Topic: Can you share a top tip about making Rooms..

[barefoot]

Hi everyone

I must confess that my background art leaves a bit to be desired and would like to vastly improve my skills

I would like to improve my artwork and have since brought a tablet to help me with the finer points.

Can you share a top tip as to the best way to build a room?

My main concern is shape and lines of a room..

Could also know a bit more about layering.

I am pretty well versed with PSP.

I generally go for 64x480 16 mill colours.

Thanks to all who answer.

barefoot




 

[Chicky]

Show us an example of your failed attempts and this thread will move a lot more smoothly.

You could always try using Google Sketchup to create the initial room dimensions. It's very easy to pick up.

[poltergeist]

Yeah, if you had an example, it would be easier to point out any mistakes you're making and offer helpful hints and tips.

I guess the first thing you should do when drawing a room is decide on the perspective. After that, set up your vanishing point(s), find your horizon and start shaping the room by drawing lines from the vanishing point(s).

As Chicky said, Google SketchUp is a good way to figure out how to draw a room. It's a good substitute for the pen-and-paper variant.

[theo]

do thumbnails.

[barefoot]

Hi

this is one example:



And another:



No doubt they could be greatly improved and I will use advice for my next game.

barefoot

[Calin Leafshade]

one of your main problems here is that you are mixing resolutions.

I would suggest you lower your resolution to 320x200(or 240) and go from there.

mixing resolutions like you are just tends to look messy.

[barefoot]

Cheers Calin 

barefoot

[Anian]

Yeah, I think the main problem is that the style is not uniform, which wouldn't be that big of a problem, but, as Calin said, the different resolution really make it look weird. Plus the characters sprites look a bit cartoony compared to items in the background, and as I can figure, this is supposed to be a serious game (though on second thought that might not be the case).

Design wise, backgrounds don't have focus, or to be more precise they're not really optimized and adapted to gameplay
 - 1st background, while showing the building, the part where things are happening is just a small part of the screen and thus as whole the background feels a bit unused
 - 2nd background you should turn that table into a corner shelves and counter thing, maybe even a table in the middle of the room and place the devices and other hotspots. Not only is this setup unreal and boring, but when you play the game, the character sprite will probably block one or more other hotspots. Would a room really be setup like that - everything empty but 1 desk on one wall

Hope that gets you started on the right tracks. 

[barefoot]

Points noted anian...

example 1 above: Perhaps have the building sandwiched between other buildings to create a bigger scene?

example 2 above:  I understand about the hotspot scenerio and it can be awkward with a following character blocking it... 

Room layouts: can of course be quite complex and time consuming..  Is a simple Room with less, but more important factors, better?

Somebody once, some time ago, created backgrounds of the same colour but used different shades and tints of that colour... What is the view on this?

Are less/more colours better?

I am looking at Prospectives and have learnt a lot.

** Clipart Objects: Yes or No?


cheers.. all comments welcomed

barefoot

[poltergeist]

example 1 above: Perhaps have the building sandwiched between other buildings to create a bigger scene?

Exactly. You have to work on your composition. Just slapping an image of a house on a blank canvas won't do the trick.

Here you need to find your horizon and build the street around a one-point perspective. Place the building in the middle and draw the other buildings in relation to it and the vanishing point. Don't be afraid to make it an obvious centre-piece, it's a court building so it needs to have a style that 'sticks out' from the rest.

Alternatively, you can opt for a park or something similar instead of another couple of buildings. Anything that would get rid of the canvas background.

Room layouts: can of course be quite complex and time consuming..  Is a simple Room with less, but more important factors, better?

It depends on the composition, really. Where you place your objects, your hotspots, your characters, your walkable areas ... all of that has to be taken into account when laying out a room. I believe we all do it subconsciously, based on our experience, so that's not a problem as long as you remember to "murder your darlings" - get rid of the best bits if they 'don't fit in'.

Tinker around, put your room ideas on paper and see what works for you and what doesn't.

I am looking at Prospectives and have learnt a lot.

These links should help you out:

http://kingfishers.ednet.ns.ca/art/grade10/drawing/perspective1.html
http://www.olejarz.com/arted/perspective/
http://www.ider.herts.ac.uk/school/courseware/graphics/3d_graphics.html

** Clipart Objects: Yes or No?

Clipart objects in games are a no for me because they make them look like a rushed job. There's no consistency in style or resolution, so it looks pretty bad.

Then again, if it's a part of the art style, then go for it.

[barefoot]

Thanks for your comments poltergeist

barefoot