Snowtorn Cove Progress

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...n/zstc_001.jpg

For over a year now, I've been working on this map, which I call Snowtorn Cove. I've been working on it in secret this whole time, so this is most certainly the first time anyone has heard of it or seen it. I declare it the best-kept secret ever. :cool:

I'll be trying to finish it up as quickly as possible (seriously this time, because I can do it all myself), since of course I will have no problem texturing it myself. The above is a current picture of the map. I'm still tweaking the geometry and I would appreciate if people would be willing to look over the map and point out any spot where the geometry should be touched up (ignore the smoothing errors, since there isn't any smoothing).

I hate the stench of a rotting carcass.

Hey Arteen... I remember a build being much further along than this..?

I saw this, like, 3 months ago.

Will there be anything different from Wartorn, other than the snow and ice?

Textures are...repetetive. Try to work them out so they fade nice and easily.

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Originally Posted by TheGhost

Hey Arteen... I remember a build being much further along than this..?

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My guess is that he's doing what I'd do and show old stuff, then post updates making it look like he's a really fast mapper. :\

But lol tiled bitmaps.

arteen, I'm very good at pointing out tiny problems. give me a map and ill find a problem within 10 minuts, guarenteed *well, almost...*

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Originally Posted by TheGhost

Hey Arteen... I remember a build being much further along than this..?

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Yeah, but the geometry on it needed some work. I wouldn't say it was much further along. Besides, it will probably only take me a few hours to texture the level to the point that it was before, and this time I'll be able to do it all better. It's easier to start back at the point I am at right now than to try in work in all the changes into the other build. If I had some volunteers to do a quick run through of the map to check for geometry problems, I can get make some serious progress on this map and actually get it done.

An example of some of the work done on this current build that didn't exist in the previous is the blanket of snow on top of the level.

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Originally Posted by Emmzee

I saw this, like, 3 months ago.

Will there be anything different from Wartorn, other than the snow and ice?

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Read up =)

Yeah, it's not just an aesthetic change, though there are lots of them in the map. The bases are slightly different, in that they each have a ramp on one side and a tunnel path on the other, which will change gameplay in that aspect a bit. More importantly, the teleporter exits are reworked. They are in caves, like in W4rtorn, but the exits are raised to deter camping. I also added another ladder to the map, alongside the ladders in WTC and W4rtorn. There are other features to the map that slightly affect the gameplay as well.

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Originally Posted by thehoodedsmack

Textures are...repetetive. Try to work them out so they fade nice and easily.

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Textures are irrelevant in this build. As soon as I get the geometry looked over by some volunteer testers, I can work on the texturing.

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Originally Posted by Zeph

My guess is that he's doing what I'd do and show old stuff, then post updates making it look like he's a really fast mapper. :\

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If I were to do that, I'd post this picture:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../stcwip045.jpg
But lol Gmax.

Wow, anthor one, I hope you make it a bit more then what we see, but it looks nice.

Hey! Make it for Halo 2 Vista!

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Originally Posted by TheGhost

Hey! Make it for Halo 2 Vista!

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Translation = Hey! Make it higher poly with more detail!


;)

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Originally Posted by TheGhost

Hey! Make it for Halo 2 Vista!

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I'm trying to prevent that, actually. I want to get this finished before Vista is released. :fail:

I will, of course, port it to Halo 2 Vista when the time comes. :woot:

Oh okay, yeah, then do that :p

Hmm.. i think it needsmore big forerunner structures that can be seen ehind sheets of ice in the walls, and on the ground. Like some tubes or something glowing.

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Originally Posted by PlasbianX

Hmm.. i think it needsmore big forerunner structures that can be seen ehind sheets of ice in the walls, and on the ground. Like some tubes or something glowing.

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Heh, I'll have to save that for the H2V version because the CE version has enough polys as it is. :D I think H2 can handle intersecting pieces of bsp, so I'll be able to significantly cut down on the poly-count of STC and I'll be able to add more detail.

That would be awesome, stuff frozen in ice... <3

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Originally Posted by Arteen

If I had some volunteers to do a quick run through of the map to check for geometry problems, I can get make some serious progress on this map and actually get it done.

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I can do that. :)

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Originally Posted by Rescudo

I can do that. :)

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You said mb to me a while ago.

