So keeping some of my research in mind I started doodling some initial ideas in my sketchbook. Not really trying to stick to any specific theme really, just drawing and seeing what I come up with.
Few sketches, one of a generic bulky monster with a bone mask. The other is more of a slender robotic sci-fi design. Something I resolved early to try and stay away from during this project.
Below is a sketch inspired by the game "Outlast", a monster that looks as if he is contained within a straightjacket, however it is just a hard carapce, under which his arms are folded ready to strike.
Continuing on from the idea of having the arms folded up underneath the carapace, this was a quick sketch to explore the possibility of having more than two arms.
Slightly more detailed sketch, still exploring the same design only this time trying to add some function to the forms such as having them able to fit the arms inside along with thinking about how they would unfold when the creature attacked.
For this sketch I wanted it to be a more intelligent, civil looking creature rather than just some horrible monster. As I get tired of just doing monsters sometimes.
Trying to blend the more intelligent looking creature with some more insectoid anatomy.
Another insect style creature, mainly designed for mobility and speed.
A totally different design, I was trying to stick to human anatomy in general but I thought this was a cool design, especially given how it can rear up and use its front "legs" to operate or attack.
Generic Human!
A kind of dinosaur like/avian sketch, I like the way the skin would hang off of this, I based it on the Kaiju from Pacific Rim along with the folds you see on Komodo Dragons.
What started as being a Gargoyle type creature just turned into a generic, giant winged bat monster.
And again, but in a more stereotypical Gargoyle-like pose.
Another brute style character sketch, I liked the jawline on this guy along with his multiple eyes.
Yet another insect style creature. Trying something a bit different by attempting to make him look more delicate and fragile than the others, something not perhaps built for combat, more intelligent perhaps.
This guy I tried to put in even more insect anatomy into a roughly human form, hence the extended torso and extra arms being the different sections of an insects body.
I rather like how this guy looks almost aquatic, however Im wanting to stray away from armoured designs to focus on anatomy.
Another brute character. Fairly generic bulky anatomy but with the addition of his sunken head, it makes for an interesting silhouette I think.
Random insect sketching. I like the one o the right because it seems to integrate the hard shell and organic forms much better than I have previously.
This was me trying to take the insect sketch from the previous page and elaborate on some of the ideas, whilst trying to create something that looks less aggressive and more peaceful/civil.
Elaborating on the previous design with a full body sketch, thinking about how some of the insects anatomy could have evolved into things that echo robes or garments.
A more in depth look at the arm of the insects and how certain aspects like the sensory hairs could have evolved into more of a mating display or show of aggression.
Rough sketch based loosely around a Seer Priest from "Brute Force"
Same as before but altering a bit to have a bit more flare and interest to the design, aswell as a lack of clothes.
Instead of looking at Archetypes now I'm going to look at some of my favourite designs from across the board (not just characters). As I feel that even a vehicle could provide some design inspiration for a character, or a character could provide inspiration for a landscape. Im going to list some of my favourites and explain what it is that I like about them and - if applicable - why I feel they would be useful for this project.
Name: SJ Sathanas
Series: Freespace (Videogame)
Alignment: Shivan
Notable Features: Forward Facing cannons, Insect like "shell" covering its rear-section
This is the biggest threat in the entire Freespace series, one that is very much apparent in this video.
One of the reasons I find this design so appealing is the sheer intimidation factor of this Juggernaut. The very fact that one of these is enough to challenge the entirety of the Terran and Vasudan fleets is a fact that is made all the more profound when over eighty of them show up. It is the games way of demonstrating that the Shivans are always the superior species. The revelation of the juggernauts ultimate weapon and the dual purpose of its "arms" was something that inspired awe in me as a child. It was a beautiful moment to see the apocalypse happening in front of me. To this day I still love to see utter devastation unfold within games/films, it always looks spectacular.
The four "arms" not only serve as the Juggernauts main cannons and final weapon. They also give this ship its intimidating and imposing silhouette, as it emerges from subspace, the arms emerge first, echoing a giant cosmic maw - its almost Lovecraftian.
(I will update this image with a better one I take myself, I havent access to the game as I type this)
There is a minor design flaw with these cannons however. They are situated too far forward of the front facing flak guns for them to offer any kind of protection, and the arms themselves have no point defences. They rely on the Juggernauts fighter compliment to protect them, as a skilled pilot carrying Helios torpedos can easily de-claw this monster.
