Hi
You might remember my witch's house interior and other stuff from earlier (go to wqpd.blogspot.com for a reminder). Here is my first outdoors background, featuring the exteriors of aforementioned buildings.
(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/OutsideHut&Boat.png)
This is a work in progress - but I am pretty much pleased with it so far. However, seeing as I learnt so much from the last time I posted here, I thought I'd post this up just to see if there's any constructive criticism out there.
BTW, apologies for the size. I'd post a thumbnail if I knew how.
I like it. My only nitpick would be some weird blurriness around the tree trunks, but that's probably due to this being WIP and all. Although you might also want to remove the smoke from the background and add it as an animated sprite on top (or whatever the correct AGS method happens to be).
Quote from: S on Tue 03/06/2008 22:09:16
BTW, apologies for the size. I'd post a thumbnail if I knew how.
The manual way would be to upload a smaller version of the same image somewhere, include it in your post and use the [.url] -tag to make it a link to the big image. Something like this might just work:
[.url=http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/OutsideHut&Boat.png][.img]http://www.whatever.com/thumbnail.png[./img][./url]
Remove the dots from the beginning of all the tags of course.
Looks like you drew this background, then scanned it in and added color... Is that what you did, if so, awesome looking job! I like it alot.
I don't like the door to the 'basement' or where ever it takes you (the green door). It kinda looks like it's JUST a door laying on the hill. If it weren't for the path leading to it, I would have just assumed it was a door laying down. It needs a little bit of wall that goes through the grassy hill, to show where it's going and what the door is connected to.
The blue door is really dark compared to that bright yellow handle. Almost can't see it.
I would definitely be removing the smoke, like Tube had mentioned, and apply it to the game background as a sprite. That way you can also add transparency.
Your clouds look insane.. good job.
And that boat laying on it's side will add an incredible feeling to the game. I'm hoping you've got some really cool stuff inside of that boat. And I would love to see 'skylights' in the boat (which would be the portholes that were once windows -- of course not on this background but on the inside background.).
I'm looking forward to more backgrounds.
I really like what you've done here. But doesn't the sky usually get brighter the nearer it's to the horizon? Is it possible the other way around?
Quote from: nihilyst on Wed 04/06/2008 00:01:52
I really like what you've done here. But doesn't the sky usually get brighter the nearer it's to the horizon? Is it possible the other way around?
Yeah, if a storm was on it's way. You're right though, it's brighter at the horizon.
a few things... The Rigth ... how it says... (Santa Claus uses it to enter the people houses xD) seems too drawed, not painted. Maybe needs a color retouch.
And yes, the door of the hills seems put in the grass, not a real door.
Mmmm One important thing to coherence:
- The top clouds are something wrong with they. The bottom clouds (stormy) were great... but the top clouds... (the top-rigth cloud especially), i thing fails in perspective or form... If you see real pictures of coming storm, is strange see this cloud-formations you've drawn more closer. Something strange with Wind were been passing, not?
OK, I think I'll go for animated smoke, then. Is a cycle of backgrounds not recommended? I know the file size might be a bit much for a big BG such as this...
tube: yes, the blurriness is something I'll see to in the very end. Thanks for liking it (the bg, not the blurriness)!
makerofgamz: yes - that is what I did, and thank you.
everyone who commented on the door: I think you are right - I'll have to do something to fix this. Also, I thought I'd change its colour; green worked fine when all the grass was yellow, which it isn't anymore.
You can see the inside of the boat if you go to wqpd.blogspot.com - it's nothing fancy, but it is the starting room - so upon leaving it you will realise it's in a boat. It doesn't have portholes, but a window has been sawn into the ceiling (which used to be the side of the boat).
About the sky: this is more or less exactly as it appears in the photograph that I used for reference. All colours and gradients (as well as the colour of the sea and the clouds) were taken from that photo, which, incidentally, was taken on the west coast of Norway on a chilly day in early spring. That's the overall effect I'm looking for in this game - yellow patches of grass, clear but cold-looking skies, not too many leaves on the trees (these are pines - evergreens - I will add more green on them later). I think that attaching the game firmly to a season gives it more atmosphere and uniqueness. Most games are either summer or winter - or desert or jungle or spaceship. This is more real to me.
I must admit, tho, that I found it strange too that the sky got darker towards the horizon. Might have been a trick of the camera rather than natural. Or a storm might have been brooding out in the ocean, which is not unusual where I come from. It makes it sort of gloomy, which is a good thing.
Actually something I just noticed. Your water horizon isn't the same level from right to left. It actually gets about 6 pixels higher on the left and the center is 2 pixels higher.
Nice work you got there, but here's the few little things that I noticed:
The cloud on the right is grey, when all the others are white, why? Is a storm comeing, and if so, why is it only one gray cloud?
And if it isn't a storm comeing I would like to see it all lighter, or atleast some higher contrast in the light (like it is on a sunny day), because I feel like the sky are saying, hey it's sunny and warm, but all the other is saying it's not.
Other than that it's, as said before, very good indeed.
Quote from: S on Wed 04/06/2008 10:35:56
OK, I think I'll go for animated smoke, then. Is a cycle of backgrounds not recommended? I know the file size might be a bit much for a big BG such as this...
Cycled backgrounds will up the filesize so yeah i'd go for the animated objects
I like the bg its pretty but the grass near the boat just doesnt seem right (the yellow strands) it seems a little to patchy almost like someone has mown the green areas. and left the yellow bits .
Good work keep it up
Ryan Thimoty: You're right! I didn't notice the bit in the centre - that needs to be ironed out. The left-hand side of the image is not finished though, that's for later.
