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Check out Alpha Two Announcements here to see the latest news on Alpha Two.
Check out general Announcements here to see the latest news on Ashes of Creation & Intrepid Studios.
To get the quickest updates regarding Alpha Two, connect your Discord and Intrepid accounts here.
Comments
I like the Asian aesthetic.
I'm not sure about the ears.. they look too elvish. The one on the previous iteration looked more orkish.
@Liniker
EDIT: I should explain - I was fine with the previous iteration because the asian influence was less concentrated but if we're going full asian features, we're hitting a level of "cultural influence" that goes too far.
If the character creator works at an appropriate level, you should be able to take a "very strong asian inspired race" and make it into something preferable to you anyway. The race concepts are just the core of the race. This is more a concern for when the character creator comes out for testing and feed back, let them know you yourself cant make the character you want then. Due to the restrictivness of things.
New orcs look like elves with big teeth.
I prefer the old concept.
I hope the character creator allows for enough customization that both are possible.
In most other fictional settings (including Tolkien’s The Silmarillion), Orcs are descendants of Elves.
Surely, you can formulate a better reason for why you don’t like the latest concept direction, @Daggial?
Their reason for not liking the latest concept direction is preferring the old concept. It's right there in black and white.
What do you like about the current art direction of this race?
Looking at the two versions of the Ren'kai side by side, it looks like people (myself included) critiqued the square features of the previous Ren'kai. However, for me this was an overcorrection from the previous version. I like the more pronounced tusks, hair style, and cultural feel the adornments provide the new Ren'kai.
Is there anything you dislike about the art direction for this race, and why?
I dislike how angular and narrow the updated appearance makes the Ren'kai. They almost look like green elves with this concept. As I mentioned above, I feel like this is an overcorrection from the initial reveal, and as someone excited by the intial Ren'kai, my ideal would be somewhere in the middle between the two types of facial structure. Second, it is hard to surmise from the bust, but it looks like the body model has been thinned from the initial concept, the eyes appear more human, and the hide like textures reminiscent of the race's draconic lineage have been removed. To me, these ultimately make the Ren'kai feel less unique, and by extension less appealing to play.
What are your thoughts on what was shown during the livestream for the Ren’Kai female & male concept?
Overall, I like the changes made to the proportions of the face, specifically the jaw and tusks. However, I think the concept looks too narrow and pointed, especially the male. Only guessing the full design from the concept, I probably like the original Ren'kai better than the update.
An 8yr-old thinks they look "cute". That says it all.
Which one looks the most like TOS Star Trek Klingons, with their super-cheap effects budget?
Definitely prefer the new nose and general look. Maybe a stronger jaw line and weathered skin texture?
I feel the old renkai concept art being moved into the more human side of the slider of tulnar in replace of the more asian one we getting now.
If u wack the beard and the horns from the red tulnar onto the old renkai model they line up perfectly there a pic in the tulnar discussion of a paint cut out from the tulnar model onto the renkai model and it kinda fits perfectly :P so it possible that model being move to the humanish slider of that specific tulnar version.
old model might become the more human version of a tulnar if u put the slider all the way to human side of things. Because there kinda uncanny when u wack the horns and beard on the old renkai model. But who knows how much of a humanish look we can get going the total opposite side of the spectrum since what we been shown was the more beast scale of things
Overall though, I think you're doing a fantastic job. Hopefully we can have the options to beef up our Ren'kai orc with the use of sliders. If we can change body type/muscularity and strengthen the facial features I will be happy.
I actually like the ones below, but I also think they look more brutish than the new version Intrepid presented.
I'd say if you wanted to pick a fantasy race to represent the Asian aesthetic you would be better of with a traditionally lithe race like Elves, but I don't think fantasy races representing real world cultures is a good idea at all in the first place.
It would be better to have Orcs that have Orcish influence and have Jobs/Archetypes/Classes that represent the Asian derived fantasy tropes. Separating things this way allows for more options as any race can look and play as a Samurai, Ninja, Dragoon, or Monk with the right class, armor, and weapon.
If the game is launched with Ren"Kai being the only way to get an Asian aesthetic, I think the Ren'Kai will be a very popular player choice. However, at the same time, I think those players will be less than satisfied with their options.
The Ren"Kai are also supposed to be the swamp dwellers. When I think of Asia, I don't think of swamps, even if they are prevalent in real life. A great example of swamp dwellers that make sense on their face is the Swamp Benders from Avatar: The Last Airbender
The player characters do not need to make sense on their face, by design they should be the special or unique characters, but anything the game presents to the player should make sense at first glance.
"Oh, of course these are what the swamp people would be like."
or
"Yes, it makes sense that the wood elves would have a trap here"
That's the reaction you want players to have when they experience the game. You don't want them to have to read the 20 pages of backstory to know why the Ren'Kai are Asian swamp dwelling orcs and why it makes sense.
- I like this direction much more than the original.
Is there anything you dislike about the art direction for this race, and why?
- nope, I think this is a major improvement overall!
What are your thoughts on what was shown during the livestream for the Ren’Kai female & male concept?
- Great overall, though I would have liked to have seen both the Green and Red variants.
Less gorilla like in my eyes.
https://Twitch.tv/Eradal
https://Twitter.com/Eradal_
i liked older model better, new one not that much
old male looks brutish, and overall screams that's tank class/ warr
new one more like mage or something