From Valiance Online Art Department (updated 8/25/14)

Started by Benjonesart, August 21, 2014, 09:49:07 AM

Benjonesart

Hey guys I wanted to apologize for us not beating your heads in with new Info on the development of Valiance Online as of late. But if your keeping up with our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ValianceOnline (forgive the shameless plug) you will know we are still working hard to not only make this a spiritual successor but a game that stands on its own.

We have some huge news of a limited ground level Alpha release by direct request, simply because our current tech wont hold the massive amount of people we had surge in during the prealpha phase. We have to limit it down but we will attempt to get many in to take a look at what we have coming.

Please keep us in mind when your reminiscing about those days in COX.

One of the major complaints in the pre alpha has been destroyed, reworked and completely overhauled. And as the art director its going to be fun to see what you guys think.

September 12 the game begins for us and some of you get to see the system go up in place as we put more and more into the game.


Later
Valiance Online
Ben Jones
Art Director

PS: ill attempt to make more post here to keep you guys updated since I know some people hate facebook and everything about it.
Valiance Online
Art Direction
Ben Jones

eabrace

Sounds like pretty good news.

Thanks for the update!
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I was once being interviewed by Barbara Walters...In between two of the segments she asked me..."But what would you do if the doctor gave you only six months to live?" I said, "Type faster." - Isaac Asimov

Shifter

Quote from: Benjonesart on August 21, 2014, 09:49:07 AM
simply because our current tech wont hold the massive amount of people we had surge in during the prealpha phase.

What game engine are you using? Looks a lot like the Realmcrafter. I recall that engine getting a lot of bad press because it would only hold like a dozen connections before it became unusable.
Stone Tank
Freedom Server

Benjonesart

We are using the Unity Engine, and the tech side is based on our "server Hardware"





Valiance Online
Art Director
Ben Jones
Valiance Online
Art Direction
Ben Jones

bugskull

Greetings all,

I am the Community Liaison, and sometimes concept artist and designer for Valiance Online. (Yes, we all operate as proverbial "Swiss Army knives" for VO!)  I simply wanted to piggyback on what Ben has mentioned above and to inform folks that we will be placing our updated FB posts here for your edification.

Moreover, we are excited about connecting with people here on the Titan Network in regards to that "long lost feeling," that we (at VO) are aiming to give back to the community. 

Likewise, feel free to visit our FB and website at will:

VO FB:
https://www.facebook.com/ValianceOnline

VO website:
http://valiance.shogn.net/

Good Passages,

~3ug
Valiance Online
Community Liaison/Design

houtex

I would implore with y'all to post up here when ya can as often as ya can.  I am one of the heathens who do not believe in Facebook, so much obliged your updating here when ya can get to it.

*em thumbsup*

Benjonesart

Quote from: houtex on August 23, 2014, 11:34:59 PM
I would implore with y'all to post up here when ya can as often as ya can.  I am one of the heathens who do not believe in Facebook, so much obliged your updating here when ya can get to it.

*em thumbsup*

Ill try to keep you guys up to date as often as I can. While I handle mostly the art direction and overall look of the game, we all have our hands in just about everything since we are such a small group of developers.
Valiance Online
Art Direction
Ben Jones

Benjonesart

Here are a few of our signature heroes and villains concept art that are or will be in game currently

https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/446x690q90/742/YiPtgG.jpg
Magistor Lives!

posted by Ihaveseenthem

Stand up! Cast off the shackles that hold you back! For what have all these laws and rules being thrust upon every facet of your life, done besides surround and suffocate you? We should all be free! Free to live and thrive as we chose! Fight the oppressors who wall you in! Fight and live by the one true law: the law of survival!

-Magistor, June 2049

Magistor, believed to be a variation of Magister (late Middle English: from Latin, 'master'.) ˈmajəstər, n. Master; sir; -- a title of the Middle Ages, given to a person in authority, or to one having a license from a university to teach philosophy and the liberal arts.

People, I am here to tell you that Magistor lives. Don't believe the hype being spouted by Lieutenant Tyner! By her own admission, she never really knew the man. She only ever saw him in his "official" get up, and not once did they exchange words. She was little more than a cog in the wheel that was Leviathan, a mercenary with enough clout to get herself a rank and a platoon. Her recent capture and confession have catapulted Magistor's name back into the spotlight. Now experts have been crawling out of the woodwork to prove he is dead. Well they are all lying! I have dedicated years to uncovering the truths about this man and I can assure you there is no way he's dead!

#1 Back in the 1980's there was a Russian Scientist who went by the name of Magister. He outlined pages upon pages of ideas ranging from weapons to a moonbase to extensive modification of the human genome. But most famously, he was one of the theorists who outlined the beginnings of quantum dot technology.

#2 Sierra Leone, 2004 A bunker full of lab equipment was discovered alongside a mass grave full of victims of extensive experiments. No evidence was found to indicate who might have been responsible, but forensic scientists were able to determine the experiments had occurred between 1997 and 2000. Nearby villagers described a strange man who had been frequenting the area in the years prior to the discovery. Based off the type of experiments that were conducted, I am certain this was Magistor's work!

