Fan Club - screenies added

Totoro · Tue 03/02/2004 00:40:57

After the infamous game "Lucy Lavender" I am proud to announce my second game "Fan Club" (dadadadaaaa):

Aldo Akel got it all: All her CDs, all her photo books, all her posters and even her official t-shirt. Now he came to the big city for the very first time with just one thing on his mind: Meeting his idol, the famous singer Brittany Fears. The local Brittany Fears Fan Club has a party and one of the guests will have a chance to win a cruise together with Brittany. Of course Aldo wants to be the one. But his problems start already at the entrance. It's not easy to get a membership card of this exquisite club...

In this game I try to do what I have learnt from my mistakes I did in my first game. All backgrounds are drawn by myself. Since I am not a great artist the backgrounds are rather simple, but still I am proud they are my own work this time. I might do some improvements still in case I understand how to work with gradients...

There will not be any mean pixel hunting anymore. I use poser for the characters. Due to the fact that the game will be in 320-240 revolution and a special use of lights in poser, I hope they will not look too "poserish" for the player.
I will refrain from using the standard Sierra gui.

My progress: The story and the puzzles are finished 100%. I might add some more in case my friends who will beta-test it for me later tell me the game is too short overall. Same thing for the backgrounds: For the story so far all backgrounds are drawn, only in case people suggest to make the game longer I would draw some more. The main characters walking and talking cycles are ready too. I want to create some more animations for him which will be used for special situation Aldo encounters within the game. The other characters are sort of scetched, but not animated yet. I will start working hardly on Fan Club again after I finished my exams in the middle of february. I will release a German and an English version, this time I will have a native English speaker check the spelling and grammar though.

****Edit 08 FEB*****
Although we should not talk too much about it at that point, I am still experimenting with the gradients...

******EDIT March 13******

New walkg-cycle without "falling asleep head banging" and quicker movement.

More leading and supporting characters
******EDIT March 16******
Two screenies, a new one and an improved one of the version before... I think I am going to stay with this style...

I hope you like that so far and will be playing Fan Club this spring (or summer...lol).

nope! · Tue 03/02/2004 17:54:37

will it be a short/middle game?

if you have some troubles about gradients, why don't you use shadows/darker colors in order to create "volume" and to avoid "big black lines"?

Kweepa · Tue 03/02/2004 19:10:18

The lighting really does disguise the poser look - nice job.
But, he's still got the poser grey pallor. More light, I think!

Totoro · Tue 03/02/2004 19:53:04

I think it will fit in the medium length section.
Someone was nice to tell me more about gradients. I am still experimenting for good looks, but there is hope now. Check he updated image

I will also try to make the character lose that parlor. If I don't find a better way I think I will just draw him an outline in paint. I am not a great artist, but I wan to do as good as I can.

nope! · Tue 03/02/2004 22:17:45

yes, the last picture is better but gradients are evil: size of the files, need to runs under 32-bit mode (or look spooky sometimes)

However, you can also have goods results

The main point is to use gradients wisely: it reflects the localisation of the light (this is the problem of thelast picture).

Moreover, you can also use radial gradients (check 5 days for a stranger).

Maybe, the "critic lounge" forum is a better place to show yourbackground and have some good advices, nope?

Totoro · Wed 04/02/2004 10:59:16

Study Study Study Study

nope! · Wed 04/02/2004 14:11:36

don't waste too much time for the backgrounds: in my point of view, plot and characters are the most important things in the game.

Anyways, I will play your game as soon it is realised.

Good luck! 8)

Layabout · Thu 05/02/2004 16:11:50

NO NO NO NO NO!!!! Those gradients look asscrap!!!!

Do it by hand or not at all!!!

The original looks better.

If you have photoshop, you should experiment with the darken and lighten layers. And make sure your shadows and highlights are accuratly done to the light-source of the room.

Totoro · Thu 05/02/2004 17:52:46

I am sure I find a way so everyone can be happy about the graphcs

But hey, don't you like all the other stuff I wrote? Sniff

nope! · Thu 05/02/2004 20:26:40

Hey! Don't be sad: I think that the game sounds good.

I just hope that there won't be the classic full-of-usefull-stuff garbage.

I'm just curious about the soundtrack :

Ytterbium · Thu 05/02/2004 20:59:19

Quote from: nope! on Tue 03/02/2004 22:17:45
yes, the last picture is better but gradients are evil: size of the files, need to runs under 32-bit mode

I won't mind. My game uses gradients at 32-bit mode too.

nope! · Thu 05/02/2004 23:57:47

ARG! Why stay focused on those damn' gradients (good or not)?

Totoro, can you show the walking cycles of the character? Will you costumize the sierra gui?

Totoro · Sun 08/02/2004 00:01:13

Updated main post

nope! · Sun 08/02/2004 11:22:38

the animation is not creepy! The character looks a little bit nonchalant (and banging his head like this, he looks like a AC/DC fan).

I found what puzzled me with your backgrounds: you used colorfull backgrounds and objects whith big black edges while the character looks "smooth".

However, I really think that graphics get better and better

Totoro · Tue 09/03/2004 21:17:13

BUMP BUMP BUMP
Added some character pictures in post no.1

Gregjazz · Tue 09/03/2004 22:08:43

I like the character art, though remember that if you want the walking to be that smooth, be sure to speed it up. Nobody likes to watch the main character lazily 'saunter' over to a location. That's just boring.

Keep up the good work!

Totoro · Thu 11/03/2004 16:21:01

Thank you

Don't worry, the movement will be quicker in the game, I just found the animated gif procession extremely annoying and I just wanted to show that I can animate a walk cycle with the tools I am using... I also don't think I will go with this extremely had banging.

Phemar · Fri 12/03/2004 14:40:55

That walkcycle looks like the guy is falling asleep for a second every time there, but otherwise good stuff!

Totoro · Sat 13/03/2004 12:16:07

Walkcycle replaced and some new characters added

Chicky · Sat 13/03/2004 14:00:20

the new walkcycle looks like its missing a frame, it kinda jerks at one point.

-OSC