When I started STELLAR INCOGNITA years ago, those of you who played the game will kow that I filtered all the images from the original 3D renders. The reception was mixed. Some thought it suited the mood, a lot hated it and there was a sizeable group that didn't care, as long as the story and content was good. Truth to tell, one of the prime considerations for using the filter on STELLAR INCOGNITA was I wanted it to feel like a trashy pulp novel from the 1960s with the racy covers they used to attract the male readership. It was also a way to soften the primitive 3D render quality compared to other games coming out using newer generation 3D figures and rendering engines. I will admit - the filter I used was not what I truly wanted, but I was limited by 2022 technology.
Then AI came along to steal all our jobs and... make much better art filters? AI had reached the point where I think it DOES hit my vision of what I wanted with STELLAR INCOGNITA. So I've done some experiments with a rendered image from the latest work I'm doing on HEROES OF CELTICA. My idea was that if people liked it, I could do TWO versions of the game - the original one now and an "illustrated version" I think much more fits the tone of the mythological fantasy adventure I'm making. The positive thing about AI art filters is that it renders what is there and doesn't hallucinate, so doing the image in a 3D render sets the concrete image it has to work with, ensuring continuity.
So I am making a poll with all the art filters I've used and you can vote on what you like. OR, if you think this is a terrible idea, let me know. I could try and release two versions relatively close together with each game release, I could do a BIG update with the filter from time to time or I could wait until DARK DRUID is finished and do it all at once? What it requires is batch processing and then substituting the image folders between two versions - not a big technical issue.
I've attached a zip file with all the images, so you can see them in larger detail. Plus, I've filtered an in-progress STELLAR INCOGNITA image. I won't go back and redo STELLAR INCOGNITA with a new filter, but its a dream of what might-have-been. The Poll is also attached. You can choose multiple answers.
ORIGINAL 3D RENDER
GOLDEN AGE
SILVER AGE
BRONZE AGE
MODERN AGE
SUPERHERO
GRAPHIC NOVEL
NOIR
RETRO PULP
INDIE
LICHTENSTEIN
MANGA
UNDERGROUND