#3 Guizhou Province, 2013 Eighteen children born in this region have been discovered to possess amazing abilities; ranging from musical prodigies to a twelve year old who understood quantum physics better than those testing her. These children were followed for years, and they and their families were all extensively interviewed. Each of them mentioned a man, a doctor, who came through the region in the early 2000's and gave them medication to stop an influenza outbreak. This had to have been Magistor, testing the experimental drugs he would later use on himself, pushing the boundaries of his intellect to find ways to prolong his own life.

#4 The USS Victoria, the infamous ghost ship! In 1981 the massive aircraft carrier vanished without a trace near the Bermuda Triangle along with many other ships used in the Caribbean Conflict. But in 2003 it was found adrift in the North Atlantic, with no trace of her crew. For years it sat in a dry dock as top scientists tried to determine what had befallen the ship, but the mystery remained unsolved. In 2033 it was sold to a private collector. Magistor! He was the one responsible for the ship's disappearance and then he bought it back to resume his insidious experiments! Able to move around at will, virtually untraceable!

#5 Central America, 2031 A town was ravaged by a pack of wild animals that had been mutated to be stronger, faster and more violent. Necropsies performed on the animals were able to determine that some had been genetically altered, a few were given serums that would only last a few hours and others infected with a new strain of the super virus of 2023. Four years later a hidden compound in this same area would be raided by UN troops who were beaten back by soldiers possessing enhanced strength, speed and aggression. Fourteen years after that Leviathan attacked the world using enhanced soldiers!

Magistor moves among us, unseen, unrecognizable, plotting his next move. Japan and his homeland of Russia are already his. Soon his Leviathan army will rise up once more from its hiding place and rule the world with an iron fist! We must be prepared! Arm yourselves and stand fast! The time is near...

https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/488x690q90/538/aDjrM4.jpg
Paramount: The Man behind the Mask
by Aleyn Tallistro

Members of the motorcycle club Riders of the Wild Hunt took eighteen people hostage at the San Cielo Central Courthouse Wednesday morning, demanding the release of their leader, Steve Patton, from San Cielo Penitentiary.

The bikers barricaded themselves inside Courtroom Three as hearings began for the day at 9 a.m. Authorities evacuated the courthouse while San Cielo Police Department officers rushed to the scene. Hostage negotiators were called in, and SWAT members in full gear, along with several snipers, surrounded the building.

It has been a century since this scene unfolded in July 1992, the first time the man named Protocol came to the aid of San Cielo. Protocol answered Police Chief Robert Patton's call for assistance that day alongside the ever-present Paramount, and their initial cooperation led to the formation of Valor, a group that has faithfully served and protected the citizens of this great city for 100 years and counting.

A century of protection for San Cielo, all because one man chose to become a superhero. Paramount has long been celebrated as the first superhero in the United States, the first person who decided to use his superhuman abilities in the service of his community. Since then many others have followed in his footsteps, and continue to do so all around the world.

But just who is Paramount?

Although he has chosen to maintain his secret identity all these years, he has given us a few hints. It is well known that he served in the Caribbean Conflict of the early 1980s. His friend Protocol also served, as have several other members of Valor. We also know he is the only member of his immediate family to be so long lived, though his family name (whatever it might be) has carried on through his siblings' descendants. He has stated that he has chosen to remain a bachelor, lest his superheroing work lead to the endangerment of his potential family. Finally, we know that his public records were sealed in 1996, when Valor was officially recognized as a law enforcement agency by the government of San Cielo.

What little factual information we have on the man in the armor really doesn't matter in the end, though. We have seen him stand up to gang violence and fight to save our streets. The citizens of this city have watched with bated breath as he ran into a fully engulfed building to the save the life of a child and her beloved cat. When the war came to our doorstep Paramount was there, fighting round the clock to protect our community. And he was there afterward, to help us rebuild and heal from the devastation. The actions he has taken, the choices he has made, and the lives he has saved define the man far more than a name ever could. He is Paramount, and while he is still a man, he has taken on a mantle of leadership few others could hope to bear.

Courageous yet gentle, willing to take the risks so that others don't have to, because he has gifts that enable him to do so. Working with his own gauntleted hands to rebuild our great city. Paramount has given so much of himself to this community. But it is out of more than just a sense of duty, or a willingness to do the right thing. In this reporter's humble opinion, he acts out of love.

https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/446x690q90/538/MvsAcP.jpg
Heroine or Lunatic?

- Raymond Torres, San Cielo Sentinel Editorial

San Cielo, CA - What are we to make of this so-called Windsong? Bad enough San Cielo has all manner of freaks of nature running around with stuff shooting out of their eyes, hands and mouths; she is something else entirely.

