probably my second choice, with helm as number one.

[Gavin]

Yeah, plus..at least personally...a lot of ideas get repeated anyway. It'd be neat to have a bank of ideas then once each comp rolls around, open it up to a vote.

[BuroKun]

Yeah, plus..at least personally...a lot of ideas get repeated anyway. It'd be neat to have a bank of ideas then once each comp rolls around, open it up to a vote.

exactly, thank you

[QuikBE]

superhero bust :)

[blankslatejoe]

Hm... a bank and vote is a good idea...though, as much as I like community involvement, that can lead to a few problems. Here's a couple of complications off the top of my head:

1: some themes will consistently be popular,you could run the minimoo comp or a pocket monsters comp over and over and over because it would always win or place high in votes as new people join the polling. I love these uber-popular comps, but minicomps should be about variety too.

2: some themes will get nominated over and over because they sound like good ideas..and have really vocal supporters...but in reality have small to-completion-participation (cough)bigcompleteenvironmentcomps(cough). It's a shame, but it happens, and its tricky to recognize these kinds of comps ahead of time.

3: sometimes certain themes might mirror super ultra special secret forum future plans and, to prevent overlap, certain themes would have to be avoided. ;)

4: conversely, sometimes certain themes might be reliant on super secret forum plans. Cgchat's weapon minicomp last year, as a warm up for Dominance War, is a good example. So are comps that are sparked by potential employers.

5: if I remember correctly, most BB software, like the ones used to run this site, have a limit on the number of options you can list in a poll. This might be a legacy issue. Not sure.

6: Likewise, listing two dozen options might result in every option getting 1-2 votes, with the winning option getting only 3-4 votes or something silly like that. With some of those 1-2 entries removed, the 3-4 might gain a LOT more support, or might be overtaken by something else entirely.

7: someone may submit an idea they love, only to have it chosen later when they don't have the time to commit to enter (this happened to some people back on cgchat).

8: usually submitting new, fresh ideas gets people sparked. Minimoo is a perfect example of that--it came out of nowhere.

9: Likewise, where will new options be presented? In the Bank-of-ideas thread? That could be a cumbersome thread in the end, with the first post of ideas,and I imagine a lot of people would unsubscribe to it and just check back occasionally. That means they might miss new additions, which would have otherwise caught fire in a next comp thread. EDIT: eh...now im just pulling for excuses. We'd figure someway around this.


All that said, I'm just being difficult because I love the traditional NEXT COMP thread, but I can see the reasoning behind a poll/bank. And all those problems have workarounds or aren't really big issues. We can figure that out later.

So, regardless, having a running list of ideas might be wise. We need to get this next comp up pronto, but during the next comp I'll scour this thread and the past next comp threads and create a big list.

Then, in the next next comp thread I'll post that list of unused ideas in the first post. That's a step in this direction at least, and we can see how that runs. Perhaps we can evolve some form of polling as the minicomp process evolves.

[BuroKun]

blankslatejoe - I would have to agree with you on these.
So, regardless, having a running list of ideas might be wise. We need to get this next comp up pronto, but during the next comp I'll scour this thread and the past next comp threads and create a big list.

Then, in the next next comp thread I'll post that list of unused ideas in the first post. That's a step in this direction at least, and we can see how that runs. Perhaps we can evolve some form of polling as the minicomp process evolves.

sounds good to me.

[kirilot]

...and when the list gets to 20 dust off that d20 :P, or even d100

[poopinmymouth]

fps weapon! as a mod, my vote counts for 3, no FOUR.

http://www.mr-chompers.com/images/poop.gif (http://www.poopinmymouth.com)

[miezis]

dangerous kitchen items! might even twist them into fps weapons :)
since i'm kind of afraid kitchen, my imagination sparks immediately!

[East]

fps weapon! as a mod, my vote counts for 3, no FOUR.
All that means is that you take up so much more space in the trunk of my car, poop :paper:

Actually, right now I'm tied between Ornate Helm and Superhero Bust.. vikramr's Wolverine thread (http://www.gameartisans.org/forums/showthread.php?t=1317) has made me want to sharpen my sculpting claws and have a go at making a ridiculous charicature Wolverine bust..

[EDIT] Didn't mean that vikramr's is a riduculous charicature Wolverine, as it's the opposite :p

[bb0x]

I have never before made a weapon... Like a gun... So fps sounds cool to me :)


Also about the bank of options, the posting everything in the first post of a next comp topic sounds good.

[ryuju]

I always enjoy these next mini comp threads and its much more exciting seeing people post ideas that they are excited about at the time than looking at a boring list that could easily get up into the hundreds.

[Kalango]

still sticking with ultraman and tokusatsu and mortal kombat dolls hehehe :D

[typhus22]

moneys on super hero sculpted bust. high poly fun ^_^

[moose]

i vote for modelling your favorite dinner, wait... damn, wasnt said ;)

helmets/armor and destroyed shit!

[sage]

I vote for fps weapon gun.

Alex

[cookepuss]

See, I think Joe loves me, suggesting superhero busts. I'd SO love that idea. Quick, easy, and loads of fun. For a mega fanman like me, that's totally my element. (Especially now that my PCs are 90% online. Yay me!)

Just tell me who I have to kill to get that one going. C'mon. Don't be shy.

fps weapon! as a mod, my vote counts for 3, no FOUR.
Oh, we're gonna play that game, eh? See, I didn't play the mod card, like SOME people. Guess I know who to whack now. ;) (Now where did I put that tire iron?) :p

[blankslatejoe]

well, a quick tally of replies shows that things are pretty divided, but the ornate helmet/armor idea just barely wins out. (FPS was second, and superhero was third).

But, there's no time to waste (I'm gonna be out of town for a couple of days, so I want to get this thing going!) so Ornate Helm it is!

I'm not sure how the reception of it will be... I can't think of a contest that has done a theme quite like this before, but the minicomps are the place for experiments I guess.

So, I'll write up the brief tonight, but for those interested here's the skinny;

Model an ornate piece of armor. This included helms, gauntlets, shields, etc. Any single piece you want. The limit will be fairly high to accommodate all those who really want to cram in some normal mapped detail. I'm thinking 2500 polies and a 512 texture, any number of extra FX maps you want.

Also, I'll be providing a gray basemesh for you to 'dress' with your armor, just to put everyone on the same page.

Anyway, hold off any questions till I get the comp brief up and going! Should be in a couple hours

[Deto]

Not to sound like a party pooper... But... I like the idea, though the polycount seem a bit high for it... How about 1000 tri max instead of 2500? Unless we're going for full set, then it'll be a bit too big comp for mini-comp... :)

[YdoUwant2know]

i think Deto is right, normal mapping aside, lets keep it small. 650 tri for a single piece of armor should be good. Mini comp's should be quick.

[blankslatejoe]

Hah, this is one of the first times anyone has complained because the specs were too HIGH....

i wanted to keep the specs high so people didn't have to worry about limits too much. The focus here would be on the sculpt/highres details and how they translate to the normal map--not that you HAVE to go that route, but the last couple of comps have been tighter limits.

Let's drop it down to 1600 polies then, which is still more than enough polies to get some nice silhouettes.

All in all, if you want to go lower, go for it. In the end quality is what stands out, regardless of limits.

[blankslatejoe]

Alright ladies and gents, comp is posted: http://www.gameartisans.org/forums/showthread.php?t=1334

I'm very apprehensive about this theme... so everyone who vocalized support for Ornate Armor, you fellas better deliver! :)