(click to see full size)
Still a work in progress but I wanted to show one of the new trees so I created a quick test scene. I wanted something that was more stylized than the current trees and I think these are perfect. I really love how these came out. They have a nice hand-painted look and match the characters' look better than the current trees, which imo were too realistic and didn't have the character that these trees have.
There are two more trees that just got completed in addition to the medium tree you see in the shot. The leaves on the tree can be hued to create different looks. The bark will be darker in the final trees.
In the above shot I also used a different ground texture and modified the grass a bit to add some yellow to them. Right now they're really saturated and green. I think the yellow adds some more depth. You'll also notice that the grass aren't all pointed in the same direction like they are currently in the game.
And, the trees move in the wind too. :)
One more sneak peek...the Jade Sword. I'll add some shine to the jade "gems" but I really like how the artist translated the concept to the model and reduced the glow effect from the concept. The green tint to the blade came out really great too!
I might change the gold looking parts to be more of a copper or bronze so they don't look too similar to the gold weapons. Will have to see how they look when they're all done.
I hope you are excited as I am about these updates!