🗻HD Terraining Contest #2 - Vampire Folklore

[Archian]

Guidelines: Participants are tasked with designing a scene showcasing an HD environment that captures the essence of vampire folklore, with for instance: eerie landscapes, ancient castles, mist-shrouded forests, and chilling crypts etc. SD models are allowed, but shouldn't stand out too much. Entrants are encouraged to incorporate elements such as but not limited to:

• Landscape: Craft an immersive terrain that portrays the brooding landscapes where vampires dwell. From desolate moors to ominous mountains, let your imagination run wild.
• Architecture: Create grandiose vampire castles with Gothic-inspired architecture, secret chambers, and eerie catacombs that tell tales of centuries-long undead existence.
• Ambiance: Utilize terrain textures, lighting, and effects to evoke an atmosphere of perpetual dusk and enchanting moonlit nights.
• Details: Pay attention to intricate details that breathe life into your terrain – from cobweb-covered corners to cryptic symbols etched into stone.

---

• Submissions must follow the contest theme.
• Submissions may not be started / made before the official launch of the contest.
• Teamwork is not allowed (physically working on someone else's entry).
  • Giving feedback isn't considered teamwork and is always welcome. However, if you feel someone is abusing it, you may appeal to the appointed moderator.
• Post 2 Works-In-Progress (pictures or videos) in the contest thread during the contest process. It must be clear that you are working on the submission.
• The submission must be posted in the respective Gallery (Terrain Art) section, before the contest ends.
  • The description must make it clear it's a submission from the respective contest i.e. HD Terraining Contest #2.
• Post your final entry in the contest thread before contest is over. The post should be a little presentation, having your submission attached.
• Do not use off-site image hosting to post your entry.
• Judges may not participate.
• No image editing tools may be used to enhance the terrain, however you may use them to crop and rotate.
• The terrain must be made using HD assets made for Warcraft III: Reforged.
• Custom made HD assets are allowed, but the assets used should be public, preferably submitted to the respective HD section. However, minor model edits are allowed.
• SD model assets are allowed, but be careful, as we expect to see a HD terrain. If it looks too much like SD, it will most likely give a poorer placement or be disqualified. And remember, all entries must render correctly in the HD mode of Warcraft III: Reforged i.e. the screenshot has to be taken in HD mode.

Breaking any of these rules may lead to punishment in the judgement score, up to disqualification from the contest, depending on the weight of the issue. In case of doubts towards a certain rule you are encouraged to discuss it in the contest thread so others and judges may help with sorting it out.

---

• 1st place: 750 experience points
• 2nd place: 600 experience points
• 3rd place: 450 experience points
• Entry: 150 experience points
• Judge: 25 experience points per entrant

The three winners will receive an award icon representing the winning entry.

---

• If no judges are found (at least two is required) before the deadline, the winners will be decided by the votes of a public poll. The poll results will be hidden until a person has voted. Changing your vote afterwards will not be possible.

---

Aesthetics	Overall appearance of the final entry as a whole, e.g. an entry can lack detail and technique but still have an overall nice composition.	/35
Creativity	How unique and original is the idea? How inventive is the execution? How creatively does it conform to the contest theme?	/30
Detail	Measurement and balance of detail in design. Impurities include rough edges, deficiency in execution, and general disorder.	/35
		/100

​

Results calculation

• Judgement: 60%
• Poll: 40%

FinalScore = (40*Reached_Votes/POSSIBLE_VOTES) + (60*Average_Judge_Score/POSSIBLE_SCORE)​

​

---

The contest shall begin on Aug 16, 2023 and conclude on Oct 11, 2023 GMT (day is included).

