General Contest Thread

[RoyboyX]

Um... say you have this artwork and I mean the full version of it, and you paint over it or photoshop it. That's what you're not supposed to do.

[Infinity's End]

Kinda a dumb question but what counts a "paintover" cause now I'm a little reluctant to use any kind of reference material.

Using reference materials are fine. Paintovers would mean you'd take a pre-existing artwork/image file and paint over it. Exactly what it sounds like.
Considering we have a compliation of almost every single officially-released Metroid artwork in existence on our site, and I've definitely looked at them all, it won't be hard to tell the difference between an artwork that's been painted over or not.

[okey]

Alright, I think I got it now. I wanted to use the iconic Samus pose and that sounds kosher.

On another note, it's weird how there are actually very few Samus redesigns out there.

[Zeroº]

I'm starting to get a lot of ideas brewing in my head, but I've got a few questions:

The redesign must fit within the confines of the Metroid Universe (i.e. sci-fi). No crossovers with other genres, media or different time periods, please.

So no Fire Flower Suit, no Zora Tunic Suit, no G-Diffuser system, no Batarang Beam, or Lightsaber elbow blades. I get that, no issues on my end. But what about things like: Medieval Suit, Steampunk Samus, and Crazy-ultra-futuristic-beyond-the-normal-timeline-of-the-games Suit? So long as they have a fitting context in which they could plausibly exist in a Metroid game, what issue is to be had with them? For instance, Elysia was practically clockwork, and the Dark Suit was a few gears and pipes away from steampunk. Couldn't a few lines describing the planet, lab, scenario, or creature she gains the new look from suffice as a placement for these out-of-time looks?

Be it a completely new suit, a redesign of her current suit, a complete overhaul of the character -- whatever.

Just making sure that the redesign doesn't need to include the Power Suit, only a redesign of Samus herself. Am I wrong in thinking this? 'Cause that's how I read it. Like... a redesign of only her Zero Suit. Or a complete lack of a suit, showcasing Samus' civilian or vacation look.

There is no limit to how much you can change; as long as we can recognize it to be Samus.

Dangerous words were typed there. Dangerous. BUT, just how far can we take things? I get that nudity probably isn't allowed, so no problems there. My question for this item is: How visceral gruesome can we take things? Dead Space, Necromorphs, limbs missing, grotesque mutations; or Legend of Zelda, ReDead claim they are zombies but are really just people jerky that hump your head? Blood and guts = no glory?

And I'm sure this doesn't need to be said, but you never know (especially with the youngins jumpin' aboard these days): Only one entry per contestant, correct? So only submit one and create our own gallery for any others that we come up with, yeah?

[Infinity's End]

I'm starting to get a lot of ideas brewing in my head, but I've got a few questions:
So no Fire Flower Suit, no Zora Tunic Suit, no G-Diffuser system, no Batarang Beam, or Lightsaber elbow blades. I get that, no issues on my end. But what about things like: Medieval Suit, Steampunk Samus, and Crazy-ultra-futuristic-beyond-the-normal-timeline-of-the-games Suit? So long as they have a fitting context in which they could plausibly exist in a Metroid game, what issue is to be had with them? For instance, Elysia was practically clockwork, and the Dark Suit was a few gears and pipes away from steampunk. Couldn't a few lines describing the planet, lab, scenario, or creature she gains the new look from suffice as a placement for these out-of-time looks?

Medieval Suit wouldn't be quite science fiction, now would it? Steampunk, maybe. Cyberpunk, maybe. Maybe I should have been more specific and wrote "futuristic" science fiction... Basically we want it to fall into the realm of being able to exist in the Metroid Universe, and not have to deal with "This is the Crazy Clown Suit that Samus got from the Jesterians on the planet Boingo Boingo." Think of the past redesigns of Samus. The Primes, specifically. Use those ones to base your ideas of of things we are looking for.

Just making sure that the redesign doesn't need to include the Power Suit, only a redesign of Samus herself. Am I wrong in thinking this? 'Cause that's how I read it. Like... a redesign of only her Zero Suit. Or a complete lack of a suit, showcasing Samus' civilian or vacation look.

