BioShock artbook in .pdf

[FlipMcgee]

http://www.2kgames.com/cultofrapture/artbook.html


SWEET!







.

[ColdKodiak]

http://www.2kgames.com/cultofrapture/artbook.html


SWEET!







.
qft.

Bioshock will pwn.

[AlexC]

awesome, I was gonna buy the limited edition 360 version thinking it had an art book but I will get the standard version now:)
thankyou very much irrational and flip' for posting:D

[FlameDancer]

The concept art in that download looks like high school students did it.

Don't get me wrong, the game looks fun and I am excited about it, which is what matters right? It is just that it I was expecting to see some nice art and not one concept stuck out as really friggen awesome. Know what I'm sayin? I guess I get used to the quality around here so it is a bummer to see the shiddy stuff coming out. Makes me less fired up about the game.

[chobomaster]

I thought they're pretty good, especially for free dl. quality varies, but some artists have really good drawing skills. anyway, none of it quite rivals the CnC3 grenadier, lol

[Kan Muftić]

Despite the efforts of the guys who did the CA, I must say it's on a very low level. Having such a big title with so much hype around it made me expect more.
A lot more.
I just feel it's inequitable to all the vast amount of talent on this very forum; there are people who are much more skilled and desperately looking for a job in the industry. But they won't get a job.

Again, the guys at 2K Games did obviously a good job, the game is brillant thanks to clever conceptualising.
No harm to anyone.

Cheers,

[Burtzum]

lol is that a Salvador Dali zombie? (pg 25)

[_andreas_]

hehehe
i just saw the news at gametab, looked inside and thought the same thing.
makes me wonder who is doing the art.
i guess its something everyone is doing, the 3dguys, the programmers, the guy who brings the coffee to the kitchen.
nothing bad about that, makes the team work together and its cheaper.

aside from that, the game seems to be really really good.
there is rarely something this big that is loved by everyone like this game.

[dannE-B]

Ah, im a little surprised by the standards of "some" of the work. Although after watching some clips of the game it looks like they've transformed it into a very atmospheric game. I shall buy this game...even if its to just splash around in the fantastic looking water.

[Dile_]

Ugh, I know the art wasn't the best or anything.. But geeezz, You don't need to trash talk it as if the guy( s ) who did it was from another planet and can't read this.

If the guy was someone from CA getting the job, the whole thing would be different and everyone would be happy.. Now enjoy the art :) its free, and whatever gets the job done.

And ehhr, as soon as yesterday i got a pm from someone asking how to "market" themself more, he claimed to have tried everything.. and the only thing that he turned out to have done was to show off on some forums.
So those artists who are VERY skilled and don't get a job must be doing something VERY wrong.

[Duq]

to be honest, I don't think a game needs the most beautiful concept art ever created, no matter the budget. It needs art that clarifies a concept or idea to leads and other people in the team. And for that job this stuff is more then sufficient.

[CaptainInsano]

anyone else notice the eerie similarities between "Rapture" and Galt's Gulch in Atlas Shrugged. Heck, even the guy who's mentoring you via radio is named Atlas.

[Justin.]

Can you guys introduce me to these highschoolers you are talking about?

It's far from the best art-wise, but concept wise it gets what it needs to get done. The enviros were nice and some of the ID, but it didn't earn the bashing it was given here, just because we are used to super great lighting/composition/pose etc. and more often then not overlook the first word; CONCEPT.

[_andreas_]

how can this be bashing?
this whole board is based on the "work hard and get better fact"

yes, even ugly concept art can get the job done.. but its still ugly!
our position here is without any context, we don't know who did it, how much time they had and all those things.
we can only judge the pictures for their own quality.
and most of them would not get many replies here if posted by someone not known.

forgot something:
it IS awesome that they put this book together and that its free
and again, concept art should get a job done..
but i hope that most of us strive for something more.. a slight hint of greatness, a detail, an expression even when its not needed.

[Kan Muftić]

I appologise if I offended anyone.
K

[Ellingsworth]

The Xbox 360 market place demo was awesome did anyone else play it? It just recently came out for download. I'll probably definitely be buying it. :^^:

[Hyskoa]

Seems to me these people did their concepts in the time theu were given in a quality that conveys their ideas sufficiëntly.