---

Last updated Oktober 3, 2023

CONTESTANT	WIP	ENTRY
FeelsGoodMan​	WIP 1 | WIP 2 | WIP 3	HD Terrain Contest #2 - FGM Entry Final 2 www.hiveworkshop.com
Sapprine​	WIP 1 | WIP 2 | WIP 3	2nd HD Terraining Constest Entry Final.PNG An ominous, distant vampire castle, nestled between some colossal, rocky hills. www.hiveworkshop.com
vindorei​	WIP 1 | WIP 2 | WIP 3	HD Terrain Contest #2 - Vindorei Entry.png Lord Vladarius: Ah, a fashionable late my old friend? Sir Rowan: Isabella! No! www.hiveworkshop.com
JnM​	WIP 1 | WIP 2 | WIP 3
Celaquil​	WIP 1 | WIP 2 | WIP 3	Bleeding Dawn My final entry for HDTC02: Vampire Folklore. www.hiveworkshop.com

---

Assigned Staff: @Archian

Previous Contest | Poll | Results

 

[Archian]

@Celaquil @FeelsGoodMan @Sapprine @Rakesh2014 @vindorei @CustomCreations

 

[FeelsGoodMan]

Here are some models I may be using in this contest.

Credits goes to oGre_, Talavaj, Blizzard, Bethesda and a Unity asset store creator that I can't remember the name of (I'll find and credit him tomorrow). These models are ported, retextured, altered, or changed in some other way. If anyone have any question about usage of these models just ask.

 

[Sapprine]

Custom model assortment for HD Terraining Contest

www.hiveworkshop.com

Here's some kitbashed stuff I made before the start of the contest. Only credit is to me and Blizzard entertainment.
Feel free to use

 

[vindorei]

Spoiler: WIP1

I would like to make a sacrifice scene where the altar and the sacrifice would be the focus. Lodaeren sky red fits as hell, so I will make a vampire castle interior with partial sky revealed. You can find my custom assets here.
Also @Archian , can I use Quenching Mod to enhance final visual effect? It is also a public resource on Hive.

 

[Archian]

Go for it Great WIP!

 

[JnM]

I'm in, obviously. Good luck everyone

 

[Sapprine]

First WIP

I'm going for a more cinematic vibe, trying to imitate something like Revendreth from WoW.

Spoiler: First WIP

 

[FeelsGoodMan]

WIP #1.

Not sure how happy I am with it, may change the idea completely.

Spoiler

 

[FeelsGoodMan]

Sorry for the (kinda) double post, but here's my second WIP.

Spoiler

 

[FeelsGoodMan]

Here's my entry. I may change it, but if I don't you can consider this my final entry.

Vampire's lonely love:

In a castle she resides, alone and cold,
Seeking love's warmth, a tale of old.
But her thirst prevails, all prospects fall,
A vampire's curse, love's tragic thrall.
-ChatGPT

Spoiler: credits

• oGre_
• Bethesda
• Sapprine
• Vindorei
• Blizzard
• Quenching team
• Mr. Smite
• Talavaj
• Hate

If you see your resource here and I didn't credit you, please reach out so I can add your name to the list.

 

[vindorei]

Spoiler: WIP2

Actors added with Quenching Mod, I'm almost done but have to adjust some light effect.

 

[vindorei]

My entry: Sacrifice
A dimly lit, eerie chamber in an ancient castle. Vladarius, the ancient vampire, stands over floating Isabella, who is bound to an altar. Rowan, the vampire hunter, bursts into the room, only to find it was too late.

Lord Vladarius: Such a fashionable late, my old friend?
Sir Rowan: Isabella! No!

Spoiler: Credits

Blizzard
Quenching team
Mr. Smite
Talavaj
HL_Vortex
SADGASM

 

[Celaquil]

My oh my, things move fast around here! Absolutely great entries you guys

I am curious to know how you achieved the dark atmosphere in your terrain, FeelsGoodMan, if you would indulge me? It is a wonderful piece, especially the contrast between the dark room and that light shining through the window, bravo. My only gripe with it is that it feels relatively empty and flat, especially the foreground. Personally I would do something about that, maybe put something in the corner opposite the bed, to better "frame" the piece.

