General advice and background/graphics critique needed.

[UnLady]

Hi. I'm new to AGS and I want to get started learning. The way I work best is using my own stuff as a tutorial, working on a real project is always an incentive.

And here comes the first part of the question. I've been toying with an idea for a while, for a first person adventure game, escape-the-room type. The story's pretty fleshed out, most of the puzzles are written down and I started on the graphics (backgrounds only, of course), as well.
EDIT: there's only one thing, it will need to have some sort of counter, that will determine some action or another, later in the game.
Then there is a second, more recent and less fleshed out project. It will be by far more complex, and I'm talking about story and programming both. It will feature three different characters you can play, with different interactions for each (I don't even know if that is possible with AGS?) Now the question, to you, the AGS proficient: do you think I should do the obvious and start with the simpler job, the first person one, or take on the harder option, the third person, to see if I can deal with it and 'bend AGS to my will'? 

Now for the art stuff. Here's the first room (actually two rooms, just displayed side by side for convenience) from the first game, tentatively called "Get out!".

http://sta.sh/01e33fskiot3

These are far from being done, a lot more detail will go in, like posters/painting on the walls, a hanging lamp, lots of odds and end on the turquoise table, the floor and so on, but the general feel is there. I tried to go for a cartoon-ish look, I feel it lacks oomph, though.


And here is the first room for the second project, working title "Three Friends Go on an Adventure" (3FGA).

http://sta.sh/02eeirokx2q1

This one is more 'done' than the others, it even features one of the guys but still. I'm not totally happy with it. Too much going on, perhaps? A bit too even, value-wise?It doesn't have the depth my earlier sketches had, but those were too messy.

Well. This is it. What do you think?

PS I couldn't figure out a way to properly insert the pics. I really hope them links work...

[Stupot]

Allow me

http://sta.sh/01e33fskiot3


http://sta.sh/02eeirokx2q1

Spoiler

Code: txt

[img]http://image.link/goes.here[/img]

[close]

I like your style a lot. The off-beat DOTT-esque perspective can go wrong, but you manage to pull it off very well, I think.
The perspective of the purple poof under the desk is a bit too off though.

[Ghost]

The two room screenshots look pretty warped but I agree with Stupot, you're making it work. It looks more like an extreme "lens" than actual "DOTT" though; the image is pulled into the centre and there is more symmetry than in your average DOTT-background. The many warped lines drag the eye to the centre and make the pictures look "busy" without much going on. The shading in the first shot is done well!

My favourite is the cave location. It's really good- colours, the heavy use of "fourth-wall" scenery (the stalagmites/tites), and escapcially that little green guy. Where the room locations look busy because of their perspective, the cave has a clean, simple cartoon look and (to me) is easier on the eye. It feels more "playable", meaning I'd be willing to look at that screen/spend time there a lot longer during a play session.

[UnLady]

Thanks! I'm very glad you like my work, I hadn't shown it to anyone so far and it makes for a nice, warm, fuzzy feeling to know I'm getting somewhere with it.

Stupot+: Thanks for showing me how to put in pictures and also for the kind words. The effect you mention is the one I was aiming for. Now you mention it, I see the pouf is all wrong, too. I'll fix it.

Ghost: With the images from the bedroom I was aiming to depict a space that is busy and cluttered. It was supposed to say something about the characters, the people that live there. I didn't give much thought to the playability of the scenes, at the time. A lot of the things in the scene will be interactive objects, some useful for the puzzles, some just for (hopefully) humorous remarks. I suppose when you say "busy", it's not a good kind of busy, though. I'll work a bit more on the shading, see if I can correct some of this impression. I don't have it in me to just redraw the whole thing. Yet. Anyway was an older work, I did it a couple of years ago, then had to put the project on hold till now.
The other one, the cave is recent, I tried a slightly different style and I am so glad you like it. I'm not happy with the shading, though, I feel there's something off about it. I'll try again and post the result later.

Thanks again for the feedback!

[Ghost]

I suppose when you say "busy", it's not a good kind of busy, though.

Maybe I used the wrong word. "Busy" isn't really a bad thing in my book. I like backgrounds with details, escpecially details that allow for examination. Complex backgrounds can look a bit overwhelming at first and then unravel as the player takes it all in (which is rewarding when you spot some little extra). When you draw a background it's up to you to guide the player through the stage (by making some "layers" muted or dark, by adding a single bright colour and what have you), and maybe I am just too used to people doing that: I always look for the composition even if there wasn't any 

Your two room backgrounds "drag" my eye directly to the centre because all lines lead directly there, and in the first screenshot the orange on the bed stands out. From there, however, there is no clear way to go; there are several interesting objects and apart from the bright cyan of the table there's little guidance; I feel myself just glancing around and pick my own route.

This is NOT a bad thing, just something I felt was done much better in the cave screenshot: there the foreground rocks form a window, almost all furniture offers a nice contrast to the background and the other furniture, and because of the less symmetric layout I am not automatically pulled to the centre of the image.

[UnLady]

Now I see the light!
Kidding aside, I understand now what you meant, I see it clearly, once it's been pointed out. I'll try to rework the scene a bit, make the more important things pop out a little, see if I can get away with not redrawing the whole thing. That remains to be seen. Fortunately I have not done the other rooms of the game yet (they are at the stage of extremely messy sketches), so they will be better thought out, with playability in mind, this time around.

I am glad you like the second set more, since between doing the two, a few years passed and some of it was spent studying game background design (meaning reading pretty much every tutorial that I could get my hands mouse on and quite a few of the older Critique Lounge topics, too). More to the point, It looks like I show improvement and that gives me hope.

It is mighty nice of you to take the time and explain, I appreciate it.