Here's the first version of the cover for RUN: a game of artificial intelligence.

I'm a little concerned it's a bit too dark, but I'd like to hear what people think in general.

According to your website,

"RUN is a martial arts, wire-fu, bullet-time bonanza inspired by The Matrix, Snow Crash, and anybody who's ever said "Whoa, I wish I could do that!" "

I dont see any of that in the cover. It sort of looks like a dull business software manual.

NN wrote: According to your website,

"RUN is a martial arts, wire-fu, bullet-time bonanza inspired by The Matrix, Snow Crash, and anybody who's ever said "Whoa, I wish I could do that!" "

I dont see any of that in the cover. It sort of looks like a dull business software manual.

a martial arts, wire-fu, bullet-time bonanza !
somehow dissolving round the edges into digital data

I like it just fine the way it is. It is, however, really reminiscnet of the Matrix. Although, that sounds to be basically what you're going for.

Heya,

One thing I might suggest is that with a dash over the U, people might think it is suposed to be pronounced "rune" and therfore get it confused with another genre or game. Asthetically, I like it, but it might cause some confusion. /shruggs

Peace,

-Troy

Troy_Costisick wrote: Heya,

One thing I might suggest is that with a dash over the U, people might think it is suposed to be pronounced "rune" and therfore get it confused with another genre or game. Asthetically, I like it, but it might cause some confusion. /shruggs

I agree that there's no sign of the "wire-fu bonanza" on the cover. That said, the pattern and font are pretty good; setting that background and title text along the top, banner-style, might work nicely. I see about two inches of title, with a ragged edge as though from a torn page, then the rest of the cover art below.

That said, the font looks extremely similar to that of Uplink, a (very cool) computer game. I'd change it. See: http://www.uplink.co.uk/

MDK

Rossum wrote: I agree that there's no sign of the "wire-fu bonanza" on the cover. That said, the pattern and font are pretty good; setting that background and title text along the top, banner-style, might work nicely. I see about two inches of title, with a ragged edge as though from a torn page, then the rest of the cover art below.

That said, the font looks extremely similar to that of Uplink, a (very cool) computer game. I'd change it. See: http://www.uplink.co.uk/

MDK

I see nothing about the cover that would make me want to take a closer look, apart from the tag line. It's just, well, bland and empty.

It doesn't imply the wirefu-ness to me either. You could perhaps add a kung fu combat silhouette/highlight into the background data? If you made it from brighter data it might solve your worries about darkness too.

-Matt

I like the bland, empty cover. But, I'm kind of a computer nerd so that would make sense. In fact, I think you should take it a step further and make the cover look like those old computer manuals or japanese game manuals. Except keep the corporate logo, i really like it. It looks cool.

-MisterPoppet-

I'm with Troy on the accent over the "u." I looked at it and the first thing I thought was, "Oh, Rune -- I thought it was Run." Then I looked back in the threads on the game and I realized it was supposed to be Run, not Rune. And it really was the first thing that hit me, but then I'm a word person, not a visual person.

All told, I really thought it was a slick looking cover. I'd definitely pick it up and see what it's about if I saw it on the shelf. I really like the idea of making it look like a game manul or users guide, too. Even if you don't go with that for a cover, I think it would be cool to call the book "The Run User's Manual," or something like that. Later expansions could be called stuff like "Programmer's Guide" or "Update Kit" or someting in that theme.

a martial arts, wire-fu, bullet-time bonanza !
somehow dissolving round the edges into digital data

I'm not ordinarily a big fan of raytraced 3D rendered artwork for game covers, but the right Bryce or 3DS Max artist could do a static wire-fu scene with stock models, skin everything in it with your columns of numbers background, and position the lighting properly, and you'd get an image that looks like Neo seeing a bullet time scene through the matrix. I suggest a conversation with Raven/greyorm.

Paul

I'm not ordinarily a big fan of raytraced 3D rendered artwork for game covers...

Oh, and the reason I suggested Raven is because his cover for Sorcerer goes keenly beyond 3D artwork. He painted on top of the 3D image. The result pulls at the corners of your eyes in ways that most 3D stuff doesn't.