Oh and, to give it a bit more of a vampiric touch, maybe try a version with the woman in the background not having a reflection in the mirror ^^

I also really like your entry a lot, vindorei, very bloody and vampiric, and also a lot of the same thematic I intend/intended to go for with my entry, even the ecplise was something I intended to try myself! Now I'm going to feel like a copycat

Overall I think you could make it a lot darker though, currently I feel like it's a bit too vibrant, which I think work slightly against the aesthetic otherwise. Especially the structures in the background could do with some darker tinting and maybe some shadowy GFX coverage of some sort, or maybe if FeelsGoodMan feels like sharing his secrets, you could try your hand at his technique

And although I understand that it is still early days for you Sapprine, let me say that I like where your terrain is going, it's nice to see some alpha-tile experimentation and I'm looking forward to what you'll do with it ^^ For now it seems a bit messy, both in color-scheme and overall aesthetic, and it also seems a bit directionless, but I'm sure you have a plan and have ideas on where to go with it, so I'll withhold most of my feedback until future updates

Again, awesome to see so much enthusiasm and amazing entries so far, I'm going to start working on my entry very soon, and hopefully I'll be able to scrape something together before the deadline And if not, well, I guess I could always sign up as a judge if I don't get time to participate.

 

[FeelsGoodMan]

I am curious to know how you achieved the dark atmosphere in your terrain, FeelsGoodMan, if you would indulge me?

It's simply a DNC model that makes everything dark, and then I illuminate areas with omni lights (blue and orange in this case).

My only gripe with it is that it feels relatively empty and flat, especially the foreground. Personally I would do something about that, maybe put something in the corner opposite the bed, to better "frame" the piece

I guess I could work more on it. I may pick it up again before the deadline if I can be bothered to.

Oh and, to give it a bit more of a vampiric touch, maybe try a version with the woman in the background not having a reflection in the mirror ^^

I think maybe it's not that visible because of the dark, but the vampire lady's reflection is missing its head. It's only a dress there, since the clothes aren't part of her body. She's wearing gloves as well, so only the visible body parts would be invisible in the mirror.

 

[Celaquil]

It's simply a DNC model that makes everything dark, and then I illuminate areas with omni lights (blue and orange in this case).

Ah yes, I think fladdermasken showed me how that works once, and I think I used it for my final scenic terrain before my big break (Eynie's Septuary), although I absolutely do not remember how to do it. Did you make the DNC model yourself or is it available somewhere? Maybe there's a tutorial?

I think maybe it's not that visible because of the dark, but the vampire lady's reflection is missing its head. It's only a dress there, since the clothes aren't part of her body. She's wearing gloves as well, so only the visible body parts would be invisible in the mirror.

Oh clever! But yes, from where I'm sitting the head looks just as dark from behind outside of the mirror as it does in the mirror, so it doesn't seem to work as intended, although it could just be the contrast/coloration on my screen.

 

[FeelsGoodMan]

Ah yes, I think fladdermasken showed me how that works once, and I think I used it for my final scenic terrain before my big break (Eynie's Septuary), although I absolutely do not remember how to do it. Did you make the DNC model yourself or is it available somewhere? Maybe there's a tutorial?

There should be several public DNC models around on Hive, but the most detailed one is this one. During testing I found that DNC works slightly different in HD, so they only make it slightly darker whereas before they got a lot darker. For HD you have to use a DNC model that sets it to complete darkness if you want any considerable effect. You can find such a DNC model in the map I attached. To use it simply follow the guide in The_Silent's DNC models.

Oh clever! But yes, from where I'm sitting the head looks just as dark from behind outside of the mirror as it does in the mirror, so it doesn't seem to work as intended, although it could just be the contrast/coloration on my screen.

Such things are always hard to get right since I have a large monitor :/ I may change it up a bit before the deadline, we'll see.

 

[Celaquil]

Potentially shitty humble beginnings

WIP 1

 

[Archian]

Updated first post! That's some stunning scenes gents!

 

[Sapprine]

Second WIP, but tbh I've kind of run stuck with this contest, especially since I decided to start over.. I'm not sure if I can do this.
Building entire cliffsides stone by stone, having to raise each individual doodad 100 times just to try position and fit in just asks too much of my time, concentration span and patience.

