It's almost complete :) This is the background that taked more time to be completed (not yet) of all backgrounds of my game. The quality is better on this one too. Comment and Critic!
NOW WITH ALMOST EVERYTHING, INCLUDING A FERN VASE:
(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/SideCorridoAdd.PNG)
Hi,
for the carpet I sugest you make a pattern that looks like a regular carpet fabric (just regular monotone fibers) and avoid any more details since they'll be pretty distorded and all pilled up.
Don't know about other things, but you might wanna use a sprite or any refference to see if all the objects in the scene are the apropriate size - for example the little chair and the door on the right, the knob and light switch height, table height.
Oh, might wanna put a frame around that door, and don't forget to draw shadows later. ;D
Thank you Anian ;D yeah, that 'little chair' is a little small for my character, i will update the room soon. I will add the frame on the door, and of course, shadows when i color it
All your paintings are landscapes, but are orientated in a portrait fashion. Seems odd.
I like it so far. Nice and clean style. I think the paintings are ok, you never know what the artist of the painting was thinking. However, I would make either all of the paintings the same height, or move the smaller one so that it is centre aligned.
Thank you cat, the smaller painting was an error ;D i made all the paintings landscapes because this will affect the game in the future 8) now i added more 1 painting and colored the vase, continue C&C!
(SORRY DOUBLE POST)
I colored the bricks now in two diferent colors, red and brown-red. Wich one is better? Also, i need some color tips to forget brown, the room has already a LOT of brown, and this make the rrom sucks... I think i will throw away the carpet and make the floor made of carpet. Red wine carpet. This will make the room a lot nicer doesn't it?
(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/SideCorridoresis.PNG)
RED
(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/SideCorridorBrown.PNG)
BROWN/RED
The brown one looks like real brick, the red one like fake-brick. I'd take the brown one.
Regarding the carpet: If you color it completely red, the whole room might have indeed a strong brown/red tone. What about colouring the pattern of the carpet with tones of blue (maybe similar to the blues used in the paintings)?
Edit: sorry, didn't look at the first post. With the noise the carpet looks ok, I think.
thank you cat, consider i'm using MS Paint to do it, because i can't do pixel art on photoshop, and i don't find myself in Graphics Gale :P i only use other tools to do special effects, which i didn't used on this bg. I wanted a comment on the black/gray lines on the left side (the back of the background). Is it ok or should i complete it?
Too bad you don't use PS, you could have corrected that perspective in the carpet. Those 2 parallel lines of the pattern are about the same szie when the one closer to the camera should be a bit longer/have more width. It's not so noticable in the middle but at the end there's a blank spot on both ends of the carpet.
And yeah the "brown" brick looks more realistic and in the style of other things on this background.
perspective on little photo frames on table looks awfully wrong. I think that upper edge on angled photos should be fully horizontal, since they are as close to vanishing point as possible. There's too much tabletop seen also, i'd cut it into half of what's visible, and correct photo frame lower edges accordingly also.
@ Anian: I already excluded the carpet from the bg :P
@ InCreator: Ok, i will correct the photos and the table, should i make it taller or move it up a little when i edit the top of it?
Move top edge (highest on picture) a bit down. So only half of the top would be seen.
Quote from: InCreator on Sun 31/05/2009 01:13:10
Move top edge (highest on picture) a bit down. So only half of the top would be seen.
Like this?
(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/SideCorridorframes.PNG)
Also changed the frames, are they ok now? What would you do to increase the beauty of the bg?
Yes.
You could try to make table less blocky and simple. Some ornaments and shape to table legs, etc. Google for some furniture photos and see how tables look in such houses.
Green stuff could be brighter and more... thick, wide... roomy. Those plants look like dead, unhealthy moss...
Add a bar of decoration to ceiling edge also, as it is with wall/floor edge.
You could try to break boredom of the ceiling by turning it into wooden panels instead of pale brown area.
Colors on painting could be much less saturated than colors of rest of the room.
ok, thank you. I will change the table legs and do some more changes. But is the background good? You know, it's the 7 or 8 background i create, and in MHO this is the best i have ever made :P the detail level in this is higher than the other ones.
