Concept art

[Winter]

Perhaps a different approach would work better for modeling something that Winter could approve:

I'd suggest, before starting a new alien model, to think about what lower creature form an alien could come from, the type of planetary environment it may have started in, etc.  (A volcanic, rocky planet?  A mostly ocean-covered/aquatic planet?  High-gravity?  Low-gravity?)  Then think along the lines of how it may have evolved over time, through different forms, how it survived and lived, what prey and predators it may have had and how it adapted to hunt and/or avoid being hunted.  Think it through, going through at least several levels of development, until you have something that could be intelligent for a reason and be able to manipulate tools (fire a plasma gun).

If you have a "game-plan" idea of the background story of how an alien creature came about before and while you model, its much better than just modeling almost at random something that looks big, ugly, and scary, then working backwards trying to explain all of the creatures features, attributes, and abilities so it got that way.

Wisdom! Thank you, D.

Regards,
Winter

[Migel]

I have one idea I want to share - to make a mutants in game. Yes, it is snatched from XCom3, and you all know it - victims of alien experiments. Their number will be limited and they show themselves in very special conditions - like if you not going to the mission for too long aliens not just kill all civilians, but make a few of these guys. They can just walk around the battlefield like civilians or even fight for aliens, but once captured alive they can be healed and fight on your side. Since there is no psychic powers in the game (and no need it IMHO) main difference will be penalty for using human technologys and bonus to alien technologys of any kind. And maybe they are physicaly weaker, but naturally better shooters. In game they'll have a black eyes (make such skins is not easy but very easy), and special camo I guess, so you won't mistake them with normal soldiers.

[Kildor]

Well, there will be alien psionics, and main idea of the game (extraterrestrial virus) is allow to make that sort of "humans". The problem is that we need to play at least 15-20 years of in-game time, just for biological reason.

[Winter]

I have one idea I want to share - to make a mutants in game. Yes, it is snatched from XCom3, and you all know it - victims of alien experiments. Their number will be limited and they show themselves in very special conditions - like if you not going to the mission for too long aliens not just kill all civilians, but make a few of these guys. They can just walk around the battlefield like civilians or even fight for aliens, but once captured alive they can be healed and fight on your side. Since there is no psychic powers in the game (and no need it IMHO) main difference will be penalty for using human technologys and bonus to alien technologys of any kind. And maybe they are physicaly weaker, but naturally better shooters. In game they'll have a black eyes (make such skins is not easy but very easy), and special camo I guess, so you won't mistake them with normal soldiers.

There is no place in the game for this, it would make absolutely no sense in the context of UFO:AI's storyline, and we really don't need more unnecessary complications where troops are concerned.

Regards,
Winter

[Migel]

Here was lot of talks about Sevaar, and I have few ideas myself how to make it better. IMHO this lizard doesn't look like an alien (that's just a stereotype of course, who knows how they are looking for real  ), so I find a xenomorph texture and set it to Sevaar model... I can try to draw something that way if you like it.