(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/street.PNG)
Well what do you think?
It's ok for a first background. Looks better than my first at least. :P
But there doesn't seem to be any perspective in the pic.
A few tips:
* Make the windows more cyan and make the bright parts white.
* The sun looks more like a paint stain than a star. Try making it round and then use a little spraying to make that shining effect.
* The cloud lack of detail and looks more like a gravy stain. If you have photoshop, try using airbrush to make the clouds.
* The pavements are often higher above the ground than the roads themselves. Make it more 3d'ish.
Well, that's some basic tips to make it a wee bit better. Hope it helps. :)
some more issues:
-what's that white stuff on the tree?
-there's nothing but sky behind the buildings
-no perspective -> everything looks flat
-graffiti between 2nd and 3rd floor?
-what's the green stuff on the house? ivy?
-right house is shaded although front is plain
-shop's window goes all the way to the ground
-no cars, hydrants, signposts, etc.
-tree is too straight
-what up with the roof of the brown building?
I didn't want to sound overly critical, sorry
Quote from: khrismuc on Thu 16/06/2005 20:29:30
some more issues:
-what's that white stuff on the tree?
-there's nothing but sky behind the buildings
-no perspective -> everything looks flat
-graffiti between 2nd and 3rd floor?
-what's the green stuff on the house? ivy?
-right house is shaded although front is plain
-shop's window goes all the way to the ground
-no cars, hydrants, signposts, etc.
-tree is too straight
-what up with the roof of the brown building?
I didn't want to sound overly critical, sorry
(This was all done in MSpaint)
- The White stuff on the tree i guess i made it so it looked like the sun was shining past the leaves
- Well i wasn't exactly sure how to make a far away image of more buildings :P
- i'll try and see if i can make things more 3D.
- Kids reached out of windows and sprayed it
- The Green stuff is vines and mold.
- "right house is shaded although front is plain" ?
- Don't some shop windows go to the ground? or i may be mistaken.
- Roof is falling apart on brown building.
*********
- Houses now have edges so they look 3d like
- The Sun is changed
- Clouds Fuller
- Made windows look like broken glass
- added hole in tree.
(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/streetupdate.PNG)[
Some tips on making it better:
The roadstripes: Make them thicker and shorter.
Outlines: Change them from black to a much darker version of that color (for example gray much darker gray outline). Add some outlines to the things that doesn't have them (like the wrecking building).
The Sun: Make a big yellow circle instead (use the circle line tool in Paint and use the color very dark yellow and fill it with regular yellow).
Add grass behind the buildings, make different top of the tree and follow the other's tips.
Hope this is helpful.
- Gave tree a make over
- added black outlines to delapitated building.
(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/streetupdate1.PNG)
*********
(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/streetupdate3.PNG)
- Small changes in tree (Filling up tiny holes)
- Added grass to side of abandoned building
- Added reflection of sky in glass of bookstore
- Added Street Lines
- Various Broken Windows
- Partially Changed paint to make it look like it was peeling
- removed clouds (For now)
- took away Grafitti
Hey, an old and clear InCreator's tutorial (http://www.hot.ee/increator/draw.htm) should be perfect for that type of background. And as I once said, don't be afraid of using some more complex paint programs, such as Adobe Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro. Of course you can do everything in MS Paint, but believe me -- you're only wasting your time. Of course it isn't so bad if we're talking about some pixel sketches, but things like the clouds or some shading / lighting effects shouldn't be done in Paint (I just hate that terrible spray noise!).
Again, good luck! ;)
Well is there a program as easy as paint? Because i have paint shop pro 7, and its very confusing.
The difference between M$Pain(t) and and PSP is HUGE!
You can't make so big step in little time, so switch to something a bit easier, yet more powerful.
There's much simpler programs available.
* ArtGem - as I suggest everywhere - similar to MSPaint on steroids
* The GIMP - Like Artgem on steroids
* Project Dogwaffle - Adobe Photoshop minus steroids
etc...
There's a sticky topic in this forum, about paint programs. (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=5644.0) Weird that you missed it ???
Find your own.
i've seen that, and i tried to DL art gem but it said something like they discontinued it or something along those lines.
anyways, heres an update of the background
Thanks to Increators tutorial i finally got the perspective right i think, so its flat ground and not weird like.
and i tried to make grass around the border as well as a few other minor touch ups and i rose the window off the ground.
(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/streetupdate5.PNG)
It's actually not half bad.. It still has the MSpaint feel, though. Maybe make "Stay out" thicker, red, and more legible.
And instead of one big blob, make the vine stuff on the building stringy and defineable. At least match the other foilage on the ground.
try changing the blue of the sky to a more natural blue. For referance look out of you window on a nice day or take a look at some other backgrounds.