On top of that, despite like 5+ attempts at this point, I just can't compose a cool castlescape for the background and I even failed to grasp the theme I was going for in the first place.

Don't count me out yet, it might still all work out, but there is a chance I won't finish this contest.

Spoiler: 2nd WIP

 

[FeelsGoodMan]

@BranaR @SevLlanto

Get in here guys, there's still a lot of time!

 

[Celaquil]

Yeah, I'm out.

I just can't find it in me to finish this one, the theme just doesn't resonate with me.

I can judge instead, if you want me to.

 

[Sapprine]

I'm also probably out, just can't make a cool castle or composition

 

[deepstrasz]

I think you both should finish what you started since you agreed to join and the reasons for quitting are irresponsible IMO. You'll definitely learn something from this experience regardless if you don't win or get a nice position. You can even learn what not to do in the future.
Please, do not let the other contestants down, especially you Sapprine who desired a vampire theme.

 

[Celaquil]

Fine.

Let it be known that Celaquil can be guilt-tripped into changing his mind.

I'll continue beating this dead horse until inspiration hits me.

Here's another shitty WIP~

 

[FeelsGoodMan]

@Celaquil I feel the sky is a bit too bright compared to the ground. It seems like you're still struggling to get past the fog issue since the fog renders over the terrain but not the sky. The sky doesn't look like an uber sky model? It looks more like the vanilla sky. Anyhow, there is no easy way to circumvent the issue while still retaining some form of sky, however if you just want fog that gets increasingly thicker with no visible sky it's an easy fix. Here are some issues and possible solutions:

1. Using uber sky models won't work like in SD because SD models for some reason shows up as unshaded, making them look overly bright. I have figured out that quenching mod fixes this issue, and models will adhere to their shaded/unshaded settings.
2. In-editor: Using vanilla sky and fog in conjunction won't work since fog doesn't render over the skybox. A fix to this if you want a sky is to make a vertical plane model with the skybox texture (or any other sky texture), make sure the model is shaded and fogged, and then billboard it onto the sky in the background. To make sure the model follows its shaded/fogged settings see point 1 about quenching mod.
3. In-game: Using vanilla sky and fog works fine in-game, however, if you want huge landscapes with great distances you're limited to a hard cap of 10000 when it comes to far Z values, meaning the skybox will overlap models. The fix to this is a bit tricky, but you can scale down models to make the distances seem larger than they actually are. Remember that you can't scale down tiles, so scaling things down too much will look weird.

Hopefully this helps with a few of the issues you're facing

 

[Archian]

Fine.

Let it be known that Celaquil can be guilt-tripped into changing his mind.

I'll continue beating this dead horse until inspiration hits me.

Here's another shitty WIP~

View attachment 447216

Loving the starting composition. You have the foreground, mid, and background. That's not a shitty WIP. You are making good progress.

I'm also probably out, just can't make a cool castle or composition

If you are not failing, you are not trying hard enough. I have faith in you.

I hope you will find the motivation to overcome this challenge

 

[Sapprine]

Fine.

Let it be known that Celaquil can be guilt-tripped into changing his mind.

I'll continue beating this dead horse until inspiration hits me.

Here's another shitty WIP~

I'll also be coming back soon and giving it another shot
Castle or not, at least I'll make a beautiful cliffside

 

[FeelsGoodMan]

@Sapprine To be honest you have focused way too much on the hills leading down to the castle while neglecting the castle. If I were you I'd start off by building the castle first. Look at some concept art of castles, and then start to place towers in the same locations as the images. You don't necessarily need to do a hard copy of the concept art, just use if for reference in terms of structural aspects of the castle and such. Tall towers in the back, low towers in the front. Add some houses and stuff at the base to make the tower "loom" over the town at the base of the towers. When you're done with the castle you proceed with the hills at the base of the castle. When the castle is done you can start worrying about the bridge and hills. Basically start with the big stuff, and build your scene around the big stuff. Fill in the details at the very end.

