Zeta Metroids
So, NCFC is over. It was even cooler than last year, and AM2R was given again the "Best Metroid Booth" award. I was sure the award was going to be given to the guys of Project Prime (BTW, check it out if you haven´t). Thanks to all the great people at NCFC!
Here´s the trailer I made for the event, and some new pics:
There are mixed oppinions about the Zetas.
First of all, this is a Work In Progress sprite, and I decided to show it just for the NCFC. The animations are unfinished, and there are details to tweak about the overall apprearance.
Second, I took a slightly different approach in the design. The original Zeta seemed to be designed within the limits of the sprite size, and it´s a good middle step between the original Gamma and the original Omega designs displayed in-game.
In my case, Omegas will be fairly smilar to the ones in Fusion, in terms of size and proportions. If I were to use a more "traditional" design, there would be a major evolutionary difference wih the Omegas. So I redid the design by associating the Omegas to a T-Rex (in terms of relative proportions), and the Zetas to Velociraptors.
Desinging Zetas as "Armored velociraptors with a Metroid core in their belly" was my starting point. The whole Metroid changed a lot, and it will continue to change as the animation and gameplay demand it. Don´t worry, a longer tail and thicker legs are on my to-do list.
Also on the video 2 parts of the new area are shown. One big ruin-like corridor and the water area (for Gravity Suit fun). I´m planning these areas right now.
I´ll be tweaking the Zetas these days, it was great to hear all of your concerns about the proportions. I´ll consider some of them, since having other points of view makes a better result.
Thanks for your comments!
Here´s the trailer I made for the event, and some new pics:
There are mixed oppinions about the Zetas.First of all, this is a Work In Progress sprite, and I decided to show it just for the NCFC. The animations are unfinished, and there are details to tweak about the overall apprearance.
Second, I took a slightly different approach in the design. The original Zeta seemed to be designed within the limits of the sprite size, and it´s a good middle step between the original Gamma and the original Omega designs displayed in-game.
In my case, Omegas will be fairly smilar to the ones in Fusion, in terms of size and proportions. If I were to use a more "traditional" design, there would be a major evolutionary difference wih the Omegas. So I redid the design by associating the Omegas to a T-Rex (in terms of relative proportions), and the Zetas to Velociraptors.
Desinging Zetas as "Armored velociraptors with a Metroid core in their belly" was my starting point. The whole Metroid changed a lot, and it will continue to change as the animation and gameplay demand it. Don´t worry, a longer tail and thicker legs are on my to-do list.
Also on the video 2 parts of the new area are shown. One big ruin-like corridor and the water area (for Gravity Suit fun). I´m planning these areas right now.
I´ll be tweaking the Zetas these days, it was great to hear all of your concerns about the proportions. I´ll consider some of them, since having other points of view makes a better result.
Thanks for your comments!
Comments
I really love that sound :P
and now i'm really excited to see the omega's. i'm expecting them to be rather giant. i just hope they are still very much like the one in fusion in terms of appearance.
I noticed, just now in the screenshots, the different symbols at the top. Is there going to be selection of things like there was in SM, cycling through different things?
The Zetas. After looking through everything other people have said, I'd say it'd be a dramatic improvement simply by thickening the legs and making the head a bit more circular, as opposed to the oval shape it's in now. It could use a tail, and a shorter neck, but less than the other two. Either way, still looks pretty damn good already.
One thing i have to ask though: Will Suit Addons be able to be turned off?
Because that is what i really missed in zero missions (dont like the Gravity Suit, wanted to play in Varia only)
I love the spiky- textured area. It looks so organic and ominous.
Whatever you do with the zetas will be great. I actually like the new design. The old ones remind me of a fat kid.
A+ Doc. A+.
I understand that you can't necessarily give us a projection for completion, but an idea of what needs to be done would be nice.
best of wishes,
MrGiga
jmanjde@aim.com
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_marZb4hRhUs/Su5Se38UbpI/AAAAAAAAABM/RV2JvUiOKME/s1600-h/sample+sheet.png
By the way, are you still tweaking the gamma?
Remember, metroids in the original game, the membrane protecting the nucleus is see-through. The best way to show this is to make only the edges of the membrane opaque green, and fade it to mostly translucent to expose the nucleus. This would be an awesome effect and very possible with 32-bit pngs.
http://www.flyingomelette.com/oddities/sab3/zetametroid.gif
I think the figure should be a little angled so you can see him better. Having him flat like the way you have it now looks kinda weird. Other than that, everything looks pretty good.
Those of you criticizing the Zeta, look at this. THIS is the idea he's trying to display when he makes the sprites, and I think he's doing it quite well. Yes, the legs can be a bit thicker, and the tail should be added...
But otherwise, I'd say he captures the original idea pretty dead on.
If they're fan made, i hope doc is not using them as a reference. I wonder why everyone doesn't mind that the zeta's have a long neck now.
Also I forgot to mention that maybe you should consider making a PSP home-brew for this game once you finish. AM2R on the go would be cool!
Looking at this and other trailers you've released so far, though, I worry that I won't be able to 100% this game as easily as I have Fusion and Zero Mission. :X
I noticed on the 5th pic that thoses tiles are from the Turrican series.
Get with the program.
My only concern right now is Samus's ship. Do you still plan to use the sprite from Super Metroid?
I never really liked the way that one looked over the original in M2.
just saying.
and continue the amazing work.
tratar de darle más realismo es lo que recomiendo yo. Otro detalle que no discrepo es la falta de iluminación al metroid, está muy sombrÃo y casi no se nota :S!
saludos
I check this page almost every day.
