So I wanted to start making a game again after an immense Adventure Gaming marathon the other week (DeFoe Series, Monkey Island, DoTT). I decided to start with what I believe I do best, backgrounds. Having failed miserably in the past to do 3D I decided to return to pixel arting things.
Anyway, this is what I came up with:
(http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i211/Cluey3/Office-2.png)
(http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i211/Cluey3/Office-2.png)
I thought to myself; 'Shizzle, I'm out of practice'.
So I fired up photoshop to make it pretty, came up with this:
(http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i211/Cluey3/Officeaveclighting.png)
(http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i211/Cluey3/Officeaveclighting.png)
It's my first attempt at doing something like this in ages (last time I posted anything here was 2006, I've been working on my comic).
Also I dunno why I'm always compelled to do this background...
Refined and new one below...
I like the first and the second one according to technique and coloring, two totally different styles that are hard to compare. I think your main problem is composition. There is just this one desk in a huge room. You should either add some more furniture or move the desk and change perspective.
The window (in the door) appears to be a strong light-source ... however, the shadows don't show this at all. The shadows appear to be coming from the desk-lamp, which appears less bright than the door window.
I'd suggest making the door's window dim[mer] or add another level of shadows that respect that light source!
Though, just personal preference, I'm not a big fan photoshop lighting effects on pixellated backgrounds. The styles "clash" in my eyes. I don't hate it, just not my cup of tea :)
Yes, I personally prefer the first version, just take the way the lighting looks from the second image as reference and try to accomplish the same thing by hand with pixels in the first one.
Also, as cat said, the composition: lots of people do as you do and create one box as room and then go crazy adding little details and doodahs everywhere. This is the wrong way to do a normal room - try to add detail in the geometry of the room! For example, imagine this is top-down:
your room right now:
____
| |
|__|
make it more interesting, example for an edge:
______
__| |
| |
|______|
Good work, though, your rendering of the objects inside (desk, walls etc.) seems fine so far. Your shading is basic, but that's fine.
Thanks for the advice, I'll get right on adding another shadow layer for the window.
As for the composition of the room, I was really just testing it out. I always try out new styles with this room:
(I've lost the first ever one)
(http://img127.exs.cx/img127/3627/idaloroomrealisticbig.png)
First style change (2004)
(http://img96.exs.cx/img96/3296/poornewoffice.png)
Second style changer (Later on in 2004)
(http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/1399/office0mv.png)
Third style change (2006)
I like the one with shadows, i think it looks really cool!
Well, having a character in a game without shadow makes this quite unusable though... :(
If you're going for shadow room, make file cabinet darker.
And yes, it looks too empty right now, and the door looks REALLY huge compared to everything else.
* A man sitting in that chair should have really tough time reaching this door handle! Or the book on upper shelf!
I mean, everything is totally out of proportion. Don't you use characters for size reference? Add an empty layer, put your character onto it, and draw everything according to character. Then erase character layer. simple?
* Never make a background that forces you to use character scaling so much! It won't look good later.
Ok, I fixed some things.
-Added a rug to the floor to make it less barren
-Shaved a few pixels off the door
-Added some more onto the chair to make it bigger
-Removed half of the desk underspace (legroom)
-Took a screenshot with a character in for size comparison
(http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i211/Cluey3/Officeaveclighting-1.png)
(http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i211/Cluey3/Officeaveclighting-1.png)
(http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i211/Cluey3/screen-1.jpg)
(http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i211/Cluey3/screen-1.jpg)
as Inc said, he looks misplaced with no shadow when the chair next to him, has a huge shadow...
Other than that I do like it, personally. :)
Quote from: Nikolas on Sun 07/10/2007 23:10:50
as Inc said, he looks misplaced with no shadow when the chair next to him, has a huge shadow...
Maybe if I just added a drop shadow to him it wouldn't look so odd. Obviously Dynamic shadows aren't possible in AGS (to my knowledge).
The yellow line on carpet looks like it's radiated or neon or something. It's way too bright and stands out too much...
Still, the chair (especially the chair) and table both look too low. Sitting on this chair... would look really funny. Make chair legs taller by at least 3-4 pixels!
First of all you need to ditch the ps effects and do the lighting and shading manually. If you must use filters and effects, set them extremely subtly and with low contrast. For instance, the pitch black corner (bottom right) is an eyesore and has to go!
