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Borderlands explains its 'not cel-shaded actually' art style photo

Borderlands -- that shooter from Gearbox that went from 0 to 100 on the hype scale in the span of a day -- has had its dramatic art style explained in detail for those who still liken it to cel-shading. Gearbox is keen to point out that this is a new graphical technique, and considering how beautiful the character models now look, they have every right to differentiate.

"The new technique uses hand-drawn textures," explains Gearbox, "scanned in and colored in Photoshop, combined with software that draws graphic novel-style outlines around characters and objects, sharpens shadows to look more like something an artist might create, and even draws lines on hills and inclines.

"Finally the character models were all revamped with more exaggerated proportions, creating the appearance of a detailed comic book in motion."

Now you know the secret, and can copy it at home. Remember to ask permission from a parent or guardian before using scissors and other cutting implements. 

I was into Borderlands before this new art style emerged, which obviously makes me cooler than the rest of you plebs. Also, any of you who are pretending to be unimpressed by the graphics is deliberately being an idiot and is almost evil for blatantly lying about how awesome it looks. You're no better than a Holocaust denier in my eyes, and in some ways you're even worse.


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21 comments | showing # 1 to 21

Takeshi's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/16/2009 12:07
Takeshi
Yeah, I was really excited when that teaser vid was released a loooong time ago. I don't know what to think of it now. I want to see some action. With that new art style that is.
Chronic Logic's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/16/2009 12:11
Chronic Logic
Isn't this STILL cell-shading? I mean, taking a 3d image, then draw and outline it over a 2d image, then presto, you got a cell shaded art!

Seriously, just release a video of the game detailing the art, and then you can stop getting harrassed by people calling it cell shading.

Also, why the denial? In fact, why the sudden harsh stance against being called cell shading? I didn't know "cell shading" was a slur.
craigbezzle's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/16/2009 12:15
craigbezzle
Are you kidding me? I've been excited about this game since day one. Bad-ass desert gameplay, half a million gun combinations, Smugglers Run-esque vehicle sequences, and hoodie wearing bandits getting their brains blown out?

The art style just kicked it up a notch on my WANT HARD meter, though.
Archwright's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/16/2009 12:24
Archwright
Yup... it's cell-shading. It's gritty, complex, and awesome-looking, but no less cell-shaded.
Rygiz's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/16/2009 12:28
Rygiz
Here's a tangent. Anyone else find that he looks like Liam Neeson on 6kgs of steroids?
Occams electric toothbrush's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/16/2009 13:20
Occams electric toothbrush
@ Rygiz: Ha! I can see that. They could use that character to make Schindler's List 2: Dark Territory.
DeusPayne's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/16/2009 13:21
DeusPayne
It's cell shading. They can call it something new, but it's still cell shading. I'll give them the benefit if they had at least just called it HD-cell shading or something.
Holyetheline's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/16/2009 13:42
Holyetheline
Advanced Cell shading?
Jim Sterling's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/16/2009 14:11
Jim Sterling
Reading up on the cel-shading process, what Gearbox describes doesn't sound like cel-shading. It might look similar, but if it's a different process, it isn't cel-shading.
Niero's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/16/2009 14:15
Niero
Since when is cell-shading a bad word? I love that style!
DeusPayne's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/16/2009 14:37
DeusPayne
A different process, it's just a different method of achieving cell shading. "software that draws graphic novel-style outlines around characters and objects, sharpens shadows to look more like something an artist might create, and even draws lines on hills and inclines" That right there is the definition of cell shading. Applying shadows and outlines in a purposefully non-photorealistic manner. Just because there is a texture under the applied shading doesn't make it much different, just more taxing than the 'traditional' solid colored objects.

And really... if you want to get down to it... Crackdown did this quite a while ago. That was cell shading with textured models. And even before that, people modded Doom3 to cell shade over the already taxing graphics (for the time).
Jack Maverick's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/16/2009 14:57
Jack Maverick
I will admit that I am interested in the graphical style that this game has been utilizing. Also, just because I wasn't into the whole art style prior to this doesn't warrant any of your outlandish name-calling, my good sir. I take offense. :[
Zanduar's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/16/2009 15:30
Zanduar
Looks like Valkyria Chronicles.
Jim Sterling's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/16/2009 15:34
Jim Sterling
I believe cel-shading refers specifically to computer-generated source material. Since the source material here is hand drawn, it's a different method.

I have nothing against cel-shading, and if Gearbox is just being pretentious, then boo to them. However, gamers have such a limited vocabulary and perhaps it's better to not instantly refer to anything that looks hand-drawn as cel-shaded if it was achieved (and certainly looks) differently.
Matthew Blake's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/16/2009 16:18
Matthew Blake
I'm assuming they're avoiding the term cel-shading because it was a big fad several years ago, particularly for games that were aimed at a younger audience. Remember how a ton of magazines raised a shitstorm about how Wind Waker was going to be "Celda"? They're probably not wanting to use the phrase because of the connotations that come with it. So, basically, it's just semantics and marketing. Looks cool, though.
mix's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/16/2009 16:28
mix
I think I'm more excited for some dual wielded fish guns...

DUAL WIELDED FISH GUNS
MrSlippery's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/16/2009 16:31
MrSlippery
huh. reminds me of Crackdown. A LOT.


that being said, this looks very nice, like crackdown's graphics, but more detailed and revamped, it doesn't look as muddled, and is actually very clear, the screen on the site is very nice looking.
DeusPayne's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/16/2009 17:02
DeusPayne
Cell shading has next to nothing to do with the source material. Originally, it was only used to refer to the process of cartoon like on-model shading, in an attempt to make the 3d image look like a 2d drawing. Regardless of their textures in their source material (which is really nothing new, if anything more of a step back in technology... i mean seriously... they're trumpeting the fact that they're relying on paper drawings that are scanned in?), the software that is rendering outlines and sharpening shadows is the exact definition of cell shading.
Wedge's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/16/2009 17:14
Wedge
What "Cel-Shading" refers to from a technical standpoint, is nothing but using flat gradient shaded lighting in your game. Meaning instead of things being lit like a normal light, it will show up as something like a "lit" portion a "half-lit" portion and a "low-lit" portion, with the characteristic sharp edges dividing the lit areas. You generally use very flat colours on your textures when using this lighting method, as this kind of lighting would look strange otherwise. To make it simpler, I even included an image to show you the difference with normal lighting on the left and cel-shading on the right.



Though it's hard to tell if there's any lighting on that picture at all, given the amount of detail, it wouldn't work well if they were using it anyways. And as for the black outlines on objects, that is something totally unrelated to cel-shading, though it is generally associated with it, as they're always used in conjunction.
Johnny Justice's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/16/2009 17:30
Johnny Justice
Listen to Wedge! It annoys me how people always call any 3D graphics that involve outlines cel-shaded.
ManaTree's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/16/2009 20:17
ManaTree
@mix

I'm QUITE sure that feature is for Zeno Clash.
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