Adventure Game Studio

Creative Production => Critics' Lounge => Topic started by: Indie Boy on Sat 20/11/2004 19:44:43

Title: Alien- Crit plz
Post by: Indie Boy on Sat 20/11/2004 19:44:43
Im starting a new game and the main character is called "Alein" so I'm just wondering does he look like a alien

Title: Re: Does this look alien
Post by: veryweirdguy on Sat 20/11/2004 19:51:30
.bmp files are a big nono here. You should save your piccys as .jpgs or .pngs, then you can show them on the forums.

Anyway, in answer to your question:

Well, the main question - "Does this look like an alien?" - is of course IMPOSSIBLE to answer as no on knows what an alien looks like, but I'm sure people will indulge you anyway. :P

My main problem is that he looks a little cliched for a game. Unless this is a comedy, possibly parody game, I would advise coming up with something looking a little more original than a little green man with big black bug-eyes.

That said, I quite like what you have here. You seem to have a humanoid...ic shape about right, and the shading is quite good for the style.

Hope that helps.
Title: Re: Does this look alien
Post by: Indie Boy on Sat 20/11/2004 20:04:02
Thanks sorry for the .bmp here is a .jpg

(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/gd_walk.JPG)

I wanted it to look cheesey but i see where you are coming from so i might change the colour


note: credit to Eric "time traveling" MrColossal
Title: Re: Does this look alien
Post by: Chicky on Sat 20/11/2004 20:25:58
Ever though of giving credit to Eric? It's just his walkcycle example painted green with a elongated head.

I sugest getting a picture to work of from google and base your character on that. It's perfectly alright to use people templates (with permission) but simply changing the colour and putting it into critics seems a little pointless.
Title: Re: Does this look alien
Post by: stuh505 on Sun 21/11/2004 07:31:00
You just got served.
Title: Re: Does this look alien
Post by: [Cameron] on Sun 21/11/2004 08:07:57
buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurn!
Title: Re: Does this look alien
Post by: Las Naranjas on Sun 21/11/2004 08:12:12
Eric put the walk cycle there for people to use.

If he was so small minded to demand kudos each time it was used he could lick my wang.
Title: Re: Does this look alien
Post by: MrColossal on Sun 21/11/2004 08:24:09
Alec, Stuh, that's really unacceptable behaviour.

Chicken, I know they're paint overs of my sprites, he knows they're paint overs, you know and probably a majority of people here know, but I gave them away for free.

He can do whatever he wants good for him. I'm just glad they're helping people. I appreciate you trying stick up for me but it it's alright. Everyone all over the planet has free use of those sprites and if someone tries to steal them THEN we can attack him with all of our ninjas.

But the sprite, to me the eyes look like pits and not eyes. Like there's nothing in there, just holes. A slight shine on the upper part of the eye would work well I think. Good luck with the rest of him and if you can I suggest getting someone to help you on the up walking cycle [if you continue to use my templates] because it looks kinda bad...

p.s. mm orange flavoured wang
Title: Re: Does this look alien
Post by: Andail on Sun 21/11/2004 12:36:47
hm, as much as it is allright to use them sprites, it would only be polite to tell where they come from. Not just to satisfy Eric personally, but to clarify what you've done yourself and what people should give c&c on.
Title: Re: Does this look alien
Post by: Sam. on Sun 21/11/2004 12:49:29
just a quick panitover, i tried to make the eyes look more like eyes.
(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/alienpanitover.gif)
(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/alienpanitover.gif)
Title: Re: Does this look alien
Post by: Indie Boy on Sun 21/11/2004 16:37:05
Right I'm just started with ags and I'm rubbish with walk cycles so used one I got from a website. I am going to change it and the picture wasn't my finished character. I only used that just for an idea and to get some pointers on ok. By the way thanks for the light on the eyes Il get straight to it
Title: Re: Does this look alien
Post by: Indie Boy on Sun 21/11/2004 17:18:00
Here is a better picture
(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/alein.jpg)
Title: Re: Does this look alien
Post by: Erwin_Br on Sun 21/11/2004 20:07:23
Hey, that's a nice one. I love that tail. It would be great to let it swing from left to right when you make the walk animation. Keep up the good work!

