We will be launching a new service which will create and sell stock low-poly models aimed for use in light and mobile games. To promote and complement the production of our first release, we are looking for requests on what to include in our first batch. They can be assets you need specifically for your projects or for general needs. Even vague suggestions will be appreciated. Everyone who contributes will receive free models upon their release.
I would also love to discuss about it in this thread, but please submit ideas to the address below for official participation.
Low poly base male and female bodies, uv-mapped, rigged and animated (walking, jumping, running, punching, kicking, handling a sword, etc) with texture templates. Maybe even create a few variations (ie more cartoonish/chibi, a fat guy, a muscular one, etc). I think that would sell very well. It would be cool if you found a way of deforming them easily to suit people’s needs, but I guess that’s application-specific.
Typically, on the model sites I’ve seen, the most downloaded models (more sales for you!) are the human models. More specifically, SWAT team member, (basically any army personnel), an average joe, weapons (machine guns seem to sell more than smaller weapons. Hey, this is america)
Animations of the characters would be nice, but not required by any means.
Complete levels (complete scene) including textures and light maps would be nice. Also buildings and other assets to set up a scene would be helpful. Have them be more general so someone could buy a piece and place it into their game. Weapon packs and vehicles also sell pretty good on other sites.
One other suggestion would be to make sure the models are in multiple formats (OBJ most important) and UVs are laid out properly. I purchased some models for a project I’m working on to help speed up production of the game. It was the same style of my game and fit perfectly with the other assets I modeled. But the UVs were laid out very poorly and now I have to reUV and texture these models.
Vehicles / cars of all types: Buggys, street cars, trucks, tanks and all that. A lot of games need that and except 3drt.com there is very very little choice.
Thanks everyone! All the input so far has been quite helpful. We are planning to stay away from characters initially to avoid redundancy, as they are widely available at other stores. We are going to be focused on level elements and props, including vehicles, that will help designers with fleshing out the game world.
Martin, you mentioned vtanks, and we just happened to finish a test model of one so let me give you a little sneak peak. Everyone’s feedback is appreciated!
With such low poly models, I miss some more details on the textures. That’s in my opinion what will make them really shine and worth buying. As nice texturing is a very time consuming task.
Yeah, good direction with the tanks although the tank tracks look a bit bended to the inside of the tank, but might be a perspective thing. Yeah, looks good, some more details possibly as mentioned before.
After some debating, we are thinking about focusing on offering assets suitable prototyping, as that is a stage where you really shouldn’t be spending time or resource on acquiring unique artwork. These would be really cheap, single-serving models that can be purchased casually, as opposed to committing to a $100 model pack purchase. Our question is, what would be a good general range of price for such assets? It really comes down to serving the independent and hobbyist development community, so we are going to work out whatever needs to get worked out to get you guys what you want. We are thinking a range of $1-5 would be reasonable. $1 for small prop items and $5 for characters with basic animations. Would you guys be down for that? Let me hear what you guys think!
I’ve been paying between $1-15 for models, but I would happily pay a bit more. I think that a lot of people in this community (one or two man game shops) probably have the skills to model themselves, but find it quicker/easier to buy, or will pay for something that is better quality. I also find that most of the other sites are in a variety of formats and in varying states (rigged, animated, etc). Having one place to go to buy models that will “just work” in Unity would be awesome.
Weapons/vehicles are always good. Also, you can’t go wrong with zombies.
I think a good price would be 0.00 to 0.99. Yes, that is what I think…
Oh, hold on, are we talking dollars or gold bars? Oh, in that case it is just fine… Repeat customer here also…
I am always looking out for humanoid models so I will be keeping my eyes on your site waiting for you to start doing them…
I have said this in numerous forums and numerous posts, but since you asked I will say it again:
Japanese, please! I love all things Japanese so more Japanese content would never be enough… Thanks
Like the tank, but I second the Low-Poly, High-Texture approach. Even if you had both High and Low texture available, I find that I commit a reasonable amount of my “asset budget” on textures and eye candy, and find other places in the game to cut back on to pay for it.
I think your tank looks great! The detail in the textures is just right for iPhone. I’ve noticed a lot of the texturing I do is way overkill for such a small screen. I usually end up dropping the size to 128 or even 64, without any perceivable difference on the device.
The website will be ready for closed beta testing early September, which will focus on usability and customer needs. If anybody here is interested in testing the service, shoot me an email with your name and project links if you have any.
tylenol3> We don’t have any immediate plans to cater to specific engines or platforms, but we definitely will be adding features such as Unity-friendly packages based on demands.
MrDude> Do you mean the traditional Japanese theme or the modern Japanese cityscape? P.S.- We will gladly accept your gold ingots.
LittleAngel> Do you develop for the iPhone or PC?
Mactivist> Thank you. It’s likely that the tank feels low-detail because of it’s displayed size as opposed to actual in-game display. Do you have any examples of your low texture resolution assets that you can share with us?
