Togg updated...

[Xavier]

it's not 100% finished, but here it is:
http://www.oddworlduniverse.com/togg...=CA&page=CASW7
http://www.oddworlduniverse.com/togg...=CA&page=CASW8
http://www.oddworlduniverse.com/togg...=CA&page=CAUN1

have fun

more might come

[Munch's Master]

Neat stuff. That third page has some really cool characters, and it's great seeing the Gloktigi in full colour. The Grubb in armour looks cute and that group of Wolvarks look cool, but I noticed there's a Slog there rather than a Sleg, is that the pic from the American SW manual that got changed then? Cool pics there Xav, keep this going!

[Wil]

I commented on the miscellaneous character designs in the last thread: quite disappointing. I mean, there are some nice anatomical ideas scattered throughout, but all in all they're almost all just humans. The new Stranger's Wrath concept art is absolutely great, though. I love the designs of platforms wrapped around rocks and the suspended Clakker town - very old-school Oddworld! Well done, Xav. Good to have you back.

[Dipstikk]

I absolutely love you, Xavier. I've been looking all over for images of B. Booty's gun. And these guys are the coolest things since sliced bread.

Thanks, man!

[big bro boogie]

Again I must hug you... I am a jar of black ink... still am.

You've done it... again... Now I finally can try to draw a Gloktigi.

[Dark Elite_H2]

The last link with the unrelated characters look f#$@in' awesome! I was kinda thinkin' it'd be something from Fangus, but it was also unrelated.

[odd chick]

Wow....you're amazing, Xav! All of that concept art looked awesome to me! Sure, I suppose that the miscellaneous art looked quite unOddworldly, but it was still great! Thanks for updating the site.

[Oddish]

Great work Xav! The images are great.

One thing though, where excactly are those miscellaneous images you posted in the concept section located? And how are you sure that some of those ones are from oddworld?

[Shrink]

I'm pretty sure this is a Munch's Oddysee picture, Xav, and not a Stranger one...

One thing though, where excactly are those miscellaneous images you posted in the concept section located? And how are you sure that some of those ones are from oddworld?

If this is what you mean, then they are found here.

[Oddish]

I mean where on TOGG, in which game.

I'm pretty sure this is a Munch's Oddysee picture, Xav, and not a Stranger one...

Are you sure? It's looks very much like the one in SW, I think you might be getting mixed up with blimp that we see in Munch's Oddysee.

[big bro boogie]

I'm pretty sure this is a Munch's Oddysee picture, Xav, and not a Stranger one...

Nope, It actually is one of the Ships wolvarks use for reinforcements.
The MO one is called a blimp. Yet, this one could be a blimp aswell, but this blimp is more "High-tech" than the MO one. And the one in OSW is also more high-tech... So yea...

[Wil]

It's a Wolvark dropship, and it's identical down to the SC9 registration. Look, there's a Wolvark in the picture, so I doubt it's for MO.

However, the dropship design is based off the unused design of a high-status blimp for corporate executives.

[Shrink]

Apologies, I had forgotten the Wolvark Dropships are blimp-like.

[nicksmith41]

http://www.oddworlduniverse.com/togg...A&page=CABBFK1 !!!!!! FANGUS!!!!! whatabuday!!!!....he is more human then i thought

[Wil]

More human than anyone cares for.

[Leto]

Am I the only one who LOVES all of these designs? If this FPS was made, it would be my all time favourite Oddworld game EVER.

I didn't like that game at first because of that ****ing tiger-esque desgin, but these new ones looking promising... I'm starting to hope that another company does pick it up.

OMG, I dident no wot i wos misign

[Munch's Master]

I still don't think Oddworld is right for FPS's. I don't really get how it could be your favourite ever Oddworld game, as the Fangus, weapons and character concepts are all far too human. SW had no real link at all to the Oddysee series except the Vykker doctor and the Ocktigi, and they had to change it so much because the core of the Oddworld games (the Oddysee series) didn't really suit FPS's (they could have done a Slig one, bu then they'd have to either make it an anti-hero game or find a way of explaining convincingly why he'd gone good). So basically they couldn't/didn't want to do another with Stranger, so they created a new character, but because they'd pretty much exhausted the 'Odd' capacity for FPS designs,so they ended up with a near-human guy. I'm sorry if I've confused anyone by that, but that's what I think.

[Kimon]

I still don't think Oddworld is right for FPS's. I don't really get how it could be your favourite ever Oddworld game, as the Fangus, weapons and character concepts are all far too human. SW had no real link at all to the Oddysee series except the Vykker doctor and the Ocktigi, and they had to change it so much because the core of the Oddworld games (the Oddysee series) didn't really suit FPS's (they could have done a Slig one, bu then they'd have to either make it an anti-hero game or find a way of explaining convincingly why he'd gone good). So basically they couldn't/didn't want to do another with Stranger, so they created a new character, but because they'd pretty much exhausted the 'Odd' capacity for FPS designs,so they ended up with a near-human guy. I'm sorry if I've confused anyone by that, but that's what I think.

Oddworld (in case you haven't noticed) isn't just about the Oddysee's. The game series itself is about imagination, innovation, and creativity. So just because the first protagonist wouldn't use a gun doesn't mean that the whole of Oddworld heroes have the same limitations.