It is pretty good-looking and well-detailed background indeed. And 100% functional already.
What you SHOULD learn is to critic your rooms by yourself - I mean, spot all the problems we commented on here. This way, you don't have to wait ages and changes until you can finally call your BG done - be your own critics lounge! Also, it won't stop development so much then. Nobody likes to spend a week on his background if there's a whole game to make!
Being a long-time CL visitor (5 years!), I can say that there's about 20 "default" responses you get to a background C&C. Those are most common mistakes and shortcomings newbies make, and this list starts from bad perspective (like your table), too much plain/empty areas (like your ceiling/floor) and bad shapes (like your plants). Coloring problems are common also (over- or undersaturated, overs. in your case). Those are very basic things you should learn to spot and correct yourself.
Stuffing BG with simple, but numerous details is a good way to make a good background, so you're on right track. When you decide to move on (not with this project, I assume), try to move forward from mspaint-looks and start using light & shadow.
Simplest (though far from optically correct, nor as good-looking) way to start with light is to cover whole screen with black layer and cutting holes into black. Then make black layer transparent so it only darkens. Like this:
(http://www.increator.pri.ee/i/critshelp/corridor.png)
Also upped contrast, desaturated alot and added yellow color to everything
But this is soft brush techniques and you aren't using those yet.
ok, got it InCreator, thank you ;)
I know how to critic myself because i look at my work and see it's not good enough, i change it. After i change it, i ask for opinions. If i weren't my own "critics lounge", for sure i would be asking if the carpet was getting good, and not try something else.
I like shadows. They look great, but you are right, in this game i won't use them. I will adjust more details (ceiling and table) and try to finish it soon. BTW, what do you mean with 'bad shapes' on my plants? What is a bad shape? thanks
What I call bad shape is drawing something that really fits well and contributes, but falls short because of weak shape.
Your plants. If I add a green plant to my room, I will make it big, healthy, and so it really adds some green to the room. Both on background for eye candy and also as really somehow picked a plant to make his room greener. You wouldn't keep a dead tree or flower in your room, wouldn't you? But that's pretty much how your plants look: dead. They fit here, but have very little effect due small size. It's believable in a tiny apartment, or if it was a banzai tree... but a big corridor?
http://aquafit-usa.com/sunroom.jpg
Now that's a healthy plant that really adds greenery to the room.
Of course it doesn't have to be so big, just well-placed, like this:
http://artificialtreesplants.com/files/artficial_tree_plant_living_room_2.jpg
It's matter of taste actually... I don't suggest turning your corridor into greenhouse.
But from artistical viewpoint, your plants won't contribute enough and with most of the room being red/yellow/beige, more green would be reasonable to balance colors out. Plants could have done this, but didn't.
Table is also bad shape. It looks like it was made using stone age tools. Yet everything else looks classy and advanced/luxurious.
EDIT: also noticed that perspective on light switch is wrong. Make it's upper edge horisontal!
InCreator, I think your shading attempt does not really fit the overall style of the background. Everthing is clear with crisp outlines and the smooth shading destroys this impression.
I kind of mentioned that.
My own style is a mix of both and it does (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=29792.msg380547#msg380547) work, but there's a bit more different approach than just softbrushing pixellated background.
This was simply an example.
Hum, ok i got it :) I will make the left plant bigger, do you think i should make the right one bigger too? I don't think its needed. About the light switch... what? I don't understand.
Obs: I presume you found my vanish point don't you? (in the frame of the 3 painting)
Ok, i got this image:
http://secure.countywebsite.com/FurnitureAmerica/images/TableLegOptions.jpg
for the table legs, i choosed 1 or 2 to it, but i can't turn them into pixels... any help?
Anyway, fixed the plant. How it is now?
(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/SideCorridorplant.PNG)
EDIT: i also changed that ugly fern and painted a more beautiful one ;)
(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/SideCorridorplantnow.PNG)