If you feel it didn't, then by all means, redo some of these works and show them to us(us as in CA board, not bioshock staff, not by a long shot even).

[AlexC]

after looking at the book, it wasnt up to the lofty expectations I expected, but hell, the concepts turned into beautiful 3d models and animations( just looking at the trailers, the designs look beautiful), end point being, even though us concept artists like to think we are the arteest's involved in making a game pretty, it obviously isn't true.

side note andrew ley works at irrational games who are making this game, shame none of his stuff was in there

[FlameDancer]

I can't believe some of you guys have such low standards for art quality. No offense. I see so many great concept arts coming from big games like Prince of Persia, Guildwars, and just about everything that shows up this site that I really just expected and hoped that they would have better concept arts for this game. I guess it is true that having people do it who do not draw or paint very well is cheaper. This is such a big game that I wanted more from the concept art, which is sometimes what gets me to buy the game as guildwars did. I was disappointed in the concept arts for this game, that is all.

[Duq]

and again, there is no need for a concept artist to work for hours on one design. the stuff you see here is production work, for most of the production work you simply don't get the time to finish it to a level that is suited for FF.

In my experience I don't have a lot of time to work on one piece of concept art. I can pick between nicely rendering out art, or spend the same time working on different variations to propose to my lead. In general different variations are more appreciated.

I don't want to make this sound like concept art doesnt need all the practice most of us do. But it is important to also understand that being able to draw is just 50% of the work. I'm glad they released this book like it is, it doesn't have the sweet sugarcoating that some other game artbooks have. And it shows the essence of being an conceptartist.

[Hyskoa]

Indeed, it's still concept art, not illustration.
Just look at the concept art of a game like war, it's kickass, but when you see the rendered models, they have to leave out 60% of the details because the systems either can't handle it, no production time or other reasons.

So all the eyecandy can be fun, but it doesn't make a good game.

[timpaatkins]

They were also kind enough to include roughs in the book, something very daring to do, mainly because of the likes of some people in this thread.

CA is just one step in a long long production pipeline. Its a group effort. You people bitching about the "low standards" of the art need a fucking reality check.

They did a really good job, especially the storyline, which sounds really interesting. The whole look of a 20's sort of jules verne inspired world is gonna be very different.

Take a closer look at lord of the rings costume/CA art.

[_andreas_]

this thread is going to hell

some people say "BUT THE GAME IS GOOD"
others try to define the concept art term
and the best one is "WELL THEN MAKE IT BETTER!"

this argument is kinda dumb and leads to nothing
shrek 3 is shit, i dont have to make a movie to see that,
nickelback are doing crap, i cant play any note and i sing horrible.

its the whole "ITS JUST MY OPINION MAN!" thing
this is what the internet is for, arguing about nothing, arguing about taste.

it IS good to see books like that.
i personally was just a bit shocked about some pieces, maybe its because im very green and have NO idea about the real working place.
maybe because im just spoiled by the MB stuff that goes into production.

[Alexandr Pascenko]

haha dali zombie!
there are some really good sketches and ideas in there with nice moves and posings. the game got a little cartoony touch to me and i wouldn´t buy it because of that. i wonder if this "cartoony" look was suposed to be , well looking at the concept art it was. ( wich doesn´t mean the game is bad)
thaks for sharing.

[Hyskoa]

http://forums.2kgames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3199


Seems like the giant masses without the gift of autism... err... I mean artisme don't seem to care/mind/notice/care the quality.

So it was sufficiënt after all.

[egerie]

Flamewar, you need to keep things in perspective... Especially when you don't know the different realitise of projects. Comparing projects from different companies, or studios, or even projects is like comparing apples and oranges.
Even something made in the same studio might not have the same scope, art director or producer.

I can tell you firsthand that concept art made for "games like prince of persia" benefit from a dream team of illustrators but more importantly of ADEQUATE RESEARCH TIME during conception and pre-production. A lot of projects have a few illustrators on board that have to churn shitloads of illos a day. Sometimes due to the "I'll know what I want when I see it" syndrome, sometimes due to time constraints.
Oh and only a very few people in the world can produce a pile worth of AAA concepts a day.

