*Mockup from project "Sphinx" UPDATE last post*

[big brother]

It's an interesting approach... the brown looks good against the pale ground color, but I don't know if it'll have enough contrast against every background. The same issue is present with the bag, which might appear to be an object lying on the ground.

In the original GUI, I intended that when you click on the bag (which will have a bigger arrow to the side) that the items will scroll out along the bottom edge of the screen. Likewise, when you click on the options button, Save, Load, and Quit buttons (perhaps even a score or chapter title) will scroll out along the top edge of the screen.

Having the O for options is a bit confusing, since it uses the same shape as the inventory items (people may think it's a collar when the inventory is fuller). As far as a logical hierarchy, the options command should be a bit more important.

I appreciate the paintover though.

[otter]

How do you feel about an auto-hide function for the options button (i.e. it only becomes visible when your mouse is above a certain level on the right, and goes away as soon as you move back into the playing area)?  I agree with the placement in the top-right, but I think having it always sitting around there is a bit distracting.

[ManicMatt]

In the original GUI, I intended that when you click on the bag (which will have a bigger arrow to the side) that the items will scroll out along the bottom edge of the screen.

Did you get that idea from the game Bone or is it a coincidence? (Or has it been done before anyway?)

[Sektor 13]

It's an interesting approach... the brown looks good against the pale ground color, but I don't know if it'll have enough contrast against every background. The same issue is present with the bag, which might appear to be an object lying on the ground.

In the original GUI, I intended that when you click on the bag (which will have a bigger arrow to the side) that the items will scroll out along the bottom edge of the screen. Likewise, when you click on the options button, Save, Load, and Quit buttons (perhaps even a score or chapter title) will scroll out along the top edge of the screen.

Having the O for options is a bit confusing, since it uses the same shape as the inventory items (people may think it's a collar when the inventory is fuller). As far as a logical hierarchy, the options command should be a bit more important.

I appreciate the paintover though.

All gui object could be encircled (i found this word in the dictionayr- i hope it sounds right ) with yellow colour, i used black with the bag, but yellow could do the trick to clearly state that this is and gui, as for big O for options, i was only try to show how would i move OPTIONS button down, i agree that that O is not usefull for the game.

a little more repainting: 

[big brother]

Ok, total overhaul.

- Dropped the GUI for now, so I can focus more on the art style.

- Tried to use more colors, making it less of a purple tone overall.

- Implemented a central perspective that can be kept consistent for every background.

- Made a variation on the player character sprite.



Thoughts, comments, fears, or concerns?

[sergiocornaga]

I like this second mock-up much more. However, the style of the character is just so awesome I think it might be difficult to replicate. But I guess that's a good thing in some ways.

[JimmyShelter]

Thoughts, comments, fears, or concerns?

The boat seems flat. But other than that, it looks great, very nice colour scheme.

[Sean]

I prefer the first image.  :

This one is equally as nice but the camera angle is slighlty more 'boring'. The first image in my opinion was a little bit more exciting. However, either image that you choose out of the two will be excellent so it's really up to you. This image seems simplier and backgrounds like this one are probably quicker to produce which speeds things up. I like the usage of the boat in this version but the area itself is quite 'squared' and plain. Also, the pier legs perhaps you could sketch a 'tide line' onto them. At the moment if you focus on them for a few seconds it kind of looks like they are 'sitting' on the water instead of being submerged in it.

Very nice backgrounds and I wish you luck in finding something you like  

[Andail]

The second pic is certainly more adventure-ish, and overall a very cute background.
The boat looks flat, but is still properly drawn perspective-wise, and that's simply how things can look sometimes.

As a response to Helm's comment about perspective points, you claim that your previous background indeed had only one viewpoint. However, this is what makes it slightly erroneous. Only a central viewpoint can allow for perfectly parallel horizontal x-lines, as this is how far you can trick the eye to believe that any lines can be parallel.
When the viewpoint is situated so far toward one side, you need to implement another viewpoint on the far other side, at which all lines along the other axis will converge.

While the first background has a dramatic perspective, it's slightly unnatural and therefore a bit stressful to look at. The second background is much more calm and harmonic, but also very traditional.

