Background Blitz 051110 - Winner Announced

[loominous]

Sorry about the delay, I had some trouble finding a decent topic, and even greater finding some inspirational footage/paintings (which I still havn't been able to). Anyway:

Topic:

BED & BREAKFAST ON A ROAD  LESS TRAVELED[/size]


Guidelines:

If you're unfamiliar with the term 'Bed & Breakfast', it is a sort of simpler hotel, which originally consisted of a couple of rooms for rent in a private residence. We'll go with the original meaning.

The idea is to create a scarcely charted enviroment, the more original the better, with a B&B present. Since these weren't built as commercial structures, it's important that they blend in well with the setting.

No size or palette restrictions.


Dates:

We'll try slightly more than a week, and if less than three entries has entered by then, it will be extended another week.


Voting:

PLEASE OBSERVE: Considering the success of voting system I introduced last time, with a total of two or so valid votes, we'll try it once again before I scrap it.

So, in essence, instead of voting for a picture in general, you vote in these four categories:

* Best Idea - The underlying idea to the background. Doesn't neccesserily have to coincide perfectly with the theme of the week, just strike you as interesting/amusing/inspiring; a place you'd really enjoy visiting within a game.

* Best Design - The style of the picture, architectural, landscape design, best mood, most evocative etc.

* Best Functionality - How well it would work when adding sprites, including appropriate walking distances, good angle for character sprites, clever walkway solutions, easily understood exits etc.

* Best Technique - How well the ideas are executed in form of rendering.

Good luck.

Edit: Fixed the dates

Edit II: Extended deadline

Edit III: Fixed deadline specification

[InCreator]

The theme is a bit... confusing. Are we supposed to draw a motel in some kind of deserted place? and - interior or extrerior?
Pity that you didn't offer any sample images.

[ildu]

I'm actually already drawing a B & B exterior in a kind of a mystic foresty small town. I understood that anything was possible, as far as it has a B & B in a secluded setting. I figured it was supposed to be exterior since the seclusiveness would be quite hard to show through a window.

EDIT: I'm almost done with my line drawing.

[magintz]

I actually really like this theme and think we should get some crazy ideas.. .I may enter, but then again my artistic skills are awful and I may be put off after maybe 20 minutes or so... damn you art!

[Krysis]

OK, my entry:



And here is the original picture I used as a reference: http://www.claytoncountyiowa.com/images/lodging/Elkader%20Bed%20&%20Breakfast%202.jpg

[Moneytalks]

Thought i'd do an entry, as there didn't seem to be many. Not very good, but i tried. Hope i havn't broken any rules... :S

[He-Man]

Hello
This one is actually going to be used in my next game. So it wasn't actually designed for this competition. But it fits quite well so I'll join in:



cheers

Edit by Andail: Resized image to fit board. Click for full version

Edit by He-man: Thanks, I didn't notice that it was oversized...

[Andail]

I'll contribute with this little brush-exercise I whipped up last night:


x2


It's heavily under-detailed, and the proportions and perspective are skewed and weird, but anyhow...

[Redwall]

He-Man, could you please resize your bg (and add a link to the full version)?

EDIT: Yay for Andail.

[Rel]

Interesting topic. I would have enjoyed painting a treetop or woodside scene, but the idea of the following amused me:


large:


Hopefully it's not too subtle â€" adding bones seemed like overkill.

[seaduck]

Hi, when exactly is the deadline? I just found about this cometition today and I got an (IMO) interesting idea which I immediately started on. Unfortunately it's going to be probably very rough since it'd take me a week or two to paint properly.

So, I'd like to post it at the last moment, when is that, please?

[Haddas]

in 5 days I assume. On the 28th

[Sektor 13]

my god, incredible backgrounds... !!!!!

[loominous]

when exactly is the deadline?

Voting will begin the 28th. I tend to specify the voting days to avoid confusion, but fell back on this system for some odd reason.

-

Glad to see the sudden entry boom; hope we'll have some additional fine entries by monday.

-

Edit: Btw, the enviroment doesn't have to be unnerving to be scarcely charted. Could be a hidden garden of Eden or lost Atlantis.

[Renegade Implementor]

Sorry for the late entry, had some issues with lighting to overcome.  Anyway, this is somewhere in the Great Underground Empire.