For added effect here are some things you can do to improve the general looks:

• Have the camera a lot lower, and angle it up. Use a camera roll so it's slightly tilted.
• Think about the golden ratio, and have the main things you wish to focus on in opposing ends of the golden ratio.
• Angle lines so they lead veiwers towards what you want to focus on (now your hills are just facing down into the abyss).
• Make the hills take up less of the image. They aren't that interesting, and only blocks a huge part of the view.
• Ditch the vanilla trees.
• Use DNC lighting and omnilights.

 

[deepstrasz]

@Celaquil I feel the sky is a bit too bright compared to the ground. It seems like you're still struggling to get past the fog issue since the fog renders over the terrain but not the sky.

While it might not be the best thing, to me it works well as contrast between worlds so to speak, like the dark down below and the bright above.

Using uber sky models won't work like in SD because SD models for some reason shows up as unshaded, making them look overly bright. I have figured out that quenching mod fixes this issue, and models will adhere to their shaded/unshaded settings.

Not sure if Quenching Mod is allowed since it hasn't been talked about? But then again it hasn't been said it isn't to be used?
I think it should be 100% Reforged though with no additions except for custom imported models and skins.

I really appreciate you guys came back to the artistic fight!

Some of you chose to make an outside view where details can be more or at least more diverse than those who chose to create an image of an interior. I'm not saying one is explicitly easier than the other to do but some of you might excel in one of them.

 

[FeelsGoodMan]

While it might not be the best thing, to me it works well as contrast between worlds so to speak, like the dark down below and the bright above.

The thing is that it's obvious that there's a fog effect there, that cuts abruptly when transitioning from ground to sky due to visual bugs. If the ground should be fogged then the fog should be "fading" out rather than just stopping.

Not sure if Quenching Mod is allowed since it hasn't been talked about?

See:

Also @Archian , can I use Quenching Mod to enhance final visual effect? It is also a public resource on Hive.

Go for it Great WIP!

 

[deepstrasz]

See:

Yes, although it should be in the rules IMO.

 

[FeelsGoodMan]

Yes, although it should be in the rules IMO.

Take that up with @Archian

 

[Archian]

Well, if the other contestants wish to use Quenching Mod, then go ahead. That also means that those who already submitted should have the option to update their entry if they wish.

 

[FeelsGoodMan]

Well, if the other contestants wish to use Quenching Mod, then go ahead. That also means that those who already submitted should have the option to update their entry if they wish.

Both me and Vindorei used Quenching mod, so all good.

I believe things that aren't prohibited don't need a mention in the rules. There is no need to mention everything that is allowed, since mentioning what's prohibited will automatically decide what's allowed.

 

[Celaquil]

@Celaquil I feel the sky is a bit too bright compared to the ground. It seems like you're still struggling to get past the fog issue since the fog renders over the terrain but not the sky.

Don't worry, the sky is a placeholder, it will get moodier for sure

I appreciate the tips though, and I'll probably have a look at them if what I've got planned doesn't pan out, or just anyway. Either way, thanks ^^

That's not a shitty WIP. You are making good progress.

DON'T RAIN ON MY PRETENTIOUSLY DEPRESSED ARTISTIC PARADE.

I'll also be coming back soon and giving it another shot
Castle or not, at least I'll make a beautiful cliffside

Bravo!

I believe things that aren't prohibited don't need a mention in the rules. There is no need to mention everything that is allowed, since mentioning what's prohibited will automatically decide what's allowed.

Yes.

 

[Sapprine]

I just dont have the time or concentration to start over, this gonna be my final entry, sorry. Just couldnt design a cool castle like I had in mind, nor compose a good scene

 

[Archian]

@Celaquil @Sapprine Remember to post your final entry to the Art Gallery in the Terrain Art.

Also, looks like an extension is needed.

Is two weeks enough?

 

[Celaquil]

Hm, given an extension I think I might be able to finish.

My life's been pretty busy lately, sorry.

But yeah, two weeks and I'll see if I can't get this done.

