Outside a Monastery

[Abulafia]

I've been toying with the idea of making a game set in a medieval monastery for a long time (too long) and have been torn between whether I'd do it as a text adventure or a graphic adventure for just as long.

Today I thought I'd try my hand at making a background to see if the graphic adventure route would be the most interesting. So, I did this picture - an external scene for the monastery.

Happy to hear any comments about this:



Thanks.

[Damien]

Very nice.

You should fix the tree's shading and the bush in the foreground.

Here's a nice tutorial to help you with that.

[TheYak]

Bloody gorgeous.  I especially like how it's not in the stereotypical time of day (e.g. red sunset, twilight, middle of the afternoon). 

If this picture is only a transition scene then the only things that need addressing are the ones damien mentioned.  With so much detail in the background, the foreground looks a little bland and cartoony by comparison.  A little bit more textured /shaded detail on the tree and sharper leaves on the bush (with higher contrast shading) would do wonders.  You might even be able to get away with blacking out the tree entirely (though I think it'd be a shame as touch-ups could solidify the image). 

If the front of the monastery is meant to be played on then the path should be visible whereever you need to perform actions.  Walking behind the hill would be fine for transition but could be frustrating when the char's just a few pixels tall. 

Excellent stuff.  The buildings pique my interest and the picture's very moody.

[Abulafia]

Bloody gorgeous.Ã,  I especially like how it's not in the stereotypical time of day (e.g. red sunset, twilight, middle of the afternoon).Ã, 

Thankyou. I'm pleased that you liked it.

If this picture is only a transition scene then the only things that need addressing are the ones damien mentioned.

Can you define "transition scene"? I've only really downloaded AGS today - although I've looked at it on numerous occasions over the years - and, although I play some graphic adventures, I'm not too au fait with the jargon.

With so much detail in the background, the foreground looks a little bland and cartoony by comparison.

I can understand that. I'll look to make the foreground more detailed and interesting - maybe by adding a crumbled wall or stile and some more defined areas of grass. A small animation somewhere may help make the picture seem active too.

A little bit more textured /shaded detail on the tree and sharper leaves on the bush (with higher contrast shading) would do wonders.

I'll certainly give it a shot.

You might even be able to get away with blacking out the tree entirely (though I think it'd be a shame as touch-ups could solidify the image).Ã, 

Originally the tree was a simple silhouette but it just didn't look as good as actually colouring in the tree and making it part of the picture rather than a part of the pictureframe. I'll endeavour to make the tree's colouring better too.

If the front of the monastery is meant to be played on then the path should be visible whereever you need to perform actions.Ã,  Walking behind the hill would be fine for transition but could be frustrating when the char's just a few pixels tall.

Transition again.  I'll respond to this once I'm clear on what you mean.

Excellent stuff.Ã,  The buildings pique my interest and the picture's very moody.

You don't know how pleased I am to read that. I, more than anyone else, am amazed at how it is looking thus far. The only other scene (or background image) I've done is the one in the tutorial by Misja van Laatum on the Indiana Jones and the Fountain of Youth website. Until I read that I had no idea how to use Photoshop. 

[Damien]

Can you define "transition scene"?

He ment if this scene will not be playable, if it would be used for a cutscene or something.

Transition again.Ã,  I'll respond to this once I'm clear on what you mean.

The whole path isn't visible because a part of it (closer to the monastery) is behind a small hill. So Yak suggested to make the whole path visible if you're planning to make this background playable. That's because the character would be just a few pixels tall that far from the 'camera', and once behind the walkbehind (in this case - the hill) it would be quite hard to figure out where he is exactly.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

[Abulafia]

Can you define "transition scene"?

He ment if this scene will not be playable, if it would be used for a cutscene or something.

In that case it is not a transition scene.

The whole path isn't visible because a part of it (closer to the monastery) is behind a small hill. So Yak suggested to make the whole path visible if you're planning to make this background playable. That's because the character would be just a few pixels tall that far from the 'camera', and once behind the walkbehind (in this case - the hill) it would be quite hard to figure out where he is exactly.

Gotcha. I realise my sprite is going to have to get very small when nearer the monastery. What I'm going to do is make the path lead off behind the bush in the foreground and then reappear in the distance leading up to the monastery. At a certain point the character will move into a new background - a close up of the monastery gates. I think this will be better. It also has the bonus of only having to animate the sprite at two different sizes rather than actually animate him getting smaller as he walks into the distance.

Thanks for your comments.

[Damien]

At a certain point the character will move into a new background - a close up of the monastery gates. I think this will be better. It also has the bonus of only having to animate the sprite at two different sizes rather than actually animate him getting smaller as he walks into the distance.

No need for that at all, when placing walkable areas in the AGS editor, there's a 'continuous scaling' option that will resize your sprite automatically, check it out.

[Abulafia]

I will. Thanks.

[TheYak]

So it is, essentially, a transition scene (if I understand you correctly).  The sprite will be visible onscreen but only until he's progressed up the path into the distance.  The next room will be a bit closer then, yeah? Seems like it should work perfectly for this.  I believe there are good tutorials around for trees and bushes.  If not, try Google's image search and look for a picture similar to what you want to portray.  If you have trouble choosing which details should show up (since the pic's halfway between realism and cartoonish), just futz with the brightness and contrast or use posterization (under image adjustments usually) to drop the colors so you can see the essentials.