《魔兽争霸》Tree Tag 的 Ent Warrior 模型制作进展

Ent Warrior

Mission. We need to create a model that is easily recognizable as an Ent Warrior, has a design that fits perfectly with the visuals of Warcraft, and also has a clean/edgy look to serve as a great base for future skins (yes, we'll need plenty!).

Appearance. It must correspond to the role, namely: quickly and harshly kick ass of the Infernal team units. Thus, we decided to follow the idea of a primeval and raging Ent which assembles the image of a wild and untamed creature.

Still interested? Let's move on!

Pic 1. Class selector in the Fountain of Destiny.

In Tree Tag there are 9 (!) general Ent classes (pic. 1) and 2 secret classes. Quite a lot, I would say, especially when you think of providing every Ent with a unique and recognizible appearance that must not be confused by players. In addition, all new models should contain some features that pay homage to the original models that players are accustomed to. Sounds like a great challenge, doesn't it?

Let's start with the most difficult part, which will give us the future direction - the Ent's Face.

To begin with, we took our Ent template with all the necessary animations, as well as a merged portrait (so as not to worry about unnecessary changes in the future), and then we applied AncientProtector.blp:

Well, no matter how we stretch the texture, we can’t get the eyes to fit into their sockets, half of the face is covered with leaves, and a dark spot has formed under the nose that needs to be covered with something.

As you can see, the texture maps are very different: the Ent's face is too long and narrow, while AP's is wide and protruding. To solve this problem I made the face more massive, and moved the eyebrows, which are constantly covered by the texture of the eyes, inward, thereby creating eye sockets.

Step by step, working like the best Greek sculptors, we adjusted the form to the texture, and the texture to the shape of the face. Now we can place accents on our face in the form of massive eyebrows, cheekbones, a wide and thick jaw, and let’s even add fangs:

Here we go! This manlike stern face is just what we need. At the same time we solved the problem with the dark spot under the nose with the help of a mustache, which also added extra masculinity.

But we're not out of the woods yet because the eyebrows are moved by the eye bones, the upper jaw is connected to the cheekbones, and the mustache does nothing at all. So we need to re-assign the old bones and add some new ones in order to get proper mimics:

Done! We re-assigned the bones and added a few more to control other facial structures. Let's have a look:

Good! The face is almost done but the head still looks bold and we also need something that will add more aggressive aesthetics and further develop the idea of the wild and unbridled nature of this character.

Let's think a little. A bunch of strong branches? Giant torn leaves? Hmm... How about a big, leafy mane? After all, it is an absolute symbol of the gorgeous and formidable lion nature, the real king of beasts. Let's see how it turns out!

For this we need to create... or use some existing geosets. Which creature has huge, prominent hair that gives it a special appearance? And the answer is Banshee!

Without delay we added different textures on top of the Banshee with leaves from the Night Elf family. After experimenting, we pick the most suitable texture for the color of the leaves:

Great! Also, this dynamic arrangement of leaves further enhances the character’s image. All that remains is to fix the "hair" on the bones. But for cunning people like us this is not a problem because we did not remove the bones of the branches, which will allow us to select moderately mobile ones and clone them:

Fine! We also arranged parts of the "mane" so that only the face was exposed, and additionally covered the back of the head. This gave an additional bestial charm to the character and greatly enhanced the external originality.

By the way, after wrapping the Ancient Protector texture back and forth we decided to abandon it because it was too dark and wrinkly. So let's go back to the standard Ent texture and see how it fits into the picture:

Much better! The Ent looks definitely fresher.

In the meantime, we adjusted the position of some limbs and made them larger to make our hero look more massive and dangerous. But the original Ent Warrior's hands had red glow. So, paying tribute to the original model, it is also worth focusing on the hands:

Interesting... Sharp claws and massive forearms might be the way. Let's continue to move the same direction and further pump up the animalistic nature of our hero:

Great! These forearms and stone claws can become a unique and signature element of the model (which fits well with our mission) that is clearly seen from afar.

The Ent now looks so dangerous that it seems that it can kick any forest enemy with a Mui-Tai elbow and then terminate it with its claws. But it would be a good idea to slightly adjust the volume of the forearms:

Good. Let's check out our sapling in the game and enjoy some animations:

Hmm... So far everything is working smoothly. Here we have the 'Spell Throw' sequence for items and spells (like Sentinel), as well as 'Spell Slam', and this is what he does when he summons his minions, giving them a short-term Roar buff.

And finally, as icing on the cake, let's do something special for the portrait. For this we'll imitate an amazing animation where an Ancient Protector shakes off some foliage:

So natural and beautiful, isn't it? Good old Blizzard knew the thing!

Okay, let's import the leaves with all their motion, put them closer to each other, animate the "mane", face and adjust the camera angle:

Nice! Our bushy wild friend got more originality. And before we release him into the wild, let's take one last family photo to compare how well the new model fits into the SD design that is so familiar to our eye:

Wonderful! Just an ordinary, but a bit crazed sapling that has always been here. So we can solemnly announce the addition of another Ent to the Tree Tag family! Clap, clap, clap!

Thank you all for your attention and I sincerely hope you enjoyed our little journey of thought! I tried not to overwhelm you with details and such, but instead tried to provide more pics and be as brief as possible.

There is still a lot of work ahead, many new models will be released soon, so I will be glad if you join me on my modeling adventure.

I look forward to seeing you again!

Warm regards,
your Villagerino