Background for Flak I

[Moresco]

Yo! Ok so I'm really new to this stuff, and therefore would appreciate any comments, suggestions, ideas whatever for this background.   So far, I really like it but the colors are putting me off and so are some of the lines/detail(lack of).

Alrighty, so here's the color and the plain version as well.  Both are 640x480 images.

[eavraamsdonk]

I like your drawing style. I think you could add some shadow. That might also help to clarify the perspective which looks a little odd to me on the left. The way the lower horizontal bar on the left comes to the front further to the right looks a bit weird. I think you should see less of the underside of the first floor. The lower bar should be higher.
Different colors for the walls and the floor would also help I think.
Are the white parts on the right windows?

Cheers  

[Moresco]

Why yes they are windows! Sorry I was going to mention that but it was REALLY late when I decided to throw the images up on the forum.

Do you notice the very lowest bar & the bar that follows it from the second floor? Well originally the room flows backward(underneath the stairs)...the bars both stop and do not flow to the left as I have it.  They'd flow back into the wall, I should probably change it back.  

I like the top floor and how it leads off to the left, though, because the large living room of the house will be on the screen to the left.  In that room the top level will bend out and disappear in a tunneled stone hallway.  Heh, but in that room the stairs are much further back....leading me to guess that my stairs are heading in the wrong direction(slightly forward instead of fading back much more).  Anyway you get the idea.

Today is a new day so I'll hopefully have some fresh insight...either that or I'll end up working on something completely different. Thanks for the tips!

-Moresco

[Scummbuddy]

The lower octagon shaped window on the right side needs to be fixed for perspective, but other than that, you are on your way to making a really great background.  Keep up the good work.

[Moresco]

Well so far work is coming along on this background rather nicely, and I've gone away from the incorrect sketch.  This is much better I think, and I've added some shades/shadow whatever it's called.  At least I tried to anyhow.

This is still in 640x480, but due to the slowness of the program I'll be converting it to 320x240.  One problem I am having is that the characters seem so small, and once they arrive on the 2nd floor, their heads get cut off! Heh.  But if you make them the size of say - ROGER, then they seem like midgets in a Giant's house.  At 320x240, what is the typical height of a character(compared at say 5'10).  Is it better to just shrink the background and addon to it? That's a pain in the butt

Anyway here is the new image:



-Moresco

[Minimi]

Can't you just use scaling in the room, and set it for when the character is too big, under 100% and when its too small above 100%.

[DinghyDog]

of course, can't the scaling only go up to 200%? That might be enough, but...well, I don't know.

-DD

[Moresco]

Well scaling would probably work, though it would seem that on the second floor the character's height would be wrong if I scaled him down.  I'll have to look into scaling then. =) Thanks for the advice!

[jason]

The BG is looking good, Moresco. It's pretty blurry, but I think this eery style will work well if the game is going to be scary.

[Moresco]

Thanks Jason, I couldn't tell ya though as this is my first game etc...I wasn't going for scary, I was just going for not-so-terrible style.  Hope it comes out good, but only time will tell.

[12431]

this style would be just grrrrreat if you would make the characters just as realistic. you should make a tut.

[remixor]

The coloring style is looking good.  Be careful about the blurriness though; it's going to be difficult to get a character that works well on top of that.  If you sharpen the edges a bit it'll look even better I think!

[Moresco]

Make a tutorial? Make a sketch, color it using actual examples of whatever it is(like I used photos of logcabin homes and mirrored the wood on the walls to get the idea), go nuts with fun tools like Smudge, Blur, Sharpen, filters, etc etc.  It's all a matter of taste I think.

Even still it is blurry, and I'm not totally sure I'm the guy to fix it...I didn't even realise it was blurry till you mentioned it. Sooo, how do I sharpen it? Sharpen the edges? What makes a pixel sharp/blurred in the first place?  Seems there should be a tutorial on that...

[Jam Torkberg]

It's looking very good, Moresco.  The only thing that I can see would cause a snafu is setting the walk-behind areas, such as the rails on the stairs and the second floor.  Due to the blur, the line were the rail ends and the stairs behind begin is (pardon the pun) kind of blurry.

[Moresco]

Heh yes I agree, it was a major pain.  It's already done though, so no worries there...  And I think it looks good enough, still there's that blurriness.  Unfun.

[ravenfusion]

Maybe you could find the edges then inline them or something...I don't know, i'm no good at art.

[MrColossal]

i think it's the way you paint that causes the blurriness

do you use lots of layers?

if not i suggest it, the right wall is nicely done, the boards are visible and i can see colour variation that makes me smile and enjoy it but the left side looks unfinished. the stair case looks really washy and smudged.

i think it just needs more work in it. i'd black out in flat colours parts of the scene, like the walls and the stairs and the posts on seperate layers, then start working on them with preserve transparency turned on. then you can't go out of the lines and you'll maintain your crisp edges

i tried futzing a little



all i did was the little spot at the top, changing the colours of the bannister for no real reason just to play around, i painted over the blurry edges and tried to sharpen it a little, then i just smudged your original colours and added grain to the wood with a small dodge/burn brush



in this all i did was paint the window edges with the white colour you used to get rid of the blurriness and then with a small burn tool i made some boards

just throwing out some ideas

eric

[ravenfusion]

^ Better.

[foz]

Excellent work mate.....
the best thing to take away the bluriness is to out line in black/dark colour...set its transparency to 60/70%..and go over all you main areas such as posts and staircase....that idea of what you did on the wall is good to...
this looks good as it is ...so a little more tinkering and its gonna be tops.

good luck wiyh your game.

[Erwin_Br]

This background has potential, indeed. The colours are already great, the only thing it needs (IMHO) is some sharpness. Mr. C's example could be very helpful.

--Erwin