Adventure Game Studio

Hi,

I just wanted to get people's opinion on a simple background I did if it matches Police Quest 4's style...the car + character is ripped (for now, temporary...just to see)

Ive only got two so far.

Does it match "ok", in your opinion?

Also, does anyone know of a good program that converts video into 256 colors and divides the animation into individual cels? Back in the 90's I heard Sierra used to use a program called "Movie 256" that permitted this but I cant seem to find anything like it (but I will continue trying!).

Thanks!

Not sure if it's really compatible with the PQ look, but damm, looking good there pal. I really liked the visual, this photographic, realistic look really appeals to me, tho I'm more fond of bigger resolutions, it's looking good anyway.

Thanks! Its 320 x 200 right now, like the PQ4 resolution (I think). I'll try to get some more done in higher resolutions, to test out and see what you think.

Thanks for taking the time to respond!

Looking good, very good.  Your on the right track :)

As for a program like Movie 256.  One way of doing it, is extracting the frames via virtual dub into png/jpg whatever and then using Animation Shop 3 to convert it 256 colours.

Hey thanks Xenogia...I got myself a copy of virtual dub...checkin it out now!

By the way, I noticed you're making a game on the Jonestown Conspiracy...man I'm pretty "obsessed" with that event, the death tape is pretty eerie...will it be in the game?

I love your graphics, if ever I have some technical questions, do you think I could ask some stuff?

Im pretty much the type of guy who will try everything out himself before "bugging" someone with questions, so dont worry, it will only be for something Im really stumped on!

Sent you a PM general_knox :)

Quote from: general_knox on Mon 11/05/2009 18:54:46
Also, does anyone know of a good program that converts video into 256 colors and divides the animation into individual cels? Back in the 90's I heard Sierra used to use a program called "Movie 256" that permitted this but I cant seem to find anything like it (but I will continue trying!).

I have used The RAD Video Tools from Bink to convert video to 256 color FLC to use with AGS. It can also handle other formats.

It doesn't really matter if this looks like PQ4. The fact is it's very very good. Keep up the great work.

Ive decided to let go a bit of the PQ4 style, and paint over my images to give it a more artistic look instead of too "photo-ish".

Here is my interpretation of what Sonny Bonds would look like.

I did a montage with Val Kilmer's features + tom cruise + matt damon...

What do you think, is it too much like Val, still? I dont want people to go "yah, thats WAY too much like Kilmer..."

Also, do you think I should put the character's name on the bottom like that or not?

That's awesome :)

Are you going to animate that portrait.

Oh yeah...for sure!

:)

I think it looks great, very nice style you've come up with. I do notice some of Val Kilmer's features, but it's not really a big deal. You could try changing the lips if you think it would distract people. Also perhaps tone down the blue in the eyes a little for realism.

He seems like Val Kilmer but not 100% (if you change the eyes a bit, no one will notice), but I think it gives Sonny Bonds some depth and overall it fits the character quite well.

The mouth is un-mistakenly Val Kilmer (that's not a bad thing since you openly admitted to photo-mashing it!)  I'm just saying!

The only other thing I'd suggest is maybe a less "trendy" hair style.  Most beat cops (and I'm guessing he's a beat cop by the uniform - unless this is just his photo or something for when he wears the dress blues) but most beat cops are required to have close cut hair (at least in my experience - my best friend is a cop!)  Granted if the setting of the game is the 70s it'd fit right in but he might need a bushy[ish] mustache as well!!

Quote from: Darth Mandarb on Fri 15/05/2009 19:30:51Granted if the setting of the game is the 70s it'd fit right in but he might need a bushy[ish] mustache as well!!

And don't forget the cop glasses!

Quote from: general_knox on Thu 14/05/2009 16:11:47
Also, do you think I should put the character's name on the bottom like that or not?

No. He already has a nametag anyway.

Hey, thanks for you comments people!

GarageGothic: Ok, Ill try some different lip versions and some eye colors desaturated to test out. Its funny you mentionned the glasses, I might have a scene or two with them...

Darth Mandarb: Aww man, I hate those buzcuts, lol! Ok, Ill see what can be done for that (butI'm not sure Ill stick with the crew cut!)...NO MUSTACHE, hehe!! perhaps a soul patch when hes undercover...ahem.

Hudders: Ok, I removed the name on the bottom, you're right, its redundant...GONE!

Dualnames: Thanks, I always thought the portrait pic from PQ3 of Sonny resembled Val a little bit...

Val Kilmer look-a-like, no? --->

I think you should definitely stick with the original Sonny Bonds look, and the current hair is a good approximation though maybe a bit unkempt.

