The Concept Creators' Lounge

[slimeball supreme]

2 hours ago, kobeni said:

Forgive me but i gotta vent for a bit

 

I was working on gun icons for Gusenberg on Illustrator but on account of Adobe being the greedy suits they are my student plan expires and I gotta dish out like a hunnerd dollars plus tax for a monthly subscription, which I obviously don't wanna pay for.

 

I still have Affinity Designer and I can still do everything from scratch but still, it's weeks of work going down the drain and it kinda blows.

1 hour ago, The Notorious MOB said:

Dude tell me about it. I got hit with the same sh*t over the weekend just as I was sitting down to knock together a few icons. I've now got a ten day grace period that I'm already half way through so I'll have to rattle out as much as I can now in quick succession and then just burn my hard drive.

Completely unrelated to what either of you are saying, but I've also been working on a new concept and am going to debut some of the new icons I made!

Now I want to make it known - I'm not advocating for anything with these images, so no hypothetical rules are being broken. I just wanted to show my recent progress! Ooooh!

[The Notorious MOB]

58 minutes ago, slimeball supreme said:

Completely unrelated to what either of you are saying, but I've also been working on a new concept and am going to debut some of the new icons I made!

Now I want to make it known - I'm not advocating for anything with these images, so no hypothetical rules are being broken. I just wanted to show my recent progress! Ooooh!

[kobeni]

1 hour ago, slimeball supreme said:

Completely unrelated to what either of you are saying, but I've also been working on a new concept and am going to debut some of the new icons I made!

Now I want to make it known - I'm not advocating for anything with these images, so no hypothetical rules are being broken. I just wanted to show my recent progress! Ooooh!

The transparent background of the second image really ties the whole thing together

[Datalvarezguy]

5 hours ago, slimeball supreme said:

Completely unrelated to what either of you are saying, but I've also been working on a new concept and am going to debut some of the new icons I made!

Now I want to make it known - I'm not advocating for anything with these images, so no hypothetical rules are being broken. I just wanted to show my recent progress! Ooooh!

This motherf*cker just leaked the Rosebud scene of Red Triangle where Abbot dies of a massive heroin overdose while pirating jazz nation albums DOING EXTREMELY LEGAL PIRATE THEMED STUFF

Edited February 8 by Datalvarezguy

[The Notorious MOB]

On 2/7/2023 at 6:10 PM, universetwisters said:

I know it prob ain’t the same but if you need photoshop portable hit ya boy up

 

And that goes for the rest of you goobers 

I might just take you up on that. I did find this old gem while going through my assets though, which reminded me that I need to put together a list of gangs

 

[universetwisters]

Do y’all ever come across people/scenarios/other things in real life that you wrote in your concepts? I was watching a courtcam compilation on YouTube because of course I’m a loser and I saw one of this couple who were both on a burglary charge and the chick looked just like the chick that got modelled the mod I’m doing that I showed off here earlier and I got so weirded out I started projectile vomiting all over my kitchen and now it’s being steam cleaned

 

Anyone else have that happen to them too? I can’t be the only one yo

[kobeni]

7 hours ago, universetwisters said:

Do y’all ever come across people/scenarios/other things in real life that you wrote in your concepts? I was watching a courtcam compilation on YouTube because of course I’m a loser and I saw one of this couple who were both on a burglary charge and the chick looked just like the chick that got modelled the mod I’m doing that I showed off here earlier and I got so weirded out I started projectile vomiting all over my kitchen and now it’s being steam cleaned

 

Anyone else have that happen to them too? I can’t be the only one yo

I think everyone has done this at some point or another. 

[wise_man]

On 2/7/2023 at 3:41 PM, wise_man said:

Fatally affected by the complicated gun ban, the market is forced to adapt immediately. Profits must keep flowing in. Demands for gangs, crooks, and civilians must be fulfilled. Smugglers transport crates in and out the city more creatively. Shopkeepers shift from legal front-door sales to illegal back-door services. Dealers hold their transactions in discreet. Guns are jewels in Brannigan, and these guys are the jewelers [Redacted]

Spoiler

"Mr. Hot Shot"

 

On 2/22/2023 at 2:14 AM, universetwisters said:

Do y’all ever come across people/scenarios/other things in real life that you wrote in your concepts?