The ships design follows the Shivan aesthetic of being very similar to insects. I'ts giant "maw" echoes the mandibles of insects and further adds to the connotations that this ship could devour the GTVA fleet. The other design aspect that adds to this is the "shell" like covering that runs along the rear-section of the ship. Very similar to the carapace an insect has covering its wings, this section provides surface area with which a lot of the Sathanas' point defence weaponry is situated. It also provides a degree of protection for the underside of the ship -including the engines and the hangar - if being attacked from above.
I like how simple the overall forms of this design are, and how they combine to create such an imposing silhouette. The four arms, the carapace and the undercarriage. If I was to create a "Tank" style character I would attempt to keep in mind some of the logic applied here, simple aggressive shapes that work well together to create something striking.
And spikes.
Lots of spikes.
Name: Nanosuit 2.0 (Prophet)
Series: Crysis (Videogames)
Alignment: Human
I could've either chosen this or Adam Jensen from Deus Ex: Human Revolution here, but the Nanosuit encapsulates more of the point of why I like these types of designs. Mainly the high-science biomechanoid style of armour. Ever since the Crysis series began I have been a huge fan of the way the Nanosuit has been portrayed as such an astounding piece of technology capable of turning an ordinary person into a near superhero.
My love of this design stems from the fact it is portrayed as being the ultimate in refinement and a technological achievement like no other in this universe. Capable of interfacing directly with the biological systems of the human body, this hybrid of man and machine is why I find this design so appealing. The video illustrates some of these features beautifully, as the user engages different modes we can see an up-close look at what the suit itself is doing, this pleases me greatly as I love seeing things taken to that level of detail and thought.
This level of detail extends to having a fully modeled prototype version of the Nanosuit 1.0 within the game itself. This is another thing I love, not just in games but in all things. Its very well seeing the final product, but quite often its more interesting to see how they arrived at that final product and the steps that went into it.
(Another image I will update when I have access to the game itself)
The aesthetics of the suit are not very complex, as they follow the basic musculature of the human body. However the way the Nano-fibers flow and the way they are connected to each other is brilliant in its elegance. The design itself has been simplified slightly from the original variation of the Nanosuit, that had the muscles more "separated" from each other, and not as elegantly following the underlying anatomy, making use of bulkier connections and with certain areas of the suit not following the anatomy at all. The very fact the suit follows the underlying human anatomy is a great way to indicate the close bio-mechanical relationship between the suit and the wearer.
The original suits handling of how the muscles are connected is also less elegant I thought. The large chunks of bulky metal are nowhere near as pleasing as the more refined and detailed connections present in version 2.0. The Nanosuit 2.0 also is a lot bulkier than its predecessor giving it a more stereotypical "hero" like appearance. It is a clever way of having an exaggerated musculature on a hero without resorting to comic proportions. The Nanosuit could be seen as a very high tech version of heroes such as "He-Man" and "Conan the Barbarian" a clever reinterpretation I thought.
As I said I could have used Adam Jensen to illustrate this, as both designs make heavy use of the bio-mechanoid concepts. However I feel like the Nanosuit 2.0 is portrayed as being more advanced and more refined than the augmentations in Human Revolution (Granted Deus Ex 1 had nano augmentations aswell, but I am not as familiar with those designs or the lore surrounding that game). The level of detail and refinement present here is something I will strive to achieve in my own design.
I did however have to include an image of Jensen, aswell as the Arm prosthesis that Ubisoft created for the game. It is too cool not to have in this little spiel about bio-mechanoid designs.
Ahh the Hellknight. One of the most formidable foes you will fight in Doom 3, and one of the designs from this game I find the most memorable. Mainly in fact due to its raw power. As every aspect of its design serves to create an intimidatingly powerful creature. It may not be the most original or the most exciting design, but it's one that's stuck with me nonetheless.
The Hellknight is an example of having a very simple design. A lot of the basis for it is just following the standard human muscle structure, however with a more demonic appearance. The head of this creature is probably the most iconic part for me, its smooth skull somewhat echoes the domed head of the "Xenomorphs", whereas the wide jawline is another indication of the raw strength this creature possesses. A point of interest I always found was the use of more "humanoid" teeth. I feel it adds a certain air of familiarity about the creature that is unsettling, this combined with the blank eye-sockets serves to enhance just how creepy the design is.
One thing I have always liked design wise about the Hellknight is that is simultaneously both incredibly muscled and also extremely skinny underneath. In the image below you can clearly see his rib-cage sticking out. This I feel is important to the overall design as this kind of anatomy is practically impossible for a human, and its a case of having something familiar but warping and distorting it slightly to unsettle the player.