Just as a curiosity, it seems that Sonny did in fact adopt the classic cop look in his later days. This is Lt. Sonny Bonds as he appears in the tutorial level of SWAT 4, complete with buzz cut and cop moustache:
(http://shadowplaygame.googlepages.com/sonnybonds_allgrownup.jpg)

It always struck me as odd that Sonny started out with black hair, then bleached it for his undercover work at the end of PQ1 and never returned to his original hair color. I don't remember any of his colleagues ever mentioning it in the later games, though I couldn't imagine something as metrosexual as bleaching your hair passing without remark in a macho cop environment.

I havent had the time to test lips, hair, eyes, etc...but here is a brief look at what I have so far for the icon bar. The Sonny sprite is pretty much how I pictured him (in patrol uniform).

100% height is 240 pixels, so at 480x640, Im assuming this is OK...(?) In the pic below, you can see at 50%, Sonny will take up 1/4 of the screen.

I decided to make the portrait image around 80-90% of the screen when a character talks...that way lots of facial expressions can be used with detail...do you think this is a bad move, or a good one?

Are these good sizes, and perhaps some feedback on what you think of  the icon bar?

Its still a W.I.P so dont be shy to bash away :)


GarageGothic: haha, in that pic sonny looks really...uhh...I make-ah dah-pizza doh-ah, mama-mia....

Personally I think what you have done so far is absolutely amazing and I wish I had that type of photoshop skills..

*Looks down jealously*

I think the Val Kilmer similarity lends some needed realism to the character that drawing him from scratch wouldn't give, so as far as that goes I think it's great.  The problem I see with it is that you've brought the hairline down too far when pasting the hair on.  The hairline for the position his face is in should start considerably higher than you have it now (probably 2x higher) which will reveal more of his forehead and make him look less like a hippy and more like an officer. 

I've made an edit to show what I mean.


Here I've brought up the hair and hairline to a more reasonable level.  His hair looks thinner and less mop-like.

(http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr218/ProgZmax/bondscl1.gif)


The hairline of the original and my edit seem strange on the right side of his head (and it doesn't match the original portrait) so I tried flipping it around and I found it looked much more natural and pleasing to the eye. 

(http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr218/ProgZmax/bondscl2.gif)(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/Sonnypq3.gif)


Hopefully this helps, and I look forward to seeing more of the project!

Quote
It always struck me as odd that Sonny started out with black hair, then bleached it for his undercover work at the end of PQ1 and never returned to his original hair color. I don't remember any of his colleagues ever mentioning it in the later games, though I couldn't imagine something as metrosexual as bleaching your hair passing without remark in a macho cop environment.

That's a hilarious observation, GarageGothic.

Almost all adventure game characters went blonde at one point. Not that I know why.

ProgZmax: Wow, so much better! You are right, I thought he looked a little too "hippy" aswell...I will take your image and get that fixed! Thanks, very helpful!

Hey Xenogia : I can show you some tips if you'd like...once I finally get a hang of AGS, my goal is to help out the community with what I know!

I was thinking of this as Sonny's off-duty pic...some stubble and leather jacket...think he looks too bad-ass? I think its just right, in my opinion. Also, I updated Sonny's hair according to ProgZmax's suggestion. I desaturated the eyes a teeny bit aswell.

I think he looks good - not too bad-ass at all.  Now, if he was wearing big black sunglasses and was smoking a cigarette, then THAT would be too bad-ass.

I think his overall look in both pictures fits his character well.  He seems compassionate, but he's no softy.

His hair and hairline still come down really low on his face.  The only thing it looks like you adapted from my advice was placing the part on the opposite side of his head?

Heres one last pic Im showing before a very good while:

This is how I would have imagined Marie in a more "pure and innoncent" state (before she fell into prostitution, of course)...the 8 is just a marker to help me know its the 8th frame of speech animation, ignore that...

Oh sorry ProgZ...I flipped it over, but I didnt want to raise it too much, I found he looks too much like a dork like that (heh). But its still a WIP so I hope you didnt feel like I disregarded your pointers...Im still trying some things out.

Thanks for your critiques.

Amazing, I wish I knew how you did it.  A tutorial would be great :)

EDIT: What games company do you work for General_Knox?

Is that not Amy Adams from the movie Catch Me if You Can?  Just curious.
Anyway I really like what you've done so far, even though they are copy and pasted Frankensteins. lol

Yeah they are photo mash-ups with overpaint in photoshop...I used mainly val kilmer + matt damon for Sonny and Amy Adams's head and Connelly's nose (repainted) for marie...BUT...I might have to modify them even more if they are too recognizable...dont want to get sued or anything.