You remind me of a conman I was once encountered while jogging. He asked for some cash, saying he lost his wallet and must took a bus to go home. As a dumb guy who know little to nothing about confidence trick back then, I gave him. Really a sneaky manipulative bastard.

Edited February 27 by wise_man

[universetwisters]

7 hours ago, wise_man said:

  Reveal hidden contents

"Mr. Hot Shot"

You remind me of a conman I was once encountered while jogging

 

Did he look like Fred Durst but severely autistic and bragging about his best friend being a squishmallow octopus? 

[wise_man]

1 hour ago, universetwisters said:

Did he look like Fred Durst but severely autistic and bragging about his best friend being a squishmallow octopus? 

Can't remember his face, but I'm sure he wasnt as handsome as neither Ryan Eggold nor Fred Durst. His face was full of sadness, like he could break to cry anytime, some trick to attain my sympathy. He didn't say a lot about himself, only talking about his wallet and home.

[The Notorious MOB]

Since we're now into March I'm presuming that nominations for the annual awards (if they're on this year) will be kicking off soon. Seems to be a bit of a trend that they completely forget about this section, but this is actually one year where I don't see it being as much of a one horse race, so I just thought I'd ask who people think is most deserving of a nomination??

[kobeni]

2 hours ago, The Notorious MOB said:

Since we're now into March I'm presuming that nominations for the annual awards (if they're on this year) will be kicking off soon. Seems to be a bit of a trend that they completely forget about this section, but this is actually one year where I don't see it being as much of a one horse race, so I just thought I'd ask who people think is most deserving of a nomination??

As much as I love the level of detail and actual modding that takes place in the IV DLC trilogy and @The Coconut Kid's rewrite of his classic Vice City concept, I'd definitely nominate @wise_man's Light & Shadow concept this year. Reads like a classic early-2010s GTA concept with an interesting setting/time period/premise and original aesthetic which I really love and don't see too much of these days.

Edited March 1 by kobeni

[wise_man]

Apologize, but I'm not really sure whether Vice City Origins will be eligible for the award, considering it comes out this January (not 2022). Anyway, I have made my definite three 2022 nominees since some time ago, but that's a secret for now 

 

For certain, though, I still remember that I will nominate @H-G The Japanese Connection no matter what. His Yakuza fanfic is breath of fresh air,  making this lounge more active throughout last year, and you can see how passionate he is with it. Even if a self-contained concept thread doesn't exist yet, he has pumped so many great contents that can be tracked back on this recap post -> which is technically can be nominated in 'Post of The Year' category. And that's what I'll do!

Edited March 1 by wise_man

[The Coconut Kid]

11 minutes ago, wise_man said:

I'm not really sure whether Vice City Origins will be eligible for the award, considering it comes out this January (not 2022). Anyway, I have made my definite three 2022 nominees since some time ago, but that's a secret for now 

You are correct. 2022 topics only please.

 

We've had another good year. Let's make our showing at the awards as strong as the turn out for last year.

[Datalvarezguy]

Damn. First time in an actual one of these. Mind you, no idea what to do, so imma have to think reaaal hard on who to nominate. Lots of stuff this past year or so.

[The Coconut Kid]

13 minutes ago, Datalvarezguy said:

Damn. First time in an actual one of these. Mind you, no idea what to do

Dust off your tuxedo, handsome - you will be going to the ball.

[kobeni]

How do y'all feel about including "in-house stations" in your concepts with "real" songs similar to Head Radio and Lips 103 in GTA 3 and LCS?

