Armagetronart

Got something that makes Armagetron look shiny? Post it here.
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°|°
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Armagetronart

Post by °|° »

first try to exchange with online gamers worldwide. at cheers-server we had the idea to create an art installation with the game.
we want to host a new server for drawings, movies or performances.

...more soon...

°|°
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qRt.mike.huePn
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Re: Armagetronart

Post by qRt.mike.huePn »

yep, i'm developping weird drawing technics
i wonder what kind of hardware we need

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°|° wrote:first try to exchange with online gamers worldwide. at cheers-server we had the idea to create an art installation with the game.
we want to host a new server for drawings, movies or performances.

...more soon...

°|°
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Phytotron
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Post by Phytotron »

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Tank Program
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Post by Tank Program »

There's been stuff with people writing their names before, but no one just plain drawing.
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sinewav
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Post by sinewav »

Time to raise the bar.

Several months ago I had a number of similar "ArmaArt" ideas, but I decided to work on the Adventures of TRON server instead. After seeing this thread a few weeks ago, I was excited to see some wonderful art posted. Now I'm a little disappointed that no one picked up on it. Armagerton has amazing potential as a visual medium, but it takes some concerted effort. Really, the only limitation it has as a creative tool lies in that undefined area where it crosses into "mixed-media". I hope in the future more artists will be drawn to express themselves through this game.

My first submission is an "exploratory" piece, which is composed of simple form and some basic physical elements from the game (cycle wall, rim, zone). I had some very complex ideas, but went with something simple for starters.

My primary consideration was to separate Arma's drawing aspect from the gaming aspect. The world of Armagetron is harsh - with its ninety-degree angles and high contrast playing field. I first wanted to remove all the hard angles and replace them with curves. Second, I wanted to get away from the cycle wall being used as the primary drawing tool, because until now it was the only device used to bring about form. I chose to use it to define positive space instead.

However, I didn't want to totally exclude all the game aspects from this work. Cycle walls themselves have a vibrant, electric feel to them, which I wanted to include. Also, I thought the classic Tron "spiral of death" could be used as an attractive pattern. In this piece, I try to transform the death spiral from anxious to soothing.

I regret that I don't have a good computer or graphics card. I imagine there are amazing things I could do with that freedom. I'm also not likely to write scripts, so I have a personal limitation too. Oh, and the zone hack. I won't be using that either.
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Phytotron
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Post by Phytotron »

http://forums.armagetronad.net/viewtopi ... 3185#33185

(back during a period when I was on crutches)

http://forums.armagetronad.net/viewtopi ... 2560#32560
http://forums.armagetronad.net/viewtopi ... 7097#37097

There are several posts in that latter thread, as well in various old threads that include screenshots of strange, odd, funny stuff occurring as a result of old bugs. As far as I'm concerned, those events, especially when deliberately produced and reproduced, could count as art inside Armagetron. That's the medium, afterall.

Unfortunately, a lot of old links to pictures are now dead.

A couple more:
http://forums.armagetronad.net/viewtopic.php?t=2016
http://forums.armagetronad.net/viewtopic.php?t=2961

Oh yeah, and multiple axes suck and should be disqualified. :evil: :P
Last edited by Phytotron on Sun Oct 05, 2008 5:23 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Post by Lucifer »

And here I thought you had to actually make the art on the grid and take a screenshot of it...
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Phytotron
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Post by Phytotron »

And since ripping no longer occurs, maybe it can now be looked back on with some amusement. (This is when I had to play with all graphic details off. The black is the floor inside the arena, the white is the wall.)
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hoop
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Post by hoop »

I'm amazed by translucency, aren't you?
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sinewav
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Post by sinewav »

Phytotron wrote:Oh yeah, and multiple axes suck and should be disqualified. :evil: :P
Thanks for the links, that's exactly what I want to see here! And I'm glad you brought up 4+ axes, because I'd like to stimulate a conversation about why certain techniques might be considered unacceptable.
Lucifer wrote:And here I thought you had to actually make the art on the grid and take a screenshot of it...
My submission is a screenshot. That work is now lost forever. After I cropped it, I thought I should leave the "fastest" field intact so my name would be on the piece - like a signature. But whatever. Or did you mean during normal play?
hoop wrote:I'm amazed by translucency, aren't you?
Yes. Yes I am. The zone hack is beautiful.

My personal opinion is that if Arma can do it, than it's acceptable; whether it is the result of something written into the game, a script, a hack, or a bug. I'm much more likely to compose something deliberately, but spontaneous art is definitely desired. I tend to make things more concrete than abstract, but that's just part of my style.

More art please.
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Phytotron
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Post by Phytotron »

Oh yeah, and in those older screenshots, that's when the rubber value was cosmetically multiplied by ten. For instance, 40 then = 4 today. If anyone cares.

And why would multiple axes be "unacceptable" in my book? Because, a) like I said, they suck and never should have been implemented!* And b) where's the challenge or interest if one can draw curved lines like anything else? What makes it interesting is the classic 90° limitation (ala etch-a-sketch). That spiraly thing may as well be a MS Paint drawing.

* "Yeah, but they didn't drive in right angles the entire movie so why should they in the game!" No, but they did when on the game grid. And the rest of the time you're snidely remarking about how this shouldn't be based on the movie anyway...regrettably, youse got your way.
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Post by sinewav »

Phytotron wrote:No, but they did when on the game grid.
Actually, that is debatable. There is a scene in the beginning of the movie where the camera looks over the shoulder of a man playing a lightcycle stand-up in an arcade. At one point the cycles are clearly traveling at a 45 degree angle. However, it is not clear if the entire grid is turned 45 degrees.

But I see your point nonetheless. So maybe you think that only the default settings should be used to make art in Arma? And if not, why should some settings be allowed to change and not others? Also, if my submission looks like it was done in MS Paint, then that means I accomplished my goal of separating the art aspect from the game aspect. I've "transformed" the program from a game to a drawing tool.
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Post by Lucifer »

One word: Etch-a-sketch
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sinewav
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Post by sinewav »

Hmm...See a similarity? Even if my piece was restricted to 4 axes, the result would still be the same (or nearly). It would just take longer and be a little "fuzzier". But enough critique - let's see some new ArmaArt!

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armagetronart is not dead

Post by qRt.mike.huePn »

sinewav wrote: I've "transformed" the program from a game to a drawing tool.
hmmm.
humans...
so show us how you draw... with a 2D axis and on the grid...
make me a circle...
make me a head,
make me some abstract mountains,
just draw IN the game

personaly, I try to find my own camera/speed/rubber settings so
i can developp technics to draw circles, triangles, diagonals...
like a baby is learning how to walk...

then, the shiny part of graphics, fireworks, is not important to
me. the most important is to make somethin emotionnal with
something unemotionnal

and i agree with Phytotron:
bugs can be art, random can be art
abstract is art

mike.hueon
see our tron shortmovie:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4rj9p_tron_creation
Last edited by qRt.mike.huePn on Wed Oct 08, 2008 3:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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