This is a good example of a brutish character as it acts almost animistic in its pursuit of the player, roaring and growling like a bear. Its imposing large silhouette is also a good way to illustrate the tough nature of these creature. In comparison to its close cousin (In design terms at least) the "Imp". The Imp is a a lesser version of the Hellknight (again only design wise, story wise they are unrelated, that is to say an Imp cannot become a Hellknight). The two designs are closely related in that one appears to just be a more powerful version of the other, and they carry similar themes. Well muscled, but skinny, mottled grey skin, the ability to throw fireballs and attack with their claws. However the imp has more eyes, appropriate as compared to the Hellknight the Imp is a highly nimble and mobile creature, and would perhaps require those eyes to navigate. The Hellknight on the other-hand usually just stomps slowly towards its target and may not require such a degree of spatial awareness.
The overall designs of the monsters in Doom are some of my favourites as it is a less traditional take on what demons would look like. However the Hellknight is my favourite and its the warping and distortion of established anatomy that I take away from these designs. Not so much that it looks implausible, but just enough to create something that looks new, different or unsettling.
I leave the Hellknight with this fantastic fan-art created by Tsvetomir Georgiev of the Aaron Sims Company. I feel it beautifully encapsulates the original design while adding a few flairs and touches that make it that much cooler.
We've looked at a lot of large, powerful designs so let's now look at something decidedly smaller. The "Grunts" stand about 5' tall on average, decidedly shorter than most other things in the Halo Universe. It is this short stature that is used as a design shorthand to communicate the Grunts role on the battlefield. They are short, weak and plentiful. The fodder of this particular series.
(For the introduction only)
The small stature of these creatures is their biggest design feature, just as a large creature can create an imposing and powerful silhouette, the small stature of the Grunts are a good way to show the player that they do not pose much of a threat. The design of these creatures has not changed much over the years (At least until Halo 4) but a lot of the key features are the same.
One such feature is the fact that they cannot breathe Oxygen, instead they breathe Methane and carry a tank of it with them at all times, as-well as a re-breather. I do love how the Halo 4 redesign of these creatures changed how the "standard" variants re-breather works. The pipe coming out the side of the face adds a nice bit of assymetry to the design and is more "rugged" than the proper re-breathers used by the higher ranking members of the squad. A good visual indicator of which among the grunts would be the toughest or carry the deadliest weapons.
I do like the new design of the Grunt as it looks like it would be more plausible as a functional creature. The rough skin on the arms would provide a rudimentary armour and is probably a result of the Grunts semi-quadrupedal nature. Whereas the mouth area looks almost "turtle-like" to me, helped im sure by the tank on its back looking like a shell.
The Halo series has always been good for using visual cues such as colour, armour design and silhouette to help the player identify the ranks and class of enemy on the battlefield. It is something I will keep in mind. For the Grunts I do like seeing the inclusion of the fact it breathes methane, a nice hint at some alien biology. It also adds some purpose to the design of its armour & "backpack", and I like it when things in design have a purpose.
I started with a spaceship, so I shall finish with a spaceship. A living spaceship. That is the key design of Moya that I love, she is the point at which creature and vehicle meet. She is designed with very organic flowing forms which seem to echo this fact.
The design of the ship is rather beautiful, with its flowing organic lines seemingly echoing its semi-organic nature. The ship itself operates very much like a creature, she can communicate, she feels pain, she can think and she can reproduce. However she is also very much a starship, she is crewed by a "pilot" aswell as having the ability for people to take manual control.
Her design is very ornate, the lines on her outer hull are accentuated when she enters "Starburst" one may assume that the pattern of these lines may mean something to other leviathans, like the markings on a bird.
The tail of Moya also serves a purpose, it seems to be how she concentrates her energy for a Starburst.
Leviathans are such an interesting race, they basically combine everything we associate with creatures and with starships. It is also a clever interpretation of how in some pieces of fiction ships and vehicles themselves are considered "characters". This is kind of an extension of that by actually making the ship itself into a creature, it has been imbued with more traditional character traits that we generally associate with more typical, humanoid characters.
I've been researching some character archetypes that id like to explore for this design. I have chosen them based on the fact that these are some archetypes I have not really looked at before and I think they would make a good basis for this project.
Brute - Often portrayed as a Warlike race that value combat prowess above all else. They are portrayed with varying degrees of intelligence. From the warrior Castes of the "Skaarj" from the Unreal series, to the more intelligent and independent Krogan in the "Mass Effect" universe. Some key design features of this archetype is a powerful body built for combat as well as built in natural weapons. Such as the Krogans armoured head-plate or the Skaarj's tusks.
