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Old 06-16-2018, 06:12 AM   #8
tbeard1999
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Tyler, Texas
Default Re: Melee Cover Preview

I have the same complaints with this art that I had with the Wizard art. My comments are as a game consumer, not as an artist (which I am not). And of course, these are my subjective opinions.

1. The face is...odd. I think that people are drawn to faces when they see art, and both the Wizard and Melee artwork has odd looking faces. It’s also, well, cartoonish looking, which is not a compliment.

2. I question whether emphasizing a specific type of historical figure is the best choice for selling the game. Customers might well assume that this game is a game about Roman combat only. And if you’re going to use historical figures, I’d suggest Spartans or Vikings. But far better would be to use FANTASY figures, since TFT is a fantasy games. Like say, a battle between a dwarf and orc? Or a gargoyle? (Yes I know about the sample story between Flavius and Wulf, but so what? The artwork is supposed to sell the game).

3. The technical quality of the artwork is not that good, compared with other artwork in the marketplace.

4. The red clothing on a red background doesn’t do it for me. That said, red is a much more striking color than blue, so it’s better than the wizard cover.

5. Melee is a game of *duels* between warriors. Wouldn’t it be better to show, you know, duels? The cartoonish Roman soldier art doesn’t communicate much about the game. And what it does communicate is ambiguous. Is it a historical wargame about Roman soldiers? About Roman soldiers dealing with anger management issues?

6. Again, just like the proposed Wizard art, I don’t think that this art will improve the chance of selling the game.

7. The title seems a little better than Wizard. At least I can discern that “The Fantasy Trip” is the system and that Melee is part of that system.

8. This art will have no effect on my personal decision to buy Melee. I’m pre-sold, so you could put it in a black box with red lettering that only said MELEE. But I would like to see it thrive. And the proposed artwork is candidly underwhelming.

Some examples of artwork that I think are superior -

Game Products
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CIznFmbpj...pshevshi5b.jpg
http://cdn.paizo.com/image/product/c...FTPKBC004E.jpg

Artwork Only (All of these show actual conflict, which is sorta the point of Melee)
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/bb/80...a3456d4f6d.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/74/01/98/7...an-warrior.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/54/2b...0f951e6fc0.png
https://pre00.deviantart.net/9a5d/th...an-d6yhsx8.jpg
https://www.walldevil.com/wallpapers...rk-warrior.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/75/16...0a32e7a028.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/28/22/bc/2...ek-warrior.jpg

Single Figure Artwork (Note how well done the FACES are; that catches the eye)
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e8/5d...1b92b750a6.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/10/a5/ec/1...ntasy-girl.jpg
https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets...jpg?1446055158
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ae/46...a5243c28b2.jpg

A spartan warrior similarly posed, but technically far superior - https://orig00.deviantart.net/4051/f...na-dar1htr.jpg

A bit cheesecakey, but very striking - https://pre00.deviantart.net/946a/th...er-d2gizf0.jpg

Last edited by tbeard1999; 06-16-2018 at 11:16 AM.
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