Secondly, just take a look on a real office and see what's in it. Prolly lots of stuff and furniture, right? Your painting is more like a symbol of an office, the idea of an office.
(http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i211/Cluey3/Office-3.png)
(http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i211/Cluey3/Office-3.png)
Redone
-Manual shading
-More stuff
-Redone desk, chair, lamp and typewriter
-Fixed neon carpet
-Changed some things due to continuity (the planned game is set in the 1940's so a System Shock 2 poster was kind of silly)
Here's a version with a yellow tint and a soft glow around the lamp:
(http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i211/Cluey3/Officeaveclighting2.png)
And here it is, rendered in the Bioshock engine:
(http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i211/Cluey3/Officebioshock.png)
For the terminally dull, the last one is a joke.
The last "bioshock render" looks way awesome. You were using photoshop i guess
Quote from: Jim "Dualnames" Span on Mon 08/10/2007 20:41:02
The last "bioshock render" looks way awesome. You were using photoshop i guess
Aye, easiest thing to do bloom. Duplicate your layer, set it to screen or something and then blur it.
Just a note, on the last (non joke) rework you can still see some artefacts from the lighting in the blackness. I've cleaned them up now and all is well.
Hello again, sorry for the double post but I figure it's better than starting a new thread.
Today I've begun work on the next background:
(http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i211/Cluey3/hall-1.png)
(http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i211/Cluey3/hall-1.png)
Some things I'm not happy about:
-The light coming out of the elevator it looks a little overlaid if you get my meaning and there will be a mesh door object there in the game
-There's only one light in the hallway, it's meant to look very rundown so I assumed with the war and all they'd cut back on electricity. Anyone who knows more about World War 2 care to correct me?
Something I do like is the little touches, the poster is based on a real one about Gasmask prep and the Blackout blinds on the window. Again though, I'm not sure if Blackout blinds were a fixture, like normal blinds, or if they were just tacked on during an air raid.
CnC?
Quote from: Cluey on Wed 10/10/2007 23:50:29
-There's only one light in the hallway, it's meant to look very rundown so I assumed with the war and all they'd cut back on electricity. Anyone who knows more about World War 2 care to correct me?
They did ration electricity in Britain starting in 1942, but I'm not sure what apperance that would have. That is, it could have had a brown-out appearance as you imply, or it might have just been times of the day when the electricity was off. Now you've got me curious, frankly. I will check around...
Your second background looks great. I would add a second shade of lighting for the corridor light, or maybe even third. Using the same technique as now (no bioshock engine ;))
For the previous background: The bioshock one and even the one with the glow looks too much. I'm no too sure about the shadows around the desk, maybe study these a bit more. The soft shadow in bottom right corner doesn't fit in. Remove the shading bits that are outside the room. You could create a subtle halo around the lamp manually if you want it to glow.
I see you've improved a lot between the backgrounds and you've got me very interested in this project, so keep on going.
Your backgrounds look fantastic and I am in no way an expert or anyway near as good as you but...
The glow around your lights seem to be fixed ovals. Should they have a different angle when they hit other walls and the floor? I'd also get rid of the glow that's hitting the notice board (presumably from the lightbulb) in your latest picture - the clear cut glow works local to the light but the notice board would more or less be lit equally at that distance, especially as nothing is blocking the light from reaching it.
While I'm thinking about clear cut glows, maybe the elevator light shouldn't be faded on the floor when the lightbulb isn't? I agree that the elevator light looks a little bright - if you're going for atmosphere it looks like the elevator leads to a safer place while being so bright. The problem might be that it appears to be a light source itself - you could try it with just a small light somewhere on the elevator roof casting a glow. If the player can open the mesh door you're adding you'll probably want to have a shaddow cast that changes, but I guess you might do that with objects or something.
Hope some of that helps
Quote from: frission on Thu 11/10/2007 04:51:24
Quote from: Cluey on Wed 10/10/2007 23:50:29
-There's only one light in the hallway, it's meant to look very rundown so I assumed with the war and all they'd cut back on electricity. Anyone who knows more about World War 2 care to correct me?
They did ration electricity in Britain starting in 1942, but I'm not sure what apperance that would have. That is, it could have had a brown-out appearance as you imply, or it might have just been times of the day when the electricity was off. Now you've got me curious, frankly. I will check around...
