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Note: first two posts are very out of date.

Partly in response to feedback from Sijun, I'm in the earliest stage of developing a graphic novel, Patel Grand [working title]. Here's a couple images. C&C (of any/all) welcome.



Edit: found one of the originals (below) - and realized this is the sci-fi version (flow-on from the fantasy original). Change of plan!

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Got a start on the map, which looks hellish, at this point:


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Almost five years on - back at it. Will try to restore the missing images (above).

Proving it's never straightforward, the main computer died (new power supply en route), am using the "tin pot" backup that doesn't like Photobucket - while I get my ducks in a row, here's an earlier concept drawing (Picasa linking test):

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Clay sketch + Sketchup detail:


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Blue dot (above) = 40m cube - white box (below) = human height; looking south, looking west:

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Edit: images moved to WIP/Nexus Inn.

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Edit: images moved to WIP/Nexus Inn.

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Character sketch (from *way* back; the character's hirsute, how to render that?), and some recent stuff.









The originals (and more) are locked on the crashed machine (am working with email versions) - so it goes - the show must go on!

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A few notes (short because story/design dumps are kinda boring):

"Durgl Deep" is the throat of the (extinct) volcano, an underwater 'city' shaped/inhabited by (you guessed it) the "Durgl". That's a secondary plot.

Main plot: the "hirsute" guy (above), an explorer, Ratoa, arrives and interacts with the local population (mainly the ordinary surface folk). He's from an empire in the northwest. The more sophisticated/powerful 'bad guys' (from an eastern empire) decide they want this location for their own - kaboom: Ratoa + locals versus bad guys.

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Blown out, fuzzy, etc. - and I learned a couple things.

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Note to self: helps to decide first what type of rock you're drawing...
Couple sketches (wip):




Edit: softened the horizon line (was stealing the show, heh).

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Still discovering what can be done with just a few strokes, without stopping to make it 'precious' (last one)...

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Just got a heads up re the new "Avatar" movie - uh-oh. The trailer/plot (see wiki) looks kinda familiar - we'll see. Meanwhile, the "new power supply" translated into a new computer - and better access to dusty old floppies (CDRs and DRWs that have never translated well). Like this one, circa '89 (when the working title for Patel Grand was "Hello Earth"; hmmmm).

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Updated the clay sketch (below), mainly to defeat the "bull's eye" design (thanks to whoever mentioned that, in one of the topics). Mosty just added mass; erosion and more critical thinking will make it better (eventually).


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Silly season's over [sigh of relief] - back at it. Again (re Durgl), glad to see "Sahuagin" in the NWN toolset but not quite what I had in mind:

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Edit: useless junk removed.

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Crummy pic, for starters. Physical detail/'resolution' is only ~500 metres - still just blocking, really. Still no erosion applied (will make it look less like, uh, the lumps of clay that it is - hehe). "Lava lake" was missing from the mental equation (can now factor that in). Still lots to do...


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Edit: useless junk removed.

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Decided to go with the full version (circa 1990). Most of the names used here have since been coined elsewhere. Again, I'll use them as working titles.

Original working title, "Hello Earth" [with Kate Bush in mind, absolutely]:

Terraforming activity continues on the horizon of known space. "Martu Perzan" discovers an inhabited planet, "Spiria", and illegally creates hybrids of an aquatic humanoid species (the Durgl). [deja-vu alert] The hybrids, which over time become native to the volcanic island ("Kernis"; clay sketch, above), are much taller than the native humanoid races and have blue skin: the "Mogen".

Perzan's illegal activitity is discovered (by appropriate authorities, encouraged by a rival terraforming company, "Terra") and he's forbidden to interfere further. Using his limited rights to the planet's resources, he begins terraforming a duplicate of Kernis, where he hopes to resettle his creations (including his personal muse, "El", or "Elle").

The planet's inhabitants (including the Mogen) are unaware of Perzan's longstanding presence and influence. In global scale, the two preexisting nations are "Kettara" (far north from Kernis) and Patel Grand (northeast or northwest, depending on which way you go). Both are technologically 'medieval' (navies, weaponry) and well acquainted through various conflicts. The Kettara are fewer in number but generally more advanced.