Name: Skaarj Series: Unreal (Videogame)
Notable Features: Powerfully built, thick skin, reptilian, tusks, dreads. A deeply entrenched warrior culture is present in the Skaarj. The powerful build of them ensures they are seen as capable warriors. Whereas the tusks and teeth serve as a way to show their aggressive nature. The existence of their space technology also serves to demonstrate their level of intelligence.
Name: Krogan Series: Mass Effect (Videogame) Notable features: Large imposing silhouette, thick skin, armoured head-plate. Somewhat based off of a turtle, these creatures are an example of a somewhat intelligent brute. However they still form rudimentary "tribes" and find it hard to overcome their warlike tendencies. The turtle like design of these creatures are a good way to indicate the defensive characteristics their natural "shell" armour provides.
Name: Jiralhanae (Brute) Series: Halo (Videogame) Notable features: Primate like with a powerfully built body. The Jiralhanae are a good example of this archetype as they do indeed exhibit a degree of intelligence. They are however prone to "Berserk" rage's when they are cornered or in trouble. The primate like design of these creatures is a visual shorthand for a lacking of intelligence. Also exhibited in the weapons they wield, particuarly the hammer. A blunt instrument that requires more strength than skill to wield.
Tank - A far more imposing enemy than the brute. Often portrayed as far less intelligent and a lot larger than average. These creatures are very often used within an army of smaller creatures as singular more powerful units. Or within a videogame as a pseudo "boss" style enemy.
Their lack of intelligence is combined with their size and strength to create a wildly unpredictable character that is capable of posing a serious threat.
Name: Tank Series: Left 4 Dead (Videogame) Notable features: Incredibly powerfully built, imposing size, not very nimble This is perhaps the purest form of this archetype (as the name may suggest). The tank exhibits a total lack of intelligence and will always make a beeline for a player character and continue to smash them into the ground until they are dead. They can absorb a lot of punishment and make for a tough fight. Its smaller legs help to indicate the Tanks lack of nimbleness. Whereas its primate like stance also helps indicate a lack of intelligence.
Notable features: Large silhouette, imposing body, built in shield and cannon, heavily armoured. The 12' tall Hunter crouches down in battle to create a more defensive position. Using its large shield to deflect shots and its cannon to fire back. The creature is incapable of speech and is a hive-mind composed of smaller "Lekgolo" worms. When close to a Hunter, it will always attack with its shield in an attempt to pummel the player.
Name: Mancubus Series: Doom Notable features: Large obese body, lack of mouth, large arm grafted cannons. The Mancubus has the highest health of any non-boss Doom 3 enemy. This makes it very hard to take down. The visual shorthand for this is its large imposing silhouette, however instead of being well built the Mancubus is Obese which is a way to indicate its lack of mobility. The large cannons grafted to its arms are its only way of attacking. It has no mouth and is incapable of speech or any form of apparent intelligence or communication.
The Swarm - Portrayed generally as an insectoid like creature. This archetype generally exhibits a lack of communication but a degree of intelligence (usually hive-mind like). More often than not they rely on numbers to overpower and destroy their enemies. They are usually used as an enemy as the behaviour of the archetype lends itself well to an insectoid design, and by nature insects are more inhuman and therefore make for an enemy we are less likely to sympathize with.
Name: Shivan Series: Freespace (Videogame) Notable features: Hard carapace, five limbs, inbuilt weaponry (energy cannon, blades) The Shivans are an enigmatic race. That is to say throughout the series you learn very little about their motives or their species. Their insectoid like fierce appearance extends to the design of their spacecraft aswell. They are portrayed as having a seemingly endless supply of ships and resources and despite being "defeated" they only come back stronger than could beimagined. My favourite thing about this design is the extra limbs and the configuration of them. I would assume it enables them to operate well in Zero gravity.
As its hard to tell form the picture I have included a clip of them in action.
Name: Formics Series: Enders Game (Novel, Film) Notable features: Insectoid species, advanced technology, hive mind. The Formics of the Enders Game series are an example of using the insectoid, alienating appearance to create a seemingly unsympathetic villain. Only to have it revealed later that they have been trying to communicate peacefully all along. The Formics attack in giant swarms and have a centralized "queen" without which all other craft around it will cease to function. It is a very stereotypical insectoid design, the interesting part is in the use of this alienating design to create this villainous race and then to subvert that later on.
Name: Lost Soul Series: Doom (Videogame) Notable features: sharp teeth, flaming tail, mechanoid parts
An example of a non insectoid type of swarmer. These are a very simple enemy that are often thrown at the player character in swarms. They are slightly different to the other in that they have no apparent intelligence other than the ability to posses the living.They also lack a typical "queen" they are however controlled by the "Cyberdemon". They are designed to be scary, whereas the tail is a convenient way to help the player locate them when they fly into dark spaces.
