Rayman: Revenge of the Dark

[R3fan2]

Adsolution if it's not to much trouble, could you PM me a list of all finalized tracks numbered in the order they appear in the game? I'm re-recording the soundtrack again (this time as mp3s) and I was hoping I could arrange them in that order rather than alphabetically.

[Plejadenwolf]

Thanks for the clearing reply. There is almost no other game which you can really dream about until it is finished. I hope you will spare the background of Dark Rayman up until the near release, to keep it like the "great, unknown one". I recently thought about a secret hiding place from Ly's resistance party on and into a mountain, a mixture between those cliffy terrains with all those tunnels and wooden footbridges seen in Rayman 2 and the mountain levels in Rayman 1. A place where you can see the sunset in the evening, the stars in the night and the wide horizon of Rayman's world in all it's glory.
I thought about Dark Rayman being faint, captured and brought to this place in the end. With some time he gets more and more interested in Raven and it becomes a some-kind-of Han-Leia-Luke-relationship (Star Wars) between Rayman, Dark Rayman and Raven. After some time, Rayman gets more interested in Ly up to the relationship we see in Rayman 2 (some kind of semi-romantic). In comparison to Rayman Dark Rayman could be similar to what Shadow is in comparison to Sonic the Hedgehog. He thinks more in philosophical terms and ways and always thinks about things going around in the world like: "When Polokus has bad dreams and wants them to get vanished, what role am I supposed to be in this world? Am I an undesirable, alien element in this world or am I a reincarnation of a long last dream, condemned for a destiny which is more or less inescapable?" Rayman is more the happy and joyful character as we all know him from the previous games and his Dark twin is some kind like the missing-link of his character. I imagine both Raven and Dark Rayman sitting on a tree branch on top of the described mountain, watching the world and the sunset (similar to one of those famous paintings from Caspar David Friedrich). Some kind of a happy end up to the moment when the first invaders of Razorbeards armada arrive to this place.
I know, it sounds like it would never fit into the Rayman universe because there weren't much discussions about the world, good and bad and other things like that before. It would have to stay with the overall style of Rayman.
However, these were just some random thoughts from me, be it stupid or not...

You know, I think that this is an excellent idea, and I may just as well incorporate it. However, it won't be in quite the same way as you might think.

Glad you like it, even if these were just some random thoughts. I think it is not easy to capture the character of Dark Rayman. In my last post I said that he could be a very deep thinking, philosophical character but there is also the possibility of him being a more rebellious, direct and sometimes impetuous version of Rayman, just think of the front cover of Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc where Rayman seems like a very direct, almost rebellious character (in particular strengthened by the rough hairstyle). Maybe a mixture of both, a deep thinking character with more rough methods, sometimes a little bit insolent, nevertheless cool and carelessly on the whole. A bit like Dante or Nero from Devil May Cry but still Rayman-style. I think there is at least the possibility of mixing the deep thinking mind thing with a more direct, careless and rough characterization of him. As I said, it's not easy to capture the style of him I think, but I can't wait to see the final characterization of this little troublemaker.

I almost forgot that line:

That's where Mister Dark cheated and placed a curse on Dark Rayman so that if he encounters his light side, the light side is instantly killed.

Does that mean in reverse that if Rayman faces his dark side, the dark side will live...?

[Adsolution]

I wrote that description a long time ago, so no. It means that if they come in contact, both sides instantly cease to exist.

Adsolution if it's not to much trouble, could you PM me a list of all finalized tracks numbered in the order they appear in the game? I'm re-recording the soundtrack again (this time as mp3s) and I was hoping I could arrange them in that order rather than alphabetically.

I don't have a finalised track list, as to compensate for the new environments, I have to remake, scrap or swap around a lot of the current ones.

[Plejadenwolf]

I wrote that description a long time ago, so no. It means that if they come in contact, both sides instantly cease to exist.

Ah, ok, thanks for clearing that. So it's just like in Rayman 1. That makes even more possibilities for an interesting outcome and interaction between Dark Rayman and Rayman.

[Robotic Teensie]

Oh wow, great animations! Maybe you should put that crazy malfunctioning barrel animation (with that sound effect) somewhere in the game as an easter egg, it's really funny

[saerleiya]

Oh damn I laughed so hard for this first try ...and Rayman is kinda freaky limbless Superman when carrying a barrel like that.

But explosion on water? Wait....that was in R2 too...

I saw the explosion of the barrel slightly under the surface of the water. Weirder

[Shrooblord]

I saw the explosion of the barrel slightly under the surface of the water. Weirder

No...? Underneath the waves is the actual floor, right?

[Earth Gwee]

Also, I just finished this animation for today:

I have to say, this is really impressive! I'm honestly blown away by the amount of work and dedication you're putting into this project. It might be good if you were to go in and animate Rayman's hair to give him a bit more life, but that's just me being nitpicky. Otherwise, you handle the anticipation, action, and reaction very well. Good on ya.

[Adsolution]

Thanks Gwee!

Aye, I'll be adding in his hair animations soon. I nearly forgot, so thanks for reminding me!

[Earth Gwee]

No problem.

[Haruka]

For the hair, I think the animation should be a minor thing. Like just moving a little forth and back due to the back bending and the act of throwing the barrel.

[Earth Gwee]

Yes, I agree. Sometimes the minor things make a huge difference.

[Adsolution]

Here are some works-in-progress...

After working on my modelling and improving a lot, I decided to start making some new ones. Here's a mushroom, currently untextured:






Here's a nice full scene:


Now we're getting a little bit abstract:



Lastly, here's a humourous video of a new texture by Spanex, destroyed by me applying an over-the-top Parallax Occlusion Mapping effect to make it 3D:



It should be tessellated, not POMmed!

[Keane]

Damn, I imagine that mushroom must look very good with texture.

[Raymanni]

How big is the mushroom? Small scenery, or like a platform?

[Tortwag]

Wow,this mushroom sounds big indeed, and I like how you animated Rayman with a barrel too. It seems really smooth and SO realistic!

[R3fan2]

Adsolution, what do you think Dark Rayman's actual name should be?

[Adsolution]

How big is the mushroom? Small scenery, or like a platform?

Big platform mushroom.

Adsolution, what do you think Dark Rayman's actual name should be?

...Dark Rayman.

[R3fan2]

Perhaps I should have explained myself there. In the ROTD novel, Dark Rayman also had an unknown origin. The only difference between his lack of memory of his origin and Rayman's is that while Rayman remembered his name, Dark Rayman hadn't. Instead he was given the name Dark Rayman by Mr. Dark. At the end of the novel Dark Rayman's memory of his origins returns, the last thing Dark Rayman will say will be his actual name.

[Rulez]

I think it should be Brad. Brads are always douchebags.