The Imperial Shipyards

Imperial Creative Engineering => Graphic Fiction => Topic started by: hangarbay94 on January 11, 2013, 09:28:38 PM

Title: HOMEWORLD - RETURN TO HIIGARA - Pt 2
Post by: hangarbay94 on January 11, 2013, 09:28:38 PM
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Title: Re: HOMEWORLD - RETURN TO HIIGARA - Pt 2
Post by: Kualan on January 12, 2013, 03:40:57 AM
Wow, amazing as always. Great story, loved the confrontation with the assault vehicle commander.
Title: Re: HOMEWORLD - RETURN TO HIIGARA - Pt 2
Post by: wraithnine on January 12, 2013, 04:36:38 AM
superb!  love this story ,very well rounded  great job Jules!
Title: Re: HOMEWORLD - RETURN TO HIIGARA - Pt 2
Post by: Tamer on January 12, 2013, 08:31:46 AM
Time to go spread the news. I promise to give a better review later. Thanks for sharing Jules. on the front page.
Title: Re: HOMEWORLD - RETURN TO HIIGARA - Pt 2
Post by: Art deWhill on January 12, 2013, 10:57:50 AM
so well done, as always love your visual style, Jules!
Title: Re: HOMEWORLD - RETURN TO HIIGARA - Pt 2
Post by: Luke Sprywalker on January 12, 2013, 03:04:45 PM
Wow, this is just visually stunning! Great story with beautiful graphics! What more could we ask for? Thanks for sharing Jules!
Title: Re: HOMEWORLD - RETURN TO HIIGARA - Pt 2
Post by: Tamer on January 12, 2013, 05:12:52 PM
What can I say you are blending a great story with just stunning imagery. I love the cgi work. Its not like I didn't like your AF Dioramas and effects, but this really kicks it up a few notches in my opinion. Jules I realistically don't think there is any way to make these better. I would pay for a digital subscription for something like this and you give it to us for free. Thank you does't seem quite enough, but thank you!
Title: Re: HOMEWORLD - RETURN TO HIIGARA - Pt 2
Post by: DocOutlands on January 12, 2013, 06:11:58 PM
I'm with Tamer - this is the caliber of goods I expect to pay for.  Awesome stuff.
Title: Re: HOMEWORLD - RETURN TO HIIGARA - Pt 2
Post by: JediMerc on January 13, 2013, 04:58:37 AM
Had a chance to read this late last night, but haven't commented yet:

I'm really enjoying the 'new' style and look of your series.  The imagery is unbelievably clear, crisp, and the opportunities to add elements/back story in the brackets used, IMO, really adds a nice touch (and keeps in line with the sci-fi 'feel'.  The characters look phenomenal and it almost seems like we can actually see the slight facial changes to show emotion, which would be a fantastic new wrinkle in this style.  (Don't know if doing that with the faces of your characters is actually possible to accomplish or if I'm just seeing things.) 

And a question: Would you say this new style is more complicated to use than how you previously inserted images of your custom figures into the storyboard?  I'm also interested in how much CGI was incorporated into things such as the vehicles.  Are any of those actual custom works or are these entirely images rolled together to get the look of the vehicle you're shooting for?  Curious to know what you think of the changes you've employed...
Title: Re: HOMEWORLD - RETURN TO HIIGARA - Pt 2
Post by: hangarbay94 on January 13, 2013, 08:22:58 AM
Thanks JM for your detailed comment.

This digital style is definitely tougher than inserting customs, this is because I have to digitally alter the poses. I am however able to add expression using the software I have.

Am I pleased with this new style? I'm getting there... I've still got a way to go yet. Strangely I had a bit of a creative spurt toward the end of this chapter as you may notice a little more subtlety in the images, which I really liked.

Anyhow, glad you like it...

J
Title: Re: HOMEWORLD - RETURN TO HIIGARA - Pt 2
Post by: Kualan on January 13, 2013, 04:36:02 PM
The ability to add proper expression to your characters has definitely allowed you to propel yourself another milestone ahead of other photonovels. It's such a crucial feature.
Title: Re: HOMEWORLD - RETURN TO HIIGARA - Pt 2
Post by: jlw515 on January 13, 2013, 08:01:21 PM
WOW!! What an amazing chapter! The story telling is just awesome!!

I love the whole religion vs science kind of conflict that is going on. I totally love the Ja-Odar assualt vehicles!! The shape reminds me of the Russian Hind E helicopters. I'm sure you will neither "confirm nor deny" but you definitely get the whole religious terrorist group implications with these guys similar to what is going on in our world today. That definitely gives the story a familar feel.