I want to know! :(:(

Id be more than happy to come look for bugs. During most of jahrains betas, id point out almost every single thing thats flawed, or needs work. :)

Rosco and I couldn't find any geometry errors, I think... there was one with a strange shadow by the sniper tower, but we were unsure whether or not that had to do with geometry. =/

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Originally Posted by Rescudo

Rosco and I couldn't find any geometry errors, I think... there was one with a strange shadow by the sniper tower, but we were unsure whether or not that had to do with geometry. =/

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What about that wierd vehicle barrier near the river? :|

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Originally Posted by Rosco

What about that wierd vehicle barrier near the river? :|

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Thats probably a phantom face :/ They suck to have to remove them.

Oh, forgot about that one...

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Originally Posted by PlasbianX

Thats probably a phantom face :/ They suck to have to remove them.

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If Halo 2 Vista's editing kit has this problem, heads will roll (figuratively, of course). From the responses I've gotten and the few fixes I've made (which hopefully will remove those phantom faces), I should now be able to start texturing this beast! Here's hoping that this won't take over a year! Honestly though, this shouldn't take too long. The quality of the map in the picture I posted belies how close the map actually is to completion.

phantom faces >.< oh i hated the one that i had. I could walk through it but vehicles and projectiles couldnt. I had to rebuild that whole area almost from scratch to get rid of it.

Why does it happen?

wow, rescudo. I must have been alot more picky... and i did not notice that barier, where is it?

Tt Ftw. ;)

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Originally Posted by Boo Diddly

phantom faces >.< oh i hated the one that i had. I could walk through it but vehicles and projectiles couldnt. I had to rebuild that whole area almost from scratch to get rid of it.

Why does it happen?

wow, rescudo. I must have been alot more picky... and i did not notice that barier, where is it?

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If you're talking about STC, it is by a frozen, small river near... red base, I think. Near where there was a shotgun was in WTC3, and you could hide inside a small cave behind the river.

I can't wait to play it! And hello to everybody that knows me from the CMT forums! I just registered today!

Hey, and welcome to the forums =)

Thank You TheGhost. And how is the progress of Snowtorn Cove? Any new content besides snow and ice?

I couldn't help but notice that there is a second path beyond the middle area, something I didn't see in the old STC public beta. I think it's a good idea, will probably make the flag easier to capture. :)

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Originally Posted by Rescudo

I couldn't help but notice that there is a second path beyond the middle area, something I didn't see in the old STC public beta. I think it's a good idea, will probably make the flag easier to capture. :)

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? Are you talking about the tunnel, because that was blocked in the old beta, and will be blocked in the final. TT is going notice the tunnel is slightly different this time. =)

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Originally Posted by Elite Killa

And how is the progress of Snowtorn Cove? Any new content besides snow and ice?

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\
STC is rather close, texturing-wise to the old beta right now. Then I need to work on portals, which will result in fps not too different from STC_beta, unfortunately. After that, it's just population, which is easy. I'll also need to get the stuff like the TC monument in as well. It hopefully won't take too long.

STC is more than just a snowy &#230;sthetic change. Most influential to gameplay will be the less-campable teleporter exits, which are like WTC4's, but raised to prevent enemies from accessing it too easily. The changes to the bases will also be significant, along with the added ladders and ice.

Oh... why have it there, if it is blocked? Secret room?

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Originally Posted by Rescudo

Oh... why have it there, if it is blocked? Secret room?

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Æsthetics, of course. Who said anything about a secret room though? I guess you'll just have to try exploring it! :D

Sorry to ask, but do you have an estimate on the release of STC?

no sooner than tommorow, nor any later than next millenia. =&#254;

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Originally Posted by Elite Killa

Sorry to ask, but do you have an estimate on the release of STC?

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Well, I was expecting this map to be released 11 months ago, but that didn't quite work out.

When it's finished, go back in time and release it then!

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Originally Posted by Emmzee

When it's finished, go back in time and release it then!

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lol

Arteen it sucks.

Stop now.

But kekeke, i liked that trick you showed me in Grove when you were driver and I was gunner ^.^ Im spreading the knowledge =]

And zomg emzz, thats a great idea.

that came out of nowhere...

Yea...

I must comment Arteen's map though. It will suck like a ruby's awesomeness.

And OMFG, dont use um furtunecity for hosting mb.
PM me and ill give you a subdomain.