(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/streetupdate6.PNG)
- Changed sky to a more realistic tone
- Added Mailbox
- Made Clouds
- Changed Sign on abandoned building and on bookstore
- Removed Vines
Ok, I was supposed to do a simple bg just to help you out, but I ended up making a... Well... Bah, here:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/Largo/town_bg.png)
Ehehe. *scratches neck* Well, I hope this bg helps you. Somehow. :P
The sidewalk shouldn't be unicolor. It looks out of place. Besides of that, your picture has improved very well from the first try.
Add some scenery in the background. Distant mountains, or buildings, or something. Right now it is as if things just dropped off after the building.
I actually liked the original "paper cutout" perspectiveless style. It could have been developed into something interesting.
Why would a building that looks like its about to fall down be next to a perfectly fine building? Its unsafe and doesn't seem to happen often. Not to be TOO critical sorry.
Quote from: Largo on Fri 17/06/2005 20:44:48
Ok, I was supposed to do a simple bg just to help you out, but I ended up making a... Well... Bah, here:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/Largo/town_bg.png)
Ehehe. *scratches neck* Well, I hope this bg helps you. Somehow. :P
Very Unique Style Largo, Original, i havent seen a style like that yet :)
Quote from: nihilyst on Fri 17/06/2005 22:59:14
The sidewalk shouldn't be unicolor. It looks out of place. Besides of that, your picture has improved very well from the first try.
What do you mean by unicolor?
Quote from: Babar on Fri 17/06/2005 23:15:48
Add some scenery in the background. Distant mountains, or buildings, or something. Right now it is as if things just dropped off after the building.
I actually liked the original "paper cutout" perspectiveless style. It could have been developed into something interesting.
I'll try to add some mountains or something. Did you mean you liked my original pictures better? or did you mean that you liked my way of creating buildings over largos 3d stylish techique.
Quote from: taffytom on Fri 17/06/2005 23:19:33
Why would a building that looks like its about to fall down be next to a perfectly fine building? Its unsafe and doesn't seem to happen often. Not to be TOO critical sorry.
Hah, i figured someone would ask that.. I am going to make humor about it in game, but basically the workers got lazy and demolished every old building on the compound except for that one.. On the other side of the street everything is nice but more expensive.
So the owner bought the property next to the abandoned, falling apart warehouse to save a lot of $$, the only problem is they are still figuring out a proper way to demolish it, without causing damage to there own building.
Just never got around to it =)
(http://www.increator.pri.ee/i/critshelp/streetupdate_inc.png)
..er... I even won't say anything, since It's my lousiest edit ever.
Let's just say that I can't edit this picture into my style, since you're very far from it yet, and this would not help you.
I still tried texturizing it though, and you'll see clearly how much even a simple noise on the house changes overall look.
BG's that large just won't look very good in simple coloring, unless done by professionals. Learn using texture and shade!
BTW, the broken windows are unexplainable mess and I didn't do much to improve it. But know that windows never ever get broken the way they are on your bg. Especially the one with some weird hole in center (2nd floor, rightmost). Most realistic one is at the top floor, in the center.
Also, never use black font on dark background! It's unreadable and unpractical. The people who make signs never make such mistake.
Now, take few spare hours and go through WHOLE critics longe to see how people studied and what were their mistakes. That way, you'll learn much more than just posting every try you make and repeat same mistakes people have done for ages.
My best wishes to you and good luck!
wow thats amazing IC, what program are you using again?
P.S.: i've never really broken windows before so i was just guessing..
Almost whole edit is made in ArtGem, the mysterious (and cancelled) program I always recommend to starters...
Mysterious part relies in that they'll always fall in love with it. :)
Since It's rarely downloadable at the present day, I kept a copy:
http://www.increator.pri.ee/muz/rlv_ag12.zip
The tree itself was made in MSPaint, but leaves in ArtGem.
-And-
The edit? It's not amazing.
It's mega n00b, since everything is out of proportions(sp?), the perspective is waay off and whole sizes make no sense. Why does bookstore have so large sign? Or so large house? The sky color is weird, the sun aswell. etc...
you said the tree was made with ms paint. don't take it hard, but to me it's the best part of the modified picture, IC... That's just the reason why I personally prefer mspaint to for example ArtGem.
There's the fact that I happen to like the old time graphics that are characteristic for (good)adventure games, (meaning the classics). And as the other style I find more like a picture that doesn't either look funny, realistic, interesting or impressing. More likely, I try to avoid games that really look like they're drawn with computer without even trying to draw a line first... It's not as attractive as pictures drawn pixel by pixel, and not as convincing as real pictures.
Don't tak eit personally, and the lot of you who do that, but to me it feels more like a cheap shortcut... Well I happen to appreciate works with effort put to them... ( this would not only mean the one presented later on this topic, but the majority of those you see in ganes and in this forum more and more often)... Well, there you all go! ;D
The windows just need more crackage lines, because if something was thrown at them the holes would be there, but the surrounding area would be cracked.
Other than that, you have improved greatly. Study some clouds though, they need work. (Spread them out and make them fluffier... Don't use spraypaint)