Kraken Concept Art

[Mefisto]

OK. I have begun to work on kraken. This is the first sketch.

[Peter the Great]

A kraken (in most mythologies) is usually similar to a squid or octopus, not a cuttlefish.

[thespaceinvader]

This Kraken levels from the cuttlefish, so it needs to share that influence. I think this concept looks workable.

[Peter the Great]

Then at least give it some more menacing tentacles? You know, the break a ship in half kind of tentacles?

[doofus-01]

A nautilus is related to a cuttlefish, and I think your concept is compatible with a nautilus shell. Having armour would be an upgrade, and it might be more fun to draw than expanses of cephalopod flesh. Just my thoughts.

[AI]

As the engine also automatically applies transparency for units in water, you'll need some WML magic to compensate for that. Additionally, if a kraken were to move onto land (or level from a cuttlefish on land), the transparency would look very strange, so you'd need a separate standing animation for that.

Technical issues aside, the sketch looks great.

Also, don't forget the cuttlefish eyes.

[Mefisto]

The request was for something between Tentacle from the deep and Cuttlefish. I understood that this unit would never go out of water so its lower parts would be obscured and just the back and eyes would be wisible. I have alternate concept for continuation of cuttlefish line: behemoth unit. This unit could occasionaly go out of water and harass land units. And I remember of cuttlefish eyes.

[Vendanna]

The behemot idea looks awesome, in that sketch it looks more menacing that the cuttlefish you have drawed (due to how you drawed the eyes?) and I think its a better way to use a transition rather than Kraken (due the kraken being an octopod that has a different body build)

Also, I suppose it would be far easier to change the unit name to adapt to your image than the other way around. I'll wait to see what you come up with.

A question tought, there seems to be "blade things on its head" like a razor armor or similar? I'm not sure and I'm bad ad describing that word.

[Mefisto]

The behemot idea looks awesome, in that sketch it looks more menacing that the cuttlefish you have drawed (due to how you drawed the eyes?) and I think its a better way to use a transition rather than Kraken (due the kraken being an octopod that has a different body build)

Also, I suppose it would be far easier to change the unit name to adapt to your image than the other way around. I'll wait to see what you come up with.

Behemoth unit is what I came up with when I was thinking about expanding cuttlefish monster line to include also L3 and L1 units.
Kraken was supposed to be L3 unit for cuttlefish in Dead Water campaign but beetlenaut and thespaceinvader would rather like a design which bears no strict resemblance to my concept of cuttlefish. So it's easier for me to think about two different L3 monsters: Kraken as an enigmatic threat consisting mainly of vicious tentacles and big beak and Behemoth (not existing yet) - the overgrown cuttlefish.
And kraken has higher priority so I would like to have it conceptualized first.

I post it in concept art topic to be able to hear all possible opinions before I start to do pixelart of actual unit pictures.

A question tought, there seems to be "blade things on its head" like a razor armor or similar? I'm not sure and I'm bad ad describing that word.

I meant something like this.

[Mefisto]

Finished pixelart for behemoth. I'm afraid I used too many shades and making frames of animation would be very tedious.

Below is another concept art for L3 unit (and project of defense animation). I think this position is better than previous: easier to make animations useful for both S and S-E attacks.

[francophone]

I imagine rather a kraken with tentacles that stretch far many (over water) around the head-body.
But the final design with tentacles coming out only to attack is so interesting concept. But in this case I rather imagine that, out attack, the kraken should be completely submerged. A creature that we see too late : when he is on us !

I would have found different graphic concepts for the film LOTR.

The idea of armor reminds me of another possibility. But it does perhaps not what you want, including resistance. So I think a fully armored creature with tentacles articulated. That explain it difficult to cut tentacles.

[Mefisto]

The problem with kraken is that something should be visible of him when he just floats in the water.

!
Unless you give him a trait "submerge". So in deep water it would be invisible untill it attacks and in shallow water it would be partially submerged and partially visible over the water surface. Which is quite logical.

[francophone]

I imagine many a Kraken with the ability submerged. but I do not know how you want.
If not, maybe, draw it as underwater default. Mostly dark + / - transparent and maybe even blur. Highest to attack with tentacles deployed.

I did not see the colors. I find them very well. I wonder if the dark blue belly will not disappear in the water over the red spring better ?

[thespaceinvader]

Maybe facing slightly more towards the south? Otherwise, this looks cool, however, the colour scheme might be a little too different from the previous level...

[Gambit]

I'd go with a white belly instead of blue. And either darken, or lighten the red. It's too close to the middle right now (there's probably an artsy term for that, saturation?). It's like FF0000 right now.

Reminded me of this.