I'm just wondering, how would it suck?

Meh, too many ads. It just doesnt look that nice.

i mean how would snowtorn cove look?

*i pmed you btw about that...*

Oh.

I was using the oposite, hoping people would thing the oposite, which is actually not he oposite.

Um yea.

uhhh....?

drugs are bad you are bad

Back on topic pl0x.

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Originally Posted by Arteen

Æsthetics, of course. Who said anything about a secret room though? I guess you'll just have to try exploring it! :D

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"Øk". By the way, I heart your use of the Æ - do you actually have it on your keyboard, like me? :p

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Originally Posted by Nic

But kekeke, i liked that trick you showed me in Grove when you were driver and I was gunner ^.^ Im spreading the knowledge =]

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ok spread 2 me plz

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Originally Posted by Boo Diddly

I'm just wondering, how would it suck?

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Like a ruby's awesomeness... meaning the opposite.:eyesroll:

Get on xfire sometime and Ill show you.
But now back to Snowtorn cove

I hope youll be able to make the water/ice really cool.

Okay, I'm on Xfire now. Answer please. :p

Will you be adding the snow hog into STC? I like the way it opens and closes the doors. Will the transport hog come back too?

Yea the transport hog is one of the best.

Plus that hog with the opening doors is cool too.

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Originally Posted by Rescudo

Okay, I'm on Xfire now. Answer please. :p

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.

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Originally Posted by Elite Killa

Will you be adding the snow hog into STC? I like the way it opens and closes the doors. Will the transport hog come back too?

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The Snow Hog will be in, but the Transport Hog will not. The way I see it, the THog is WTC4's special hog, and the SHog is STC's special hog.

I've almost finished the skinning of the level, but I haven't worked on this in a while. I've been working on remaking Tension for CMT, as CMT needs some more small maps, and Tension is such a fun small map. Besides, with Tension, I essentially only need to make 1/4 of the map anyway, due to its symmetry. When I finish that side project, I can finish up STC, the eternal WIP.

TENSION! OMGYES!caps...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...n/zstc_002.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...n/zstc_003.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...n/zstc_004.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...n/zstc_005.jpg
STC WIP pictures

The cliffs still need to be UVed. Then I need to work on portaling. After that, I need to fix up some shaders and populate the map.

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Originally Posted by rossmum

TENSION! OMGYES!caps...

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:) and for you...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2..._007_small.jpg
Early Tensity WIP picture

Mmmm, Tension remake. :wub:

Tension looks awesome :D:D:D:D:

KOTH nights on Tension were the shit.

Vive le Bunghole.

So many happy games on that map long ago when it was first released, and CE was a great game... /tear

So many grenade killtaculars... playing against people I'd one day meet on GBX and in =EP...

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Originally Posted by p0lar_bear

KOTH nights on Tension were the shit.

Vive le Bunghole.

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KOTH was only half the fun. Race on Tension ftw~ Tensity looks amazing!

I remember when finding the secret room was fun, and not a fanboy obsession... just something to do with friends to find out what was there. Happy days :(

:O Nice. Me wants new beta version.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...n/zstc_007.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...n/zstc_008.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...n/zstc_009.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...n/zstc_010.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...n/zstc_011.jpg
It's getting very close to being releasable. I just need to UV the cliffs, fix a few errors, and refine the populating.

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Originally Posted by Timo

Tension looks awesome :D:D:D:D:

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Thanks! I'm glad you all like the new look.

<3

I like it. When are you gonna do another beta? =)

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Originally Posted by TheGhost

I like it. When are you gonna do another beta? =)

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Which should obviously include me. :D

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Originally Posted by TheGhost

I like it. When are you gonna do another beta? =)

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I don't know. I have enough problems already just trying to play online, and I hate trying to organize betas (which is why many, if not most of my maps never had betas).

Downloading beta version now... :)
Looks awesome.

Looks awesome, Arteen!

/wrists


Beta D:<


Just kidding. Gotta earn my trust first.

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Originally Posted by [gx]Shadow

Looks awesome, Arteen!

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Is awesome. I love it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...n/zstc_015.jpg.

Brrrrrr! *shivers* looking real slick, Arteen.

