Occultas Veritas - Background C&C

[Kweepa]

Awesome improvement!
You are right about the pipes in front. They look too flat now.
Since it's a scrolling background you could have a couple of smaller, fatter pipe elements that hang from the ceiling or protrude from the bottom, and that move with parallax.

However, I'd move on - I don't want this to be another FoY

[Darth Mandarb]

Since it's a scrolling background you could have a couple of smaller, fatter pipe elements that hang from the ceiling or protrude from the bottom, and that move with parallax.

You read my mind!  That's exactly what I was thinking ...

I'm also trying to figure out a way to make the sludge move ... just slightly.  Just to add a little more 'life' the background.

edit - Updates:


- changed the water a bit
- added some shading to the foreground elements

I plan on adding lots of little details, such as:
- barrels
- rubbish
- flotsam
- signs (faded)
- maybe a skeleton here or there

These sewers are in Paris ... Any French speaking people know how I would phrase "Exit" as in a painted EXIT on the wall with an arrow pointing the last screen?  I looked it up on a translator but there were 40 options and I wasn't sure which one to use!

[Haddas]

My my my. That's marvellous! Stunning! Better than I even could've dreamed of! Now another thing. The water is the perfect sludgeish type, bt it looks almost too sludgeish. Like Ghostbusters style.

That plank looks like it should've floated off, as tree hs the tendency to float. You say you will be adding more detail, so I can't say, but I'd like to see som of those bricks chipped or fallen out. They look brand new under the light.

However, don't take my nitpicking too seriously. You've done a magnificent job already. Party on!

[Dorcan]

Wow. I really like this background, especially the water effect, well done

I would say that transitions to dark parts need a light blue tint. Also I think that the last version is a little bit too dark, not being able to see the end of the path is a bit... "disturbing". One last thing, the dark line at the edge of the path stands out too much. Maybe you should get rid of it and put instead a luminous border, because of the light on the other side.

In french, the word for exit is "Sortie".

Again, well done 

[Darth Mandarb]

Dorcan - Thanks for the French lesson

About the darkness ... I'm on a different computer (visiting my parent's house) and the background is so totally dark that you can see almost no details.Ã,  Is this a problem for anybody else as well?

On my screens at home it's much lighter and I'm wonderin' if my father just likes to keep his screens darker or if I keep mine too light? (we both have dual-monitor setups in case you're confused about the plural).

Haddas - I want the water to be stagnant ... it's essentially immobile and just sits there and stinks.  This part of the story is the old abandoned sewers which aren't used anymore.  So they're in bad shape.

I am going to distress/damage some of the bricks as well as add lots of other bits of details to each!  Thanks!

[Mordalles]

wow! some great attention to detail! i hope the game will be as good as the backgrounds! 

some wonderful artwork! keep it up!

[Haddas]

Haddas - I want the water to be stagnant ... it's essentially immobile and just sits there and stinks.  This part of the story is the old abandoned sewers which aren't used anymore.  So they're in bad shape.

Allright. Sounds good to me!. Don't forget to add leaves, as they're probably gonna flow down to the sewers with the rains. However I doubt they completely seal off a sewer system, so the water would still be flowing. cause water will still enter and exit freely. I don't suppose the water is pushed forward by any pumps anyway. but this is just way nitpicking. I'm happy with this as it is too. Have I told you how great that looks?

[Snarky]

DorcanAbout the darkness ... I'm on a different computer (visiting my parent's house) and the background is so totally dark that you can see almost no details.Ã,  Is this a problem for anybody else as well?

On the LCD monitor on my home computer, it's perfectly clear. On the CRT I have at work, even the original was too dark to make out anything in the shadow areas. It just looks black. And I have it set to max brightness. I would recommend that you lighten it up a little.

I'd also urge you to add some of the highlights in darker areas that loominous did in his edit. They really gave some life to the scene, I thought.

[Darth Mandarb]

Here is the latest edit:


- added some holes and more cracks
- added some hi-lights here and there
- added some rubble on the ground
- some more details to come (though I don't want to clutter these images up too much, but a few more bits here and there will be okay)

With the weekend over I won't have much time to work on this during the week.  But I really feel like I'm almost done with it (them).  We have over 80 backgrounds planned for this game and if I spend too much time on each we may never finish the darn game!

[Ali]

This is a marvelously atmospheric backdrop, but that's been said. The only thing I would suggest is that you make sure to fade to black between the two images to avoid the effect that always irrtates me in adventure game mazes and under Monkey island where the game cuts between backdrops that are almost identical. Without a fade it could look like the door vanishes and the pipes jump from one side to the other.

[Ozzie]

Well, I guess that he will neither make a cut nor a fade to black, instead it will be one big scrolling image.
Oh, yeah, by the way, great background, I'm really jealous. But you should really move on to the next one!

[Darth Mandarb]

Ozzie - I don't want to make it one big scrolling background because the perspective gets wierd looking.  I put them together in photoshop and it's just not a pleasing result. 