 

Been trying my hand at producing tracks lately, so I might do an eclectic pirate station in Gusenberg that's stands in as an early-2000s version of The Lab with all tracks being self-produced. It's gonna be all instrumentals of course, but you can imagine rapping/vocals happening over it hahaha

Edited March 1 by kobeni

[The Coconut Kid]

12 hours ago, kobeni said:

How do y'all feel about including "in-house stations" in your concepts with "real" songs similar to Head Radio and Lips 103 in GTA 3 and LCS?

 

Been trying my hand at producing tracks lately, so I might do an eclectic pirate station in Gusenberg that's stands in as an early-2000s version of The Lab with all tracks being self-produced. It's gonna be all instrumentals of course, but you can imagine rapping/vocals happening over it hahaha

I know you're going to do an excellent job of this. My challenge to you is to bring it to a broader audience.

 

Where are you based these days? Mixcloud? Soundcloud? Youtube? Somewhere else?

 

I know Mixcloud is pushing a subscription model. But with your kind of passion and expertise, you could make that work for you. And if not Mixcloud - what other communities are out there?

 

I think the most important thing, as an admirer of what you create, is that this will get seen and be enjoyed as much as you enjoy making it. Don't just do this for a spoiler tag on GTAF. Get it out there! Even if it is just practice and you trying your hand - I think you deserve that engagement.

[The Notorious MOB]

18 hours ago, kobeni said:

How do y'all feel about including "in-house stations" in your concepts with "real" songs similar to Head Radio and Lips 103 in GTA 3 and LCS?

 

Been trying my hand at producing tracks lately, so I might do an eclectic pirate station in Gusenberg that's stands in as an early-2000s version of The Lab with all tracks being self-produced. It's gonna be all instrumentals of course, but you can imagine rapping/vocals happening over it hahaha

I do a little bit of music production myself and have often considered this. It always kind of seems a bit weird that a fictional world would have real life music, especially songs that mention the in-game city's real life counterpart. But that is the standard.

 

If you're looking more towards purely instrumental stuff it might work better as an OST just to lighten the load. But certain GTA games have also had purely instrumental radio stations... it just depends on how much and how many genres you're willing and able to put together.

 

4 hours ago, Akaviri said:

I will say as far as your writing ability, if anything you may benefit from a lack of it. What I mean is, your episodes are clearly written rather than riddled with cryptic imagery and ten dollar words. Just like there's television channels, I'm glad there is a diversity of concepts to browse, each with their own writing densities to choose from. When I'm feeling like going hours deep into a rabbit-hole of true crime, we've got experts for that. When I want to breeze through a fun episode of Breakin' Balls With Frank Vincent, I pay a visit to the Cosa Nostra. 

This comment was ripped from Cosa Nostra by E Revere, but I also think it's relevant here. Not simply because, if there were an award for ten dollar words I wonder who'd win it lol

 

In all seriousness though, the reason I quoted it is because it's a sentiment that I wholeheartedly agree with. And also relates to my previous question regarding the awards.

 

Yes we have established writers here, but I think it's important that one of the newer guys recieve the recognition come awards time. 

 

Aside from that it also got me thinking as to whether or not certain posters here really have their own unmistakable identity?

 

What do others think? Are there certain hallmarks to individual concept creators? Specific things that some people undeniably do better than most?

 

Akaviri has said that E Revere's strength lies in his dialogue. So what, if anything, are the things that draw people here to other's work?

Edited Thursday at 01:54 PM by The Notorious MOB

[Akaviri]

41 minutes ago, The Notorious MOB said:

This comment was ripped from Cosa Nostra by E Revere, but I also think it's relevant here. Not simply because, if there were an award for ten dollar words I wonder who'd win it lol

 

In all seriousness though, the reason I quoted it is because it's a sentiment that I wholeheartedly agree with. And also relates to my previous question regarding the awards.

 

Yes we have established writers here, but I think it's important that one of the newer guys recieve the recognition come awards time. 

 

Aside from that it also got me thinking as to whether or not certain posters here really have their own unmistakable identity?

