Old Shields in CEP: Working on updated models/textures.

[Legacy_The Amethyst Dragon]

               

I'm working on updating some of the really rough looking older shield models found in the CEP today. Starting with the circular-ish large wooden ones before going onto others.

 

So, I'm looking at the pictures for some of these, and while most are straightforward to update (Greyhawk holy symbols? easy enough to find new copies to work with), others require a little more liberty be taken. Still, most of those are easy enough to figure out and make better images for. And yes, I'm making them look like they're painted onto the wood, rather than onto flat canvases.

 

However...does anyone know what this one is supposed to be a picture of (number 206)? It looks to me like a dark peach or a light colored plum, but I honestly have no idea. And I don't know who the original creator was to ask them (or find the original Vault submission to check).

 

 

 

 

Just to give some examples of what I'm working on, here's textures I've updated this evening:

 

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Snugglehoof]

               

Those look incredible!

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_The Amethyst Dragon]

               

Those look incredible!

Thanks. A 15 year old copy of Photoshop (still works with Windows 8.1!) + Google image search + trying to remake shields with basically the same (yet better looking) designs (so builders won't have to change any item descriptions if they used the old ones). Pretty much the same thing I did several years ago for the hanging merchant signs.

 

There's a few more shield screenshots (from last summer) on the polls page for possible content overhauls. (link)

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Proleric]

               

Really great work. I especially like the care and attention to retain the original meaning of the symbol, as that can find its way into dialogue as well as descriptions.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Pstemarie]

               

They do look really good. The only one that looks a little out of place is large shield 096. The image is fantastic, but it kind of reminds me more of the terminator than anything from NWN. Have you thought of replacing the metallic skull coloration with one that looks more like bone?

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Carcerian]

               

Wow, that looks amazing, a huge improvement over the older art assets '>

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Tarot Redhand]

               

Oh, dang! I've assiduously been collecting old shields on the new vault as they have been posted by Turkeys with a view to updating them sometime later. Looks like I'll have to revise that idea now. One thing I guarantee is that I am not going to touch monsters.

 

<initiating evil eye glint mode>

 

AD did you know that some so-called wooden shields actually had a covering of leather over the wood in order to make the shields more resilient   ?

 

<terminates all modes>

 

TR

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_MerricksDad]

               

They do look really good. The only one that looks a little out of place is large shield 096. The image is fantastic, but it kind of reminds me more of the terminator than anything from NWN. Have you thought of replacing the metallic skull coloration with one that looks more like bone?

 

I agree, I think that shield was intended to be more vampiric than metal, and more animal than human. It looks more like a werewolf skull from the front. Maybe we need to do a bones CCC and have everybody try their hand at a ton of skulls, bones, claws, and weapons and armor made from the like. That will populate the usable skeletal content to the max, and then we can reuse all that stuff for other purposes.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_The Amethyst Dragon]

               

They do look really good. The only one that looks a little out of place is large shield 096. The image is fantastic, but it kind of reminds me more of the terminator than anything from NWN. Have you thought of replacing the metallic skull coloration with one that looks more like bone?

Thanks for the feedback. I was thinking that one looked a little too "computer graphic-y" still. I was thinking it was a metal skull in the original (due to the blue to white shades of the original), but intend for it to look like it's a painting of a metal skull. I'll try it with a more white bone looking one today (and return the fangs) and if I like the results, probably go with that.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Gruftlord]

               Oh those look great. Do i assume correctly, that you will also switch the shield model to these more round, wooden ones? That's awesome. The old ones are really low quality.


I also like to think of shield 96 as a vampire or werewolf skull.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Verilazic]

               

Could 206 be a dragon egg?

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Frith5]

               

Great work, especially in upgrading while retaining the original, as has been noted.

On the skull imagery, I thought it looked like a bas-relief metal skull. If that was the intention, maybe a shadow around it could help it stand forth from the background of the shield? The addition of a few brads or rivets could help it look separate but attached too, if that's the intention.

 

Nice stuff, as usual.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Jfoxtail]

               

However...does anyone know what this one is supposed to be a picture of (number 206)? It looks to me like a dark peach or a light colored plum, but I honestly have no idea. And I don't know who the original creator was to ask them (or find the original Vault submission to check).

 

---

 

Answer : Not that this is authoritative but I would suggest a Grape (for Wine) rampant on a Golden Sun.

 

Think god / godess / godling of wine.

 

A better replacement might be a vine of grapes upon a rayed sun.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_The Amethyst Dragon]

               

Do i assume correctly, that you will also switch the shield model to these more round, wooden ones? That's awesome. The old ones are really low quality.

 

Yes, you assume correctly. Here's one of the toolset screenshots I took last summer when first considering this update. It only goes from 8 sides to 12 sides, but with the textures used, that 50% increase in sides makes a big difference. The new ones use an existing wooden shield as a starting point, then I altered it to make the face easier to change.

 

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Carrot Sticks]

               

The difference is really night and day: the model and texture combination work out very nicely together.