I could whip um some tags that could be like a "peeing" gun. And you could pee in the snow. Basically id add arc to a gun with a constant flow of yellow decals and they stay on the ground :P

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Originally Posted by PlasbianX

I could whip um some tags that could be like a "peeing" gun. And you could pee in the snow. Basically id add arc to a gun with a constant flow of yellow decals and they stay on the ground :P

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There is no way I would ever put a pee-gun in one of my maps. :eyesroll:

Heh, oh well :P

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...n/zstc_016.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...n/zstc_017.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...n/zstc_018.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...n/zstc_019.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...n/zstc_020.jpg

Wow, sheckzay! http://www.diskusjon.no/style_emotic...lt/dribble.gif

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Originally Posted by PlasbianX

I could whip um some tags that could be like a "peeing" gun. And you could pee in the snow. Basically id add arc to a gun with a constant flow of yellow decals and they stay on the ground :P

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That would be cool as an easter egg! :p

Did you change anything on the snowhog so that it won't slip as much on ice as a normal hog would?

oh, just to make sure, did you put a player clip between the 2 cliff edges to keep people from going out there?

Cliffs out to sea need more variation, so you can have mass Hog races on the ice out there without the cliffs looking so fake.

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Originally Posted by Boo Diddly

oh, just to make sure, did you put a player clip between the 2 cliff edges to keep people from going out there?

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Yeah, I put one in.

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Originally Posted by rossmum

Cliffs out to sea need more variation, so you can have mass Hog races on the ice out there without the cliffs looking so fake.

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Well, I don't know how you'd have hogs out there in the first place. >_>

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Originally Posted by skyline

Did you change anything on the snowhog so that it won't slip as much on ice as a normal hog would?

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Yea, it doesn't slip on the ice. Ice like this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...n/zstc_021.jpg

More random pics from the latest beta build:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...n/zstc_022.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...n/zstc_023.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...n/zstc_024.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...n/zstc_025.jpg

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Originally Posted by Arteen

Well, I don't know how you'd have hogs out there in the first place. >_>

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I got one out there :O

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Originally Posted by Arteen

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...n/zstc_021.jpg

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It's the little touches like that that make this the best winter-ish map ever.

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Originally Posted by Arteen

*pictures*

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http://www.dickersonparkzoo.org/imag..._lovin__it.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...n/zstc_026.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...n/zstc_027.jpg
Better tunnels

I keep forgetting to ask for the next beta ._.

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Originally Posted by PlasbianX

I keep forgetting to ask for the next beta ._.

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^:lol: If you remember that you keep forgetting to ask, what is stopping you from pming him right now instead of making this post :rolleyes:?

Beta please :x

I'll bug Arteen for a beta if I ever get some free time >.<

i love that clear ice. maby you should do that with the ice in the cove?

Suggestion: Don't tile the texture on the top so much. The more tiled it is = more lag.

Suggestion: Put more hiding places in the medil of the map, That way People with the flag can have a chance at a good Run and have a chance to make it to the over Base, make it easier to play, not much of a war zoon in the medil of the map.

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Originally Posted by Boo Diddly

i love that clear ice. maby you should do that with the ice in the cove?

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And have a frozen cortana in there!

I'm still put off by the ground bitmap.. The brown looks.. wrong.

ya, the brown kinda looks more green then brown

now that you point it out, yes it dose, that will have to be fixed, if you're going to have some over color then just brown in the bitmap, put in Black Grey, Red, or even dark brown, that way it looks nice.

That cubemap (or the shader tint) ain't really cutting it. The sky in snowtorn appears to be dusk/early dawn, so why is the ice screaming light blue? O_o

Ice color iside, everything looks drop-dead sexy.

What would lag less; simply tiling the cliff-tops less, or making a shader with a 1-pixel white bitmap for the top?

i'm an excelent portaler if you need any suggestions. *portaling in my level is insaine to say the least. not to mention how i only had inches to thread some of those general portals through and all the exact portals I have to reduce the lag.*

Messing with ice
This:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...n/zstc_015.jpg
To this: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...n/zstc_029.jpg
Better, worse, needs more work?

This: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...n/zstc_031.jpg
To this: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...n/zstc_030.jpg
Better, worse, needs more work?

Top pic: Liked the blue more. 2nd is a bit more purple.

Bottom pic: Perfect.

The better two are

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...n/zstc_015.jpg

and
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...n/zstc_030.jpg