Ive been working on a 3d model of Sonny, this is what I got so far. I was thinking of doing the characters in 3d and render their animations this way...and make sprites with them afterwards while repainting over it frame by frame (so it doesnt look 3d).

I havent done the textures yet though, but the modeling is almost finished!

I salute you, General.  Your artwork is wonderful!

Quote from: MoodyBlues on Thu 28/05/2009 22:04:52
I salute you, General.  Your artwork is wonderful!

totally agreed  :)

I want a tutorial too!

Quote from: general_knox on Tue 26/05/2009 00:47:35
Im in the process of trying to get into contact with Activision + Jim Walls to see exactly what I can and cannot do...so I have to temporarily put this on hold for now...however, worst comes to worse, Ill just do what Walls did with Blue Force and make my own series...all original characters and locations.

Heres one last pic Im showing before a very good while (until I get more info on all the legal issues):

This is how I would have imagined Marie in a more "pure and innoncent" state (before she fell into prostitution, of course)...the 8 is just a marker to help me know its the 8th frame of speech animation, ignore that!

That's really awesome. I'm begging on a tutorial PLEASE!!!

Sure, Ill take some time soon and get you guys a tutorial!

In the meantime, I was in need of some critique on a font for dialog options...which one, in your opinion, is better/more readable...

Its supposed to be a cop's handwritting...do you think its "copish", or too "girly, etc...

Ive got these 2 to compare:

Font A                                                                                Font B

I think neither are very readable, so I would advise you to keep looking. But I do prefer the righthand one - partly because of readability, but it also look less like something from a high school girl's diary than the left one (the lowercase 'd' seems a bit weird though, but maybe it's just AGS' rendering of it).

Those are rendered by the engine? In case they are I'd say left definitely. in case they're not, mind you that fonts might appear slightly different in-game.

They are screenshots from the engine (printscreen)...

Ok, Ill take your advice and keep searching! I feared they looked maybe too girlish (from a journal)...

Ill post some other handwritting options later today, if I have time to do some that is.


I guess even better is to convert my own handwritting into a font...or get an actual cop's writting anf covert that...heh!

:)

Oh, and one more thing (editing my post, not double-posting :)

Ive read many places that 800 x 600 resolution is way more than enough for most games...however, Ive done some tests and my menu's seems just better in 1024. Ive read also that people say 1024 res, it slows down the game considerably...is this really "true", as in...most people have good machines today, so is it really "that much" more slow to run a game in 1024?

Im not a tech guy so perhaps Im sounding dumb, I just wanted to know around what % cost on performance a 1024 x 768 game vs a 640 x 480  would be?

(Im aware that it would increase the size in memory of sprites, etc...Im just talking about performance running it!)

I'll continue my search though, on this!

I think the right font is perfectly readable (maybe Garage needs glasses?) and doesn't look girlish.  With such a big project, it's really going to hurt your development time and energy if you are stumbling over a small part of the game, so I really wouldn't recommend trying to find a 'cop font' or scanning your handwriting to make one.  There are thousands of fonts out there that will do the job if you aren't happy with what you've already got, and I don't see why cops need to write strangely because they're in law enforcement :).

ProgZmax...you are totally right...I guess I get so caught up in it all I can sometimes focus on something that just isn't "that important"...I like the right font better aswell, personally.

I'll just wait patiently for the tutorial, your talent astounds me everytime I check out this thread.

Quote from: ProgZmax on Thu 04/06/2009 16:58:18I think the right font is perfectly readable (maybe Garage needs glasses?)

Oh, I definitely do need glasses :) And I didn't try viewing the picture in 1024x768 resolution (if that's what you've settled on) so probably it'll be perfectly readable in game.

Hey Xenogia,

Im working on that tutorial, but I dont have much extra  time these days so Ill do my best!

PS: Here's another pic of my main feel for the gui's, etc...

Looks extremely professional. And the way you've used the rank emblem throughout, including the cursor, is very elegant. I don't understand the third icon from the left right (I'm an idiot) though, is that the currently held inventory item?

Oh, the one with the red "o"...? Its the score...when you roll your mouse over it, text shows up underneath so people know what they are (patrol, examine, interact, interrogate, current inventory item, gear, score, settings and quit).

I think the score icon might be redundant though, since I already have the score posted in the upper-right hand corner of the screen.

Yeah, despite what I wrote, I meant the third from the right, so that's the one. I would agree it's somewhat redundant to display the score there. Perhaps it could be a notepad icon that takes you to a list of the current objectives?

