So my entry will be based on the old-school game “Asteroids”–basically, what it would be like if it was in 3D (and with slick graphics).
I did a really rough concept painting to get a general feel for the composition, assets needed, etc.
Now hopefully I’ll remember to update this thread as I progress with the scene… 
looks good, but would be nice to have a colorful stripe on the main craft to make it stand out a little more
Started on the main ship; mostly just basic shapes and proportions. I experimented with some color stripes, and I think it does look a lot better with color, although I’m still undecided on the hue.
Next I’ll be refining the shape and starting to add more detail, and then I might start modeling the asteroids as well. Comments and critique are always welcome.
Crap…I am still undecided yet, but this was one of my ideas I had…looking good!
Another update:
I did some edge-sharpening on the white rim (it looks a lot less like a child’s toy now, lol) as well as a bit of topology clean-up. Also running lights, pilot’s chair, the start of a radiator grille behind the compartment, and a flat area in the back to get ready for more details.
Added paneling detail on the center and rim strips, ridges on the colored area, I changed the hue slightly, added joysticks and display panels (temporary designs until I start texturing) to the cockpit, and put some miscellaneous details on the back of the ship. Any feedback at this stage is very much appreciated, as I’m a bit unsure what to do with the rim thingy. (especially the panels–should I do something different altogether?)
Sweet idea! Loving how it’s coming out!
I think the cockpit should still have some sort of glass covering it as otherwise the pilot would suffocate in outer space, other than that, very nice!
@Jeepster
Wow, there’s some really cool ideas in there, thanks for the referral! As for the level of detail, I’m aiming to put in as much as my patience will allow, so this could be helpful. I think I’ll probably use that technique to add greebles to the back-end of the ship, save a fair bit of time.
@Luis
Haha, yep, it will. I removed it because it was causing problems with the shadows, but I got them sorted out for now so the canopy shall return! 
Another render coming in a little while, I’m working on some cool stuff with the engines and maneuvering. ô_o
Okiedoke, got a couple of renders from different angles. First the normal one; you can see I brought back the canopy cover, added another pair of guns to the sides, four sets of maneuvering thrusters, more detail on the deflector radiator, and I changed the main engine to have (rigged!) thrust-vectoring flaps.
Another view from the back, closer to the angle the final render will be. You can see the engine more clearly, but the main addition is the “greeble” panel, based on the thread Jeepster linked to.
I think after a little more detailing work I might tackle the pilot. That alone will take some time…probably best to get it out of the way though.
lookin good
Looks great man Can’t wait to see the final image!!!
Since I wasn’t able to spend as much time on it today, I focused on the cockpit and the pilot.
I put in glove compartments/armrests, moved the control sticks to them for more comfortable arm angles, and tilted the display panel forward, also for a more comfortable angle. I spent a little while detailing the seat and adding the beginnings of the strap holders to the sides.
I’m aiming for very high detail, in a military yet futuristic style. (kind of like “Star Trek: Enterprise” if anyone has seen that)
And finally, a problem I’ve encountered: I made that blobby stick-man just as a placeholder to get the proportions right, but I kind of like the semi-cartoon look. So should I go for a totally unrealistic, stick-man character (like I have in the concept painting in the first post), or a more realistic, but stylized, person? Or should I go the extra mile and try to get a very realistic character?
Decisions, decisions…
Very nice I think you should go with the semi-cartoon look!
@Nathan
You mean the in-between look, as opposed to Mr. Stick-man?
We’ve got somewhat of a change of direction today. I started working out a couple concept drawings of the pilot, but I still haven’t decided on a style, so nothing to show for that yet.
I did, however, get a half-decent drawing for the alien pilot (the basic ‘alien’ design doesn’t need very many changes to go to a more realistic or more cartoon style, lol)
A little unimaginative maybe, but I’m pretty happy with it. I may also add more survival-type gear; my idea is that he’s a deep-space hunter perpetually trying to catch the reckless pilot that’s always blowing up the asteroids-- like a futuristic Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner! 
And here’s his ship so far:
Again, I’m starting with the classic “saucer” that’s in the game, but adding some of my own touches to it. (Not entirely happy with the red lights, in particular. I may replace them with more engines…)
And of course any comments or critique are welcome; on the scene, the designs, the backstory, anything!
Ok, I think it’s time to go work on it some more.
Added some miscellaneous panels and ridges, added a sunken ring with greebles (I’m really liking that displacement technique! it saves a LOT of time!), and tried swapping out the red lights for engines.
I think I like the look of the red lights more though…it’s more in the classic “flying saucer” style, which goes well with the pilot and the overall lighthearted feel of the scene.
EDIT: I’ve settled on the semi-cartoon, semi-realistic render style. It will give me the freedom to not have to worry about photorealism, but is more interesting than a cartoon clay render.
Also I think I’m going to go ahead and put all four models (human ship + pilot, alien ship + pilot) up on Blendswap after the contest-- since I’m putting so much work into them anyway, I might as well give them a chance to be useful to someone.
Okay, I’ve been pretty busy lately, so I haven’t had a lot of time to work on it–but I have another update at last.
Here is “Coyote” (the Alien Pilot), in early sculpting. I’ve done a bit of refining to the sketch I put up; I’m going to give him a sturdier build, and his outfit is going to be more hunter-like. I also kind of like the peach-colored skin, so I may keep that instead of green.
Another little update; almost ready to move onto retopo and detail sculpting! yay!
The hands and feet aren’t quite right, but I think they will be easier to get right when I’m modeling, rather than trying to sculpt them from scratch. Critique / comments are very welcome.
Dynamic topology is pretty cool…
