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Published: 2011-02-13 06:00:26 +0000 UTC; Views: 7029; Favourites: 53; Downloads: 0
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Description
Starcraft 2: Zerg SpireModeled by Phill Gonzales, final texture pass by Ted park!
Animated by Jay Hathaway
The Zerg Spire was a simple update of the Starcraft 1 sprite artwork. The challenging aspect of creating the Spire in 3d was conveying the height of the building. Starcraft 2 has height limitations for building models, especially for multiplayer artwork due to the altitude flying units move at. Buildings exceeding certain heights either require air pathing blockers so flying units don't clip through them, or height adjustments so they're lowered under the flight elevation.
Air pathing blockers are not an option for multiplayer art, so the spire was lowered for the sake of functinoality. Another consideration was making this building somewhat humble so the presence of a Greater Spire would be more significant.
© 2010 Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Comments: 3
I Love the designs but I'm disappointed that functionality has taken precedence over artwork. Have things like the scale and height of buildings/units caused problems between the art team and the guys in charge of multiplayer? ( IMO It would have been amazing to see a full size battlecruiser or a towering Zerg Hive!)
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Many problems to be honest! Starcraft 2's pathing was a critical element which had to be constantly considered during development. Due to the popularity of the game as an e-sport, the intention was to leave as little potential for exploiting the art as possible. Art had to compromise quite often to adhere to the functionality of the game.
Many units such as the Thor, Ultralisk, etc. were scaled down to fit into pathing footprints for Multiplayer use. Unfortunately this is a necessity for the greater good, and at the very least we encourage more liberated proportions for the single player art...
Also, there is a chance to see a full size Battlecruiser coming up in HotS... prepare yourself.
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Aw man, you've made my day! I'm stoked.
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