Main Character revamp, advice requested

[poc301]

Very nice

I was going to initially go for something like that look, but then decided it would make the game to hazy, or not have enough detail in it.

I am hard at work detailing the pixel-based version of the pic.  This is what I have so far on the one room:

[rbaleksandar]

You've used too bright colors for the light (maybe comes from the fact that the lamps, table and TV set are totally black?). Hurts the eye omho.

[Ghost]

It looks decent on my monitor- a bit less saturation/brightness won't hurt though. And it's a good style; if you can live with reconstructing your backgrounds, I'd say go for it!

[markbilly]

Nice work, it's looking great!

I agree some colours need toning down (lights mainly), I was a bit lazy with them when I started...

The second of Kastchey's edits provides a quick and simple alternative, but yeah you lose a lot of detail.

[Kastchey]

Details could always get added to the picture later, or just copy-pasted from the first, more detailed version. But true, a set of hand drawn backgrounds will work a lot better than a set of lame (and I mean it) quickies like those two I posted, so if only Bill's not scared of redrawing all the backgrounds then I'd say he should go for it.

And the pixelated version of the hotel room is turning out nice so far =) I know it's in progress and you're working all the shadowing and details out yourself, but I thought I'd point out that you still need to outline the wall corner in the furthest part of the room, in the area where the sofa is. And the wall light over the sofa looks a bit more like a torch than a lamp.

[poc301]

Details could always get added to the picture later, or just copy-pasted from the first, more detailed version. But true, a set of hand drawn backgrounds will work a lot better than a set of lame (and I mean it) quickies like those two I posted, so if only Bill's not scared of redrawing all the backgrounds then I'd say he should go for it.

And the pixelated version of the hotel room is turning out nice so far =) I know it's in progress and you're working all the shadowing and details out yourself, but I thought I'd point out that you still need to outline the wall corner in the furthest part of the room, in the area where the sofa is. And the wall light over the sofa looks a bit more like a torch than a lamp.

Yeah, I hadn't gotten to that part of the room yet   I was planning on working on that later this morning.  I will re-do the 'torch' in the corner too.  I noticed it did look a little bit torchey too haha.

I really like the way the room looks in this format, so I think I will be redoing my backgrounds in pixel format.  It will take a while, but I should be able to get all 50 rooms redone in 2-3 weeks probably..

One more question about shading and stuff..  One of my favorite shows of yesteryear was Futurama, and I noticed the art style there doesn't use shadows or shading..  Its all solid colors and looks really good. 



I wonder how this style would go with my game..  Its a little more cartoony than standard pixel type art, but has a simple and clean look, which I like..

Thanks,

Bill

[Kastchey]

How would it go, hm.. I bet some of your fans would go: 'O.o what the..??', and some: '..woah! cool!'
I'd say why not. Depending on how exactly you would execute this idea (more cartoony or more realistic way) it could be either a drastic style change or a subtle improvement, out of which both could work just fine.

[poc301]

I am going to do the hotel room and my character in both of those styles and post them for C&C to get a feel for it, and see what others think.. 

I have to admit, now that I am knee-deep in it, this whole thing isn't as impossibly tough as I thought it would be.  Perfecting it, now that is another story

Thanks again to everyone.

-Bill

[poc301]

Ok, here goes.  I think I have done all I can find to do with this with the exception of the television.  Finished shading, adjusted the lights and the brightness of the wall..

For the television, I can do two things..  One is shade it as if a light were above the television out of view (thus the light pattern on the carpet in front of the television).  The other is have some animated stuff on it in-game so it looks like the television is on.

Any more suggestions will be appreciated.  I really like the way this sucker came out.



Thanks,

Bill

[Find Therma]

Whoa, that looks wicked! I think changing to this style would be a big progression for your game.

Really liking it!

[poc301]

I am definitely going to do it.  I think it is going to make such a difference.

Here, I took a screenshot of the characters with that screen loaded into the AGS engine:



I am sooo excited!  Thanks to everyone whose helped me with this.


**Edit**  I just noticed the shadow on Ken (the main character) is way too dark, and doesn't look right.  Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can make this look more shadowy?  Maybe lighten it up some?  Does AGS support alpha channels for shadowing, so it just kinda darkens the portion of the ground being stood upon?

Thanks,

-Bill

[Ookki]

Holy chocolate! This looks really really nice! You get me excited too! Maybe when you're finished with this you'll make a deluxe edition of the prequels with same graphics?  I'm just that kind of a player that can't play adventure games with real life photo backgrouds. I guess I'm just narrowminded. But this looks awesome! I'm really really excited.

[Kastchey]

Very nice! I thought that maybe a bit of color tweaking would make the image even more pleasant to the eye, and made this example (hope you don't mind me doodling with your works like every single time). Also made some minor changes to the light&shadows (like added a light reflection to the bed cover and the ceiling over the second lamp).

As for Ken, how about you try a total revamp like you did with the background? As for now, the style of your new background looks alot cleaner than the character. Maybe you could try your previous idea of making a shadowless, solid color sprite?

[Hudders]

Everyone seems to be overlooking this, so I wasn't sure whether to raise it or not, but isn't the line in the top left corner of the end of the bedsheet a mistake? When it appeared in markbilly's edit I assumed that it was just where he'd left it - incomplete. But now, every edit since then has retained the line...

I've checked and there's nothing like it on the original image, so, uh... why's it still there? 

[rbaleksandar]

Ha, there you go! See? It's much better now Needs more work of course but cannot be compared to its origin at all!
One big problem I've noticed now (missed that in your first image) - room is way too big for your characters. Try to resize it. Okay, beds are nice, a little bit too big, but that is not a problem. Now look at the fan on the roof...Height of the room is twice the size of your character - not normal unless your in a hall or something. Work on colors and shadows is also needed not only the one of your character.

Othewise I say very nice indeed.

[poc301]

Kastchey : I don't mind at all, thats a great improvement.  Thanks for those edits.  What exactly did you do to soften the colors?  Was it a desaturation?

Hudders : I am not sure I know which line you're talking about.  Do you mean down by the base of the lamp?   Or the diagonal one down at the feet-end of the nearest bed?

rbaleksandar : I have a lot to learn, I know.  But I am learning, and thats the important part.  As for the size of the room, it is supposed to be large, but I see what you mean about being too tall.

Thanks,

Bill

[Moresco]

I believe this is the line in question...




Nothing else to add really, you're doing a fine job.  In useless news, that little red bit was the very first use I got out of my new tablet...I've never used a tablet before.  It was AWESOME. =D Carry on.

[poc301]

WOOHOO!

I removed that line one edit ago, so we're good to go

I will be giving you more tablet exercise in the near future, don't you worry.

-Bill

[Hudders]

Yeah that's the bit I was on about. 

[Kastchey]

Desaturation, then hue value moved a bit towards red. Then +brightness and +contrast.