It's kind of funny, but Jules you must realize that you have started an entirely different genre of "Graphic Fiction." I'm not sure who got the whole "Photonovel" craze kicked off, but when you hit the scene with your blend of customs and computer graphics it was totally in a league of its own. Now I am seeing more and more CGI "Graphic Fiction" being produces i.e. Tales from the Clone Wars. This speaks volumes to your influence among the community.

Whereas I tend to prefer the use of action figures and actual set dioramas (and I actually prefer real props and sets in movies also - not a huge fan of CGI movies), I must say that I love the various textures you use in this series. The uniforms the survey team wear in the opening pictures are great! I can see the advantages to using CGI rather than action figures and such. You don't have to deal with out of focus pictures, action figures knocking over, and I'm sure the cost of not having to build various dioramas is one of the biggest advantages.

I'll admit when I read that the crew found a hyperdrive I was kind of hoping that in the 2.5 years later of excavation the image of the ship might look a little "Star Wars-esque." You know maybe a Blockade Runner or something. But I understand this story is outside of Star Wars, and that could possibley cause some confusion.

Great stuff once again

Jason
Title: Re: HOMEWORLD - RETURN TO HIIGARA - Pt 2
Post by: hangarbay94 on January 14, 2013, 07:13:51 AM
Jason, I always really enjoy your feedback.

Regarding the 2.5 year gap,  and the shape of the ship, the wreckage was of a much larger ship, an Arc which had been totally stripped of all equipment and materials by the survivors. Also the part of the ship that had remained above ground was badly damaged and eroded. The main focus was the hyperspace core, which will be expanded upon in the next chapter.

As far as CGI goes, Im really trying to develop as a graphic novelist, and using computer software is the way forward for me... Even though I know that it alienates me from most of the crop.

I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter.
Title: Re: HOMEWORLD - RETURN TO HIIGARA - Pt 2
Post by: nickeltcd on January 14, 2013, 07:24:29 AM
Your story is out of sight, i love the texture and makeup and content. OUTSTANDING!!!
Great job keep up the great work, waiting chapter 3 with excitement.
Title: Re: HOMEWORLD - RETURN TO HIIGARA - Pt 2
Post by: jlw515 on January 15, 2013, 08:18:22 AM
Jules,

I am totally loving this story! I think what I like best about it is that it is totally original and out of the Star Wars universe. So, there is more character building, and we have no idea which characters can and will die, etc. This is totally different from what the rest of us are doing. When you use established characters no matter how much danger you put them, you know they're going to make it out alive.

So, if your photonovel everyone is free game. So, every twist and turn is fresh and unexpected!

Jason
Title: Re: HOMEWORLD - RETURN TO HIIGARA - Pt 2
Post by: Lance Quazar on March 19, 2013, 12:40:37 AM
I am obviously a little bit behind at this point, but this story continues to unfold in an extraordinary fashion.

The visuals are a feast, for sure.  This is just a stunner, there are no words to capture how gorgeous a piece of work this is.

But this is also a wonderfully written piece, with a terrific hard sci-fi story that has kept me hooked.

The only tiny criticism I have is that, after the discovery of the hyperdrive, which is a sequence that is treated with the appropriate amount of awe and reverence, the jump to the next scene, the flash forward, does feel just a bit jarring.  It might have been better for you to conclude the chapter with the hyperdrive, as it feels like a natural "break" in the action.

I know you have  a  big story to tell and are eager to move it forward. But because the new section doesn't contain any leftover characters and that entire plot threads are dropped, like the Ja-Odar, it feels like it might have been a good place to "fade to black" and then come back a little later.

The hyperdrive scene is great, as is the parallel action with the Ja-Odar battle up top.  But both end so suddenly that it feels a bit abrupt.  The scenes themselves are both terrific.  As I said, the exploration of the ship is an incredibly cool, awe-inspiring moment.  But then suddenly, it's - BAM - two years later.  Happens so fast, it makes our heads spin a little....

I dunno, I guess I was expecting a little bit more to happen before such a big time jump.

Anyway, all that aside, those new scenes are very cool indeed.  I think I compared this to PROMETHEUS in the previous thread.  Amazing how it is SO MUCH BETTER executed than that disaster of a film, even when dealing with a vaguely similar concept (a star map left by ancients.)

I am very eager to see what happens next.  THough, I must admit, the new direction is surprising to me.  In retrospect, the first chapter and first half of this chapter were kind of a "prologue" scene and now it feels like the "real" story is just beginning to unfold.  Maybe just naming it such and structuring it in that way might have alleivated my minor criticisms.  I am, however, very eager to see where this incredibly cool story goes from here.

Now, of course, the meaning of the title has been laid bare!! Onward to Higara!!!