*sigh* I had a feeling this whole rivalry thing was going to produce disappointing ideas; BOTH have Liu Kang and Shang Tsung and BOTH are MK1 backgrounds. At least in one picture Liu Kang is the victor and the other has Tsung winning.

Entry 1:
The background looks way too simple. it looks like it's MK1's Palace Gates with just some props removed, the Living Forest's soil, and gravel from the graveyard. I was hoping to see more imagination and creativity. I really can't say too much on this background because there's not a lot done to it.

The sprite editing is fantastic. I love the way Shang Tsung's face looks. The wounds on Liu Kang stick out too much though. I don't imagine a zombie having such bright colored blood like a living being. Despite that, the editing on Kang's face is brilliant. The fatality is very cool. I can just imagine how painful that must have been for Tsung. The blood on shang's neck looks terrible, as if there was no editing done at all unlike the blood on his head.

The life bars are awesome, but too dark. I also wish the color for active health was brighter. It actually is a bit confusing now that I'm writing this and realize red means health. Okay, so I hate the color scheme of the life bars, but the look/design is great. I don't like the missing win counts or the ugly dragon logos (straight from the game or not - if you do all that editing on the life bars why leave out the round count icons?).

Entry 2:
Oh man... not another soul steal! Despite the fatality being over done (particularly by me) this is actually a pretty cool idea. It was a clever idea to have "two" rivalries going on with the same main character. The special effects done on Kang's soul is brilliant. I love how the soul literally looks like it's being sucked out and flying to Shang. It's nice to see you didn't directly use the same soul steal sprite from MKII, but I can't say the idea hasn't been thought of before by someone else :)

The sprite editing on Shang Tsung is almost fantastic. At a glimpse it's flawless, but when you analyze it there are a few things that need to be corrected (his pony tail and the button ties on his vest). Other than that I think it's fantastic. I won't pick it apart at the level MKR or Veno do because I appreciate how this sprite looks like a legit MKII sprite. I wish you had done something to Goro or Liu Kang, though. It would have even been cooler if you made Liu Kang the Great Kung Lao instead.

The blood looks like it belongs in the game. Great. A "real" fake. I couldn't tell Kang was bleeding from his mouth until I zoomed in and noticed it's not from the neck. The gore attached to his waist looks too long. The lack of blood on the floor makes this fatality unbelievable (and I don't mean that in a good way).

The arena is a fucking amazing conversion. Shang Tsung's Arena? Nice. I can just imagine that on his island. I love the idea and you did an awesome job on it. My only complaint is the height of the masked guards standing in the sand/dirt. They should be a bit taller. The depth perception is not convincing in this fake. The shadows were done OKAY, but they are too tall. They should not be casting on the sand/dirt that is meant to be extending all the way to the arena seats. The flags are an annoying color... in fact, the flags could have been trashed and the arena would still have been great.

The life bars are fine but for some reason the gray scale color for the names does not sit right with me. I love the name "Shangoro" though. It would have been stupid to put both names. I like how you combined them. It's also a nice change of scenery to see the CPU won this battle.

Vote: Entry 2 I must say that they both had good and bad things about them, but the work done in Entry 2 stands out more to me. Good job by both kontestants! I just wish you both would have done something other than fucking Liu Kang and Shang Tsung!!!




EDIT: You know what's cool though? Entry 2 is part 1 of a story telling, and Entry 1 is part 2 where Kang comes back from the dead and takes revenge. K, I'm done.

Vote for entry 1.

This is going to be a rough one to make a decision on. Neither seems to really pull me to vote for it from the other. So, I guess I will do a write up and come to a solid decision by the end of me writing this.. Hopefully this doesn’t run as long as BlackSaibot’s mammoth post, lol [Edit note: Failed, lol]. Though I will say that I agree with at least some of what he mentioned. Let’s get started.
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-Fake One-

Pros:
1) I like the subtle edits on Liu Kang.
2) The use of MKII Shang Tsung’s head as a base for the beheaded elder Tsung. Better quality, decently believable.
3) Shadows make sense.
4) Background has a legitimate MK1 vibe. I like the moon cascading behind the mountains. Though a bit basic, the background is appropriate and works with the fake more than it works against it.

Cons:
1) I know said the background works, but I believe if it had more to draw me in, it would have made this fake “pop” more to my attention. Also seems kind of drab, not dark, but dull.
2) Some of the blood effects are subpar. There needs me detail and depth on the neck area of Shang’s head and a noticeable pool of blood near Shang’s body to demonstrate blood escaping the large open wound where his head used to be attached. Even usage of a stock blood effect from the game would have sufficed, surely.
3) This is a nitpick, but Tsung’s hair could have used some extra detail to convey the realistic approach you were noticeably going for.
4) This is just an opinion, but I don’t think the brick walkway from the graveyard stage matches up well with the forest floor.
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-Fake Two-

Pros:
1) Well thought out and well executed background. One of the more impressive backgrounds I have seen in awhile here on the forums.
2) At first glance, the Tsung sprite looks good, but more on that later. Fairly good editing.
3) I like the idea of the fake and how it initially looks on first glance.
4) CPU winning / performing a fatality. Don’t see that much in fakes.

Cons:
1) The shadows, while dynamic (I like the use of some transparency), don’t really make sense. They needed to be shorter.
2) The blood effects and where the skin tears seem a bit under-detailed on Kang. Building some contrast or building some depth would have maybe helped it come off more pleasing.
3) The soul, while creative, seems to stick out against the fake as a whole like a sore thumb. It would have benefited from a lower opacity or a different layer effect.
4) I said earlier the Tsung sprite looked good at first glance, but I’m not going to break it down bit by bit. I’ll just say that some of the areas of the costume could have used some additional editing to add depth and help the eyes more easily see the details of your work. The chest area, most notably, for me at least. I would have also like to see more editing to the pants, but I do understand you guys worked under a strict timetable, so I can’t really complain too much.

