Adventure Game Studio

Creative Production => Critics' Lounge => Topic started by: BlackMan890 on Tue 25/01/2005 18:18:14

Title: Sci-fi Bg's c&c
Post by: BlackMan890 on Tue 25/01/2005 18:18:14
Well, long time no see :D it has been a long time since i last posted here.

Anyway here is my Bg i am working on:

(http://www.simnet.is/elinnils52/ags/Future_machine.gif)

This was going to be a machine that opens a portal through the space/time and i was going to add many little mchines everywhere

please tell me what you think of this

i need help to make it look advanced, you know, the true Sci-fi atmosphere :P

Paintover's are welcome (althought i would prefer to do it myself to practise) ;)
Title: Re: Sci-fi Bg's c&c
Post by: Andail on Tue 25/01/2005 18:59:31
The perspective on the green tube is wrong, but that doesn't matter....what matters is that all the walls are just big, white, flat, outlined squares.

I think you could at least have tried applying some sort of texture/wallpaper/furniture before requesting further c&c.
Title: Re: Sci-fi Bg's c&c
Post by: Darcness on Tue 25/01/2005 23:47:27
The basic idea looks cool. As Andail said, however, the picture needs a lot more to it before we can give any real C&C.
Title: Re: Sci-fi Bg's c&c
Post by: Mr_Frisby on Wed 26/01/2005 07:11:25
I like the whorling vortex. This has a few nice ideas. Just ad a bit more colour and doo-dads and youv'e got a hit.
Title: Re: Sci-fi Bg's c&c
Post by: BlackMan890 on Wed 26/01/2005 16:36:53
well, you see, i have always got one proplem with making something futureristicÃ,  (or however you spell it) or in the future, and that is the special pattern it always seem to appear in all of it.

I tried making a small simple pattern on the wall (removed tha glass temp.)

(http://www.simnet.is/elinnils52/ags/Future_machine2.gif)

I will finish the wall if i like the pattern, don't wan't to spend hours making one Bg, finding out the pattern suck's, so if you don't like this pattern, then please show/tell me how to make it futuristic (or however you spell it)
Title: Re: Sci-fi Bg's c&c
Post by: jrl2222 on Wed 26/01/2005 16:58:17
Funny how you can make it sound like your doing the people here a favor by having them finish your background.
Title: Re: Sci-fi Bg's c&c
Post by: BlackMan890 on Wed 26/01/2005 17:38:35
here it is with the front wall finished, i would really appreciate if you c&c on this picture

(http://www.simnet.is/elinnils52/ags/Future_machine3.gif)
Title: Re: Sci-fi Bg's c&c
Post by: Damien on Wed 26/01/2005 22:23:02
Well, nothing major to comment on yet. I suggest coloring/shading the bg completely, and then seeking c&c.

And if you need some help with that check out this tutorial:
Metallic objects (http://www.tcp-ip.or.jp/~s-iga/tips/2-3metallic_objects.html)

Good luck.
Title: Re: Sci-fi Bg's c&c
Post by: TheYak on Thu 27/01/2005 00:21:53
Isn't part of the reason for C & C so one knows better how to progress?  I understand that it's a lot more useful to comment on a finished image but I'm sure many get frustrated by implementing suggestions that require a lot of work on a finished BG. 

On the stanchions: The base of the two 'arms' seems like it would be more visible with the perspective you chose.  Specifically, some of the back portion should be visible.  Rather than having them meet the floor in a flat plate-type fashion, why not stubby cylinders? The top parts of the 'arms' seem like they could use some 3-dimensionalization as well.  I like the look but the two objects look slightly 2-dimensional when compared to the rest of the background.

Portal: I'm not sure if it's intentional but because of the curved lines, it looks a bit  egg-shaped instead of flat.  One way to avoid that would be by having the curved lines going different directions.  Another would be to address it when shading.  Speaking of light/shadow, make sure you decide whether or not the portal will cast light.  If it does, the the brighter spots on the 'arms' will be facing the portal and probably reflect a purplish cast.  Using a purple highlight with metallic shading facing away from the portal would probably look quite nice.  If it's casting light on the 'arms', walls, and floor it would definitely make it look more "there."  The portal might also be an excellent opportunity to toy with AGS's alpha-transparency.

Of course, all suggestions are merely my preferences but it is a touch difficult to tell what should be implements vs. what will be but isn't there yet.  For instance, I would think a complex device (even if it has most wiring/circuitry running through the floor) would have control panels and monitoring stations around.  Perhaps that back techno-plated wall would be a good location for some of that (and actually give a reason for having put the mixed panelling on there). 

Excellent stuff, quite clean and it's coming along nicely. 