 

What do others think? Are there certain hallmarks to individual concept creators? Specific things that some people undeniably do better than most?

 

Akaviri has said that E Revere's strength lies in his dialogue. So what, if anything are the things that draw people here to other's work?

 

It's worth considering how much concept writing has grown. At one point we never had an award for it, now we do but there are so many subgenres of it bringing different merits to the table. I would advocate for multiple awards and different categories.

 

Just to name a few obvious ones:

Best Presentation/Visuals

Best Story

Best Soundtrack

Best Debut

 

I agree the new guys deserve a chance, could there possibly be a category for them? I'd be all for it but then we must decipher what a new member is. Some people have been around ages and have only now begun to produce concepts. I would propose anybody who has never previously put out a concept be eligible. Swiftly eliminating you, me, and the rest of the old guard.

Edited March 2 by Akaviri

[The Notorious MOB]

35 minutes ago, Akaviri said:

 

It's worth considering how much concept writing has grown. At one point we never had an award for it, now we do but there are so many subgenres of it bringing different merits to the table. I would advocate for multiple awards and different categories.

 

Just to name a few obvious ones:

Best Presentation/Visuals

Best Story

Best Soundtrack

Best Debut

 

I agree the new guys deserve a chance, could there possibly be a category for them? I'd be all for it but then we must decipher what a new member is. Some people have been around ages and have only now begun to produce concepts. I would propose anybody who has never previously put out a concept be eligible. Swiftly eliminating you, me, and the rest of the old guard.

I think a deserving winner should be excelling in all of these categories somewhat equally. And by "newer guys" I meant first time concept creators.

 

Of the so-called "old guard" I think you're really the only one who would be effected by this, since (if I'm not mistaken) your LC78 Remaster is the only topic posted by an established creator in 2022. There may perhaps be some blurring of the lines around this however and I know topics from other years have won awards in the past, albeit when competition was slim.

 

As has been stated, there's usually a "Best Post in Series Chat" or something along those lines and I know Writer's Discussion usually gets lumbered in with things over here too. 

 

For me I'd say it's going to have to be Light & Shadow, party because of outright innovation, and partly because I can't decide which of the two active GTA IV DLC concepts I'd give it to. Although HLTC has been updated more, I don't think we can hold this against Jeansowaty, since (as I forgot to mention in my previous post), he has also gone as far as to make some music for his concept... which kind of proves that there's already some precedence outside of GTA III etc.

Edited Thursday at 01:46 PM by The Notorious MOB

[Akaviri]

 

28 minutes ago, The Notorious MOB said:

Of the so-called "old guard" I think you're really the only one who would be effected by this, since (if I'm not mistaken) your LC78 Remaster is the only topic posted by an established creator in 2022. There may perhaps be some blurring of the lines around this however and I know topics from other years have won awards in the past, albeit when competition was slim.

Technically it's my first concept posted on this account. Which means I am most certainly going to the playoffs, baby! (Jk)

 

It's a good point that there are busy years and stagnant ones. Multiple awards wouldn't make sense when there's only one or two options. Also cant just hand out participation awards because that is liberal hootananny. If anything the Debut category would make sense and still be competitive. If a new guy has a mind blowing concept may he win both categories for the double flex.

Edited Thursday at 02:11 PM by Akaviri

[slimeball supreme]

Excuse me for this not being a "concept" per se, but it is GTA writing related. I've finally finished the last chapter of Red Triangle after almost six years of writing!