Warrior - A very stereotypical archetype. Usually used as a standard combatant in an army. They are often portrayed as being capable of Civility and Intelligence and quite often have very established cultures that value things such as Honour and Nobility. They are a mainstay of countless games and films, generally used to provide a challenge to the hero, without being too overpowering.
The Luxans are a race of Warlike creatures that have an established culture and civilization stretching back many years. Due to their Warrior culture they value Honour in battle above all else. The tribal markings they posses are a good indication of a warrior background aswell as the braided hair (That echoes the designs of stereotypical Tolkien-esque dwarves). Formidable in combat and with a deeply entrenched warrior culture, they make a good example of this Archetype.
Name: Sangheili Series: Halo (Videogame) Notable Features: Armour Designating Rank, Split Jaw, Digitigrade legs. A proud warrior race, the Sangheili are a mainstay of the Halo Series used as the Alien equivalent to the Spartans. They are a tall and imposing species that are physically very strong. While they generally favour advanced plasma weaponry they are often seen wielding a Ceremonial "energy sword" into combat. Their digtigrade legs are a way to indicate their mobility and nimbleness as they will often duck and dodge shots fired at them. Pictured is the ceremonial "Arbiter" armour. The fact their armour indicates rank is a clever way of weaving their Warrior like nature into the designs of the characters.
Name: Turian Series: Mass Effect Notable Features: avian like features, bony appendages, average build. The Turians are another Warrior race, although they are far less aggressive than others they still are known for having a powerful and capable Military. They have a rather unremarkable physique and instead rely on their prowess with weaponry and technology in order to fight their battles.
Shaman - Creatures that often employ magic or mystic powers, either within combat or to aid their species. Quite often portrayed as wearing things more akin to robes than actual armour. They are often mixed with the Warrior archetype to create creatures that employ these powers along with more traditional weaponry.
Name: The Advent Series: Sins of a Solar Empire (Videogame) Notable Features: cool colouring, physically unremarkable, use of robes, lack of significant armour A race of psychics that employ a mastery of Psionic abilities, either to manipulate foes diplomatically or to bolster their military prowess. The lack of armour or weaponry is a good indicator to show how much they rely on their mental abilities when in combat.
Name: Nihilus (Sith) Series: Star Wars (Films) Notable Features: Lack of armour, black robes, mask. Nihilus is the epitome of this archetype as it applies to the Sith (many other Sith are a mix between Warriors and Shamans). Nihilus however relies on his unique ability to destroy all life around him. Only drawing his more traditional saber when he has too. His lack of features apart from his skull like mask is intentional to make him seem more imposing and more mysterious. The entire character is designed to be enigmatic, you never see his face or are able to understand his speech.
Name: Shadoon (Seer Priest) Series: Brute Force (Videogame) Notable features: Crown, lack of armour, robes, hovers A race of generally peaceful priests, Shadoon however is the leader of a Cult that has been committing extreme atrocities. His crown is a symbol of his power aswell as his more ornate robes. While his ability to hover is a very clear indicator of his mental powers. One thing I like about these designs is the system used to designate different ranks of priests. From the small priests that must walk on their limbs, to Shadoon who has the most ornate robes and can hover. As the picture isn't the most clear I have included a clip that shows a clearer image at about twenty seconds in.
Engineer - Often portrayed as being gifted with technology. Often creating more advanced devices than other races. They are not the most skilled in combat, and often make use of various devices to aid them when fighting. Such as drones or traps.
Name: Vasudan Series: Freespace (Videogame) Notable Features: large body frame, fragile appearing limbs The Vasudans large frame is offset by its spindly limbs giving the appearance of it being weaker. They are portrayed as being proficient shipbuilders and often have more advanced ships than Terran's.
Name: Huragok (Engineer) Series: Halo (Videogames) Notable Fetaures: Hovers, eel like head, lack of natural weapons The engineer is a lifeform that has an innate ability to operate machinery at a microscopic level using its Cilia. The bladders on its main body are there so it can float. While I'm looking at mainly humanoid creatures I uncluded this as I like the idea of the way it operates machinery using its Cilia.
A race of engineers. They are responsible for the creation of the networked Geth AI. While humanoid in appearance it is the use of the suit & mask that intrigued me as a design feature. The creation of the Geth ultimately resulted in the Quarians exile and I like how some elements in the design appears to be nomadic in nature. The heavy use of fabrics and a design that is slightly less sleek than others in the series.