--Erwin
Title: Re: Does this look alien
Post by: Indie Boy on Mon 22/11/2004 19:10:42
Yeh I was thinking about the tail moving left and right like you said but if you turned, the tail will dart across, not that smooth.

In better words if you were walking forwards and the tail was on the left and you turned say right the tail would be at the other side because of the animation.

I mite just move it in the middle and have it moving left and right or up and down only on 1 frame on each to solve the problem or just leave it out because I don't think a tail like this has been tackled on ags.

Ps Im crap at explaining things!
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: Indie Boy on Fri 26/11/2004 15:22:41
This is my first room i just want some crit on how it looks
(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/bckround2.JPG)

The circle in the centre is a teleport thing

by the way the brown buttons and lever are meant to be red

The panel stops at the right because a bin is there
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: stuh505 on Sat 27/11/2004 02:16:46
The perspective on the teleport thingy doesn't match the rest of the room.  I can't tell if it's supposed to be indented or outdented, because the lines indiacte that it is outdented, but the lighting indicates that it is indented.
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: DragonRose on Sat 27/11/2004 04:24:29
Ooo... I quite like the new version of the alien. The bony ribs (or are they gills? Cause that would be REALLY cool) look quite creepy.

As for the background- first of all, I'd advise not saving things for the critics lounge in as J-pegs.  It adds extra pixels. Use something like PNG's, which will show us exactly what you drew.

Onto the background!

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v175/dragonrose_1/potterbackground.png)
I did a paintover, because I like paintovers. I only did it at half size because I didn't do any changes that matter on the pixel level.

First, the panel in the background has REALLY messed up lines.  I matched most of the lines to the top, making everything nice and square.  The only thing I didn't fiddle with was the gradient on the blue window things and the control panel. I made the control panel inselt, because the idea of trying to draw all those buttons in perspective made me sad.  I also made the lever red, because you said it was supposed to be.

I agree with stuh on the teleport thingy.  The perspective is really strange. If the white pedestal thing goes all the way around, you should be able to see it all the way around. I made the whole thing more rounded as well- the sharp corners at the edges made no sense.

There is a lot of empty space in the room, so I moved the panel down and the transport thingy up.   This just balanced the room a bit better.
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: Indie Boy on Sat 27/11/2004 20:56:06
Thanks I'm not that great at backgrounds and perspective but thanks for the paint over and the advice about .jpgs

They are ribs(to make him look flexable) but i could use them as gills because he could end up in water (you can tell i haven't got much of a storyline)

I do have a idea. Well sort of. His race killed off all females (something went wrong!) and the only way to reproduce is by cloning, but this makes a evil double and the person who was cloned has no memory. This is what has happened to Alein and he needs to escape, but this is as far as i have got. Is this a good idea?
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: Indie Boy on Sat 27/11/2004 22:41:57
Heres a updated background
(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/potterbackground.png)

Idea for a name for the game "Alein - Final Front Ear" (they clone them by using their ear wax)
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: Developer on Sun 28/11/2004 15:52:01
Thats crazy. lol
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: Evil on Sun 28/11/2004 17:20:36
Developer, please keep short, unhelpful comments to yourself. If you don't have something important to say, don't say anything.

The newest version does look a lot better. However I'm not real sure what the bright green things are. I would imagine they are tubes. A little shading, like on the control pannel, might help them look more like tubes.
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: Haddas on Sun 28/11/2004 17:49:36
I like that alien.the head might be too squareish for my taste but it's fine as it is too. the alien inspired me to draw one too.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v86/Haddas/avatars/alieni.png)
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: n3tgraph on Mon 29/11/2004 10:14:55
Hey Potter, some advice for posting pictures,

try posting your low resolution art in GIF or PNG, that way, people who want to help you by repaint have a 'clean' picture. When you convert your art in JPG it get's a bit screwed up most of the time

as for the art, keep drawing! your going the right direction
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: Indie Boy on Mon 29/11/2004 19:09:19
Thanks. Yeah they are tubes, Il work on the shading and change the colour of them because it is clashing with "Alein". Ive got some more ideas for the story. The cloning thing is staying the same. The aliens make robots and they all wrong and the planet is taken over by them. The evil clone acts as their leader and "Alein" has to get his planet back for his people.