So the one in the middle is the current item then? Because of the grid I thought it was to go to the map screen. But I guess most of the time it will display an item, so that should settle any confusion. Nice touch with the 911 max points btw :)

Hi,

I was fiddling around with the PanelGUI and I was wondering which direction you guys think is the better one...

Version A


Version B


I was thinking Version A is better...

Also, if anyone wants to do a paint-over for suggestions, I think that would help me a bit...I feel its like 80% there...it lacks something but I cant tell what...

Thanks!!

ps: I am still going to get the community a tutorial on tips for some stuff...I apologize for the wait...It will come, I promise :)

Please don't double post. 

As far as the versions go, I don't think you need a 'text only' option as long as there is a voice volume slider that can be set to 0, which you already have.  A default setting 'might' be useful to some people, but I wouldn't use it for audio settings.  Overall I think I prefer the top version, mainly because it has the smaller badge with the game title above it.  Both are readable and easy to understand, so it's really going to come down to preference.

I think I prefer option B becuase the background image and some of the fonts in a seem really muddy and there seems to be too mcuh going on in the background.  B seems very clean but there are some things I like about A so maybe a meshing together of the two would be the best.  but I like the overall font, images and layout of option B more.

I like version B.

It's less "busy" and easier to read/visualize (for me).

I'd recommend getting rid of the blue/stars behind the sliders though (it's a bit distracting) and just stick with the metallic vibe in the background.   It's crisp and clean and appealing!

This project has a very nice feel to it.  Keep up the good work!

Ok so I agree with you guys, version A is too "busy"...too much scratches, etc...Thanks for your replies. Sorry about the double post, I wish I could delete them myself, sometimes its by accident :P

For a test, I removed the threaded metal, and toned down the scratches...I placed the blue circle back, but kept the flag in the background...removed the stars too. The options at the bottom have been removed (they are not necessary, agreed!)
I recolored the buttons to match version B better aswell. Is it "better" now with these changes, or is B still better?

People seem to prefer version B's font...and feel, so depending on the next comments, perhaps I will simply just stick to version B! In the meantime Ill try to get best of both versions.


Thanks for your help.

I quite like it!

I forgot how nice your GUI's were.  I really like the newest version.

Curious, where do you get these metal textures?  Are they from the net, or do you make them?  I really like the feel they give your GUI's.  I also like the thin lines forming boxes around your buttons on the left (perhaps trying to make them a little darker would give a greater impact, but I could be wrong).

Slight thing that bugs me: The text above the sliders seems to be a bit too low down, almost as if it's falling off the label.

That's because the lower part of those "metal plates" are very dark I presume. I think it wouldn't hurt to lighten them up a bit though.

Quote
Also, does anyone know of a good program that converts video into 256 colors and divides the animation into individual cels? Back in the 90's I heard Sierra used to use a program called "Movie 256" that permitted this but I cant seem to find anything like it (but I will continue trying!).

Hi, if you're still looking for a software, I developed a small software that can do exactly that (it only works on avi files though):
Edit My Movie (http://rapidshare.com/files/278554178/Edit_My_Movie.rar)
Just pick gif as the file format (since gif is always in 256 colors).
You can also tell the software to not extract all of the images, just those that advance the animation to a certain amount (otherwise you'll get a ton of images), just look at the readme for instructions.

And for your GUIs, I must say everything you touch turn into gold. I loved all of your GUIs, but if I have to choose, I think I still prefer version B which has a clean look and I find it more suitable for a GUI.

I think I'm in the minority here ... but I [still] find the flag/blue/stars behind the sliders quite distracting!

I am also not a fan of the game's title sitting above the badge like that ... it feels pushed in there!  I liked how, in Version B above, you had the flag behind the badge with no title.  That looked really sharp.  If you could get that flag (behind the badge) waving that would totally rock!

QuoteCurious, where do you get these metal textures?  Are they from the net, or do you make them?  I really like the feel they give your GUI's.  I also like the thin lines forming boxes around your buttons on the left (perhaps trying to make them a little darker would give a greater impact, but I could be wrong).

Ok, Ill try darkening it a bit, or finding a way to add more contrast.

Here's some tips for creating those thin line boxes:

1) In Photoshop, take the Rounded Rectangle Tool...tweak the values so you get the corners how you want them (radius).

2) Then make a Stroke with that selection...choose the thickness of the stroke you want

3) Then add a bevel + emboss effect with a drop shadow (I almost always use the same settings, and the drop shadow at 90 degrees)

4) Once thats done, I put the border in grayscale, and do a "Color Balance" on it. For the midtones, shadows and highlights, I make sure they have the same values of Red and Yellow...to give it a nice gold-ish effect.

Then its just about playing with the Highlight/Contrast tool with gradient fades for those metal-ish glints.
I can provide pics if you need it!

