Akali: Warrior Monk

I know what you are thinking. WTF Bhagt Siyan?! Where have you been? No updates, not even some random sketch. What happened to your weeklies? What happened to the bond we shared together? you no value bond? Our bond?

Bhagat value bond, our bond.

How do I know you are thinking that? Because you were reading what I wrote and thinking it in your head. The real question is were you aware that you were thinking it in your head?

Anyways, it turns out female Akali are called Akalini. Like gardener is called mali, and a female gardener is called malini. Hence this post is titled Akali, I changed title of the last one to Akalini. This time their turban is even bigger, so are their weapons, and they are enchanted with magical properties, dangerous powers than can be exploited in the battlefield. From turbans to turban towers to turban forts and castles, Akalis are more badass than ever before.

I am trying to practice my concept design. I am gona try and shell out a few more of Akali, big turban theme. And also rework the Snake Charmer design. This one is just way too much like the historical male Akali. I want Snake Charmers to look like ascetics, and tribal-like in appearance, mix of Indian sadhu and vanar. Even those that descend from Akali.

AOE3 Mod - Battle for Hindustan: Mughals

Home City: Dilli
Sardar: Gurkhani Sardar
Officers: Mansabdar

by Zuber Singh, edited by Bhagat Singh

A once glorious empire built on the backs of equally glorious rulers is slowly dying. The great horse armies of the Mughal Empire, which had once ridden the length and breadth of Hindustan, the Indian subcontinent, are slowly fading away in an increasingly modern world. From the creeping decay of their huge citadels, armies ride and march out once more. One final push for survival, it could mean the end of the Mughal world or it could mean the Mughals will soon see their empire rise like a phoenix over all of India, as it had done in the lifetime of their ancestors. Either way, the emperors of this sleeping giant will not let their palaces or grand armies become a mere memory of their magnificent past.


Siege Banduqchi

The Mughal war machine is mix of old and new, with a deadly effectiveness in the field. The Mughals are descended from the Khans of the Mongol Empire, and it clearly shows in their armies. Their expert horsemen wield the bow, lance and other weapons with dangerous skill. The Mughals brought with them not only a new era to India, but also gunpowder. Their Atish-baz, or fire-playing arsenal includes musketeers of fierce reputation, cannons of legendary size and rockets that rain down death, to name a few. The Mughals while being outsiders are ethnically and culturally as diverse as the lands they have come to rule: as such, the Mughal army comprises and has access to warriors not only from the familiar Indian Subcontinent but also to exotic mercenaries from far flung lands.

Siege Banduqchi, are musketeers equipped
 with siege technology - mantle, pickaxes,
 large amounts of gunpowder and muskets.
These are available to the Mughals
in later ages when siege becomes necessary.

Bhumi

Still, the Mughals are rulers of India and have come to define Indian culture itself; as such their armies are distinctively Indian. Their huge walking towers of lumbering terror complement their swift riders. The war elephants of the Mughals can quickly turn the battefield around when used correctly. Their brave but rustic Hindu militiamen (Bhumi) are ready to die for honor and the nobler and courageous Hindu vassals are more than willing to populate the city like Mughal war camps. The Mughals are an aggressive civilization and excel at siege, but do not underestimate their ability to defend. The strength of their fort-cities are stuff of legend.

Bhumi, Veteran Bhumi and Honored Bhumi
Armed with a khanda, the Bhumi force is no less than the  Mughal cavalry.
Do not underestimate these native Hindu warriors.

Tabinan Archer, Veteran Tabinan Archer and Honored Tabinan Archer
Descendents of the Mongol nomadic cavalry archers, the Tabinan Archers
combined with Tabinan Lancers are the backbone of the Mughal force.

Note from Zuber and I:

Even as a two man team we are making great progression on this mod, and hope to release it in the near future. However as a two man team our ambitions for the mod are severely limited and we are progressing at a rate much slower than we would have liked. This is why we are looking for interns who will be interested in joining our team in this venture, who would be interested and committed in this mod. Experience doesn’t matter as we believe that will come eventually but hard work is definitely what we are looking for.

Age of Empires III: Battle for Hindustan (work in progress)

Written by: Zuber Singh
Edited by: Bhagat Singh

Hindustan, the Indian Subcontinent, its riches were once the envy of all the nations of the world, its rulers the most powerful men of their time, the sheer size of its armies were innumerable. By the turn of the 18th century, Hindustan was also to become a battleground, witness the fall of mighty empires and the birth of new ones as a bitter power struggle erupts: from petty diplomacy to total war. Bhagat Singh Bedi and Zuber Singh Ahluwalia proudly present “Age of Empires III: The Battle for Hindustan”. Take control of four brand new civilizations as they battle for control of the wealthiest land of the world: Hindustan, claim what is rightfully yours or take what isn’t, change history!

The Mod offers four civilizations that replace the existing Indian civ (which, with all due respect to the game developers, was not accurate at all in presenting the complex cultures and armies of India. It under presented the horse armies and had too many elephants compared to other cavalry). These new civilizations, namely the Hindustani Civilizations: Mughals, Marathas, Afghans and Sikhs are each starkly different from each other and other civilizations as well. For one, the Hindustani civilizations do not have an explorer but instead have access to the Sardar to lead their colony; each civilization has its own Sardar who has various benefits but the same basic functionalities as the explorer. However, all Sardars are mounted. In addition to this, the Hindustani civilizations have access to Landowners and Officers. These act like the daimyo of the Japanese civilization in that they are powerful cavalry units who are able to train units and receive shipments. The Hindustani civilization does not have to build wonders to age up and instead ages up manually choosing from a list of personalities. Furthermore, each civilization has access to powerful religious powers that can act as great boosters to any field of progress, be it economy or military. So, without further ado, we present to you, the Hindustani Civilizations!