Ps like the alien Haddas
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: Indie Boy on Tue 30/11/2004 18:43:28
Heres a better picture
(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/room1_Alein.png)
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: viktor on Tue 30/11/2004 19:00:00
Hm..
Maybee the pipes would look more like pipes if you do something like this:
(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/hint2.PNG) or this (http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/hint4.PNG)

notise the green light effect on the first pipe (it makes it look more like steel or glass)
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: Indie Boy on Tue 30/11/2004 19:02:44
thanks Il get to it

Its getting there
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: InCreator on Tue 30/11/2004 22:02:01
Not yet.
1) draw. Before posting, actually DO change a background, don't just fill one box with different color or draw a tiny button to somewhere and say "updated version". This is pointless.

2) Despite very nicely drawn console, room is awfully empty. Add alot more details!

3) Red color... ugh. It may be okay with only one room, but if you're about to make whole spaceship in such "eye-killer" colors, better rethink your rooms.
Because -- one thing is wish to give players joy and excitment, another one is giving them head- and eye ache...

.D

4) Character style seems fit with room style just fine. You're on the right track here. Keep other characters in same style.

5) Work with tiny, pixelly things! The stuff on console looks good, so I guess it's your strong side. Add lots of little machinery onto floor and walls, and some wires hanging, and so on.

6) Practice - and again - practice your perspective drawing skills. Learn vanishing point system, observe 3d games and your own room in reality, just do everything to get these shapes right, because you have almost perfect perspective paintover room here, but if you don't learn the technique, other rooms will look very bad and different.
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: UP on Wed 01/12/2004 14:28:47
About the original alien, I'd actually have its eyes as they were originally, plain black. It's creepier that way, the second way is just, well, cute, not creepy in any way...
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: Indie Boy on Thu 02/12/2004 19:12:05
heres a updated one
I changed the size off a few things, sorted the lighting, edited the colours and added a speaker and a screen

(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/room1_alein_edit.png)

BTW Im not having the whole game in der most of it out side
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: Developer on Thu 02/12/2004 19:23:27
What about shadows for the consols and stuff?
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: Indie Boy on Thu 02/12/2004 19:29:54
where on the consol and what stuff?
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: on Fri 03/12/2004 02:02:44

(http://img99.exs.cx/img99/2663/e0-AlienBG.th.png) (http://img99.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img99&image=e0-AlienBG.png)
Here's a different version for your Alien BG. I didn't really like the red walls so I used gradients. The background is pretty cool so far, work hard: Potter. Click on the thumbnail to see a bigger version of it.

-Stryke
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: Evil on Fri 03/12/2004 02:04:43
GRADIENTS BAAAD!
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: on Fri 03/12/2004 02:11:45
Gradients are unprofessional and they're a pre-tool. So what? What's your point.

Also broke a rule:
* Critique that isn't constructive in any way, like "GRADIENTS BAAAD!"
That won't go anywhere.
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: on Fri 03/12/2004 08:41:46
Quote from: Evil on Fri 03/12/2004 02:04:43
GRADIENTS BAAAD!

I dont agree, gradients are a life saver when used the right way.

The only ''BAAAAAD'' Thing to use is lensflares and thats even okay if you use it right.
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: Indie Boy on Fri 03/12/2004 14:04:23
Thanks for your replys. I like the blue but it is a bit strong compared to the other colours.

With the shading i uselly blur the colours, like on the pipes
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: Indie Boy on Fri 03/12/2004 14:32:18
Right ive changed the colours for the bg what one looks better?