 

I finally got myself unstuck after about half a year and worked the remainder out - and am immensely proud of how far I've gotten with it. There's still the epilogue to go, but that's almost disconnected from the meat of the plot and mostly builds into the rest of the universe and tie up many of the loose ends and minor characters that appeared along the way. I plan to write a longer sort of author's note and thank you letter in the thread, but this was how I got into writing committed projects broadly and the base of almost every concept I've worked on

 

So if anyone wants to read it, or has been waiting for it to end so they can read it all at once, the completed project is finally done. Hopefully I can focus the remainder of my attention on finishing the other projects I've started and co-written with Cebra (who I couldn't have done this without)

[The Notorious MOB]

18 hours ago, Akaviri said:

 

Technically it's my first concept posted on this account. Which means I am most certainly going to the playoffs, baby! (Jk)

 

It's a good point that there are busy years and stagnant ones. Multiple awards wouldn't make sense when there's only one or two options. Also cant just hand out participation awards because that is liberal hootananny. If anything the Debut category would make sense and still be competitive. If a new guy has a mind blowing concept may he win both categories for the double flex.

Didn't you post your Blood and a Four Leaf Clover remaster on this account also  

 

Either way, another interesting point you raised was different concepts being like TV channels. It got me thinking - should concepts actually be treated more like TV series and (if significantly advanced or updated) be eligible for an award every year?

 

Not that it's the same around here, but I remember back in the Sopranos days they consistently lost out to Greys Anatomy or some such sh*te and they've been regurgitating the same stuff for around 20 years.

Edited Friday at 08:29 AM by The Notorious MOB

[wise_man]

54 minutes ago, The Notorious MOB said:

should concepts actually be treated more like TV series and (if significantly advanced or updated) be eligible for an award every year?

Now you say that, it takes me back to HLTC where @Datalvarezguy divided the story missions into seasons/acts.

 

Maybe it's possible, but only if there are enough contents added throughout the award year. And then how much are "enough contents" should be? Should the thread looks significantly different from when it first posted, or is it enough with just missions? And how many missions exactly? because all of us have different approach. Some prefer longer novella-like missions, some prefer shorter missions, and some would prefer the in-between.

 

In addition to @Akaviri's idea of so-called concept award, I'd suggest for something like Honorary Award for this case. Kinda like Oscar's special award. this may cover every concept from older years that didn't win the forum award, like Family Ties, Chasing The Dragons, even Cosa Nostra. To be nominated, a concept don't need to be updated regularly. We nominate any past work that we think deserve more appreciations. Especially, IIRC, only Online DLC concepts that won forum awards between 2015-2018, so a honorary award can cover whatever forgotten in those grim period.

Edited Friday at 09:20 AM by wise_man

[Akaviri]

6 hours ago, The Notorious MOB said:

Didn't you post your Blood and a Four Leaf Clover remaster on this account also  

You got me there. Somehow that slipped my mind. 

 

I do like wise_man's idea even better, a runner up or retroactive award for the great ones that slipped through the cracks over the years. Theres also the prehistoric ones from before the concept award began. Although the bar has risen dramatically over the years and many of those ideas have been done over in greater fashion.

 

9 hours ago, slimeball supreme said:

Excuse me for this not being a "concept" per se, but it is GTA writing related. I've finally finished the last chapter of Red Triangle after almost six years of writing!

 

I finally got myself unstuck after about half a year and worked the remainder out - and am immensely proud of how far I've gotten with it. There's still the epilogue to go, but that's almost disconnected from the meat of the plot and mostly builds into the rest of the universe and tie up many of the loose ends and minor characters that appeared along the way. I plan to write a longer sort of author's note and thank you letter in the thread, but this was how I got into writing committed projects broadly and the base of almost every concept I've worked on

 

So if anyone wants to read it, or has been waiting for it to end so they can read it all at once, the completed project is finally done. Hopefully I can focus the remainder of my attention on finishing the other projects I've started and co-written with Cebra (who I couldn't have done this without)

 

You should publish Red Triangle, man. It's so vast I admit I haven't finished reading it by a long shot. Doesn't help that I am a slow reader for long stretches of content but it would make for one hell of a paperback. Chapters divided by your intricate underworld hierarchy trees, world branding and advertisements. I'm not sure how it might go over in a copywrite sense towards Rockstar but its worth a shot. Even if you aren't able to distribute it for a profit it would at least make for a worthwhile art series. Followed up by Third Rail and Bohemians? Sign me up for a trilogy pack!