First up, the Mughals. Look out for them in the next post.

Weekly Sketch #12: Patialvi Baba

I was going through older work and was inspired by a few images I had published, Khalistani Warrior and this random dude. Remember that guy? From 2009

So in the same spirit and theme I present this week's sketch. It started off as a simple line drawing. I went back and shaded it in and was satisfied. It was a great addition to my sketchbook. Something that was both familiar and novel. But my whole sketchbook was all black and white pencil drawings. I decided to pull out my watercolours and coloured him in. Hesistant as first, I put down a few shades on his left leg (the other left). I figured if I mess up it will look less bad. But it turned out well overall. I am happy with it.

Click on the image to check out the full thing at Deviantart.

The Painting Must be Done

Finished Baba Deep Singh and now I'm preparing it for the website. It should be up in a few hours.

Still working on Hari Singh Nalwa. I had predicted that it would only take a few hours, but after a few hours of work later, there is still a few hours of work to be done. I think I bent space and time, straining so hard.

I will be trying to complete it tonight, otherwise I don't think I'll be able to get to it for a few months. This is how I feel right now "The Painting Must be Done - Bhagat of Kaneda, Art of Sikhi". Listening to the soundtrack of Prince of Persia trilogy never gets old. ;)

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3UhssUKoVU

Painting and Mod

I know a lot of people are waiting patiently (some impatiently) for Hari Singh Nalwa. Believe me when I say that I want to finish it up and get it out, more than you guys! But it's going to take some time primarily because I am also working on a mod for AOE 3 on the side. I spent the past several days completely focused on the mod. I revisited the Mughal Bhumi unit to correct for team colours (which I will be sharing soon because he looks awesome!). After finishing him up, I began working on the the Sikh irregular and regular cavalry. Sikhs have four cavalry units. The French-trained Cuirrasiers, the Lancers, the Ghorchurra and camel swivel guns, Shutarnal. The former two are strictly melee units, use swords and spears and are good against infantry and artillery. The latter two are ranged units, they use a matchlock and are good against other cavalry units.

I feel that all of this work is putting a dent in my learning process. I mean it's great to spend hours painting each ring of a chain mail but it's not an effective way to learn and get better. For that I should be doing studies which I have not done since forever. The last time I did studies was for Bhai Bachittar Singh. I did some sketches of elephants to get a feel for them. After doing these sketches I felt like I understood elephants better than I did before. It is through doing studies that we learn. e.g. when we want to know ourselves, we meditate, we do simran. When we want to know nature, we read books and research papers. Studying is very important for growth and maturation. So the plan for the rest of this week and the upcoming week is to continue to paint that chain mail because I want to finish Hari Singh Nalwa and move on to other paintings I have planned!

I almost forgot to mention, Diablo 3 is coming out next Tuesday! I know I am going to be playing the Monk or Witch Doctor. XD

The Lazy One?

No more. I am blogging. And doing it now. Not much to say. I have been lazy and what is worse is I have been letting me be lazy.
Or maybe... maybe I feel like I am letting me be lazy but it's a diet or health issue, where my lack of energy is letting me be lazy and causing laziness in the first place. Let me explain. I lost 20 pounds after summer. I have been weight lifting and playing badminton this school year. I know right.. weight loss and weightlifting don't go hand in hand. Especially when one's weight is normal to begin with and they end up bordering on being underweight for their height and age. One ought to gain some weight. I don't think I am getting enough nutrition to accommodate these activities. Bloating and loss of appetite are not helping. How are you going to get nutrition when you are not eating because you feel full al lthe time? So a week ago I decided I am not going to let this happen to me. I did the much-needed research on my symptoms and found an appropriate solution. I decided to take Hajmola (yep, good ol' ayurvedic medicine), which I had stopped taking several years ago. I didn't even know we had some around the house. (Which Indian family doesn't?) It seemed to have worked. My appetite and bloating has returned to normal.

Or it maybe a psychological issue, relating to the changes in my environment, from a science environment to an artistic one. When I was in science, I would look forward to working on my art projects when I got home. After a whole day of biology, microorganisms, bacteria, metabolic systems and what not, the only thing on my mind would be how much time will I have to work on my project after doing the homework. Now when all my projects are art related, I am not looking forward to doing more art when I get home. I am just looking to relax and browse the internet and watch stupid Youtube videos.

Or both. Psychological issue causing the physical issue.

I don't know.

All I know is that I am not doing the things I want to be doing. I have not worked on the AOE 3 mod since Christmas break. I have not put as much effort into completing Hari Singh Nalwa, nor into completing the improved Baba Deep Singh.

Maybe rationalizing and explaining my laziness may not be the best solution. Maybe the best thing to do is to recognize the laziness or the excuses you make when you are lazy and to simply do the thing you are supposed to be doing.

Lazy? No more. I am drawing. And doing it now. Nothing is going to stop me.