Adventure Game Studio

Creative Production => Critics' Lounge => Topic started by: Neutron on Fri 15/04/2005 19:27:46

Title: Mountain Path ( updated bottom of pg1 )
Post by: Neutron on Fri 15/04/2005 19:27:46
This began as a sketch for one of the outdoor scenes from flognars quest, but i got a bit carried away.
<edit> here's the real deal.Ã,  c&c?
(http://home.att.net/~yorik/mntpathback2.JPG)
Title: Re: Mountain Path
Post by: . on Fri 15/04/2005 19:33:39
Pretty nice but one thing:
The road goes to forest right?
Why there isnt a small space between the trees where road goes
Title: Re: Mountain Path
Post by: Neutron on Fri 15/04/2005 19:43:02
no need to cut trees just to make a path through the forest.  :)
Title: Re: Mountain Path
Post by: . on Fri 15/04/2005 19:59:21
ok
Title: Re: Mountain Path
Post by: InCreator on Fri 15/04/2005 20:15:46
I see no problems with the forest, it's just as dark and deep as it should in such deserted scene.

But the hills at the both sides of road really do seem weird.
I'd imagine them much higher, first.

Second, humans rarely force the road into hills, it's usually more like that the road goes where hills "allow" it to go (people pick the easiest way to cross the landscape). I hope you understand what I'm trying to explain: in your case, it looks like someone just digged the hills so there can be road.

Apart from that, the scene looks very good. I'd love to see the final (properly outlined&colored) version!
Title: Re: Mountain Path
Post by: ildu on Fri 15/04/2005 20:20:09
Looks great, but the image file makes it look all dodgy and unclear. I'd like it even more if the treeline in the distance was a bit higher, so that the forest would continue into it's own hill.
Title: Re: Mountain Path ( New Image )
Post by: Neutron on Sat 16/04/2005 16:18:02
thanks for the comments.  i have updated the sketch with the actual background at the top of the page.
Title: Re: Mountain Path ( New Image )
Post by: stuh505 on Sat 16/04/2005 16:23:15
I thought your original drawing was really nice drawing.  It didn't look like a game background, but it looked very nice.  Your new edit, on the other hand, looks aweful...the only improvement I see is that the actual trees are drawn nicer, but the composition is sooo much worse.
Title: Re: Mountain Path ( New Image )
Post by: . on Sat 16/04/2005 16:24:33
Ok this is a little better i think but try to mix up the first and this one
Title: Re: Mountain Path ( New Image )
Post by: DanClarke on Sat 16/04/2005 16:27:12
I suggest distinguishing the path from the bg a little more.
Title: Re: Mountain Path ( New Image )
Post by: Neutron on Sat 16/04/2005 16:31:56
stuh wrote:
"the composition is sooo much worse."
this comment says nothing other than that you don't like it.  please be more specific, such as:
" it's too symetrical " or, " such and such doesn't balance well with such and such " or, " the colors are too saturated " etc. etc.
Title: Re: Mountain Path ( New Image )
Post by: Stefano on Sat 16/04/2005 17:05:07
Wow! I like your style, Neutron. This "scratchy" texture you used is really pleasant to my eyes.
One little thing: As a wild scene, I think there's nothing wrong with your composition. The only thing I would change is the looks of the main rock surface:
1. "release" some of the stones from the plane, aplying darker shades in some spots.
2. throw some small pebbles around, so it doesn't look like some crazy guy has done some sweeping.
3. Unless this place has an old geography (weathered by winds and time), try to make some of the rocks look sharper.

That's it! Excelent job, in my opinion.

Cheers,
Stefano
Title: Re: Mountain Path ( New Image )
Post by: Kweepa on Sat 16/04/2005 17:45:12
I have to agree with stuh.
This version looks like four images badly photoshopped together.
- the sky is smudged towards the horizon
- there's a dark border around the mountains
- the trees look out of place - the old ones suited much better
- the foreground takes up over half the image but has no distinguishing features
- the whole thing is too symmetrical

Sorry about the negativeness; it's just that the original was sooooo much better.
Title: Re: Mountain Path ( New Image )
Post by: Neutron on Sat 16/04/2005 18:10:17
"- the sky is smudged towards the horizon
- there's a dark border around the mountains"
...there is a slight remnant of a black line around the mountains, but that's mostly just .jpg artifact. i could probably clean it up a tad but it would still look crappy around that edge once i compressed it. anyway, the original is much cleaner,...i'll try to get rid of the black though.
Title: Re: Mountain Path ( New Image )
Post by: ildu on Sat 16/04/2005 18:25:45
I agree with the general opinion. I think the first one was way better. First of all, the rocky area in the front is too big and plain. Also, the rocky area doesn't fit in as well to the background as it did in the earlier pic. You could salvage it by adding lots of trees near the top of the rocky area and adding a few trees and bushes near the lower part.
Title: Re: Mountain Path ( New Image )
Post by: Neutron on Sat 16/04/2005 20:26:56
removed evil black line, added gravel, lightened sky, sharpened some outlines, etc.
(http://home.att.net/~yorik/mpathback3.JPG)
Title: Re: Mountain Path ( updated bottom of pg1 )
Post by: stuh505 on Sat 16/04/2005 21:33:10
If you had not deleted the original picture, I would have been able to give more specific comments.  I would be happy to point out the differences in why I liked the old one better if you put up a link to the old one, but I can't remember the the details offhand.