Title: Re: Sci-fi Bg's c&c
Post by: BlackMan890 on Thu 27/01/2005 00:33:46
Quote from: Damien on Wed 26/01/2005 22:23:02
Well, nothing major to comment on yet. I suggest coloring/shading the bg completely, and then seeking c&c.

And if you need some help with that check out this tutorial:
Metallic objects (http://www.tcp-ip.or.jp/~s-iga/tips/2-3metallic_objects.html)

Good luck.
Thanks, that link was really good, something i needed, however, seeing this tutorial makes me think that i need to make it higher resolution

Quote from: YakSpit on Thu 27/01/2005 00:21:53
Isn't part of the reason for C & C so one knows better how to progress? I understand that it's a lot more useful to comment on a finished image but I'm sure many get frustrated by implementing suggestions that require a lot of work on a finished BG.

On the stanchions: The base of the two 'arms' seems like it would be more visible with the perspective you chose. Specifically, some of the back portion should be visible. Rather than having them meet the floor in a flat plate-type fashion, why not stubby cylinders? The top parts of the 'arms' seem like they could use some 3-dimensionalization as well. I like the look but the two objects look slightly 2-dimensional when compared to the rest of the background.

Portal: I'm not sure if it's intentional but because of the curved lines, it looks a bit egg-shaped instead of flat. One way to avoid that would be by having the curved lines going different directions. Another would be to address it when shading. Speaking of light/shadow, make sure you decide whether or not the portal will cast light. If it does, the the brighter spots on the 'arms' will be facing the portal and probably reflect a purplish cast. Using a purple highlight with metallic shading facing away from the portal would probably look quite nice. If it's casting light on the 'arms', walls, and floor it would definitely make it look more "there." The portal might also be an excellent opportunity to toy with AGS's alpha-transparency.

Of course, all suggestions are merely my preferences but it is a touch difficult to tell what should be implements vs. what will be but isn't there yet. For instance, I would think a complex device (even if it has most wiring/circuitry running through the floor) would have control panels and monitoring stations around. Perhaps that back techno-plated wall would be a good location for some of that (and actually give a reason for having put the mixed panelling on there).

Excellent stuff, quite clean and it's coming along nicely.


Thanks, i will work on it as soon as i can

i have decided to change the resolution from 320 x 200 into 640 x 480
i will post propaply tomorrow or whenever i can

once again, thanks :)
Title: Re: Sci-fi Bg's c&c
Post by: Moox on Thu 27/01/2005 01:12:10
NO, dont raise resolution, that is probably the dumbest thing I have ever heard. That tutorial is even smaller. Going to a resolution you dont know is like learning to draw with your bad hand, it takes a long time. But back on subject, Im not really into that back wall, why dont you use the same texture as the sides?
Title: Re: Sci-fi Bg's c&c
Post by: on Thu 27/01/2005 07:03:36
For a start, I think the backround has some real potential (at least in my mind).

If the portal DOES cast light, as suggested, I think that the room being lit up an eerie purple colr could be very nice indeed.

I picture something like this happening in the game: player comes in the room, and the portal still closed. Somehow (through player's actions or otherwise) the portal is openned, lighting the room up all purple-like. Here you could have the character be lit by the purple light, too. For the effect of the lighting, it might be useful to have some objects in the room that'd cast long, dark shadows on the floor/ walls in there for extra effect.

As far as the portal itself goes, I picture it being like a dimension time/ space tear or rift that was openned up in the fabric of the universe or something, so I'd personally take away that thick black outline around the purple thing, and maybe have the thing have an animated surging effect.

Take all that for what it's worth, I guess.
Title: Re: Sci-fi Bg's c&c
Post by: on Thu 27/01/2005 08:02:44
(Guh. can't edit posts when not logged in properly...)

Anyway, here's a quick example of some of what I was talking about.

(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/cc_Futuremachine3.png)



Some reflectiveness to  the metallic surfaces could really give such a background some nice extra polish, even if they're nothing too fancy.

I was thinking it might also be worth your while to make those side wall pannels a pixel deep or something, too.
Title: Re: Sci-fi Bg's c&c
Post by: on Thu 27/01/2005 15:05:49
wow, thanks for the paint over ;D that pic is great, maybe i will use that idea for my game.

About the background, i am going to add some lights and monitors in the wall

i was thinking about adding a light bulb in the ceiling, but maybe i will go with your's idea :D

i will keep on updating
Title: Re: Sci-fi Bg's c&c
Post by: Ozwalled on Fri 28/01/2005 15:52:56
I'm not sure why I didn't do it, but I suppose that you should get a brighter area on the back wall and ceiling, too, in case you do use that as much of a reference.