[kobeni]

3 hours ago, Akaviri said:

not sure how it might go over in a copywrite sense towards Rockstar but its worth a shot.

Judging by their recent behavior, not a chance. It's a shame because the work is so intricate in its worldbuilding and narrative.

 

I'd personally just change some names and remove all the gta references, but I'm not sure if that would change the original vision of things.

Edited Friday at 06:29 PM by kobeni

[slimeball supreme]

On 3/4/2023 at 2:19 AM, Akaviri said:

You should publish Red Triangle, man. It's so vast I admit I haven't finished reading it by a long shot. Doesn't help that I am a slow reader for long stretches of content but it would make for one hell of a paperback. Chapters divided by your intricate underworld hierarchy trees, world branding and advertisements. I'm not sure how it might go over in a copywrite sense towards Rockstar but its worth a shot. Even if you aren't able to distribute it for a profit it would at least make for a worthwhile art series. Followed up by Third Rail and Bohemians? Sign me up for a trilogy pack!

On 3/4/2023 at 5:28 AM, kobeni said:

Judging by their recent behavior, not a chance. It's a shame because the work is so intricate in its worldbuilding and narrative.

 

I'd personally just change some names and remove all the gta references, but I'm not sure if that would change the original vision of things.

i really appreciate the kind words from both of you guys. thank you. one of the good things about red triangle i think is that it's relatively accessible - especially considering i started writing it before a lot of cebra and i's worldbuilding developed properly. i dont know how well some of the earlier stuff has aged, but im proud of where it's gotten, and i didn't hold back on the later portions if anyone actually gets that far! with no prior knowledge or understanding of the underworld you could pick it up no problem

 

personally profit has never motivated me; id be fine releasing this stuff for free without a doubt. i've actually started working on compiling red triangle into a PDF for easy off-site reading (and also some light retouching on top of removing all of the censors haha). ive also considered and toyed around with what kobeni suggested and changed the brand names and locations for a few drafts id show to the occasional real person, but that was a long time ago. some of this stuff is inseparably intertwined (characters) whereas others are much easier to extract (1:1 locations).

 

the concept work especially would be much harder to adapt: would it be straight prose, or would we try the game-based descriptive work, would we be as devoted to singular perspective, etc. a lot of the interesting aspects are the visual references and multimedia parts that might be lost by that approach. of course, though, always wanted to be published. heres hoping! would be a fun thing to brag about here and annoy you all with hahaha

[kobeni]

Another teaser. Enjoy some ambience from the various clubs and districts at both The Circuit and Southside Gusenberg.

 

 

 

Jazzy Club Ambience 1

 

 

Jazzy Club Ambience 2

 

 

The Sacred Lion Lounge Ambience 1

 

 

The Circuit Nighttime Ambience 1

 

 

The Circuit Nighttime Ambience 2

 

 

Southside Gusenberg Ambience 1

 

Edited Monday at 05:45 PM by kobeni

[E Revere]

So guys, let's have another mini discussion. What do you make of adding RPG elements into GTA? I'm not really talking about SA's player stats. More like some of the stuff in the Liberty City 1978 concept. Elements like realistic gunplay. Not being able to keep one or maybe a couple (hang)guns concealed with you and having other means if you want heavier weapons. Not being able to just walk through buffets of bullets and having to approach a gunfight realistically. This has other implications. I'm not sure shoving a whole unit into a collapsed factory building like in GTA IV would be feasible under these rules so missions might change drastically as well, having situations more like the bar shootout in Carlito's Way or the chainsaw motel scene from Scarface. Should a GTA game have these and perhaps even more arbitrary "realistic" mechanics or would it be mundane? I'm thinking maybe it would be an interesting idea, but not necessarily applicable to an actual GTA game, maybe a game with a different style instead. Maybe something called "Assassin Simulator." Blasted with tons of dramatically realistic mechanics for cars, law enforcement, buildings and much more.

 

So what do you think?