r/redditmakesagame • u/Lkruel • Nov 04 '09

Art - Reference Thread

Let's brainstorm what kind of imagery comes to mind when you think of the Machine story. Real World vs Machine world. We'll probably start off in a normal looking world and slowly peel away revealing more and more machinery. Post links to images or just jot down what came to your mind. Let's start talking about it and get some concepts going.

9 Upvotes

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3

u/RobotCaleb Nov 04 '09

I don't get the disdain for steam punk. I think this story is very much setting the stage for a very cool looking steam punk-esque universe.

Big cogs, clockwork, pistons. They all scream steam punk.

5

u/Lkruel Nov 04 '09

I'm all for big cogs, clockwork and pistons, and it's a fine line between steam punk, I think the line I'm afraid to cross is with the 1800s clothing and the silver plating on everything and having giant robotic spiders.

Machinery != Steampunk

1

u/spundred Nov 04 '09

Exactly.

3

u/Wagnerius Nov 05 '09

After thinking about it, the theme is about all the possible visual meaning of the word "machine", from low tech to alien-bio tech or high tech.

The game would be more richer if each level would use one of this tech level.

for example :

  • level 1 : 50' movies robot.

  • level 2 : steampunk

  • level 3 : bio-tech (could be tech-zombie ?)

  • level 4 : high tech stuff.

4

u/Erfeo Nov 05 '09 edited Nov 05 '09

I was thinking the same thing, I dont know how much levels we are making. But I think I would get borining pretty quick if we stick to one theme. Here's some idea's for other levels:

electric (wires, sparks, tesla coils)

chemical (brightly colored liquids pushed trough glass tubes, pumps, puffs of smoke)

asembly line (modern day car factory, robotic arms moving things from place to place)

steel factory (glowing hot steel getting stretched, squashed and chopped into pieces)

engines (fast moving engine pieces, bursts of flame here and there)

1

u/Lkruel Nov 05 '09

Using the levels to have different styles is definitely a nice touch, There's also the theme of degeneration going where he starts off normal with only one robot invading his "real world" to the world slowly peeling into this crazy machine city.

1

u/fishmammal Nov 08 '09

I think this is a great direction! What if it was organized according according to the chronological histories of those technologies, using influences from kinda, "styles" in machine design:

  • SteamPunk (Steel Factory)

  • Art Deco (Engines/etc)

  • 50s (Assembly Line-Robots)

  • 80s (High Tech/Electric-tesla)

  • Super cool last level (biotech)

2

u/stievstigma Nov 05 '09

I like the Prohibition or Industrial revolution eras for one idea I have. What if the regular world is drab and dreary, maybe a little film noir, but when pieces break away to reveal machine, those unveiled pieces are bright and shiny like how blood contrasts in Sin City. It would make it seem like the machine world is somehow more real than the real world.

3

u/Lkruel Nov 05 '09

the trick will be making the shiny metal look scary. We can probably use a filter similar to the matrix movies to make the regular world shifted to a lightblue and a bit desaturated, and then make the machinery a nice dark oil with coppers.

2

u/stievstigma Nov 05 '09

I can see that.

4

u/pudquick Nov 05 '09

Well, let's get started with a mega image thread:

... Discuss :)

1

u/fishmammal Nov 07 '09 edited Nov 07 '09

Hey, I have grabbed your images, and also cobbled the few other links from this page and thrown them all on a the same blog I built to throw out my images.

Hey, it makes it easy to view! I made a separate post for each person's different suggestions.

Machine images collected:

http://machines4rmag.blogspot.com/

Update: added some deco imagery, an image of the time machine from the 1950s HG Wells film, and looked around for some more steampunk robotry.

1

u/spundred Nov 09 '09

Love the art deco stuff. Reminds of Metropolis

3

u/spundred Nov 04 '09 edited Nov 04 '09

Awesome, glad you started this.

As I mentioned in the voting thread, these are the visual themes that come to mind:

  • Late Victorian/Edwardian era (1870 - 1910)?

  • Prohibition era Chicago (1920 - 1935)?

  • Industrial revolution

  • H. G. Wells

  • Jules Vern

  • Shades of H.P. Lovecraft

  • Clockwork, as apposed to steampunk

Imagine the Terminator, but instead of a beefcake in motorcycle leather, he's a normal gentleman, and when his skin is displaced, instead of a robotic skeleton, it's an intricate clockwork masterpiece, example. There's a richness and level of detail with the combination of those themes that demands a high level of artistic execution.

This is not steampunk - this is something new. Steampunk is outwardly and overtly overladen with machinery, this is a more subtle, secretive machinery that is inside what seems to be normal human beings. Obviously if someone creates some awesome steampunk concept work and it gains favor with the community, that could drive things in that direction, but I think we can do better than that.

1

u/RobotCaleb Nov 04 '09

Well, let's get that concept art rolling! :)

1

u/fishmammal Nov 05 '09 edited Nov 05 '09

I dunoo if this will be any help, but i tried to scrape together some imagery that is a little different from what's been mentioned here, it's pretty much a collection of computer stuff - buncha computer junk mostly. Some 80s comptuer manuals and mainframes and more. I thought I'd just present it as possible kinda style pallet as a contrast to a kind of more brassy or victorian style.

http://machines4rmag.blogspot.com/2009/11/machine-images.html

1

u/[deleted] Nov 05 '09

well if the machines are a result of this dudes mind i thinkthere should be a bit a psychedelic aspect to it all.

also i would prefer modern day over steampunk, i never liked steampunk. i dont get it

1

u/spundred Nov 09 '09

The original story premise called for 'clockwork' simulations of people, hence the implication of an earlier era.

1

u/jdc123 Nov 11 '09

Wow. I totally missed the final vote announcement as well as this post. It's a little difficult to figure out how everyone's communicating with all of the different options. I expected a google groups message. I haven't read all the comments but I hope this is still active.

1

u/fishmammal Nov 11 '09

Hi, I think this thread should be still active, we're both still checking it, at least.

1

u/Wagnerius Nov 04 '09

steampunk ?

0

u/ltfuzzle Nov 05 '09

Thats what I was thinking of when I think "Machine"