And yes ... I'm moving on to the next one very soon (just a few more details to add (objects mostly)).

Ali - The whole of each background will not be on the screen at the same time (as they are twice the width of our game's res) so I'm pretty sure that effect you mentioned won't happen due to the scrolling.

However, we haven't put them into AGS yet so if it's a problem, as you said, we'll do a fade out!

Thanks!

[Ubel]

You know, this background somehow has the same atmosphere that Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus had. For me it feels the same anyway. Great job! I have one problem with the character. Is her left (right from here) arm supposed to be positioned like that? It just looks weird for me. But the bg is amazing!

[Sam.]

As i can't seem to post in our forums darth, this looks fantastic now. I must look up parralax, it sounds like something i may have to do..

[loominous]

Some more things:



The saturated border of the lit bright areas are still there giving it a fake impression (the upper left mark).

The gradient of the bright part of the wall is still odd in that the brighter parts are at the farthest corners, which is quite the opposite of what I'd imagine how it would be, and makes it look like a selflit wall.

Another thing is the lighting of the wooden board in the lower left. Atm it appears to be shaped something like a gold ingot, you know, with those tilted edges. If the surface isn't visable from the light's position, it shouldn't be lit, and if visable, evenly lit if flat (unless close to the lightsource, like the wall).

-

Anyway, I love that sortie sign and think case the background is vastly improved. I think a common mistake is to move on way too quickly from a picture to the next. This means the next one will feature the same things that is holding the last one back and the progress will be very gradual.

The critics lounge is a prime tool to steepen this curve, since it features work on all levels, meaning that anyone can find work that is roughly on their level and skip the whole timeconsuming process of actually drawing/painting and start at the point where they have trouble figuring out what's actually wrong, and how to improve it. Everytime you find something that you think can be improved, and manage to improve it, you've automatically raised your next image up a notch. If this is true, and I believe it is, you can improve your abilities vastly faster by criticising other's and your own work than by painting/drawing new images, if by criticising we mean practically improve images on roughly your own level.

I think it's a shame that few people use this tool in this selfish manner.

[Anarcho]

Darth---you should really do a background tutorial.  Those backgrounds look fantastic.  I don't know how you create those rich textures, but I'd love to know!

My one question though---does the character blend in well with the background?  She seems so cartoony next to your background art.

[aussie]

This is awesome. I really admire your ability to keep improving a seemingly flawless background. I'm with anarcho, you should make a tute.

I must say if I ever managed to do something half as good, I'd be cracking down on the next bg without ever looking back.

[Darth Mandarb]

loominous - thanks again for your continued help!  You've shown me how to take this background from "okay" to "great".  I, selfishly and gladly, will use the CL for this

While your edits definitely make the image look more realistic, I have decided to forego some of the changes.  Just because I really like the look I've achieved.  (just some slight alterations from what you suggested)

I'm at work, and can't post them now, but I will when I get home tonight.

Again, thanks for all your help and advice, I consider it priceless!

Darth---you should really do a background tutorial.  Those backgrounds look fantastic.  I don't know how you create those rich textures, but I'd love to know!

Gosh ... I could probably make a tutorial.  I never really thought about it.  The problem is finding the time

My one question though---does the character blend in well with the background?  She seems so cartoony next to your background art.

My team and I were discussing this the other day.  I rather like the contrast between the cartoony character and the richer backgrounds.  I've never been a fan of the uber-detailed characters.  The characters, as I have them now, in conjunction with the backgrounds gives it a style that I totally dig!

Do you not like the way it looks?

I must say if I ever managed to do something half as good, I'd be cracking down on the next bg without ever looking back.

Don't sell yourself short.  I totally dig the art of Chick Chaser.  Sure it's different, but it definitely has a very nice style!

And ... I'm aching to start a new background!!  I just don't have the time   Work is crazy!  But trust me, I'm really looking forward to continuing on in this style.  It's a lot of fun to work with.

Oh ... and thanks

[Anarcho]

No I really like your character art...but I'm not sure if the styles mesh.  Actually, I think the problem might be that she isn't effected by the light...she her colors changed when she walks away from the light it would help a lot.

But seriously, create a tutorial when you find the time.  There haven't been many good art tutorials in a while.  If I hadn't had Eric's tutorials, I never would have gotten anywhere.

[Darth Mandarb]

No I really like your character art...but I'm not sure if the styles mesh.  Actually, I think the problem might be that she isn't effected by the light...she her colors changed when she walks away from the light it would help a lot.

I'm not sure if I'm going to create a "hued" character for when she's in/out of the light, but we'll definitely be using the AGS lighting system to darken her when she walks into the shadow areas.

Here's the [small] update, as promised:


- added some shadows
- changed the water a bit
- altered the lighting a bit

When I have free-time this weekend I'll be adding some objects and more details, I just don't have the time right now