Mount&Blade Cover - Frodogorn

[Lemonfield]

Update
Thanks to some of our members, the original thread along with all the images, seem to have been pulled or hidden from public viewing. I currently don't know where else, if anywhere, one can view the original work - so until further notice here's the the final boxart from Paradox.

(click to show/hide)

________________________

OP

It seems, that contrary to what we all seem to have assumed, the Paradox M&B cover is not a photoshopped photo or composite, but a damn good render. 

I was on the CGSociety frontpage just now looking for new gallery entries and my jaw just about hit the floor when I scrolled to the bottom of the frontpage and saw Frodogorn's face pasted right there staring back at me(I was just not expecting it):

As it turns out this piece is even by one of the guys who's work I've been following (Piotr Fox Wysocki). It really is a small world.

Here's the wire and the final render (reduced size)



Check the thread for a larger render (click on the picture) and details on how he produced it. http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=655450 (link no longer valid)

However one might view it as a cover for Mount&Blade or even as a piece of art - as an achievement in realistic rendering I think it's quite convincing. It at least seems to have fooled all of us.

[Merlkir]

it's sad to see a work of such a talented artist go completely amiss and wasted. I mean...the skill in modeling and texturing is there, the angle makes the face a bit skewed, but overall it's an excellent work. Pity they didn't give him any Ganbat artworks for reference and that he had to use Aragorn for reference.

[Swordmaster]

Yes, Ganbat's artwork would fit well on the cover, or the back cover.

[Lemonfield]

Hehe. There's even this comment about his looks in the CGS thread:

GOSH!!! that´s aragorn mixed with frodo!! 5*

I do wonder what he could have done with some inspiration (and context) from Ganbat's art and having played the game. Reportedly all he had to go on more or less, was "do a game cover, with a medieval hero."

Also interesting is the handful of replies in the first few pages commenting on the game. Just how big has Mount&Blade gotten?

Edit: I stand corrected. "working on that cover i had concept drawings, and game as reference." So he did have both. Here's a further explanation of his process and considerations for the cover: http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=121&t=655450&page=3&pp=15 (bottom)

[Buxton]

It's awesome work, truly it is. But reading through the article it says that Paradox asked him to do a medieval hero, M&B isn't really about heros or protagonists, otherwise we'd have powerups and mystic charms in the game.

Highelf's version is a lot better, emcompassing more people.

[Sound Chaser]

it was a pleasure to work with Paradox Interactive.
they asked me to do a game cover, with a medieval hero. more or less.
in addition they give me total freedom, and deadline 1 month (spare time).

Oh, if that's what he spent his his total freedom on, I wouldn't say he's a good artist at all! Maybe a good craftsman or something, but not an artist. Besides, they should've picked someone who has played the game a bit. I'm SO disappointed.

I wonder why ever did they choose this guy to make a cover for a medieval combat game? I rarely see as boring "art" as this dude makes. Argh! The injustice! WHy?!

[DaBlade]

I think this guy hitted it right on spot:

(quoted from urban-rebellion's post)

Everyone else has said how outstanding the image is, and I have to agree, technically its excellent, and as an artist I have a lot of respect for your work. But that been said many times and I really cant believe no one else has really noticed the other big thing about this picture (aside from a vague line here or there).

Technically its plagiarism. This doesn't resemble Aragorn. Its not an homage. It's not "inspired by". THIS CHARACTER IS IDENTICAL TO ARAGORN IN EVERY WAY. Everything, down to the arm guards is a clone of the character from lord of the rings. The hair, the cloak, the jacket, the colours, its like you freeze framed the DVD and copied him. If the title of this image was "Aragorn" or "Strider" and in your notes you said you were trying for a model of that character fair enough, lots of people do that all the time, wanting to make your own version of something you like is normal.

BUT I didn't see one mention of the fact you took your design from Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings, and I find that pretty unacceptable, especially as you were doing this commercially (an assumedly being paid for it). Giving credit where credit is due is part of the creative process, acknowledging ideas and influences that aren't yours is a given. With all due respect to your technical skills - this is low.

[Sound Chaser]

But if you read further, he takes it back 

[Agent Griff]

It's also clear that this 3D artist has a lot of know-how in the realm of medieval armour and equipment.

He states that he didn't make a character wearing plate armour because not everyone had it (true that) and because it weighed 100 kilos (really now, I'm guessing you've never properly read about plate armour?) and people who wore it needed machinery or help from many other people to actually climb their horse. Now, help from other people is relatively accurate, but a knight made it something to brag about that he could vault atop his horses saddle from the ground, without touching the stirrups while in full armour. The cranes used to lift knights to their saddles are also pure myth. I'm surprised he didn't mention that popular myth that a knight who fell from his horse couldn't get up.