Most textures I find that are really great are from here: http://www.cgtextures.com/

I would suggest getting an account, totally worth it! Nice hires stuff...

QuoteSlight thing that bugs me: The text above the sliders seems to be a bit too low down, almost as if it's falling off the label.

QuoteThat's because the lower part of those "metal plates" are very dark I presume. I think it wouldn't hurt to lighten them up a bit though.

True, Ill send a 3rd version soon for feeback!

QuoteI am also not a fan of the game's title sitting above the badge like that ... it feels pushed in there!  I liked how, in Version B above, you had the flag behind the badge with no title.  That looked really sharp.  If you could get that flag (behind the badge) waving that would totally rock!

You know what, I kinda put that there to test it out...and the more I look at it, the less I like it. Ill try something else to see...good idea for the flag waving!

Thanks, back to work!

Hi,

Ive been working on the GUI for save and load games. I cant decide which version is better.

Version A has a smaller area for screenshots, but wastes more space with the badge logo (maybe I can put the credits scrolling on the badge or something). It has more vertical space for the savenames.

Version B has bigger space for the screenshot, but I find perhaps it can seem a bit cluttered...and there is less space for the savenames on the bottom...however I like the locker-ish panels on the sides.

Perhaps some of you could help me decide which is "better", even if it comes down to personal opinion? Youve all helped me a lot so far to get the main feel of this game's GUI's down.


Version A


versionB

I like the second version more because everything is centralized.  Also, since you've already used the badge in the preferences menu (where I think it is more appropriate to have game logos) you don't really need it here. 

I think it is dependent of what you did for the options menu... if you kept the badge on the options menu it might look a little strange to have the badge suddenly flip sides, and not sure wether the length of a name of saved file matters much, I know I usually don't get to discriptive in a save file name.  but I like both I think the first one matches the feel of the options menu and the second one looks pretty sharp also.

I'd say too much contrast on last menu images.
Background graphics is meant to blend in, be like a wallpaper.
Would you put something so heavily contrasted onto your room wall?

I'd definitely cut back on contrast on those metallic surfaces. It doesn't have to vary from pure white to solid black. Find a nice balance between those two.
Also, button text is really difficult to read.

With contrast, do something like this (sloppy edit, messed up thin holes):
(http://www.indrek.org/i/critshelp/version2.PNG)

I'd say that displaying the full length of the savegame name is more important than how many savegames you display at once - after all, most people want to load one of their most recent saves. Just make sure to support the mouse scroll wheel and it shouldn't be a problem.

If CJ removes the character limit on savegame names, as he said he would, you could even use the rest of the String to store information such as save game time, the location name and perhaps the number of points achieved in that savegame. Then crop that from the string displayed in the listbox and display it next to the screenshot for the selected savegame.

Ok these are good suggestions. Ill be going with version B's layout, however Im thinking of removing some extra crap that could be too distracting. Ill try to post an updated version next week.

Ill fiddle with the contrast levels aswell, I agree it can be a little too high!

I would LOVE to add the time, date, points earned, etc...in the savegames! Ill investigate the forums/manual to achieve this, good idea GarageGothic...Im assuming you're doing that with your game?

Hi guys,

Ive been a little busy with stuff lately and havent had time to work on much art, plus Monkey is helping me with reviewing my script (some redundant stuff and getting my inventory animation cursors to work :P), just wanted to thank him here for what he's doing :) Hes a good guy!

ALSO:

I wanted to know if anyone is interested in being a character in the game...Im making portraits right now, and Ive completed a few friends and my father (he's going to be the actual main character's father). I need people willing to send me their face pictures (front view)...

If anyone wants to be in the game, let me know, I need many faces!! Your real name will be in the credits.

Also, you can state your desired "role", as in:

patrolman, detective, waiter/waitress, doctor/nurse, prosecutor, defense attorney, bystander, thug, dispatch technician, etc...

If I pick you, Ill send you the portrait + character as soon as its completed as a thank-you...I cant use your real name as the character in the game though, sorry....but it will be in the credits.

Here is my father...I put a nice tie on him :)

Before                                                                   After

Oh wow, your artwork is always so good.  It doesn't matter how long it takes for you to complete, this is one of the projects on the website I hope gets finished!

I just completed another character who will be playing the wife of Brian Storm...who is actually my wife :) Im the one on the right, of course :P

Before                                                                        After


The next characters I will be posting here are a few of the people that sent in their pics from  the AGS forums! :)

Thanks to everyone who participated :)

You should probably flip the head (but not the rest of the body) horizontally. As it is now, it looks a very odd angle.

