backgrounds for separate games

Steel Drummer · Fri 07/04/2006 00:12:11

These are some backgrounds for two separate games I am making: the first, a background from the sequel to 2010: World of Chaos, and the second, a baclground from a dark, humourous, cartoony game (which I can't tell the name of, since I don't want to spoil anything just yet..). I'm just getting the hang of background and need some c&c.. (btw, the second one is a bit unfinished)

Vince Twelve · Fri 07/04/2006 02:04:50

Well, I can see that you're at least using the line tool now. And that is an improvement. But still, your backgrounds lack detail and look like they have been made in a manner of minutes. If you spend a bit more time with each one, AND ZOOM IN when you're drawing them, I think you'll find that the quality goes up exponentially.

One MAJOR improvement that I'm seeing here, though, is that I can clearly see where the entrances and exits to the room are. In 2010, the worst part of the game is trying to figure out how to get out of each room because you chose a random corner to be the exit with NO CONSISTANCY. These are much better in that regard.

I'll let the other more art inclined people give you more specific advice.

Afflict · Fri 07/04/2006 06:19:20

Yodaman1111

Congrats on the improvement. Seriously how long did these take you?

A good background can take days!!!!

Ok so your lines are clean this time entrance/exits are visible.
Now get your porportions right! And eliminate double pixles.

Your room doors should be similiar in size and then you can start playing with textures.
I dont know what the darker green stuff is in the middle of the door and up?

Second bg

This one is getting sloppy again..

Remember the moon is round... (relentless showed you a nice tutorial on how to do the sky! please take it to heart!

Then your next step will be to google images that look sort of what your going for. Like you here have a hill? so Google image hills or landscape or something like that and you will see how these things should look.

Your gates all messed up theres i like that you used lines but lets focus on "YOUR STYLE" what is it exactly define it and we can start working towards it.

PS define your style or explain it to me and I will help you develope it.

Krysis · Fri 07/04/2006 12:23:09

Guess what, it's me again...Ã,Â Since most tutorials are so boring (and I'm at work far, far away from my own computer)I made an easy and short one....

Easy&Short Tutorial about making sprites and stuff...

Hey, kids, we are going to make a pumpkin head today! It's easy... Grab your mouses, open MSPaint, read this and enjoy.

1. Start with an oval shape.
2. Add eyes, nose, mouth.
3. Mirror the face.
4. Remove double pixels.
5. Colour the face.
6. Add some details and shades.

Thats it... Now try doing something else.Ã,Â

TIPS: Use the zoom, allways brush your teeth and use references for everything you draw.

Relentless

Khris · Fri 07/04/2006 13:05:22

Hahaha, I'm pretty sure yodaman11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 didn't want to draw pumpkins...I believe those are supposed to be real people's heads

But, that's a nice tutorial. It should help him draw actual heads, too.

Afflict · Fri 07/04/2006 15:21:09

WHO WOULD DO A THING LIKE THAT?

PUT REAL HEADS ON A FENCE???!!! OMG

Your sick man really sick....

ps nice tut !

skw · Fri 07/04/2006 15:29:33

Whoa... grotesque themes.

Ok, so now when you gained the next level of experience, it's the high time to read something about colors, color schemes, perspective and all that HARMONY of symmetry. That's what your art lacks. Not to be mean, but to get much better results you should as well find some particular MS Paint tutorial and got to know how to use it in a proper way.

lo_res_man · Fri 07/04/2006 18:13:25

Yodaman11111, just cause you use paint is no excuse to do bad backgrounds. This is an background done in MSPaint. It's not perfect but I like it. (Duh :

I made it

)

Now it is not perfect but It has its good points. It is clear and the exits are quite visible. It is colourful, if I do say so my self

. It is a sort of empty , but were you can walk and were you can't is fairly clear. AND IT TOOK ME A LONG TIME. seriously, it took me 4 hours in all. yet I am happy with it. Now it takes a while to aquire these skills but if you keep trying, you will get even BETTER then lil' old me. so keep trying, its worth itÃ,Â

big brother · Fri 07/04/2006 18:36:10

The comments on the last few Yoda C&C threads evoke the image of a group of one-eyed gimps beating up a blind cripple.

Nacho · Fri 07/04/2006 19:45:51

Quote from: big brother on Fri 07/04/2006 18:36:10
The comments on the last few Yoda C&C threads evoke the image of a group of one-eyed gimps beating up a blind cripple.

Your diplomacy skills are parallel to Chewbacca's, Big Brother ^_^ I tend to agree though, some of the crits have been more harsh than helpfull (But not all, IMO...)

No offence, I know you have humour sense and you'll teke it in a funny way. You know I like you.