I checked around and it seems most likely that the rationing was in the form of periodic black outs (no electricity for certain periods of the day), not brown outs (dimming). But I'm not sure you should feel limited by this, I doubt many people know for sure! You could always just claim the wiring in the building was damaged, if someone tried to nail you down for it! ;-)
Quote from: frission on Thu 11/10/2007 14:03:50
I checked around and it seems most likely that the rationing was in the form of periodic black outs (no electricity for certain periods of the day), not brown outs (dimming). But I'm not sure you should feel limited by this, I doubt many people know for sure! You could always just claim the wiring in the building was damaged, if someone tried to nail you down for it! ;-)
I'll just say it's an artistic decision to make the place feel run down. I doubt anyone is going to enter the room and think "Well that lighting is historically inaccurate".
Anyway, I'm starting to fix some things in it:
(http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i211/Cluey3/hall-2.png)
(http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i211/Cluey3/hall-2.png)
-Changed lighting a bit
-Added another box for no readily apparent reason
-Dimmed the lift and removed the strong light, replacing it with a dim roof light (you'll only see the interior fully for about a second or so when the elevator doors open so no worries about details).
I'd added a radiator, but I could get it too look right. Might try again later.
I now ask if someone can find me some pictures of old fashioned practical (not elaborate) lift doors? Maybe someone who lives in an old apartment block (it's a long shot).
I also removed the corner darkness on the first BG, but it's not major enough to put another picture up.
TL;DR version: I fixed some things.
It's hard to find reference pictures for something as obscure.
A quick search on Yahoo/Google, for images of 'old elevator', coughed up some decent photos of what you're looking for. Depending on your period (I'm assuming WWII) I would disregard the push-button controls, and opt for the original manual up-down lever controls and use a single 'call' button. Collapsible gates were very much in use, but hinged gates, and doors, were also around, usually in pairs; one for the car and one for the shaft opening.
Quote from: Seleceus on Thu 11/10/2007 16:26:32
A quick search on Yahoo/Google, for images of 'old elevator', coughed up some decent photos of what you're looking for. Depending on your period (I'm assuming WWII) I would disregard the push-button controls, and opt for the original manual up-down lever controls and use a single 'call' button. Collapsible gates were very much in use, but hinged gates, and doors, were also around, usually in pairs; one for the car and one for the shaft opening.
Wow, informative, thanks.
You're welcome. I've been researching the same time-period for a project I'm thinking of starting, in earnest, sometime in the near future.
Quote from: Seleceus on Thu 11/10/2007 20:41:38
You're welcome. I've been researching the same time-period for a project I'm thinking of starting, in earnest, sometime in the near future.
Selling vintage elevators?
Well...no, but that's not a bad idea! Let's see... 'Retro-vator: Old lifts for new digs.' I like it.
But as to not hijack the thread; After looking at the latest bg, for a bit, I think the lighting should tail off softly, instead of the stark break, at the edges. More in-tune with the shading on the right wall (which is greatly improved btw).
Hey, nice background Cluey! It has a lot of flavor to it.
I like the reworked elevator light. The original wasn't bad, but it's much more subdued and interesting now. Another change you might want to consider is adding some trim around the two doors on the left. It would both look nice and give you a chance to add a few more shadows. Another teensy detail that might look better is the lighting on the three boxes. The rightmost box looks good, even though it isn't strictly correct, but the two on the left are a little wonky. Also, for extra super bonus points, darken the door outline slightly as it passes under the right doorknob's shadow. :) It sounds silly, but think that trick is really nifty.
Quote from: Seleceus on Fri 12/10/2007 00:37:32
After looking at the latest bg, for a bit, I think the lighting should tail off softly, instead of the stark break, at the edges. More in-tune with the shading on the right wall (which is greatly improved btw).
I could see adding one level of illumination between the light ovals and the walls around them, though I don't think it's necessary. I wouldn't recommend anything more elaborate for this type of background. I think it has a nice low color depth vibe to it.
As a random aside I wanted to say I really like the slightly darker strip along the top of the walls. I imagine it began life as an outline, but it's neat in its own right now.
(http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i211/Cluey3/screen2-1.jpg)
(http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i211/Cluey3/screen2-1.jpg)
Final version I think unless you guys can come up with more. The elevator has an open frame but it's just two black lines and isn't very interesting.
I need to start using the British word for Elevator, it's become a force of habit from too many American films.
Really nice. Not much to crit really. Great atmosphere.
Great job, I love it! I can really see a lot of improvement, well done!
I would definitely play a game that looked like this. I like that character as well. I hope to see more from you in the near future!