After Perzan's retreat Kernis descends into civil war. The local population splits between the warlike insiders (who retain the interior) and the defeated outsiders (who occupy the northeast coast line); "Kerna" and "Curta" respectively.
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Part one:

- Ratoa, captain of a south sea expedition discovers Kernis (previously unknown in Kettara)
- he meets the Curta and learns the situation: Patel Grand is aware of Kernis and will likely invade
- Ratoa confirms an 'expert' opinion, made by a Patellan ex patriot, that the combined forces of the Curta and Kerna are not enough to repel the attack and that genocide is a likely outcome
- all hands unite to prepare for a likely conflict
- an adequate Patellan fleet arrives, learns that the locals are warned and prepared, and returns home to gather a larger force
- the larger force returns to do the job and mostly succeeds
- many of Ratoa's friends (and his love interest) are captured/killed in the battle
- Ratoa is captured, ransomed - and soon returns with his own fleet to liberate Kernis
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Part two:

- Perzan has been using the larger of Spiria's moons to power his private terraforming project (a duplicate of Kernis, as above)
- he's also perfected his opus: "robotic atomics" (the ability to freely orchestrate/animate matter)
- when Elle is killed he duplicates her (memories and all) - and his sanity continues to slip
- Elle begins to parse/digest the entire situation, interstellar issues and all
- Terra has been aware of Perzan's doings all along and by now have blindfolded the authorities to the real situation on Spiria
- Terra succeeds in partially destroying the moon that powers Perzan's project; the debris threatens to destroy the planet's population
- Perzan's security and industrial forces are disabled (by Terra's own "opus"), though his terrestrial hideout is now impenetrable
- Elle enlists Ratoa's help in calling a 'council of nations' (all two of them) where it's explained that the planet is doomed
- when the situation is made clear (including the fact the moon's destruction is not Perzan's mistake) a Terra double agent agrees to summon help
- the planet is saved (slow recovery) but communication with Perzan is lost and his (now) fortress, "Perzan Kernis" is sealed to everyone
- Elle assumes command of his assets
- several agents are sent to disable Perzan's hideout, all of them fail

The finale is only half written - it's near the bottom of my list. I'll be happy if I ever finish Part One, which is partly the reason for splitting it to begin with.

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sp001

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Just got a tablet (as mentioned elsewhere), Pen and Touch. Here's my fix for 'Yamada's Beard' (below), ie. that sandpaper-like surface that promises to destroy every pen nib in quick succession (and ring Wacom's cash box for replacements). **** that.

But "duct tape" - seriously? I went with the white "first aid" stuff and a fairly brittle but hard acetate (cookie box scrounged from recycle bin). The "touch" function is scrood, as expected, but the pen handles like a dream now.

Anyhoo, sorry Wacom... you might be "top of the heap" (as I just heard again) - all the better for a classic bait-and-switch? - but I strongly disagree that experimenting on consumers is somehow justified. Will stay tuned for a very public and very substantial remedy (for all affected)...

Oh: again, the petition to "Masahiko Yamada, Wacom CEO" is here http://www.petitiononline.com/wacombug/petition.html

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Glad to be drawing with my 'right' hand again (re tablet), haven't used my dominant hand since about '05. Most of the above (exclude NWN screen grab) is left handed - can anyone tell the difference? Since a mouse is involved there shouldn't be much difference, or that's what I think (of course I'm too close to my own work to be objective)...

Here's a couple stragglers (below), early character concepts that should develop a lot quicker now...

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First scribble...

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Edit: pic definitely in the wrong thread/genre - removed.

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Two minutes (then a levels bump)...

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Keeping the layers sorted is important (note to self)...

Straight into chapter one, more or less. That's Ratoa about to discover who's on the other end of that rope... Will decide later whether or not to include previous stuff, including the shipwreck - which I *really* want to do but don't have the skill yet - and whether or not to include this scene too (doesn't develop the story, really)...

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Edit: more useless junk removed.

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Technique, *owned* - owwwwwwwwwwwwww!

That was my (overblown) reaction to the first one (below). Didn't get all cerebral/complicated at the start and it just - happened. Simplicity didn't last (note muddy section at right, etc.) but the first part showed how straighforward the process can be - if I can just keep the damn layers sorted! (transparencies are treacherous to the terminally disorganized, hehe)...

Second one still wip (not sure I'll finish it), needs people for scale...

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Blocked some figures...

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Exploration...

111106 - Edit: way off topic, delete.

[deatthelm]

HEY WOWOWOW... The first bamboo tablet was really good! I don't know about they one your using but i wouldn't buy that one, becuase YEA it dose look a bit messed up for a tablet, not to mention there is no palm support really.