On Visualizing A Virtual Middle-Earth

Posted by simoniker on Friday August 8, 2003 @02:12PM from the gollums-and-saurons dept.

Thanks to an anonymous reader for pointing to the Middle-Earth Online website's new developer diary, in which the PC MMORPG's production designer Marc 'Taro' Holmes talks about the "epic responsibility" of visualizing Tolkein's world. He discusses some of the visual controversies: "The debates go back and forth, seemingly without end - does the Balrog have wings or is he made of living flame? Do dwarven women really have beards? How tangible are the Nazgul? How beautiful are the elves?", and shows some early concept art for the barrow-downs at Tyrn Gorthad.

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Leave us not forget... by freeBill · 2003-08-09 07:15 · Score: 2, Informative

...the eternal debate about Gollum.

Almost every artist who has ever portrayed him has made him the color of a blind cave fish. This directly contradicts Tolkien's unequivocal descriptions in numerous places, where he is always portrayed as completely black, with glowing green eyes.

The translucent grey is just easier to do.

--
Eternal vigilance only works if you look in every direction.