a dessert-startscreen

[accolyte]

                                   

                                      Heya

Well, this is my first picture here on Critics Lounge. It,s supposed to be a starting-screen depicting a dessert-landscape. (As you can see the sign has game-options on it.) I plan to use this startup-screen in a western adventure game some time in the future. I don,t think it looks so horrible but I would really appreciate some critic on this.   

[Jon]

I think that you need to add some shading on the signpost, and also the sun is in the top left corner, and the shade is facing the top right (remove the sun I advise as the images mught be hard to figure out if the shading is on there). The Shading to me also looks TOO dark for a midday setting in a desert.

[Khris]

Don't use JPGs, rather use PNGs. GIMP is a nice freeware gfx prog that supports many formats.

-I'd lighten the sky and maybe add a gradient.
-Remove the sun, especially from a corner.
-The mountains in the back could do with a touch of red, the sand, too. Desert sand isn't all yellow.

Is this really a startup screen? From the signs, it looks more like a in-game option screen. A startup screen should have "New Game", "Load" and "Quit".

[MadReizka]

Do a quick googleimage search for desert, and look for examples from there, how the mountains and sands go. I just say more colors and shading.

[Akatosh]

And it's desert, not dessert 

And IMO you're right - it doesn't look too horrible - but you should definitly work on it a little. At least the text on the signpost should be a bit centred.

[accolyte]

Don't use JPGs, rather use PNGs. GIMP is a nice freeware gfx prog that supports many formats.

Right, sorry. I will use PNGs hereafter. Thanks for the tip.

Is this really a startup screen? From the signs, it looks more like a in-game option screen. A startup screen should have "New Game", "Load" and "Quit".

You are absolutely right. I got aware off this little misstake off mine after i had posted the image.

And it's desert, not dessert 

Ops!, well that proves my english isn,t always so good as i think.

[accolyte]

Well, it has taken me some time but now i have reworked the image according to the previous suggestions. It still may not be the greatest picture ever but i do think it,s an improvment over the first. I don,t think i,ll modify it anymore for now cause i,m pretty shit-tired working with this picture. Some comments would still be appreciated though. 

[MadReizka]

Hey! It looks better allready!
I think you should cut those grey spots in the ground, or atleast spread them more.
The load sign with the text should be centered to the pole I think, like the Play and Quit signs.

[vict0r]

Looks alot better now!
What I would suggest about the grey spots, is replacing them with a darker shade of the color they are on top of!

[JackAnimated]

Much better, but where is the shadow for the QUIT sign?

JAck

[accolyte]

Much better, but where is the shadow for the QUIT sign?

JAck

Ah, well i sort of forgot it actually.

Anyway, thanks for your replies.Glad you guys liked the picture.

[m0ds]

It's looking good I think the shadows work fine.

where is the shadow for the QUIT sign?

is a good point, though!

[Kweepa]

Here's an edit for some ideas:



* removed black outlines and gave arrows thickness
* removed cracks on wood and added wood grain
* toned down shadow intensity
* gave post curvature, showed bottom
* removed spray paint sand texture and added some pencil detail
* removed paintbrush clouds and added a rough scribbled cloud
* made cactus more organically shaped with less regular spines
* made buttes in the distance more washed out
* turned one of the signpost arrows so there aren't two facing the same way
* changed text to caps, hand drawn instead of Times font
* added tumbleweed
* added nails holding signs to post

It's all very rough, I know.
I like the bleached skull. Perhaps you could make the horns more symmetrical.

[accolyte]

Hey nice edit, thanks! . It defenitely looks better and more natural than my version, even though it,s as you said, rough. (I didn,t even think of ading nails to the sign for example. .) In fact i think I,ll try my hand at another edit according to your suggestions. (that is, when i feel like it, cough!)

[Tuomas]

And as you're at it, correct the shadows on the signs, but don't mess up the shadows on the cactus like Steve did 

[accolyte]

Here I am again with a third and last repaint of my desert-screen according to some of Steve,s suggestions. I think it,s look quite decent now.


 

As you can see I,ve mainly changed the sign, but i have also changed and adjusted the shadows so they look more in line with each other. I also made stones above the shadows darker, made spines on cactus more irregular, removed some of the stones, addes lines in the sand and added some thumbleweed. If you still think there,s anything I could change with it, please say so, otherwise I,m quite happy with it.

[Tuomas]

ok, well, basically all the signs are in one line, while in the shadow they are not. And no-one ever nails a board as the Play board is nailed, it's clearly not in the middle, and thus there's more weight at the obtuse end. And not that only, a viewer, say a cowboy passing by would have a hard time making out which way it shows because the point doesn't reach out from the line, as a sign is supposed to.

[Jon]

It's getting better, but as Tuomas said, the shadows are not alligned the same. I also think that there should be a part of the shadow, of the bottom left 'arm' of the cactus.

And no-one ever nails a board as the Play board is nailed

How many good builders do you find in a desert? 

[Tuomas]

not many, I guess, but people with common sense are under every rock.