I agree with Babar, but I think that would make her stare off in the wrong direction.  A better approach would to be to bring the hair on the left side of her head forward to match the tilt of her face.  The shading and such is excellent as usual, even for a paint over.

Ok Babar + ProgZmax,

Ill see if I can correct the angle of the head/hair a bit better, I had a hard time getting a titled face from the photo to place correctly on a face-to-camera angle! :P DOH!

Ill post the change soon :)

I'm kind of curious, obviously you're copying the photo-reference, however, are you actually painting them, or are you literally painting over the photos (ie tracing using transparency, etc)?  Like everyone else says these are very good.

Looking amazing as always :)

Hi Uhfgood,

Well Ive been painting with oils since a pretty young age, so its pretty much the same thing but on a computer :P...I do use the photos as my background image, but paint over it with my stylus to give it more of a painted look. i use the smudge tool a lot aswell. The mouth animations are done by hand too, which takes up most of my time cause for those I have no reference photos (I find its the hardest part cause Im currently doing 9 frames of animation for each character's speech).

I started to work on a tutorial a while ago, but Ive left it aside for now cause Im finding less and less time to work on my hobby...:(

Im currently working on GarageGothic's portrait...Ill add little details here and there by hand (like for my father, the whole beard was repainted, and his body + tie is all by hand with no references)...the rest is a mix of paint-over and smudging + copy paste.

Ill REALLY try to get that darned tutorial done...with all the help Ive gotten so far in scripting I totally owe it!

:)

Here is GarageGothic as a Hacker-Punk, :P

Im not sure of the glasses, what do you think?

Before                                                                               After

I would have kept the body as it was in the ref pic, his body looks very strangely positioned in the paint over. Something i can't quite put my finger on.  

You have a very nice high res look to your portraits, the smudging and brushwork doesn't show at all.

You could try rotating the body c-clockwise and the head clockwise a little to make him look more natural. Punks strike me as being fairly comfortable in their appearance whereas your sprite looks a little awkward.

Screw it, here's a bodged 2 minute edit to show you what i mean.

(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/punkedit.png)
           Edited                           Original

LOL, that's hilarious, general_knox - that's the most buff I've ever looked. Good work as usual. I especially like technique you used on the hair.

I'm a bit reluctant to give criticism since I'm bound to be biased by personal vanity and dress sense, so I'll stick to technical stuff. I think the pattern on the shirt gives a very 2D appearance, there's no real sense of shape. This is especially noticeable at the collar where any volume given by the shading of the neck just disappears.
I'm also not sure if the glasses work - not the style as much as whether it's even physically possible to keep them in that position for more than a few seconds (I just tried with two different pairs and failed). It seems they should either be worn properly or pushed further into the hairline, which may mess up the mohawk. If you absolutely want them to be on the forehead, I would go for a more goggle-like design (like welder's goggles) that are held by an elastic strap. That would probably work, and also give more of a cyberpunk'ish hacker look.

Heh...ok, I rotated the body a bit and the head + shaded the "lovely" shirt :)... I think its getting there!

Whats better GG, without glasses, wearing the glasses, or welding goggles on the forehead? I could also have all versions in the game...depending on what say the cop talks to this character (Id like to change people's clothes thoughout the game if possible).

Alright, I think I can safely say no to the normal sunglasses - makes him look like the ungodly offspring of Elvis Costello and Bono :)
I quite like the welding goggles, but I would say it really depends on where you meet this character, and what he's doing at the time.

I think my personal preference is actually in the order they're shown.  That is to say no glasses, then glasses, then the two goggles :)

If you go without glasses (which I also like), you should probably add something else to make him look more like a hacker and less like a biker. Like replace the skull on the jacket with some badges or something (the Watchmen smiley perhaps, or is that too geeky?)

Those are good ideas! Ok, let me fiddle with it...What I see for this character is an eccentric, I kinda like the contrast of a tough-guy biker, but a computer hacker...heh! I wanted this guy to be pulled over for erratic driving (on a motor-bike), but with further investigation the cop notices he's tweeked out on meth or something...hehe...perhaps he has a future role too as informant or something, Im not sure yet. Heck, he could even just be a thug, or a drug dealer, etc...too many options.

I have to say though, out of all the characters Ive been fiddling with so far, this one is the funnest!

Oh, if he's on a bike it would make perfect sense with the goggles (I take it he's also breaking the helmet law), then you can always use the one without for when he's taken to jail or if the player meets him again later on.

General, all these pics look awesome. Looking forward for the pic of me (if you're making it) :D

Quote from: GarageGothic on Mon 07/12/2009 00:05:31
Oh, if he's on a bike it would make perfect sense with the goggles (I take it he's also breaking the helmet law), then you can always use the one without for when he's taken to jail or if the player meets him again later on.

