game background

TheSaint · Thu 27/07/2006 23:29:00

Hello all.

i got this bg for game intro/first screen done and I'm happy with most of the things but two-three things that still give me headache are:

1. sky. (should i pick these 4 colors and eventually add couple inbetween colors to smoothen it or should i just abuse gradient and then draw clouds over, or do you have some other ideas)
2. the circle itself. i was planning it to be made of stone slobs/pieces and its kind of important area on this screen so I'm not sure what would be the best way to give them life and little depth and still not lose black outline.
3.(?) eventual lines on the clif surface floor?

btw i am aware of certain areas where outline looks thin (bit thready) i will fix that, and i think ill add shadow area to the closest part of the cliff.

general ideas and paintovers are welcome (Andail i remember you made some magic with image that was supposed to be part of game i was making so please take a stab at this one if you have time - this goes to everyone else ofc)

cheers,
TheSaint

CaptainBinky · Thu 27/07/2006 23:33:12

Re: the sky... you've been quite liberal and painty with the colours on the rest of the image, so I think a smooth gradient with painty clouds would fit nicely.

Re: the stone swirl... I think a bit of relief on the stones would add some substance to them... and maybe a bit of moss and/or cracks - actually this goes for the rest of the rocks too.

Oh and your horizon could probably doo with being blended in to the sky more too - like a distance haze effect?

Cool so far, though! Look forward to seeing this finished!

2ma2 · Fri 28/07/2006 00:37:37

You should remove the horizon and have the sea continue onto the top of the pic. Since we see the cliff so much from above, it seem odd that the vanishing point lies so close.

CaptainBinky · Fri 28/07/2006 00:47:32

I agree that the perspective is a little off, however the scene may look a bit empty without the sky to set it off - ideally it would be the rocks which would be adapted. However, this would be a lot of work. Personally, I can live with the perspective being off if the scene's painted nicely and it's easy on the eye.

raddicks · Fri 28/07/2006 01:39:33

It looks a bit 2D

TheSaint · Fri 28/07/2006 09:02:57

Quote from: 2ma2 on Fri 28/07/2006 00:37:37
You should remove the horizon and have the sea continue onto the top of the pic. Since we see the cliff so much from above, it seem odd that the vanishing point lies so close.

yes i agree with this too it has been bothering me aswell, thumbs up for noticing it - i didnt want to write down all that i was concerned about to check if its just my "sick" perfectionalism or really an oversight

Sheepisher · Fri 28/07/2006 10:35:37

Looks pretty good. I like the combination of simple outlines with paint-like colouring ... it has quite a unique look to it.

I agree with comments above about the sky - a simple, smooth gradient between two fairly close colours, plus clouds, would be appropriate (right now it looks very computer generated!).

My comment would be that the rock formation really needs to be a different colour. Everything in that picture is a shade of bluey-grey so nothing stands out. Since the rock formation is where most of the action will be taking place (I assume?), it needs to be more noticeable. Perhaps something purpley-grey or browny-grey? If you have a recent edition of Paintshop Pro it should be a cinch to use the tint function and experiment with some different colour combinations.

Also, is that a rock desert or a sea beneath the cliff? I'm guessing the latter because of the wavey sort of patterns you've got going there. If so, it might be an idea to brighten most areas of it to about the brightness it shows at the very right-hand edge of the picture, and have the cliff casting a specific shadow / reflection on the water directly below / around it. And also perhaps to include the wave-like patterns on the upper part of the sea as well.

Okay, I'll clam up now

TheSaint · Fri 28/07/2006 22:05:59

Ok this is my 2nd attempt:

i fixed the sky and see and cliff i think(there is still a little color mess above the circle but its fixable). havent sorted out outline yet, and i think i will do stones(floor ones) little brighter with edges that add a bit of 3d (lower edge darker, higher edge brighter etc). what do u think, any more ideas?

UP · Sat 29/07/2006 16:00:32

In the original one I didn't realize there was water there, so I was a bit surprised in the second one

But that water there in the bottom center, I think under the cliff doesn't look like it's under the cliff at all (assuming I am interpreting it all right

), which might be a result of the outlines, or the water being too bright in comparison to the cliffs.

(Edit): And maybe a bit because of the coloring of the cliffs? (the shading or sometihng... Of course this relates to the color issue, but you know

)

Maybe someone can be a bit more specific? I'm not an expert on the "why" part

Kiddie · Sat 29/07/2006 17:40:56

My paintover attempt. It reminds me of The Dig. $:-\$

Mr Flibble · Sat 29/07/2006 17:48:19

I think the two pillars that extend down into the ocean need some sort of perspective trick to make it clear that this cliff is above the water. In particular, the sea at the bottom centre looks more like a puddle.

2ma2 · Sat 29/07/2006 23:56:05

Whilst the paintover is soothing for the eyes, it loses the cold and rugged feel of the original. Depends on what one strifes for,but I kinda preferred the original. Looked more hostile and eerie.

Fizzii · Sun 30/07/2006 03:31:20

I think a larger range of values would help make the scene more interesting. (Pushing lights and darks). So really go somewhat lighter than what you have at the moment for the lit areas.

Also, there needs to be a haze between sea and sky. They don't tend to meet crisply, and the haze will help give the piece more depth. (Kiddie does the haze well)

Shadows need to diffract more (Not be so sharp around the edges, as the scene isn't a bright daytime scene)

And one of your pillars was a bit too wonky to look like it could stand on its own.

As for the bottom part of the cliff, with the hole in it - I think you have to decide how thick the supporting rock is, and have some of that showing on the side, otherwise those rocks look flat.

I had a go at painting it over... didn't do the hole under the cliffs well, and I could've made the haze hazier

, but hope it helps.

Sheepisher · Sun 30/07/2006 08:04:45

Wow - both Kiddie and Fizzii have done great paintovers.

As other people have noted, Kiddie's (slightly reminiscent of "The Dig"

) seems warmer and calmer, whereas Fizzii's version, playing off the same colour scheme as your original, seems harsher and more forbidding (especially with the realistic detail they've put into the shadows and rock surface.)Ã,Â So it depends which atmosphere you prefer.

The colour contrast is a definite improvement, as now the rock formation is very much the focus.Ã,Â I like the sea / wave effects that Kiddie did, as well as the successful haze over the horizon.Ã,Â And Fizzii's highlighting of the spiral is a nice idea.

Kiddie · Sun 30/07/2006 14:26:03

I have to say I prefer Fizzii's.

TheSaint · Sun 30/07/2006 16:19:07

lo there

nice paintover fizzie, sky-sea looks great and u did amazing job with cliff altho u changed significantly light source which was supposed to be where it is on original bg. love what u did with it although it would look differently than other bgs in the game. thnx for help tho and the comment on wobbly pillar i see you were right about it.

kiddie : interesting idea, altho i dont c any paintover - just a layer that changed the color and a texture of the sea behind, still its nice texture and i like the sea-sky blending on it. cheers for spending ur time on it.

ive actually removed questionable hole under the cliff, changed the position of the pillar (erm one of them) to get some space between those two. i think i got the circle the way i want. i'll definitely look into cliff and sea paintovers and try to play with lighter/darker colors to see what i can achieve on pillars and yet keep the background in the bounds of the style i want.

thnx