Paul

If I may suggest?

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/13222703/

It's... not much better, but I think it gets the concept of corruption across a little better.

Paul Czege wrote: a martial arts, wire-fu, bullet-time bonanza !
somehow dissolving round the edges into digital data

I'm not ordinarily a big fan of raytraced 3D rendered artwork for game covers, but the right Bryce or 3DS Max artist could do a static wire-fu scene with stock models, skin everything in it with your columns of numbers background, and position the lighting properly, and you'd get an image that looks like Neo seeing a bullet time scene through the matrix. I suggest a conversation with Raven/greyorm.

Paul

Okay, version 2 is here.

Thoughts?

Honestly, I like the first version better. But, if the main concern is conveying what the player should expect in the game, I suppose the second version accomplishes that somewhat better.

With the first cover, I'd look at it and think, "Some sorta weird future-y sci-fi game...wonder what it's about?" And then I'd open it up and take a look.

With the second cover, I'd look at it and think, "WTF? Is that supposed to be sci-fi or martial arts?" And move on to the next book.

Of course, that's just my opinion. But that's what you're looking for, I suppose.

What if you go with the first cover and just expand the tagline? Something like "a virtual reality of artificial intellgence and kung fu mayhem". (I chose to replace the word "game" with "virtual reality" both to express a little more information and because I've always seen RPGs as defining a virtual reality).

I'll throw my hat in the ring for favoring the first one. Personally, I would be intigued by that cover, and the second cover leaves me kinda cold. I like the expanded tagline idea. I think I also have trouble reconciling "aritfical intelligence" with the ninja-dude cutout.

Maybe something like bullet-time style trails going across the cover?

Hearing that the first version actually has people curious gives me heart to keep the ol' thang. :)

I'll probably go with that one for PDF, simply because it's a nice, solid cover that won't bulk the file size up too much.

Heh heh... This is my rendition of the RUN cover. I made it look like an old computer (of course ^_^). I hope you like!

My RUN Cover

-MisterPoppet-

I like!

It just needs the Worldframe logo in the bottom right corner and it'd be finished. Hmm...

Maybe you should do what EABA does and have multiple covers to choose from. That would be interesting.

-MisterPoppet-

jknevitt wrote: Okay, version 2 is here.

Thoughts?

Actually, sorry to be rude, but I am the anti-fan of that cover.

The title is placed directly in the center of the cover. Symetry is not good in design because it's too easy on the eyes. You want something ballaced but asymetrical to draw the eye in.

The background is an obviously repeating pattern. It makes it look like a website from 90s. And not a GOOD website from the 90s.

That totally says Run. The nobasu (no idea what it's called in english) makes it a little better, but if I saw that, I'd still call it run.

The whole cover is just too plain. There's nothing going on in it, and it feels like it was put together in photoshop in about 20 minutes.

I'm sorry if I'm coming off as rude, I really don't mean to be, but I find a lot of problems with that cover. You have an interesting idea for a game that is completely hidden by a lackluster cover.

If you want to keep the same information there, just change it around a little. Make the background all black. Black is mysterious. Move the title up to 2/3rds of the page. Instead of a repeating pattern, make two or three lines of binary (or hexidecimal because it looks cool) code in blue that run across the page.

You must remember though that in English, that symbol above the "u" (it doesn't have a name, I think) does indeed make the "u" have a long sound. Such as, in the word "rune" or the word"boot." Of course, I agree that i would merel call it "Run" if I saw it. I'm more about spelling than little symbols and doo-dads all over, and merely take them as decoration.

And to elaborate on your cover idea, I feel that if he made the title blue and hade the lines of numbers level with the title, it would be better. Then he could fade them from dark on the edges to bright where the words are. And he could do the same all the other words to. and have numbers in the background like a very faint watermark. but that's just my opinion

-MisterPoppet-

I totally second Keith' opinion. Especially that about the background.
Maybe a little more like this.

(I put this together in 5 min. so don't ask for quality, but I think you got the point.)

Phil