I love metroid more than any other video game, and the even though I played all the 3d versions, I still prefer the 2d style metroid games.
YOUR GAME LOOKS AMAZING!!! In terms of graphics and functionality.
Your remake is better than any of the "official" metroid games made to date.
I hope you find the time to complete this tremendous piece of art. Believe me, that people will appreciate your efforts, and your work will take major notice, which may help your career in unforseen ways.
So on behalf of all metroid fans out there, thank you, and we patiently await the finished product.
Huge fan,
Jim
The Zetas in the original (and all the metroids, for that matter) were not vary long-limbed -- they all kind of kept their structure close about the metroid core. This may be due to the sprite limits of the original, but I personally found it made them seem more like metroids. If you stray too far they lose the sense of having molted from the original metroid. So they should not have much of a neck, their tail should just be a tentacular growth of little physical purpose, and their legs probably should not be developed enough to be their sole locomotive source -- I'd save that for the Omegas.
As for the head: it should be roughly the shape it's in now. If you look at the ORIGINAL SPRITE you will see that the Zetas' and Omegas' heads are not circular, but elongated and rounded.
About the sketches of the evolutionary stages on Metroid Galaxy Guide: seeing as they have apparently originated at that site, which claims no affiliation with Nintendo, and even have the site's logo on them, I deem it safe to conclude that they are FAN depictions, and therefore not canon designs. (Besides, they look like dinosaurs, not metroids. Ick.)
You can see the Alpha, Gamma, and Zeta stages from Metroid Fusion in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0r4P8JY2yU
They are in stasis tanks in the background of the room with the stairs that lead to the second floor of the baby metroid tanks.
As these sprites demonstrate (in keeping with Metroid 2), the exoskeletal bodies of the first three evolved metroids are closely strung about the core, which is still the largest and most defining part of the metroids. (And the Zeta's head IS elongated.)
Your current design isn't too far off, and I know it will get better. I just don't want you going down the path of MGalaxy's dinosaurs with membrane undersides.
I did notice that the Omega in Metroid Fusion is significantly more developed than the Zeta -- quite a big jump compared to Metroid 2's evolution. It's both twice as large AND has three times the features.
Perhaps there could be different sizes of Zetas and/or Omegas, with the idea that their phases in evolution are signified by what they have/how they look, but they can grow and mature a bit within these individual phases? I don't mean adding another phase or blurring the Zetas and Omegas together. But you could, say, have a Zeta with stubby legs and one with slightly thicker/longer legs; and the claws of a freshly evolved Omega, already menacing, would become larger and more deadly over time.
What do you think? I know this would complicate the making of the game, but it might help the Zeta issue.
att. nucleo
That video just... blew my mind...
Its just awesome. In every way posible.
Best of luck
It looks so ugly and unatmospheric. Almost as bad as Fusion.
Would have preferred the original GB graphics, in all honesty.
animations looks sooo cool...keep up!!!!!!
please finish the game :)
I think there should be at least one, because in the game you can see the shell of one. Just a suggestion.
Take it for what you will.
No they're from zero mission
No, in MZM it doesn't have shoulder armor like in SM and Prime. Only the Gravity Suit has the shoulder armor unless you count the few seconds that it shows her standing before the message that says "You got your fully powered suit".
Those ARE larva metroids
"Larva Metroids" are the beginning stages of this planets Metroid Evolutions. So in theory, one could say that a "Larva Metroid" must have just been hatched from an egg not too long ago. which would mean that the queen is somewhere near by. However the queen has already moved on by this time in the beginning. the time it takes Samus to get to the last big area the Metroids have already Evolved. Which BTW Samus does not have the Ice beam by the time she sees the 1st Metroid (alpha) so if she had seen a "Larva Metroid" she would not be able to kill it. So that is why there are "Larva Metroids" in the Queens Area because they've have recently hatched. And yes they were in the Original as well they should be in this one.
You have to type in a codebreaker code into the emulator when you're playing zero mission, after that you can switch the suits on and off like super metroid and thus having the shoulder armor, remember right when you get the gravity suit samus has her varia with the sholder pads? and then after you get the gravity it makes all the suits and even the power suit have that "sholder armor". try it.
Wait what do you mean you wont be back. Project Prime is an awesome Piece of work. Please tell me you're still working on it. The Metroid Fan Community is full of let downs please dont add your game to the list. Just because you didnt get it this year doesnt mean anything.
We are all toghether with you :)
I certainly don't think zetas should be velociraptor sized though... velociraptors were only about a foot and a half tall. Otherwise I like the design of them overall, fits in with a lot of the canon concept art for them.
Don't stop, don't take criticism if you feel you've got it better, this is YOUR game, and YOUR accomplishment, be proud!
I
I
That's what she said!
LOL XD
My name is Phyuk Yiu,
I just want to let you know what a great job you have done on the game!
Greetings form CHINA!!!
Dr Eq
http://www.metroid-escape.blogspot.com
Metroid is an original Nintendo work. It was created by their Research and Development team RD1, which was headed by the mastermind behind the gameboy, Gumpei Yokoi (I may have spelled that wrong).
It is very bad taste to disrespect a game that hasn't even come out yet (in regards to MoM). And since AM2R is a remake of the second metroid, dissing the second metroid is in essence dissing AM2R since the Doc is going through great lengths to keep the "air" of the original.
Although not everyone agrees with Nintendo's choices with the Metroid series, they aren't just throwing these games together willy-nilly. You should see some of the developers' commentary about the games. They put in a lot of effort and thought into them.
Thank you in advance :D.