Exactly...hehe, didnt think of the helmet law though (ahem)...he's gonna be hauled to jail though, thats for sure :)

jon_swe : Yup, Im working on yours, but after a few others first, though :P

I know there are several states that don't have a helmet law.  Not sure which ones though, google popped up a few sites.

I just assumed it was California since the building in one of the earliest screenshots belonged to LAPD, and they definitely do have a helmet law.

general_knox, in case you're doing further touch-ups I was looking at the portrait again and I think the highlights on the neck are a bit distracting. They seem brighter and the color of the light more yellow than the rest of the highlights. No biggie, but they just drew my attention.

Quote from: Ryan Timothy on Mon 07/12/2009 05:36:07
I know there are several states that don't have a helmet law.  Not sure which ones though, google popped up a few sites.

Oh wow.  I thought that sort of thing would be mandatory everywhere.

After a break from characters, Ive had time to work on 3 other character portraits...the main character older and younger...one you can see him as a detective close to retirement, another as an old patrolman (a few years before becoming a detective) and the other, at around 18 as a QB for his highschool team.

I was wondering if you thought they all look like the same person, including the original pic of the main character...and in your opinion, if you think something doesnt look right?

Wow, it's really beautiful, yes in fact he looks like the same person.

Heh, the detective version looks like a mix between Jeff Bridges and Jim Walls! I like them a lot, and they do look like the same person.

A couple of things stick out:
* The shading where the detective's neck meets his head is weird. Even if he has a bit of a double chin, there should be some kind of shadow beneath it.

* Middle-aged cop looks good - not too sure about the haircut, seems a bit too young for him. Nametag could use some texturing/shading.

* Young football player: His bare arms are really poorly defined, probably they're just overlit, but the somewhat remind me of the fleshy blobs in a Francis Bacon painting :). The black markings under his eyes look a bit too much like photoshop brushstrokes - try to play around with the blending settings.

Other than that, excellent work as always. Also love the lighting on the football player's shirt and how you can tell the edges of the padding.

Cool, I used Jeff Bridges as reference, Jim Walls must have been in my subconscious! The middle-aged cop, I used a bit of Tom Skerritt for reference aswell.

Ok, Ill get those changes done and repost...Francis Bacon, hehe!

How about some variation in the nose? Just from where I'm sitting, seems like it has changed at all.

Quote* Middle-aged cop looks good - not too sure about the haircut, seems a bit too young for him. Nametag could use some texturing/shading

Ok, I tried this hairstyle, much more mature and it fits his age better...how bout the tag? Its hard to get detail in, I feel Im missing resolution :P


theRedPress, true...I didnt modify the nose at all...! I could make it slight larger as he gets older, I believe thats what happens to noses in real life :P

Looks absolutely fantastic general_knox, much better than the previous middle aged character. Seems you may have to change the older one now due to the fact he is greying out.  Also it looks like his thinning also.

I think they look great, though the middle and last don't necessarily look like the same person.  Young and middle age look like Val Kilmer and his detective years he's channeling Jeff Bridges around the jaw and neck.  If I were you I'd stick with the same face and just work to age it; in fact, just giving him a beard and some different hair for the detective (from the current patrolman) would be perfectly fine and I can't imagine anyone complaining.  I'm curious to see how you'll work in these different timelines into the the gameplay!

It's hard to say anything negative about this, but for this looks so much like the same person that it's a bit disconcerting. He has the exact same eyes and mouth on all pics, the exact same facial expression, making it obvious that this a cut-and-paste job, albeit a very smooth one.

About the name tag: it looks unrealistic because it is absolutely horizontal. Give it a slight angle and a metallic reflection cutting diagonally across it, and it will look better, I think.

But overall this is really good stuff, although I must say that the presence of these pics makes me curious about the story of the game.

Great job on the new haircut! Looks much more natural, and also makes for a more bad-ass player character :)

I agree with S about the nametag, it's improved but still seems a bit too straight and clean, somewhat like a beveled GUI button.

Maybe this will help with the nametag, though both the tag and the badge are clearly bronzed:

http://davidhoustonvoice.com/media3/c9f32805.jpg

Compared to the badge, the nametag has almost no reflective properties and is pretty dull in sheen, like this:

(http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr218/ProgZmax/Revisedcl.png)

Great job on the aged version of officer Storm. Thats exactly what I imagine years of hard and stressful police work will do to a person.

ProgZmax: Hey, much much better! Ok, I like it! Thanks, Ill use your version if you dont mind...I also really like the ref pic you posted, Ill try to see if I can do something with that.