 

[Sapprine]

@Celaquil @Sapprine Remember to post your final entry to the Art Gallery in the Terrain Art.

Also, looks like an extension is needed.

Is two weeks enough?

yooo I was really in need of an extension aswell, busy life and all.
I'll see if I can still patch it up

 

[Celaquil]

Third shitty WIP.

Not sure I'm in love with where this is going, but eh... I'm trying some stuff.

 

[Archian]

Deadline has been extended to Oct 11, 2023.

Looking good @Celaquil

 

[deepstrasz]

Not sure I'm in love with where this is going, but eh... I'm trying some stuff.

Neat. The unholy vampire lord/lady/mistress has converted the castle to his/her base of bloody operations, the powerless villagers having to either risk making a run for the nearby woods/fields/mountains/hills and try to escape or sacrifice one of them to the oppressive castle rulers to be leave them be for a period of time.

 

[FeelsGoodMan]

Given the extension I figured I'd keep working on it a bit. I will probably do some more finishing touches.

 

[FeelsGoodMan]

Another update, final one this time. I won't be posting any more iterations. (if I can keep my hands off it).

 

[deepstrasz]

Another update, final one this time. I won't be posting any more iterations

Think I liked the gargoyle more, stood out better than the big statues in the dark and a broken wall that's hard to distinguish.

 

[FeelsGoodMan]

Think I liked the gargoyle more, stood out better than the big statues in the dark and a broken wall that's hard to distinguish.

The fact that it stood out so much is why I removed it tbh. It wasn't supposed to be the focus of the image, and looked kinda out of place.

 

[Strydhaizer]

My gawd look at these entries! Damn. I wish you all good luck!

 

[Celaquil]

Alrightio!

Here's my final entry: Bleeding Dawn!

Although it was a dreggy process, and even though I didn't love the theme, I think it turned out pretty alright.
The entry can be found here: Bleeding Dawn

My initial idea was to make some kind of vampiric parasitic god (maw, old god inspired) in the center where blood would flow to from all over the terrain, and have various sacrificial spots where blood and gore was drained into the rivers in order to feed the blood god. But I didn't feel like I could get it right, so I ultimately decided to go for a slightly more traditional look and feel, though there are certainly still traces of my original idea in there!

I honestly don't know what this new tradition of including credits is about, but I guess it's a nice gesture, so I'd like to extend a special thanks to all the amazing modders of this site who makes it possible for us terrainers to make our useless art pieces

I'd also like to congratulate everyone who participated, your entries are absolutely awesome! Good luck everyone, and may the best terrainer win! ^^

Cheers!

 

[FeelsGoodMan]

Alrightio!

Here's my final entry: Bleeding Dawn!

View attachment 449593

Although it was a dreggy process, and even though I didn't love the theme, I think it turned out pretty alright.
The entry can be found here: Bleeding Dawn

My initial idea was to make some kind of vampiric parasitic god (maw, old god inspired) in the center where blood would flow to from all over the terrain, and have various sacrificial spots where blood and gore was drained into the rivers in order to feed the blood god. But I didn't feel like I could get it right, so I ultimately decided to go for a slightly more traditional look and feel, though there are certainly still traces of my original idea in there!

I honestly don't know what this new tradition of including credits is about, but I guess it's a nice gesture, so I'd like to extend a special thanks to all the amazing modders of this site who makes it possible for us terrainers to make our useless art pieces

I'd also like to congratulate everyone who participated, your entries are absolutely awesome! Good luck everyone, and may the best terrainer win! ^^

Cheers!

Looks nice, although a bit "messy" if I can use that word. Some things aren't that distinguishable, and it creates a chaotic feeling, so to speak. Especially around the base of the castle and the mid-section of the image in general.

The town on the left side looks nice, but what would make it a lot nicer is some glows and omnilights around the lamp posts. As it is, the yellow color from the lamp post glass textures stands out without any shine at all. They could be a lot more atmospheric.

Would you be willing to attach the map by any chance? Just want to test something. If not that's understandable of course.