Base Set Progress Update
Get an insight into how our card art is created and learn about the current Base Set progress.
Today we have implemented a more accurate method of measuring progress toward unlocking our crate sets. In this article, I’ll explain what we’ve changed and why, what it means, and I’ll also give an insight into how we create our card art. There’s also a nice treat for those who read all the way to the end.
91% Stuck Progress Bar
Before the Transcendent Set Crate Unlocking Event was announced, “91%” became a little bit of a meme for anyone who spent any time in our community Discord server due to the progress bar not moving for a long time.
We received some very fair constructive criticism about this, and we resolved to make it better. As a result, we went away and implemented a simple but effective system that will more accurately display the progress we are making on getting the cards ready for unlocking.
From 48% to 36%, what happened?
Nothing happened. We just adjusted the Base Set progress bar to be more reflective of the entire process. We track certain milestones and stages an artwork must undertake, and then we translate these to the progress bar. It is a simple but effective system.
For example, out of the 66 cards in the Base Set, we have finished the artwork for 43 of them, which equates to ~65.1% of the total. However, we have only finished animations for 24 cards, which is 36% of the total. So instead of pushing the progress bar to 65.1% and causing it to get stuck later on, we are more accurately representing the progress of the Base Set card art. Then, when the progress bar hits 100%, it means that we will be ready to start setting up the Base Set Unlocking Event.
Art is a process
We are extremely proud of how we collaborate between our art direction team and the freelance artists. There is a lot of work from both teams that go into producing the art for just one card, and there are 66 cards in the Base Set.
That means we need 66 artists’ briefs matched with an artist, 66 snippets of lore, 66 batches of initial sketches, 66 sets of multiple iterations, and 66 bundles of final adjustments.
In addition, each artwork needs to look stunning both as a full-size wallpaper and as a more focused card art. Once we are happy with the commissioned artwork, we then begin work on animating it internally, which has its own rounds of iterations and polishes to go through.
Once each card has gone through this rigorous process and meets our high standards, we can put it in its frames and render it as a finished card. When we have all 66 cards complete, we will be in a position to start preparations for the Unlocking Event. Which is when owners of Base Set crates will unlock, open, and see what cards they receive from their crates.
We know from the recent community survey (full results coming soon) that many of you enjoyed the Transcendent Set Crate Unlocking Event, so we can’t wait to do it all again with the Base Set.
In the meantime, you will soon be able to admire the artwork and enjoy seeing the work-in-progress images of how they came to be as we gradually share them with the community.
Card Reveal: KR13-G3R-1
Throughout this article, I have included various work-in-progress images of the card we are currently calling KR13-G3R-1. The art for this card is by Stefano Andrieri. The collaboration between the artist and our art direction team is clear from the start as we see initial sketches by Stefano get developed and refined into this tense, atmospheric scene.
We previously shared similar work-in-progress images for all of our Transcendent Set cards in a dedicated channel in our community Discord server. This gave the community a little update and some nice insights into how the art we all love was created. We intend to do the same for the Base Set too soon.
In summary, keep an eye on the progress bar as it moves toward the Base Set Crate Unlocking Event, and in the meantime, admire and appreciate the amazing art and the hard work that goes into creating it.
Who are we?
Our vision at Calystral is to unleash the potential of gamers. We are focusing on building games where the time and effort put in is rewarded with real value. Enhancing the players’ experience and empowering gamers to achieve more. In the process, we strive to overcome the technical limitations of Blockchain Technology and use its benefits to lift games to the next level. We would love to share these solutions with the community and other developers. Towards a better future of Gaming!
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