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Now. This is where it becomes hard, choosing between the two of these. In a perfect world, if you took the sprites and fatality from fake one and put them on fake two’s background, this would be so easy.

Typically, I would reward the fake with more extensive editing to sprites, but I’m going to have to go with the more “solid” fake on this one. There’s also a strange allure that the fake I’m voting for that the other doesn’t quite have.

My official vote: Fake #1

I also just want to note that if I could get away with it, my vote would be a draw, but considering that helps no one, I had to vote for one of the two.
Good job to both participants. Hopefully both of you continue to contribute to the fake making on this forum.
One last thing:



I lol'd.

That's what bothers me the most, it just looks out of sync with the rest of the pic. Also, the red/yellow flag in the background on the right side is messing up the lifebar. Then I'm a bit confused with how far (and high/low) in the background some objects are, like that masked guard on the right side (not the one far in the distance, but the one that is to the right of Tsung). He's so small in comparison to the chair that it seems like Tsung, Goro and Liu are fighting some place that is much much closer to the camera and higher positioned yet the walkway leading to the chair seems to be on the same height level as the sand surface the masked guard is standing on.


As for fake 1, like blacksaibot said, the color used in lifebars to display the health remaining is not the best- not easy to see. Also, the entire pic could use a bit more color intensity/brightness. And a minor complaint, not sure how Tsung's head got up so high on the chain, it should be lower, attached to the hook (Tsung's neck that is).



Fake #1 gets my vote.

Fake 1 has a simple yet elegant background. Zombie Liu could use some work in terms of upper torso and weapon detail. The fatality is pretty standard but was executed with some finesse. Nice attention to Shang's severed head.

Fake 2's background was also well implemented. I like how Shang's throne was converted to a stage reminiscent of Kahn's coliseum. The guard towers with the flags standing above are a nice touch. The crowd in the stands however do not mesh all that well. Again, the fatality is pretty standard. The soul steal effects are sloppy and not positioned well. Sorry but the ShanGoro moniker is just cringe worthy.

My vote goes to fake #1. Each element just comes together better for more overall satisfaction.

After nearly 48 hours, the tally is as follows:

Entry #1: 4
Entry #2: 1

My vote goes to Fake #2. I feel like it has a more Mortal Kombat game style feel, instead of a fake. Fake #1 was also really nice, in terms of characters designs I like it more. Good stuff to both.

*bump*

...yeah, the higher ups really could help out with the publicity of their own god damn website's user's artwork.

I'm going to vote for Entry 2.

number 2

My vote goes to #1. Simple, but pleasing.

I like both, as they're both executed beautifly.
However, my vote goes to #1.

One accurate point about # 1 is the darkened Fatality lighting. (I thought it was darker last time I checked this thread?)

Now, while 2 has a more detailed Shang edit, the yellow shading looks cartoony, and I prefer it's lifebars, but I find 2 problems:

a: Technically the arena is a variant of Kahn's MKII Arena, thus disqualifying it.

b: How did Liu Kang get to a double boss battle with 00 wins?



Ka-Tra

Thanks everyone for yout votes!!!

A. No. Just no. The same could be said about the first fake, it looks like a variant of the palace gates with subtle changes.

B. Why would Kang's win count be anything but zero if he just lost a match?

Yeah, pretty much... except the win count doesn't go down directly after the loss. But you can imagine that Liu Kang lost over and over again and put more quarters in, thus not having any wins.

The 2nd fake's props are placed pretty much exactly the same as Kahn's arena props. Prop Substitution. Shangoro is not an established MK Character, whereas Noob Smoke is/was.

I see the Palace Gates influence in the far bg, and Budda statue, but something is setting it apart somehow... The Palace Gates haven't featured in a 3d MK game, iirc.


The win counter resets to zero as soon as your HP hits zero?



Ka-Tra

i'm going with the 2nd pic. i like both but the 2nd pic is more pleasing to the eye.

Yeah, I definitely like #1 the most. Vote to 1.

They are both great, in my opinion. I would have voted for the first one, as I leaned towards the gloomy atmosphere of it, but the second one has some good points about it that wins me over. One such thing is the visible spine of Liu Kang, the surrounding intestines and other interior meat.

Vote: Entry #2.

Whoa look at that spur in voting. Was BS's plea heard? Did you make a pact with the devil? /End Mick-Lucifer pun

You actually think that whining in a thread that isn't receiving any attention would generate a rise in voter participation? No, in actuality, it takes a much more constructive effort to prompt such a sudden increase in activity. I simply (and politely) requested that the users who frequent the Drive By thread take a moment to stop by this thread, analyze the entries, and cast their votes. In all likelihood, I'll be doing the same for all forthcoming FPKs.

Anyway, with a little under two hours remaining in the voting process, Entry #1 has a slim one-vote lead. The exact count is as follows:

Entry #1: 7 votes
Entry #2: 6 votes

Sweet! Thanks for the votes everyone, and for the very useful criticisms.

Your fake is amazing saiZero; I was ready to lose the moment I saw it. I'm really impressed with your shang edit - I was trying to achieve something similar before I gave up and decided on the MK1 shang instead.

Congrats Fedegita.

It was a good "battle" - the skill set was a great match by Veno. It was one of the hardest decisions (the vote) I had to make.

Great competition. I already knew id lose when I heard who I was facing haha. Can't wait for the community-wide FPK. I expect all of us to partake in a RESPECTABLE (BS-I'm looking at U!!!!) advertising campaign. I also expect u to partake UR. PLZ.


Loool no it was my bitching
Nnnnow for venos assessment......... . Any day now