Yodaman, be honest... How old are you? Because there is a creative process, and if you have certain age, you are not very far of the point where the best artists in the world have been. I mean... I am almost sure that VelÃ¡zquez, Picasso or Degas wouldn't have made it better if put in front of a computer when they were ten.

Another stuff is that if you are 16 or 17... You should be at 75% ,more or less, of your total potential with that age... And, to be honest, an improvement of 25% in that backgrounds wouldn't make a big difference.

What I really mean is that there is a process, and we can't tutelate (sp?) it all from Critics Lounge. If you are 11, 12 or 13, google for tutorials, learn about the vanishing point (very very important), google for Backgrounds made by professionals, use those palletes to learn how to choose colours and how limitate the pallete of colours. Get another painting program and learn about layers and image edition...

And if you are 16, 17 or 18... Good luck, but this is not going to work. I know I will never play piano, so I just don't play piano. Choosing battles you know you are able to win is important. I am sure you are able to be good at any other aspects of game creation than the graphic one... Focus in something you an be good.

Khris · Fri 07/04/2006 20:45:29

I'd say 11 is pretty accurate. (Maybe the nickname derived from "You da man!!!1", not Yoda...

)

Seriously, the critics lounge isn't for showing off one's work, it's for posting things you are stuck with. These backgrounds are far from finished, but I get the impression you'd think they were, based on your replies in your other thread.

There's much more to creating bgs than choosing a color and moving the mouse. Start with pencil and paper, draw your surroundings, and try to get details and proportions right.
There are techniques you can learn, e.g. the use of vanishing points, which will help you on your way.
But in the end it breaks down to talent & practice. Just because you can take a car apart and rebuild it doesn't mean you can drive like Colin McRae. Practice is the key.

Check out some tutorials from the stickie, then redraw one of your bgs from scratch and post it here (in this thread). If we can see that you've improved, you will receive proper credit for it.

Afflict · Fri 07/04/2006 21:55:56

Quote from: big brother on Fri 07/04/2006 18:36:10
The comments on the last few Yoda C&C threads evoke the image of a group of one-eyed gimps beating up a blind cripple.

Man now ill pay to see this any body want to animate ?

Snarky · Sat 08/04/2006 00:10:26

Quote from: big brother on Fri 07/04/2006 18:36:10
The comments on the last few Yoda C&C threads evoke the image of a group of one-eyed gimps beating up a blind cripple.

Ah, that brings me back. Good times...

Steel Drummer · Sat 08/04/2006 15:05:35

Afflict, the style for the second background is a very cartoony art style. Yes, those are human heads (or some form of human heads, well, actually they are skeletons). I redid it with a better moon and detailed heads. How can I improve the first bg? I've been trying to add more detail but can't think of what to add (it's an operating room).

nihilyst · Sat 08/04/2006 15:10:32

If it's an operating room, then how does someone operate here? On the floor? Doors wouldn't hurt, either.

cheers
nihilyst

Saberteeth · Sat 08/04/2006 15:11:47

What bothers me the most in the first bg is that there's no color variation. like lighter colors for the side walls, a darker for the back wall and a different color for the floor.

Steel Drummer · Sat 08/04/2006 15:15:22

Quote from: nihilyst on Sat 08/04/2006 15:10:32
If it's an operating room, then how does someone operate here? On the floor? Doors wouldn't hurt, either.

cheers
nihilyst

the operating table is going to be considered a character (since it animates). Is there anything else that needs improvement besides shading and colors?

nihilyst · Sat 08/04/2006 15:25:13

You could get inspired on what to add ->here<-

Although you wanted advices besides color, I'll give you the hint, that this operating room is VERY dark and unfriendly, so it does look like a dungeon now. Unless that is intended, I would make take warmer, brighter colors.

cheers
nihilyst

Saberteeth · Sat 08/04/2006 15:52:55

Here, I didn't change anything but the coloring:

Em, click on the image and see.

Dunno, I think it looks a bit better.

Darth Mandarb · Sat 08/04/2006 16:18:48

yodaman - again, it's coming down to quality and time spent on the images. You still appear to be just throwing this together.

Example: Yours ...

Red circles indicate needlessly sloppy areas.
- jagged double pixels
- lines that double up needlessly
- lines the carry on past their terminus
- are the walls made of paper? Where's the dimension on the doorways?
- horrible perspective issues

Mine ...

This was done in less than 10 minutes. Now I'm sure you have an extra ten minutes to spend taking out over extended lines, double pixels, etc. Find some tutorials about perspective (search these forums ... it's been asked a million times). And I can't stress this enough ... Reference material. Google images is your best friend for this! Search for operating rooms. Study a bit before putting together a background.

I respect that you keep trying ... now I want to see you improving.