Stranger's Wrath was Oddworld, whether you like it or not, and now it is part of the world, and it can't be changed. And if you think Oddworld isn't right for FPS because they're too different from the first games, then you are not on target with the Oddworld philosophy.

The have in no way exhausted ANY genre, because there are hundreds of new things to do with each one, and the numbers are growing as more ideas are thought up. So I think what OI was doing with Fangus was trying to make a more humanly identifiable world, one that is easier to relate to than the odd one.

I dunno. I confused myself a bit there.

[Munch's Master]

No, I know that SW is part of it, I know it's not just the Oddysees and I don't want that to be changed, what I meant was I don't think they should go making FPS's just to appeal to the major audience, which seems to me what they did with Fangus. I liked Stranger's Wrath, but I thought Fangus seemed more of a mass-market aimed game rather than a truly Oddworld themed game. And I personally don't want them to make it a more human relatable world, they built Oddworld up and prided it on its oddness and originality, now they want to make it more humanlike just so it can be related to better? I still think it's possible to relate with the characters because of their personalities and what they go through, rather than what they look like. God that sounded like one of those moral-parable-life lesson thingies, you know, don't judge a book by its cover. Dammit. Anyway, that's still what I think, but it's only my opinion.

[Wil]

OWI doesn't need to make human characters just for us to identify with them. I feel more for Abe and Munch than I do for any other vieogame characters because they have truely heart-wrenching stories and personalities borne through fantastic characterisation. Maybe the average gamer doesn't want to play as a fish, but anyone searching for the art and heart in the games will spot it and love it instantly. At what point do humanoid forms become necessary to do that? People think Sligs are cute, damnit. We don't need to sacrifice originality and style to capture people's empathy.

There are only three reasons I can think of why human designs are being drawn up. The first is my personal preference, and that's it's simply because these are early iterations made to showcase specific anatomical features and not the complete body designs, but sadly I find that hard to believe because there's no point for that to be the case. The second is that although Lorne may praise the ‘current’ design team as being OWI's best ever, they just can't come up with the kinds of fantastically enthralling designs Steven Olds and Farzad could. That upsets me greatly, not least because I can't figure out whose fault that is. The third is that OWI honestly believe more humanoid creatures will appeal to gamers more, or maybe that it's necessary for the FPS mechanics, which is Meep Sheet.

[Shrink]

Personally, I put it down to OWI conforming their games to the general 'style' of games, where FPS' reign prosperous, and with human characters.
Quite frankly, I'd put it down to money. Stranger is supposed to have made a dismal amount (EA were partially to blame), so they wanted to take it one step further. Now their main character loves guns, just like most other main characters.
At least they're trying to fob it off as Oddworld, but that's only probably because of the company name.

However, the games stopped, and hopefully they're heading back to Abe.

[nicksmith41]

Wow you guys right alot, im to lazy to read it all but i got the jist of what u guys are trying to say but i did notice someone said fangus would be an FPS if u reads the article with that first picture of fangus on Togg it says it would be a platofrmer with TPS (third person shooter) elements, which to me is the best kind of game. now if they gave u the opton to go first person like they did in stranger but could still use a gun in thrid person then it would be the best game ever. (better aiming in firstperon, more manuverability in third person.)

[Leto]

Everyone, get over yourselves. Stop trying to be non-conformists by saying you don't like FPS. FPS is one of the best genres out there.

These human characters are cool. OWI don't have to stick entirely to just the Oddworld series, are they not entitled to venture outside of it?

How can you not like this? It's ****ing awesome.

[Wil]

The human characters are damned cool, but I'll be damned if I want to see them on Oddworld. I want to see Oddworldian races on Oddworld, creatures with the same design ingenuity as Scrabs, Paramites, Vykkers, Sligs, Glukkons …

If they're not for Oddworld, that's fine. I'll follow whatever OWI produces because I know it's always going to be amazing work with high production values, but I doubt these not-quite human characters are for Citizen Seige.

[KintoKid]

The human characters are damned cool, but I'll be damned if I want to see them on Oddworld. I want to see Oddworldian races on Oddworld, creatures with the same design ingenuity as Scrabs, Paramites, Vykkers, Sligs, Glukkons …

Those are basically my feelings. I like the design with the weird bird thing than, say, this. Why? Because it's an original, Oddworld-ish creature, not some plain humanoid form decked out in the latest cliche'd full-body robot suit. And hey, that's not to say I don't like games with guys covered in armor toting big guns. But it's not the sort of thing I want to see Oddworld doing.

Do I think FPS, in particular, is the wrong direction for Oddworld? No. I loved Stranger's Wrath as much as I loved Abe's Oddysee. But I don't want to see them using bland character designs and falling into the more cliche'd areas of whatever genre they choose to use for their games.

Originality is key.

[Nate]

As I've said elsewhere, don't assume that everything from Silvio's website was designed for Oddworld. He may have drawn them for his own interest. Or perhaps they were done for Oddworld but rejected. There's way too many possibilities for people to get upset about such minor things.

BTW Xav, the first and third page are not working.

EDIT: Has there been a law passed that every FPS since Halo first came out must have a plasma gun?

[Xavier]

I fixed the pages...
on the other hand, halo wasn't the first game with a plasma gun

[Nate]

True but it has since become somewhat of a cliche.