Exactly how far you want to take it is up to you.

Dangerous words were typed there. Dangerous. BUT, just how far can we take things? I get that nudity probably isn't allowed, so no problems there. My question for this item is: How visceral gruesome can we take things? Dead Space, Necromorphs, limbs missing, grotesque mutations; or Legend of Zelda, ReDead claim they are zombies but are really just people jerky that hump your head? Blood and guts = no glory?

If you drew a blonde-haired girl with giant boils on her skin, limbs falling off, and a terrible crooked posture, and said it was "Samus" I probably wouldn't believe you. Get it?

And I'm sure this doesn't need to be said, but you never know (especially with the youngins jumpin' aboard these days): Only one entry per contestant, correct? So only submit one and create our own gallery for any others that we come up with, yeah?

It is assumed that there should be one entry per person. But since we weren't specific about it, I'll make the change.

[Zeroº]

Think of the past redesigns of Samus. The Primes, specifically. Use those ones to base your ideas of of things we are looking for.

Some of my main thoughts (and I'm talking openly here to help people that might be having a hard time coming up with ideas) were along the lines of the more organic type of suit, like in Fusion. Not a redo or completely different take of that suit, but something entirely different yet still down the path of the more organic. Like... that drawing of Link from the Zelda games all decked out in equipment made out of a dead Ganon (a la Monster Hunter) that was floating around a while back. That kind of thing isn't all that futuristic, but it doesn't seem like it breaches the scope of the establish Metroid Universe if ya don't get too carried away. Less this, this, or this. More this-ish and this.

If you drew a blonde-haired girl with giant boils on her skin, limbs falling off, and a terrible crooked posture, and said it was "Samus" I probably wouldn't believe you. Get it?

And, obviously, Samus must be recognizable, but my question was geared more towards the amount of general blood, guts, and gore that is acceptable. ...Not that I plan on a zombie Samus or anything... (The suit would have to be involved for full effect, anyway.)

[okey]

It's a little creepy how you keep bringing up the blood and guts thing...but at the same time I kinda want to see who your power suit is made out of.

[Infinity's End]

Do what you want man. If it's too graphic then we'll let you know.

[Zeroº]

Thanks, good to know.

It's a little creepy how you keep bringing up the blood and guts thing...but at the same time I kinda want to see who your power suit is made out of.

It's just a Halloween frame of mind. I actually think I've got a pretty decent & unique idea, I just need to plan it out a bit and make sure that the logistics of it would make sense. And surprisingly, no gore would be necessary. Go figure...

(To be honest, I've actually got a few ideas in the barrel. It just depends on which ones I want to commit to tablet. [And they're all much better than the Christmas-themed one I came up with. Completely serious. I might draw that one, too...])

[okey]

You're trying to make Samus' suit of all things make logistical sense? Good luck with that

Are you running into the same problem as I am, where you can't find that balance between something that's recognizable as Samus while being different enough to warrant a redesign? You change the slightest thing about that suit and she suddenly turns into orange Master Chief.

[Zeroº]

Nah, it'll look like Samus. ...I hope. My main concern right now is trying to figure out just where to put all the 1s and 0s.

Out of all my ideas, though, the Invisible Suit redesign was the easiest thing I ever drew.

[okey]

Nah, it'll look like Samus. ...I hope. My main concern right now is trying to figure out just where to put all the 1s and 0s.

That's cool, sounds like you're on the detailing phase. I'm still in the 'splotchy mess' phase

Funny how it's so tough coming up with a consistent look between armored samus, zero suit samus and civilian samus. Even the games don't do this.

[ShinobiSai]

Funny how it's so tough coming up with a consistent look between armored samus, zero suit samus and civilian samus. Even the games don't do this.

Does our redesign need to include Samus in Siut, Zero Suit, and Civilian forms, or is that just something you're doing?

[YamI]

Shinobi, it can be whatever you want to put your mind to, as long as they can recognize it as Samus.

[ShinobiSai]

Shinobi, it can be whatever you want to put your mind to, as long as they can recognize it as Samus.

Alrighty then. I just like to be 100% sure of the rules. I'd hate to get disqualified.
Thanks, and good luck to everyone!