Adventure Game Studio

Creative Production => Critics' Lounge => Topic started by: Sam. on Tue 05/07/2005 20:39:03

Title: detective office
Post by: Sam. on Tue 05/07/2005 20:39:03
this is a background i've been working on for a while, its supposed to be a private detectives office in new york, i think its a bit confused in period and style. help?

(http://www.twin-design.com/fafmb/photos/dirks_office.gif)
Title: Re: detective office
Post by: Timmo on Tue 05/07/2005 21:05:47
Add lots of paper sheets into room, they could be on table and they are messed up.
I found a picture from google too:
(http://arkcity.org/images/pages/N152/image006.jpg)
Title: Re: detective office
Post by: Anarcho on Tue 05/07/2005 21:06:02
First of all, your detective looks great.  The image looks good too, but there are some things you could improve on.  For one, I think the top of the filing cabinet is off in perspective.  The rug is waaaay too white, it forces the viewer to focus their attention  on it.  I would go for a different color, something grey or bluish.  You're right about the confusion in period and style...i really think the painting looks cool and you probably spent a lot of time on it, but would a detective have a big painting of an ocean behind him?  Also, wouldn't his desk have a chair?  If you're going for a noir theme or something darker, i would probably stick to using more wood trim---around the windows, along the floor.  Some kind of dark wood that blends in.  The window looks too modern, as do the metal cabinets...

But it does look cool, and your detective is rad!
Title: Re: detective office
Post by: Sam. on Tue 05/07/2005 21:34:56
ha, unfortunatley, the detective is the one piece i didn't do, kindly donated by progzmax.
Title: Re: detective office
Post by: passer-by on Tue 05/07/2005 21:42:30
Quote from: Zooty on Tue 05/07/2005 20:39:03
i think its a bit confused in period and style. help?
The room is modern enough, the detective looks more "black & white film person" to me.
What period and style are you planning to use?
Title: Re: detective office
Post by: Gord10 on Tue 05/07/2005 22:03:28
Looks cool. Though the red painting on the left wall looks too bright.
Title: Re: detective office
Post by: yourhumblecartoonist on Wed 06/07/2005 00:31:57
Just a few quibbles, I think the legs of the desk need to come down a little bit, and definitely put a chair behind it.  Also, I don't think the rug needs to be gray or blue, but your should maybe tone it down, like a cream or manilla.  Personally, I like the painting.  I think you ought to add a few more details like that to sort of reflect the detective's personality.  I mean, he spends most of his time in his office right?
Also, that detective sprite is pretty awesome.  Very Bogart.
Title: Re: detective office
Post by: ildu on Wed 06/07/2005 00:55:38
You're missing one table leg.
You could also add shading created by each object.
Add a plant to the right side of the pic.
Add a lot of stuff all over the place.
Replace the painting with something darker.
Title: Re: detective office
Post by: Darth Mandarb on Wed 06/07/2005 02:08:16
Good to see another Zooty background in the CL!!

I did a quick paint-over:

(http://www.twin-design.com/ags/help/zooty_help06.png)

- fixed the rug (it looked off shaped)
- added shadows
- fixed some lines on the desk and added a wood texture
- added some depth to the window sill (it looked pretty flat before)

The perspective is off in a few areas (or appears to be) but nothing major ... the main area I feel the variance is between the dresser and the filing cabinet.

Oh ... and don't lose that painting ... I dig it :)

Some additions I would suggest:
- baseboard around where the floor meets the walls
- a door handle
- some more details to the walls (not necessarily textures)
- more objects/clutter (fill the room up)
- a chair

Keep up the good work man!
Title: Re: detective office
Post by: DanClarke on Wed 06/07/2005 16:07:06
can i suggest bringin the desk out from the wall a bit? Seems a little tight. Nice BG though, and i love the character.
Title: Re: detective office
Post by: Sam. on Wed 06/07/2005 22:29:28
a quick update.

things ive done:

-Moved the deks, added a chair
-added some more clutter, phonebooks, phone etc.
-rearranged some other stuff
-added the base board.

Any more help? this is really going somewhere now.

(http://www.twin-design.com/fafmb/photos/dirks_office.png)
Title: Re: detective office
Post by: yourhumblecartoonist on Wed 06/07/2005 22:35:13
Maybe you could make the desk lamp bigger, and tiltÃ,  up a little higher?Ã,  Something about it seems a little off to me.  And you should probably fix the perspective on that filing cabinet.
Title: Re: detective office
Post by: Kweepa on Thu 07/07/2005 00:36:53
I was going to recommend an Art Deco style to fit with the detective, but then my google searching came up with some screenshots from the office building in Grim Fandango. Typical.

(http://www.ninth-world.com/images/deco/1.jpg)
Title: Re: detective office
Post by: Oliver on Thu 07/07/2005 12:02:28
That closet near the door is out of perspective, and the desk is a bit high. Other than that it's great.
Title: Re: detective office
Post by: Sam. on Thu 07/07/2005 20:11:50
im struggling to see any perspective problems, i used a vanishing point method, and all of the lines join up, anyone care to expand on the problems?
Title: Re: detective office
Post by: Kweepa on Thu 07/07/2005 20:38:40
I think he might have been thrown off by Darth's shadows.
Which don't make a whole lot of sense around the closet - why would they suddenly stop like that?
Title: Re: detective office
Post by: Pod on Thu 07/07/2005 22:57:39
The vanishing point is inbetween the carpet and filing cabinet, veritcally.
Move the cabinet 2 or 3 pixels to the left. Looking at it with a human eye, it looks like the cabinet's right line should be "straight". Moving it left a bit will clear up these problems [casue, you'd have to redrawn the right hand side of it. no biggy]