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CGI Vs Hand-drawn

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MrCreature
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Hey everyone,
I know that there are several opinions over this, so I thought I would submit these questions to all of you.

Can games have CGI as the primary art work or do gamers prefer to see hand-drawn art work? Does genera dictate whether CGI can or cannot be used? Or is CGI a big no no? I have heard many varying responses to these questions and would love to hear some more. — And I know there is the argument that many artists hand-draw and then scan in and use photoshop etc. to enhance their art therefore blurring the whole CGI line, but let's say that counts as a hand-drawn picture.

In addition, right now Little Creature Game Co is experimenting with some CGI art for a steampunk living card game. A few samples of character images (just the image not the whole card art mixed with the image art) will be included in this post. Opinions and thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

laperen
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as long as the aesthetic is

as long as the aesthetic is wholistic, in that every art component fits every other art component, there shouldnt be any complaints

chriswhite
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Hand drawn is better by far

Hand drawn is better by far. CGI illustrations give the impression that multiple individual pieces were 'generated' by manipulating a single construction. This seems cheap. I would avoid it.

radioactivemouse
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CGI and hand-drawn can look

CGI and hand-drawn can look however you want it to. In both cases there are good and bad examples of this.

You can't just say one is better than the other, It's all about presentation.

In my opinion, I wouldn't shoot for a realistic approach like the examples you have...I'd stylize it. Use cel shaders. Try flattening out the textures so that it's more like a cartoon (and a lot easier to render) Stretch out the caricatures a bit. Your pics look like the bad end of the Uncanny Valley (if you don't know what that is, look it up).

We all know the "look" of hand-drawn, but consider the CGI examples of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Storm Hawks (show), League of Super Evil (show), even Family Guy (in certain scenes). All great presentations of CGI, NOT going for a realistic look.

Hope this helps.

chriswhite
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yeah, but the problem with

yeah, but the problem with CGI in print work is that (at this point in time) it inevitably suggests that the work was originally produced for different media, and you're just ripping still-frames from it.

For example, the pieces in the first post–– if I saw these in a card game, I would assume that the game I was playing was licensed merchandise for some video game or DreamWorks film, and that all this art was lifted from it.

GenWash
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Hand Drawn all the way

I am of the opinion that unless you are a highly-respected CGI innovator working for a high-end cutting edge company like Pixar, then leave it alone for production purposes. Sure, if you want to play around and learn go ahead. Unless you can match the current CGI expectations, it's gonna look like crap.

The nice thing about 2D is that it's been around forever, and due to so many styles, there is a much broader interpretation of what is "good."

radioactivemouse
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There are quite a few people

There are quite a few people that have the skills to make 3d look good as 2d. I realize there's more of a level of entry as far as skill, but we shouldn't assume we should leave it up to the CGI companies for all 3d work.

2d or 3d. If you have the skill to make 3d look good, go 3d. If not, go 2d. Personally, I'm not liking the style presented in the first post, but that's me.

Corsaire
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Personally, I'd rather see

Personally, I'd rather see correctly proportioned rendered 3d characters than weak attempts at realistic drawings/paintings. Using something like Poser is a way for a shoestring budget to look more expensive.

My other observation relates to something that bugs me with a lot of CCG art: contrast and varied layouts/cors is really important for a player to quickly recognize things and speeds up the learning curves. I'm not not going to a gallery; I'm playing a game.

radioactivemouse
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If people don't have the

If people don't have the skills and access to programs like MAYA or 3dsMax, then they should stay clear of trying their lot at making 3d art for cards. You'll find yourself making Reboot-esque pictures...

I'm just saying there are people out there that have the access and the skill to make good 3d art.

Lofwyr
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Joined: 02/16/2010
Predictable

I have actually addressed this question in the past and can see that, based on the responses of users, your posted images have created and absolutely predictable response.

CGI Images of this STYLE (the key here) lacks meaningful impact. Images created in this STYLE force feed the players imagination and lack the detailed and emotional undertones of hand drawn work.

Artwork that renders to such accuracy, without even a modest offering of drama or flare is perceived as flat and, to be blunt, real. It offers nothing to feed the mind of the viewer.

Had you chosen CGI that are CURRENTLY on magic cards, on the covers of board games or a variety of other media you would have elicited an entirely different response from these posters. Style, as we see in these unimaginative and flat images, is everything when making a CGI offering.

We do not become immersed in the world and mechanics of a designer when it so cloyingly resembles our own world. Asking a potential gamer to become immersed or intrigued by these images would be akin to asking a gamer to play a game that involves complex geometry. These images betray any possible creativity or imagination by lacking those very traits.

E

MrCreature
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thanks

OK, thanks for your feedback. I'll take it to heart.

Happy gaming!

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