Now, don't get me wrong. I know these people are "heroes," trying to turn this wreck of a city around. I just really don't know what to think about Windsong in particular. She speaks to trees! Doesn't that strike anyone else as being absolutely crazy!? Animals walk right up to her, and there's always at least one lurking around her. Does no one else see that as creepy?


And why does Paramount, our hero of the city, respect her voice so much?

I've spent more than a little time at the library trying to figure her out. There's not much information on Windsong as a person, but it looks like this whole speaking to trees thing isn't unheard of.

Centuries ago, ancient tribes in this country lived off the land. They had priests called shamans who were revered as being most connected to "Mother Earth." The shamans led their tribes in everything from listening to the words of the wind to following their animal spirit guides. But these practices have been dormant for centuries.

So why are these powers "back" now? And who is this woman who seems to command them? While her features appear Native American, that could mean anything or nothing. Is she really for real? Is she some con artist or magician, trying to pull one over on us? I don't think the latter is true. To this day, Paramount has had a flawless record with those he's chosen to bring into his Valor circle. Not even I can think this woman would be able to get one past him.

But is she crazy? That's what I really want to know. Only time will tell. From watching her in action, what I do know is that her voice captivates an audience. Animals flock to and obey her, sometimes without her having to utter a word. And the strange things nature does sometimes, when she's around ... at the moment, I'm at a loss to explain.



Oh look this is from the current build of the game, one of the main buildings all players will be visiting
https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1079x628q90/911/EYBwPV.jpg

And this a shot of a "controller" in game using the old models which we just updated with newer more "heroic" body frames
https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1079x628q90/904/6JsrKH.jpg

Hope this wets your whistle even a little bit
Valiance Online
Art Direction
Ben Jones

bugskull

(Valiance Online FaceBook Update):

Here's a look at the new, more stylized character models. The community wanted something more true-to-comics in design, so here is our offering. Look forward to seeing these models in the upcoming video walk-through of Central, coming soon!

https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/t1.0-9/s640x640/10612704_749231378469691_5592732192072005473_n.jpg
Valiance Online
Community Liaison/Design

Noyjitat

Hey this looks really great! Glad to see this coming along nicely.

Benjonesart

for anyone that wanted to see what the older models looked like before I took over as art director here they are

https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/460x628q90/538/4AesgK.png
https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/460x628q90/674/WbWbtC.png

The same modeler did these and the new models and I think he did an amazing job bringing my scribbles to life in 3d

Valiance Online
Art Direction
Ben Jones

Nealix

the newer models do look a lot better in terms of a super hero game.  The originals, while very nice, made me think it was more of a sci-fi themed game.

Aggelakis

Bob Dole!! Bob Dole. Bob Dole! Bob Dole. Bob Dole. Bob Dole... Bob Dole... Bob... Dole...... Bob...


ParagonWiki
OuroPortal

Captain Electric

Actually, if it's anything like City of Heroes, then my feeling is that we should be able to run with something physically like the older models, or the newer models, or anything in between. The newer models look more super, the older models look more natural. Plenty of my characters were not inherently "super", they instead got by on all the amazing gadgets and training they used.

Benjonesart

Quote from: Aggelakis on August 25, 2014, 11:15:21 PM
Why does the (new) dude have an eight-pack? ;-;

haha no your seeing a portion of the rib cage. Its stylized more like comic characters
Valiance Online
Art Direction
Ben Jones

Benjonesart

Quote from: Benjonesart on August 26, 2014, 03:31:10 AM
haha no your seeing a portion of the rib cage. Its stylized more like comic characters

In Theory you are correct. But we changed proportions not just muscle mass to fit superhero styled characters. The end goal would be to be able to get a thinner character like the older models but still retain the superhero proportions of the newer ones.
Valiance Online
Art Direction
Ben Jones

Blackstar5

Quote from: Benjonesart on August 24, 2014, 01:19:25 PM



Oh look this is from the current build of the game, one of the main buildings all players will be visiting
https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1079x628q90/911/EYBwPV.jpg


I think I know where the CCs will be

Thunder Glove

By "controller", do you mean Mastermind?  Controllers couldn't summon an army of soldiers to fight for them, they were based around crowd control (holds, stuns, immobs, etc), with (usually) a single uncontrollable pet summon power at high levels.

This is looking good, though.

bugskull

(Valiance Online): A new look at our base characters' transitions. (Note: the older models are included too.) Please keep in mind that this is the base character styling. You'll have access to a full array of sliders which will allow for region-based body scaling of your characters. Likewise, you'll be able to transition up or down from the current state, in addition to having the ability to utilize a "physique" slider; this allows you to adjust your characters muscular definition.

https://www.facebook.com/ValianceOnline

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/s600x600/10485337_1539104896309561_2561887466607821840_n.jpg?oh=111344a0b115b4ade157ded193ab4e59&oe=545DDD77&__gda__=1417320626_4994c48ff29afbbdd572ef4464771a57
Valiance Online
Community Liaison/Design

mrultimate

Are y'all (yes I'm from TEXAS) still taking donations and if so how would go about sending one?