Everybody's a critic :)


Now as far as some of the concepts in there I thought were very clever and well executed. Yes some were a bit passed the sketch stage but as long as the concept is down, approved and understood by the other bodies of work (anim, modeling, LD, etc.)...
Anyhow. Always show your early stage work to people that understand what you do (and that includes animation) or risk reputation burn :/ Sad but, apparently things are what they seem to be for a lot of folks out there.

[Slash]

The big daddy doll hit a string with me. Really, i felt something stir in my heart.

Now i'm looking forward to this game even more! If its even half as good as system shock 2 it will be worth every penny.

[hito]

Lacks production value when compared to say... Half-Life 2 book. But think of it as money spent where it should be spent, game design and actual in game art assets.

Pretty nice book all around. The stuff in here spans at least 2.5 years, if not more. I remember seeing a couple pics from the announcement back in 05. Good peek at the progression.

Awful nice of 2K Boston [Formerly Irrational] to put it together for download.

[luxun]

I like the fact that you bash this stuff even though the artists that worked on Bioshock might very well be viewing these boards, I bet that gives a pretty nice impression of people here.

And the whole critting angle doesnt work either in my book, since the original poster wasnt the person/persons that did the work.

[Costau D]

You guys want to see bad concept art? Look at the first concepts for Anarchy Online. Looks like a high schooler did it. And yet that game won tons of awards even for best art direction. Ofcourse that's because they got some really good artists later on.

Dont forget the time limit these guys have, and also that they arent trying to impress the public. They are trying to get an idea across and present it as best as possible to those in the pipeline.

Even Anachronox was a good game and had mediocre concept art.


Concept first, art second. Learn how to produce those ideas as fast as possible and get them down.

[Jason Snair]

I think the concepts are actually well done, and there are some very nice looking designs Here. I agree, though, that as illustrations, they are a little lackluster...but in the end if the concepts give enough information for the modelers, etc., to work with, then they've done their job.

(Actually, after a second look, the weapons and machines illustrations are nice done)

[Coinpurse]

K things about 2k: they don't have many concept artists. So like mentioned previously, the majority of people who designed these also work in other fields (3d modelers, programmers etc). Concept wise, these are great. Ok, so its not the best art we've seen, but as long as the ideas are flowing and people who work on bioshock have a clear understanding or path their taking towards designing the game, then all is good. Fact of the matter is, as long as the game plays well (gameplay issues), has a solid storyline and a somewhat original idea... then its OK in my book :D

the ideas that come from the artwork is what shapes the games early stages, now how well they were drawn.

[Costau D]

As long as the design is good, immersive and fun that's what counts. To me I'd rather be considered a creator 1st, Artist 2nd.

Look at it this way. ICO: Beautiful game, not very intriguing or fun except for looking at it.

[chobomaster]

you know, I took a second reading of the book just now, and I would say that the work is actually really good overall. they're all clear and finished pieces, definitely professional quality.

anyway there were only 2 or 3 guys bashing the art, everyone else here said it was at least decent.

[HunterKiller_]

I do think that some pieces here and there look a bit sloppy, mostly in character/creature concepts, but they all convey the idea well, which is the whole point.
There's some really great stuff. I enjoyed the Big Daddy concepts.

I didn't not realize there's suppose to be such grotesque creatures in Bioshock. o.0

[Kan Muftić]

Damn it, the game is phuckin outstanding and that means that concept design is ALSO outphuckinstanding! K?
But if I post something here on these forums that folks don't like, I also get egg on the eye. And then I don't talk about how many sleepless nights i spent on a project, or how tight was the deadline; who cares?
Once you put your stuff online, you have to take the risk of someone not liking your work.
We all get our ass kicked here on the daily basis.

So folks, forgive my stupid arrogance, but I choose to express my oppinion and give feedback. That's how it works here.

Again, the game is rock'n'roll. It's probably the most inovative game on the XBox ever. Thanks to clever concepts.

Peace,

[Ethax]

I don't think Bioshock had a very big budget (hence the lack of finished illustrations), but that was the most impressive game demo I've ever played.

[Shinryu]

Orchestral Score is now available for download aswell

http://www.2kgames.com/cultofrapture/home.html

...Awesome!