Post by Layla Littlenymph on Nov 30, 2015 16:45:18 GMT -5
The Ardent Weekly Ledger
vol's 11-14, Highlights
vol's 11-14, Highlights
Well, here we are again, jamming 4 issues into a single post. That said, this will be the last time I post 4 weekly issues into a single monthly post for the simple reason that The Ardent Weekly Ledger will be moving to a monthly format with its next edition.
The Ardent Monthly Ledger
The first edition of TAML will come out sometime early December, just in time for the Christmas themed event zone. The game devs have discussed complaints with past event zones in regards to how outfits are collected, and it is anticipated that this years Christmas zone will likely introduce changes to improve this aspect of the game. Looking forward to that, and will post details about it, as they become available. Until then, lets take a brief look back on this past months editions.
~LL
An Interview with V&H's Art Director.
vol-11 staff article
Name: Chris Fulkerson
Company: Mad Otter
Position: Art Director
It is high time that you all met the dedicated Otter who has been working here since August 2012, and who has created SO MANY beautiful components to Villagers & Heroes. He is our Art Director, and one of the nicest, not to mention modest and intelligent guys around –and he’s also a lot of fun to hang out with over beers. Everyone, please meet Chris!
Q: You are responsible for designing and creating many different aspects of the game – environments, outfits, new monsters, ads, to name just a few. Which aspect do you most enjoy working on, and why?
A: New content! Either monsters, characters, or environments. I love thinking about and using lore when creating things. Story and world immersion are my two most favorite aspects of playing a game so they are definitely at the top of my list when it comes to working on games.
Q: What are some of the biggest challenges you face when creating new art? Or, more specifically, are there any issues that occasionally pop up which tend to drive you nuts?
A: Probably time. Usually with the work I do there aren’t many curve balls thrown since we have a specific art style and technical guidelines. The challenge comes from trying to get everything you want done within the time that you have. (Although, that said, program crashes drive me nuts!)
Q: Do you consider yourself to be a gamer? If so, what are some other games that you enjoy and why?
A: Absolutely. I look for story and world immersion when gaming so the games I’m into tend to be focus on that. My favorite genres are RPG and Adventure and some of my favorite series are Final Fantasy, The Legend of Zelda and Shenmue. I also enjoy some platformer series like Mario and Donkey Kong. It would be too long to list all the games that I like.
Additionally, the music in all these games is amazing and another strong motivator for playing them. I think music and sound design is near as important for the world as visual art.
Q: What exactly does 3D Modeling entail? Can you please give us a brief idea of the process you go through?
A: 3D modeling is a bit like sculpting. You often start with a basic geometrical object (cube, sphere, cylinder etc.) and start modifying it from there. You can think of it like a block of clay. A 3D object is made up of points called vertices with edges and faces drawn between them. As you go you’ll be adding more of these points and edges to allow you to make the object more complex. Probably the most challenging thing in learning 3D software is navigating through 3D space using a mouse and keyboard.
After creating the object you have to go through a process called unwrapping. This is important for mapping a texture to the object. You can think of this process kind of like paper crafting in reverse. You’re essentially unfolding a 3d object into a flat piece of paper. Every angle of the 3D object needs to be represented on a flat surface in order for you to be able to texture it.
Q: I know you are a Pixar and Disney fan. What are a few of your favorite films, and why?
A: As for Disney, my favorites are the Lion King and Aladdin. For Pixar, I really like Up and Ratatouille! My main draw for loving animated movies is watching the beautifully crafted art and animation. But for Disney films from the late 80s through the 90s, I also really love the music. Lion King in both art and music really grabbed me as a kid so it’s been my favorite ever since. It might be weird for a 3D artist to say this, but I really miss the old hand drawn animated films. I love 3D animation but it would be nice to see 2D again.
Q: Which feature would you most like to see added to Villagers & Heroes?
A: Ah, there are a lot of things I’d like to see happen. House interiors in the village would be really cool.
Q: For the benefit of a certain player out there, could you please tell us if bunny tails will be making an arrival in the near future? If so, what all is involved in implementing them?
A: A bunny tail would be a relatively easy asset to make. So since there’s demand, I think it’s reasonable to expect to see it in the near future. It would most likely be attached to a new outfit or a hat.
Q: How old were you when you first knew you wanted to be an artist, and who have some of your biggest influences been over the years?
A: I can’t remember the age. I’ve always drawn for as long as I can remember. I do remember I wanted to be a video game artist sometime in the mid-90s. I would probably have been 7 or 8 then. I drew up plans for a game and mailed them to Nintendo. Some of my biggest influences when I was younger were Japanese character artists such as Akira Toriyama, Tetsuya Nomura, and Yoshitaka Amano. In school I began to appreciate classical art as well as modern artists such as Picasso and Monet.
Q: Do you enjoy dressing up for Halloween? If so, what are some favorite costumes that you have worn in the past?
A: I do, but I haven’t done it often. Last year I was an undead groom and before that I was a zombie. My girlfriend and I will spend hours on our make-up and using liquid latex to create scars and gashes. It’s a lot of fun.
Q: If you could have dinner with one of the following characters, who would it be with and why? Walter White, Buster Bluth, Tyrion Lannister, or Elaine Benes?
A: Tyrion Lannister. He would probably be the most interesting to have a conversation with.
Other items of interest in these editions:
* Ardent Stories: New volunteer reporters introduced.
* New Zone Opens: Bevyn’s Coille (The Secret of the Coille)!
* Game improvements: Legendary Crafting. Salvaging Rods.
* Contest Winners Announced: Congratulations to Anarky (US1), Sarah05 (EU2), Wait (US1), Astro (US1), Rolak (US1), Iyah (US1).
* Gathering Tips, by BoxySister:
* Player Interviews: Astro1 (US1), Our very own Karen Souldancer (US2), Jeylana (EU2).
* Behind The Scenes: A spooky moment with Damon. A look at Bugs. New Artist Joins Staff, Xu Peng.
* New Royal Guardians Announced: Bless/Selia (EU1), Temp512 (US1), Grrrh/Mackiai (EU2), Curb Stomp Justice (US2).
* Top Five Tips for Beginners, by Avenian:
* Monster Compendium: Bevyn The Abominable.
The Ardent Monthly Ledger is a monthly publication from Mad Otter.
Each month, we will be posting key excerpts from the most recent editions.
Current and archived editions can be seen in full at The Ardent Monthly Ledger.