In my opinion, what would have best suited the cover art for Paradox's site would have been a lowly mercenary just hiring himself out who whoever wanted his blade (or axe, or lance or whatever) just like the player is in M&B. And a mercenary equipped with slightly rusting mail and a leather hood over his head with a ragged horse and an old longsword slung from his saddle would have fit the Mount & Blade spirit much more than Aragorn's retarded brother.

A forum member had an avatar that slightly resembles what I'm talking about, with a rider resting a big lance on his shoulder. That would have been best for this game.

[Mama Sumae]

It seems the cover creator used his own face on the model.  





Well some guy accused him of plagiarism in the comments.

Thats what he had to say:

I have to agree with you, and disagree at the same time.This image look kinda strangely similar to Aragorn or lotr. horse look like in lotr, character have long hairs as well. is dress like in medieval times. yup copy of lotr.

but let me explain my self. yes unfortunately i saw lotr, and unfortunately many times. It left deep scar in my brain  now when i see somebody on the horse i compare it to lotr.
this movie has been made to good. because they did lots of research on armor, cloth, culture etc... working on that cover i had concept drawings, and game as reference.
somehow knight in shiny 100kg armor didn't fit in to it (just to make it not similar). and in medieval times this heavy armor was not so popular and useful. because to put this poor rider on the horse they needed weird constructions, or help of another guy.
another think was, price, for one heavy armor you could buy a village.
from the practical point of view it didn't work for me. and i didn't want to do a metal transformer.

so i choice light version of warrior. somehow warrior looks better on the horse.
later he need some clothes, i spend lots of time searching on Internet for medieval clothes.
those modern replicas where too shiny, or they had tons of colors what was impossible or to expensive to have in medieval times.
popular color was green, because it was easy to made, and cheap. so i choice variations of green for clothes.
this brown thing on the character is leather, what could be brown in those days. and i choice thick leather to work as armor.
i tried to make everything as simple as it is possible, so, no fancy designs, decorations, etc. like it was in old days.
and i tried to make it functional and also not similar to lotr.
finally it became similar to lotr, what i can do? i don't gonna change it, just because its similar to movie A or B.
i think so in lotr you can find everything what the people had in medieval times plus 3 times more.

Technically 5 stars (even with the odd left side of the face).  Overall very bad job, he had the game and all the great concept drawings to be inspired with. I felt like posting some of Ganbat artworks on the comments and ask him how he went from that to lotr…

Looks like he didn’t bother to research much about it, 5 years earlier and we would have a Scotsman wearing kilt while shouting freedom on the cover. 


Now anyone knows of a shop for mob related items? Need a good torch. 

[Redcoat - Mic]

Well they're not going to listen if we complain are they, if they paid some guy to do it.

Whether or not it fits the actual games "vibe" is irrelevant, here at the CG gallery, IMHO. (I think its a shame the game isn't more like this image!)

 

[Mama Sumae]

Quote:Originally Posted by jasonio
Whether or not it fits the actual games "vibe" is irrelevant, here at the CG gallery, IMHO. (I think its a shame the game isn't more like this image!)

I have to say this is stunning work.

Congrats.

Quote:Originally Posted by Merlkir
sorry, but that's bullshit. I admire this guy's work, but I wanted to tell him about reactions of other people also. What doesn't matter is that I did so here at the CG gallery. Making a piece fit the theme is a part of making the piece itself, if it's a paid job. I don't see how you think the game could be more like the image, but maybe you just like Oblivion more. Or LOTR. Doesn't matter to me. It's a good piece of work, but it doesn't fit the game and Paradox screwed up.

 Merlkir, adding obvilivion and paradox there will just make you pass like a overprotective fanboy. There is a valid point here but people will just dismiss if presented like that. He was hired to design a cover that represents ( & help to sell) the product not the other way arround.   I totaly agree with what you said but i just dont think thats the way to put it.


 


    

[Redcoat - Mic]

I posted ^-^ ;;

[Jallon]

Anyone else noticed the guy seems to be cross-eyed? And his face just looks messed up to me. Seriously, this is really bothering me. Even more than the fact that the picture doesn't really fit the game.

[Swordmaster]

It seems that he doesn't mind Redcoat's and Merlkir's posts, and even write something like this:

it remind me one sentence what i heard some time ago, it was something like this:
"its not important what people write, its important they write"

I bet if his model was piece of shit and people writing about his model, he would still not care about it.