Mazoliin: I've pretty much slavishly copied the reference pic I had, becasue I thought it had a nice mood. The storm is there, out in the ocean - we'll just have to wait and see whether the weather will worsen later in the game... I think that one cloud is grey because it is in the shadow of another cloud, outside the frame. I dunno, I might erase it if it looks too odd.
Sinsin: object it is, then. You are right about the grass, I think. I'll mend it by adding green grass straws as well, so it doesn't look as if some very selective lawnmowing has been going on.
Thanks all for constructive crit!
I'm going to agree with everyone about the smoke. But, the only thing that bugged me about this image is the sky. Something seems odd about it. Maybe it's that horizon thing, maybe it's that there is a lot of it and it's a little bland (though i'm not exactly sure how a sky can be "not-bland.") I dunno...
Other than that I could 100% see this working AMAZINGLY as is.
I love it! so artsy!
But the little green door is really hard to see, and kind of odd looking to me.
As if it is laying on the side of the hill wrong, or something.
(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/Delta-swamp-gui.png)
Here's an in-game pic of another back. Any comments on the GUI? What have I not noticed in this bg? There's always something...
EDIT: Btw, how to you change the title of a topic to indicate that it's been updated?
Quote from: S on Thu 12/06/2008 18:29:55
EDIT: Btw, how to you change the title of a topic to indicate that it's been updated?
Just click modify in the upper right corner of your first post.. (edit: just like you did with your last post)
Nice scrennshot. It has atmosphere and i really like handdrawn pictures/games..
The GUI is okay, though I prefer changing cursormodes..
Owl should probably be a seperate sprite.
I don't like the aqua colored outline on the GUI, it's distracting.
Only about 1/3 of the screen has anything to look at. This could be intentional, or not, though it makes the screen shot feel empty.
I like the GUI a lot. The one thing that bothers me is that continuations of the strokes beyond the lines they cross feels kind of busy and they don't really go anywhere. I think the basic shape would give the same idea and be alot cleaner.
Questionable:
I should have remembered to tell you all to ignore the horrible owl; it's ugly and it'll need to be an object anyway, because I'm going to animate it.
I might consider changing the outline, although there used to be no outline and that did not look good - the GUI would disappear into the background. It needs to be clearly defined. Suggestions are welcome.
About only 1/3 of the screen being something to look at: is the sky nothing? What about my rather smashing cloud? go look at Dutch landscape painting. You'll find plenty of low horizons and shit there. :)
Pslim: I might be daft, but I don't understand what you mean... Please elaborate, or paint over.
I'd recommend instead setting the GUI apart from the background by enhancing the shading it already has (a bit confusing by the way, from the shadows where the lines cross I can't tell if the light comes from the left or right), so that the edge facing the lightsource would be highlit and the opposite one shadowed. Does the game use 32-bit color? If so you should definitely consider using alpha channel for the sprite.
I'm sure I could find all kinds of examples of minimalist painting, that's a good point, but it would be just as valid for someone to say; "My characters look out of proportion 'cause I was channeling my inner Pablo Picasso."
Like I said, it could be part of the atmosphere: I don't know the scene, the setting, the music, the interactions that will occur, or practically ANYTHINg about this screen. All I know is what I see. When i'm playing the I will probably be focusing on A.) My character and B.) Things to interact with; I see an owl, a tree, some water and a tower. I would assume that the bridge is a gateway to another scene, or it's a scrolling background that will continue on in that direction. That's not a lot of stuff, of course it doesn't need to be alot of stuff. It wasn't a criticism as much as it was a PSA, I wanted you to know it so that if you didn;t want people to feel that way about it, you could change it, if that's something you don;t mind or were aiming for, now you know.
I believe that pslim means: On your GUI, there are interweaving lines (sticks?) and it is visually busy, especially with the icons, instead of having weaving lines, why not just the shape itself as one object.
Personally, I have to disagree with this, if that is the case. I think the style of the GUI is pretty sick, though I like where Garage is going.
all I did was highlight the aqua color and change the hue, so it's not as nice as it could look but it doesn;t take me out of the experience as much. I left the yellow outline on the lips, cause I think that's badass.
(http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll183/QuestionableQontent/WQrt1.png)
I never meant to sound harsh, I just think it's pretty normal to have a lot of sky in pictures. :) This is a scrolling screen btw, goes just alittle bit more to the left.
About the near-pentagram: the lines need to be on top of each other - look at any black metal or heavy metal album... I am glad you agree, Q.
The yellow outline on the lips is there to indicate that this is the currently active icon - I've been having doubts about the lips having a yellow outline, then another outline on top of it. I like your new colour, though I could probably do away with the outer outline completetly and go with Garage's suggestion - which is good, G.
I realize I've been a little lazy on the GUI.
About alpha channels: I need to do some research re that, 'cause I have no idea what it means. Something about transparency?
Thats really sexy. I'd love to play a game with these graphics
Quote from: evenwolf on Tue 17/06/2008 09:57:07
Thats really sexy. I'd love to play a game with these graphics
Thanks a lot, although I must warn those that would like to play the game that it will take a long time to finish, between jobs, writing articles to boost my academic career, having a social and family life, playing other games, writing music, having no useful programming skills, etc.
How do you people get the time to finish games?
QuoteHow do you people get the time to finish games?
It's easy, you don't...
Quote from: S on Tue 17/06/2008 12:05:41
How do you people get the time to finish games?
Yeah, this is a problem. I started my game in late 2006, then in 2007 I decided to not work on it anymore cause it took too much time. Then again about 5 month ago I started to work on it again but it's developing slowly. I would really like to make several games but I know I won't do another after my current one is finished.... I just want to have ONE game made with AGS, it is really taking enough time.
But the games that are done it a relatively short time are either low-quality or made by a team. Doing a game all by yourself is of course a lasting thing..