The Tree Gorgon

[Sphenx]

You certainly know the Tree creature from the marsh after the cemetery .. I would have rather called this creature a "Treant". But it is called a "Tree Gorgon". So ... where is this Tree Gorgon ? Do you have a picture of it ?

[Ameena]

Scroll down this page a bit...
http://dmweb.free.fr/?q=node/782

[Sphenx]

Nope, that's not the one I am searching another picture for the Tree Gorgon which resembles a ... Tree Gorgon

[emetar]

In my version I will change its look, like the color but too cartoony 'face'. Need smth more evil. Gorgon is the creature with snakes instead of hair, I agree treant is a better word. No one has made a 'tree gorgon' art and it would make no sense, since they have a tail like a Medusa and are creatures not trees.

[Sphenx]

No one has made a 'tree gorgon' art and it would make no sense, since they have a tail like a Medusa and are creatures not trees.

Well, at least they tried ; in DM2 we often have 2 versions for creatures : classic vs cartoon, where the cartoon versions are widely used in PCDOS/MAC versions.
In the case of the "Tree Gorgon" creature, only the classic version is used in every DM2 systems. However it existed a cartoon version of that "Tree Gorgon" (need a picture? )
What's surprising is why it finally wasn't used in the PCDOS game as for the others ? ...

[ChristopheF]

You sound mysterious... What picture have you found?

[Chaos-Shaman]

that's looks interesting. those branches could be replaced with snake heads, you've sparked an idea Sphenx

[Sphenx]

What picture have you found?

One that is on DM Encyclopaedia !

[ChristopheF]

I guess you are refering to this one?
http://dmweb.free.fr/files/DMII-Scan-Re ... Page66.jpg

[Hexcon]

http://dmweb.free.fr/files/DMII-Scan-Re ... Page66.jpg

Frankly speaking, this creature looks like the somewhat mentally challenged offspring of a glop and what you'd call a Treant. I can see why they wouldn't use it in the final version. The idea to replace the braches with snakes is a neat one, though.

Do you intend to alter and use it in a mod or something?

[Sphenx]

I guess you are refering to this one?
http://dmweb.free.fr/files/DMII-Scan-Re ... Page66.jpg

Yes, exactly.

It would looks like this:



sprite alone:

Frankly speaking, this creature looks like the somewhat mentally challenged offspring of a glop and what you'd call a Treant. I can see why they wouldn't use it in the final version. The idea to replace the braches with snakes is a neat one, though.

I don't see why this wouldn't be used in the final version. All creatures have been remade except 2 which use their 'classic' version : Vortex and Tree Gorgon. But we see that Tree Gorgon had its new version as well.

Personally, I don't find that new Tree Gorgon that bad, I think it has some style; I am more annoyed with the cartoon version of Thorn Demon, Dragoth, Dru Tan, Archer Guard ... which really impair their original looking ! (Thorn Demon might be the ugliest of all ...)

Do you intend to alter and use it in a mod or something?

At the contrary, I would rather make all the classic versions available for the DM2-PCDOS version.

[emetar]

This looks more like it but as mentioned above, to be a gorgon, would be nice to have some snakes in the branches (otherwise the branches look better than in DM2 (PC)'s version in order to be a 'gorgon', Also the eyes and face look bad.. one thing I may do for example in my modification is replacing the silly looking things with more evil, scary. The Thorn demon for example looks cool enough, the Giggler looks stupid and I'd change that any time. The treants there look more evil but still too cartoony and not scary face, the treant above looks worse meaning it needs more evil and scary face..

[Chaos-Shaman]

the eyes don't belong on it, looks like flesh on wood. not as scary and more deranged. now if there was some clothing hanging out of its mouth with a foot or hand, that might be a little more scary. we'll call it Gorgon Jawseant

[Hexcon]

not as scary and more deranged.

I didn't want to put it so bluntly, but yes. To me it looks like it has been hit in the head with a monkey wrench one too many times. The same impression may have crossed the designers' minds, so they probably decided not to replace the original treant with its redone version (which is more of a downgrade in my opinion). Who knows?

I am more annoyed with the cartoon version of Thorn Demon, Dragoth, Dru Tan, Archer Guard ... which really impair their original looking ! (Thorn Demon might be the ugliest of all ...)

I actually like their cartoonish look.
I've only seen pictures of the original creatures on the encyclopedia, never encountered them in-game. Haven't the wall sets and other stuff also been redone? Wouldn't the originals look a bit off when embedded in that redone DM2-PC-version-background?

So ... where is this Tree Gorgon ? Do you have a picture of it ?

How did you come up with this, btw.? You wrote something about having played the beta version of DM2 - are these weird looking tree creatures in that version?

[Sphenx]

I've only seen pictures of the original creatures on the encyclopedia, never encountered them in-game. Haven't the wall sets and other stuff also been redone? Wouldn't the originals look a bit off when embedded in that redone DM2-PC-version-background?

The main difference is that the original images are in 16 colors and the new use the possible 256 colors palette.
I think the originals would fit even in the redone background, but they should need some color enhancement for best effect.

How did you come up with this, btw.? You wrote something about having played the beta version of DM2 - are these weird looking tree creatures in that version?