The view is first-person.

[seaduck]

Ok, here it is. My first background attempt.

2x


1x


Original size: 320x200
Colors: 71

[loominous]

Anyone need a deadline postponement?

[ildu]

Again I started my bg, but I can't seem to find time to finish it. Damn school things. They always pile up when something actually interesting is happening. So, if I were further in the making and didn't have a lot of school things this week, I would ask for an extension. So, alas, it seems I don't need one. Maybe I'll finish all these unfinished bgs and put them all in crits lounge. So that's a no for me.

[Andail]

Well, having a fair amount of contributions to choose from, I don't think postponements are necessary.
Of course, I'd like to see Ildu's background, but he can participate next time

[loominous]

Ok then, voting's open.

Please read the voting guidelines in the first post before submitting.

While the categories already provides comments on the pieces' strentghs, and indirectly weaknesses, additional comments are very welcomed. I'd personally rather see them touching on more objective qualities, such as strong composition etc, than being based on your personal preferences, but it's of course up to you.

[ildu]

Wow, lot's of good entries this time. It's funny how the number of entries varies so much between comps. Anyhow, this was a real success. So here are my votes.

* Best Idea - I gotta say Andail. Seeing as there were so many entries, this was between the most original and obscure ones. Andail's looks great, it's got that adventurey feeling and it's definately the one I'd most like to visit in a game. It portrays the seclusiveness well and it fits the surrounding. Rel and Seaduck were very close.

* Best Design - Sorry, but this goes again to Andail. The composition is nice, and it's got really nice depth to it. Atmospherically it's excellent and it's got great use of color. All in all, very pleasing to the eye.

* Best Functionality - He-Man wins this one. While I see a lot of functional backgrounds, I get to thinking what utilizes it's space best. I was gonna say Andail or Rel, both being very nice candidates for adding sprites into, but I thought He-Man's background was most functional. The composition is very simple and it's basically a ready background. You can imagine the sprites there.

* Best Technique - And the award goes to Andail. The ideas behind this comp were a B&B, seclusiveness and fitting into the environment. Now this was again between Andail, Rel and Seaduck. Andail's image gave a real secluded feeling and the B&B fit the environment very well. The technique used only emphasized the present themes.

Grats, guys.

[Pet Terry]

Lots of very good entries, nice job everyone.

Best idea - Rel
Hehe, very nice and innovative!

Best design - Andail
I love the atmosphere and colours, and I could imagine it being in a game like Tulle's World.

Best functionality - He-Man
What Ildu said.

Best technique - Andail
Again, what Ildu said.

[Venus]

Alright, here are my votes:

Best Idea:
Definitely Rel, as she was the only one who interpretated the whole theme different from the usual house-standing-somewhere-thingy. Actually this was the only entry that made me laugh out loud.

Best Design:
Even though (or maybe because of) the bg is "heavily under-detailed, and the proportions and perspective are skewed and weird", I totally love it and my vote therefore goes to Andail. I especially like the colours, mood and atmosphere of it.

Best Functionality:
This one goes to He-Man. His bg is one of the few that wouldn't need major scaling of the character to work, has a rather simple perspective and is therefore the one that would work best in a game (the reason might be that it was actually made for a game and not for this competition in the first place  )

Best Technique:
My favourites in this category were Andail and Rel, but since I have to pick one, my vote goes once again to Rel, as her idea was the most original and therefore the most difficult to execute. While most of the other entries just displayed some sort of building in a devastated area, she interpretated the theme differently.She conveyed her more complicated idea really well and therefore deserves this vote, imo.

EDIT: Fixed Rel's gender  . Sorry about that.

[vict0r]

Best idea:

Hmm............hmmmmm......hmmmm.....hmmm........? I'd say Rel. Dont want to go any deeper

Best design:

Andail! I love it!

Best Functionality:

He-Man.... what the others said.... Plus! I love the horse! I am usually not the type to love horses, but you actually made it look like a horse, instead of a duck or a dog or something!

Best technique:

Andail. Love the use of colours etc etc.....

[Rel]

Are contestants allowed to vote? If not, just treat this as a comment instead.