Sonny Bonds: Thanks! I always thought that games needed more older people in them :P

S: You're right on that, I took the main pic of Storm as a rookie and just painted over it/resized facial features, added wrinkles, etc...but kept the neutral emotion. Ill  try some different versions to see if I can get it a bit more varied. Ill change the nose size a bit aswell and modify slightly the lips throughout (not too much though) :P

GarageGothic: Ok, Ill see if I can make those black marks look better (they ARE photoshop brush strokes, :P)

As for those curious of how these different versions of Brian will be implemented in the gameplay, all I can say is you'll have to wait when its done...so like in 15 years from now :P

I just have to say: WOOOOOW!!!
This is so beautiful! I´m sure this is the true PQ-Style. When I look just at the graphics I must say it could be the best PQ-Part ever. When the story and the puzzles fits it IS PQ-Part ever(in my opinion).

I wish you good luck, motivation and keep up the genius work!!!

Hi guys,

I havent been able to work much on this project of mine, things are going slow! However, Ive been trying to decide what design to go with the guides (issued to RVPD officers):

Version A:                                                                Version B:
(http://www.freeimagehosting.net/newuploads/953c9.png) (http://www.freeimagehosting.net/newuploads/004a1.png)

Which versions do you like best? Also if you like parts of version A, and parts of version B, let me know, I can try to mash both together. Thanks for your input, Ive narrowed it down to these last 2 styles.

Looks great General_Knox! I get a very strong feeling of reminiscence looking
at your screen-shots.

Even though B looks neat, personally I'd prefer Version A. Considering the genre
and the intended purpose of those manuals (police paraphernalia as a "tool of trade" etc.),
I'd go with the more plain approach of version A.

I also rather like the lesser use of shading at the sides, which seems more realistic to me
and doesn't have that "computer generated/ fake-3D"-flavour to it in my opinion.

Did a quick'n messy mash-up of the first manual in version A inlcuding those elements I liked best:


(http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/1296/codemanual.png) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/192/codemanual.png/)

• ...the golden banner right at the top seemed a tad too bold, I moved it down a bit and
   divided it.
  
  
• I liked the bottom part of version B very much.

Definitely the first one here too. I like the clean, plain approach of version A.  If you'd like General_Knox, I can give you an example of what our guides look like over here (via PM). Altough they both look neat and authentic as it is.

I'd say not to let yourself get bogged down in basic aesthetics most people (and indeed the average player) won't even pay attention to.  Both designs work so it doesn't really matter to me which you use.  One thing I will say is if I were to have done it I would've used a wavy US flag pattern as the backdrop for ALL of them and merely altered the color of the text, if that.  Most of these manuals and guides tend to be mass-produced by the same publisher with the same general look and feel since they are companion pieces.  Think of this as an encylopedia set.  All of the volumes look the same but cover different topics because they are meant to be taken as a whole; the way you've colored these, while nice, almost makes them feel unrelated.  I don't think the average player will have any problem with it, but I would have saved some time making the designs the same.

I did some googling and I notice these guides tend to look the same regardless of state but they seem to vary by color.

Here's one for Massachusetts for 2011:
http://www.fire-police-ems.com/books/bm59785.jpg

And Arizona:
http://www.lexisnexis.com/store/images/bstore/product/lexisnexis/genfieldguidered.jpg



Apparently, they've got the whole thing condensed into this rather handy field guide as well:

http://www.galls.com/style-BK086-general_catalog-police-field-guide;jsessionid=2179F419FF33BE6DAC62CC4067F83882


Instead of having different booklets you could do something like the above and have the main categories as tabs like the booklet does for quick access.

I see your point ProgZmax, but take a look at this for example. These are examples of guides in our neck of the woods. (Holland) Its almost identical to General Knox's, color-wise.

@Trampoline: Hey I like what you did! Ill incorporate it if you dont mind. I think I agree with you, A is better...less busy. I like the bottom of B too, so actually Ill go with pretty much what you suggested.

@ProgZmax: Wow, I actually own that condensed pocket-manual (the very same one), hehe!! Its pretty cool, I took a lot of info from it and placed it into the RVPD field manual. Im basing them on the CA versions from LAW-Tech, but changing them enough so I dont enfringe on copywrite stuff :P
You know making just one booklet is actually a good idea too...with tabs! Much less work...MUCH less sprites too!! Ill try that out and let you see what it looks like :)

@SonnyBonds: Sure, Ill pm you, Id LOVE to see them!!

Thnx for the help, I DO get bogged down in minor details...gGrrRrr, thats why me-not-advancing-too-quickly!!