No the beta version has the 'classic' versions. This particular Tree Gorgon is only seen in the page Christophe pointed (a review from 'PC Gamer'), and never seen in any released version. Which makes me think that magazine got a demo/preview version we don't have. May someone possess it

[Chaos-Shaman]

tasty

[Seriously Unserious]

That just looks out of place amidst that cartoon tree background...

[ChristopheF]

May someone possess it

Do you have this preview version???
How else did you get the sprite that you posted, unless you recreated it from the screenshot?

[Chaos-Shaman]

That just looks out of place amidst that cartoon tree background...

i could put it in animation chewing i was trying to make him more dangerous... Arrrhhh , can you hear the tree bark teeth chewing splinters into the guy in blue

[Sphenx]

Do you have this preview version???

No, this is a real question. I don't know if it is still possible to find it somewhere ....

How else did you get the sprite that you posted, unless you recreated it from the screenshot?

That's it

[Hexcon]

I think the originals would fit even in the redone background, but they should need some color enhancement for best effect.

Now that would be an interesting project ...

tasty

Given the expression on its "face" i have a feeling this particular creature is not even capable of strategically ripping off limbs. I suspect it would just drag its massive treeman body across the swamp to sit on the heroes and wait until their life force got squeezed out of them, all the while grunting and slowly blowing spit bubbles. Dying as some deranged tree's bean bag chair must be #2 on the list of 50 Horrible Ways to Meet Your End Before Your Quest Does Feared by Every Adventurer.

Which makes me think that magazine got a demo/preview version we don't have.

If it was an early demo version it probably never reached the hands of anyone who wasn't test playing the game.

But where did you find it, just browsing the encyclopedia page?

[Chaos-Shaman]

authenticity may be in question, hmmm, spoof, joke, prank. i like your description Hexcon, maybe i should have had the guy in blue skewered on his teeth stuck staring into the demented eyes to die slowly over a few days of blood letting slowly until searing painful infection reaches his hearts last beat.

[Seriously Unserious]

Dying as some deranged tree's bean bag chair must be #2 on the list of 50 Horrible Ways to Meet Your End Before Your Quest Does Feared by Every Adventurer.

I'd hate to find out what the #1 most horrible way for an adventurer to die is then... Especially when that thing starts drooling sticky demented tree sap drool all over you.

[Hexcon]

maybe i should have had the guy in blue skewered on his teeth stuck staring into the demented eyes to die slowly over a few days of blood letting slowly until searing painful infection reaches his hearts last beat.

That's a pretty nasty way to make someone kick the bucket, yet sadly realistic considering that, yes, gem-infested splinters can do that to you. You could add some challenge to the game and make them deal uncurable poison damage. And everyone hate you.

I'd hate to find out what the #1 most horrible way for an adventurer to die is then...

Probably stumbling backwards into the campfire turning yourself into a delicious kebab triggering your comrades' slumbering cannibalistic tendencies, and making them return to your quest givers to finish the quest in a most unheroic way.
I think the champions of Dungeon Master 2 even were described as a bunch of ill-mannered thugs. There. A turn of events so moronic it would make every Overdeity shut down the universe in which it occured. It's like intentionally scoring an own goal, frantically cheering with the opposing team, then headbutting your captain into unconsciousness and leaving the field with a friendly pat on your teammates' back. I think in the D&D universe this would qualify as chaotic neutral or just stark raving mad.

[Suule]

Interesting. I haven't seen it in the leaked alpha-beta (The DM 1.9). The Tree Gorgon there was more similar to the one that made it to the final game.

Personally, I don't find that new Tree Gorgon that bad, I think it has some style; I am more annoyed with the cartoon version of Thorn Demon, Dragoth, Dru Tan, Archer Guard ... which really impair their original looking ! (Thorn Demon might be the ugliest of all ...)

Sphenx, if you prefer the more 'classic' gritty look, you should take a look on the DM1.9 available http://dmweb.free.fr/?q=node/606 To extract the graphics I believe you need to join graphics.dat with graphic2.dat into one file and read it with the DM2 image viewer. Sadly all the art assets are in 16-colour glory.

Also hi gang, I'm back from my grave that is my PhD thesis for now.

[Sphenx]

Sphenx, if you prefer the more 'classic' gritty look, you should take a look on the DM1.9 available http://dmweb.free.fr/?q=node/606 To extract the graphics I believe you need to join graphics.dat with graphic2.dat into one file and read it with the DM2 image viewer.

Oh yes I did take a look at that version ! I've even refreshed some screenshots from a thread you opened years ago about monsters in DM2 beta :

http://www.dungeon-master.com/forum/vie ... 61#p126550

Sadly all the art assets are in 16-colour glory.

Strangely, not only they are in 16-colour, but even the colours used seem somewhat degraded and not as bright as in DM1. For example, the poison cloud is not green but grey ... Even the colours were in beta state

[Suule]

Yeah the palette was weirdly washed out. Dunno why.

Funny thing is - most of the graphics would be good enough to replace skeletons, axemen and wolves - they have their respective actions all animated out. What's missing are the skeleton wraiths from that small crypt area with the mummies.