[Helm]

Ah, illuminating. Thank you, Petter. Indirectly, you taught me something I never realized in your reply.

[big brother]

I know the boat seems flat. An earlier comment suggested that the boat should be more of a focal point than it is in the original background. I guess it's a trade-off.
Sean, you're right about the pier legs. What exactly is a "tide line"? Should I try to draw a reflection of the legs to make it look less like they're on top of the water?

Andail, thanks for the post! I never really thought about parallel lines in the single vanishing point perspective. You're definitely right about it creating unecessary tension in the first background.

[DanClarke]

Looks really nice, i especially like the character.

My opinion of the BG, is that the difference in detail between the BG and the character is too vast. I understand that BGs should serve their purpose and not be overly distracting unless they need to be, but in this case it seems that theirs too much of a void between the character and it in terms of detail, which makes it feel somewhat 'detatched'.

If i were you id try to perhaps go for a more organic method of shading and more detailling, done in your particular style i think it'd look amazing, and as long as the colours aren't overly prominent i think it'd really compliment the character.

[Darth Mandarb]

The biggest problem to me is the water ... everything else seems so "fitting" and the water just stands out too much.

I did a sloppy paintover:

- changed the water a bit (added ripples around the pillars)
- added a shadow from the dock
- shaded the big boat a bit

Don't know if it's too different ... I tried to keep the simplistic shading style which works so perfectly.  I didn't touch the character, he's spot-on as far as I'm concerned!

1 other concern, which I didn't address in my paint-over is the shadow the vase is casting (the urn type thing on the barrell).  It's shadow is going down and to the right, where-as the shadow of the gangway leading to the ship goes the other way.  Confuzzled me a tad, but not enough to change it!

Come to think ... my shadow under the dock may be in the wrong spot ... hmmm

[Sean]

By 'Tide-Line' I meant a watermark. The water wouldn't stay at a constant 'High/Low' level. Now if we presume that at this moment in time the water is at it's lowest point we should be able to see evidence that the water also raises upwards at times. This would be acheived by 'moistening' the wood. Makeing it look slightly wet.

[Gregjazz]

By 'Tide-Line' I meant a watermark. The water wouldn't stay at a constant 'High/Low' level. Now if we presume that at this moment in time the water is at it's lowest point we should be able to see evidence that the water also raises upwards at times. This would be acheived by 'moistening' the wood. Makeing it look slightly wet.

Exactly! That's a good detail!

[big brother]

Implemented a few suggestions. I'm thinking this is close to final.

[scourge]

hey bb, looks great so far. Like the plain effect. Good work!

[Snarky]

Nice work, bb!

Yes, the composition here is more harmonious, more traditional... and more boring. In the end, I think it would be nice to have some variety, with some screens in this conventional perspective and others in more daring ones.

I'm glad you went back to the simple lines, it gives the background a cleaner, more consistent feel. The combination of the simple outlines and flat surfaces is very effective. Other small touches, like a line for the horizon, makes this background a more definitive style reference than the first one.

There seems to be more detail in this screen. It looks good (the splotches on the ground are an especially nice touch), but I wouldn't recommend any more than this, or the backgrounds risk losing their simplicity.

Again, I really like the original Tintin-like waves, and think it's a shame they were mostly eliminated in the edit. However, this variation looks good too, and I suppose the bigger waves can be included on a different background.

I think the tide marks are a mistake. Cool idea, but it's just a bit messy at this resolution, and the kind of extraneous detail that this style ought to eliminate.

As for the character sprite, I'm really glad that you're continuing to experiment. Both the versions have their advantages over the other. I liked the first head and hat better. I can't quite work out what this new hat is supposed to look like (ear flaps?), and by lifting the brim his eye looks smaller and more squinty. I'm unsure about his hair, too. Is that point a pony tail, or just long hair in the back that lifts up?

I like this new version without a collar. It makes him look less preppy. However, it makes the white patch on his trousers a bit out of balance. I also appreciate the increased definition of his watch/bracelet.

I'm torn about the colors of his clothes. It's less obvious than the original choice, and my initial reaction was that it looked ugly. However, it's growing on me, and the only change I would really suggest is to get rid of the blue-green stripe on his shirt. That might also help simplify the sprite for easier animation and poses for other directions.