Best Idea:
Renegade Implementor. The idea that there's a Bed & Breakfast (along with an entire other world) below ground really intrigued me, and impressed me with its uniqueness. [Have you produced any games containing this underground empire, so I really can visit the place? =)] Seaduck's idea for a B&B accessible by hot air balloon stood out as well.

Best Design:
Renegade Implementor. Out of all the entries, this one evoked the strongest mood for me â€" I really felt as though I was in that unnerving, spacious-yet-oppressive cavern. Also, the style of the architecture (the unusually patterned, elevated road; the lamp; the large, neatly constructed building) made it obvious it was part of a larger civilisation, rather than just an odd home for someone, which also helped create a nice context.

Best Functionality:
Krysis. I was tempted to go with He-Man's, but I was impressed by the way Krysis managed to do something a bit more complex (show 2 sides of the building at once) and yet still have very good functionality (the exits are extremely clear, plus the walking distances & angles would work well).

Best Technique:
Andail - it looks lovely. The brushwork's in the great middle ground between being sharp/pizellized and airbrush-smooth, the colours go well together and there's great atmospheric depth. My next favourite was Krysis - amazing, professional work with such a limited palette.

Definitely Rel, as he was the only one who interpretated the whole theme different from the usual house-standing-somewhere-thingy. Actually this was the only entry that made me laugh out loud.

'She', actually . Thanks muchly though. I'm glad my warped sense of humour worked for someone.

[Kweepa]

Rel, the Great Underground Empire (or GUE) is the setting for Infocom's Zork and Enchanter games. So you can certainly visit the place! For long enough to need a B&B!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zork
(I particularly like Sorcerer. One of my favourite games...)

My votes:

Best idea: seaduck - interesting setting
Best design: Andail - lovely colour scheme and fits the idea well
Best functionality: seaduck - plenty of ways to use the background
Best technique: Rel - beautiful "brushwork"!

I also love Krisis' and He-man's backgrounds. Good stuff!

[Andail]

Okidoki, let's see.

Best idea: Have to go for Rel (although voting for her might cost me the victory:)) It's simply hilarious that a monster would concieve such a laborate plan to lure his pray.
Best design: Krysis. Very clean and nice background.
Best functionality: Seaduck- the background fits the old kind of sierra style perfectly.
Best technique: Although I don't normally fancy 3D, Renegade is possibly the one who's spent most time and efforts constructing his background.

[He-Man]

Best Idea - Andail. Like everybody said; it has a nice mood to it and is a real beauty.

Best Design - Andail again. For some of the same reasons as before. I wish I could make stuff like that...

Best Functionality - Seaduck and Renegade Implementor are really close here.  But I'll go for Renegate since I would hate to animate the character climbing on the that ladder.


Best Technique - I like both Andail and Rel's a lot but I'll go for Krysis. Really nice tracing...

Cheers

[Nikolas]

Best idea: Rel. Originality! I like originality

Best design: Andail. The mood with the bridge and all is just great!

Best Functionality: Krysis. Room left for the character to walk. A lot of places to go behind the B&B. Very functional

Best technique: Rel. I could be wrong here, but I love Rel's rocks. It may be done fairly easily in Photoshop, I have no idea about that, but I like it. They seem realistic and worked on.

[Mordalles]

* Best Idea -
i like Rel's idea the most.

Best Design
Andail's design is really awesome.

Best Functionality
He-man.

Best Technique
difficult to choose, but i'll go with Rel.

[loominous]

Nice entries everyone, but the main price goes to:

Andail

Congrats.

-

The category winners are:

Best Idea: Rel

Best Design: Andail

Best Functionality: He-man

Best Technique: Tie between Rel and Andail

[ildu]

This is an awesome voting system and I hope we stick with it. Maybe you should include the total number of votes that Andail and possible runner-ups received when you announce the winner.

[Czar]

I agree about the vote counts because looking at this looks like a goddamn tie! 

[loominous]

Including the points would make it more accurate, but I think you'd run the risk of making it too focused on score and winning. After all, it's really meant as an activity rather than a competition.

But if it's the opinion of the majority, I wouldn't have any problem with it myself.

A compromise would be to include (close) runner ups. In this case there weren't any really though.

[Andail]

Cool, and thanks for your votes! There was lots of competition, and I actually didn't expect to win at first.
I'll whip a new comp asap.