1(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/room1_alein_edit2.png)I like this but it blends
2(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/room1_alein_edit3.png)I aslo like this but the grey doesnt go well
3(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/room1_alein_edit.png)This is the orignal
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: viktor on Fri 03/12/2004 15:10:45
well I think that the first one looks the best.
But there's one thing I've noticed. The whole metal part of the console is wierd. The left side seems to be lover than the right.
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: Developer on Fri 03/12/2004 16:09:22
The silver one.
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: Indie Boy on Fri 03/12/2004 18:26:51
Silver it is then. Im fixing the perpective problems now but i just wanted to know what colour suited the room best.

Here is the walkcycle for Alein

(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/alein_walk_front.gif)
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: Indie Boy on Fri 03/12/2004 21:26:50
Heres an updated room1

(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/room1_alein_grey.png)
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: on Fri 03/12/2004 22:14:08
That looks pretty slick. :P Good luck in your game, Potter.
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: Indie Boy on Sun 05/12/2004 19:36:37
Im working on the side of alein. The main points are that the tail looks funny and the head loks like something has been cut, what do you think? Paint overs wellcome.
(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/side_walk_r9.png)
(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/alein.jpg)Ive not edited the tail on the front veiw
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: Chicky on Sun 05/12/2004 19:39:10
Head looks excellent on the sideview, still not sure about the front.
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: Indie Boy on Sun 05/12/2004 19:41:41
Whats wrong about the front?
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: Indie Boy on Thu 09/12/2004 20:18:15
Heres a robot for the game what do you think? Paint overs welcome

(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/robot.png)
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: kjetting on Fri 10/12/2004 11:10:11
The first thing that came to mind about your main character is that his tail points upwards in the side view and downwards in the front view. Or does it wag up and down as he walks? because if it does, then that's cool. I'm also getting behind the previous suggestion that the tail should swing from side to side as he walks, like on a lizard.
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: Indie Boy on Fri 10/12/2004 14:46:46
Yeah the tail wags but im not finished the walkcycle for alein its on my to do list.
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: Indie Boy on Wed 15/12/2004 18:47:36
Come on! What do you think of my robot for game. The robots are meant to be the bad guys in the game. Not at first tho. Does he look right for the part?

heres it is again, for people who canny be bothered to scroll down to see it again

(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/robot.png)
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: kjetting on Fri 17/12/2004 11:49:26
I think the robot looks cool. The fact that he has one big red glowing eye reminds me of HAL from 2001, another machine turning evil. The cool thing about using robots in a game is that (much like aliens), there are no limits to what they can look like. I think this one would look even funnier if you remove his legs and make his hips function as wheels, this will also make him shorter.
Short+evil=diabolic. Then again, if you are to include more than one robot in the game, it would be cool if they all look really different from eachother. Play Beneath A Steel Sky if you need some ideas for robot looks. That game has some bitching neat robots.
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: Erwin_Br on Fri 17/12/2004 15:36:41
Your robot reminds me of Futurama. You say they turn evil, right? In that case I'd change certain elements to illistrate that evilness. In short; they have to look meaner once they're evil.

--Erwin
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please
Post by: Indie Boy on Fri 17/12/2004 19:42:31
I was inspired by futurama. Wheels will look good, maybe il make them massive for some comedy, like your runnig away from them and they can't go through a door because they are too big. the robots were made by the aleins but the robots would modify them selves and make new Robots.

Ive been busy making a teaser for the game. it is focusing more on teleports and why there are only male aliens left(im not beening sexest but if they were females i do want them to have a jerassic park idea) and how they clone

Ps i also found a tune i made years ago and i quite like it so i might make it as the game's theme tune. heres the site for the game and you will find the song there>>>>>http://www.freewebs.com/aleinags
Title: Re: Alien- Crit please (new robot)
Post by: Indie Boy on Thu 30/12/2004 13:30:30
Made a new robot for the game
(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/fighter_bot.png)
Plx crit paint overs welcome