(https://www.jaapwrites.com/img/tree.png)
I'm possibly maybe toying with the idea of starting a new adventure game in AGS after... ahem... 13 years. So what better way than to purchase Aseprite and have a go at creating a background image + main character sprite?
I call this one: The Old Tree + Unnamed Character. And yes, the tree is supposed to be abnormally big.
Having some difficulty setting my profile picture, for some reason the forum won't accept my GIF. (Solved)
I like it. Although I would say to correct your lighting on the tree nearest the character man.
As for your pic ensure that you are adhering to the set guidelines regarding the pic IE it must small in file size preferably PNG or GIF, no larger than 120 by 120 and use the web address for the image as the source.
And don't use https... it won't accept it. use http.
Love the art! :) And I agree that maybe it should be a good idea to light the scene the same way the character is (or as close as possible)... try flipping the image. ;)
Looks awesome! Got ideas about what direction the story is headed?
Yay! Hobbesback! I still remember being wowed by Buccaneer, and appreciating the tutorial you made for it.
Not sure what to critique. I suppose as SinSin said, the tree nearest the character could do with some lighting/shading adjustment...it doesn't seem to have the same "volume" as the big tree or the trees in the distance. And maybe add SLIGHTLY more contrast to the scenery at the horizon? It's barely noticeable right now.
Omg you made Buccaneer!! That was one of the first AGS games I played (loved it).. Nice to meetcha
I googled Buccaneer and I'm baffled tat it is as old as 2003. It's funny because it shares visual similarities with the recent "Chronicle of Innsmouth", also made with AGS.
Hobbes!
I think it's off to a great start.
The first thing that stood out to me was that the number of color shifts in the foreground (the green ground) coupled w/ the sizing of the trees further back, suggests to me that it goes back quite a ways and isn't just a hill to the character's left. I think, if that's the case, the colors are too saturated and don't convey that distance as well! I'd suggest desaturating a bit more (not to the extent that the background elements are, of course, but just a bit to convey the distance a tad better).
Dear all,
Thanks for your feedback! It seems my web server is running on https, so that's why my avatar wasn't showing. Fixed it now. :-)
I've taken on some of the feedback received and tried to desaturate the image a bit. As a "work in progress" I'm now considering a total palette change to make it more desaturated as a whole.
Attached is my second attempt at this background. I've also worked on my character sprite. I'm aiming for a mature game, so the previous sprite seemed too cartoony for that. I've also done a mock-up of the speech GUI and included the portrait for my character.
Any critique on the background, the sprite & the portrait is more than welcome.
(https://www.jaapwrites.com/img/tree2.png)
Okay, here are my suggestions, but I don't claim to be an expert or anything, and i find it hard to work on low resolutions!
(http://i.imgur.com/QuQ6XBA.png)
1) I think his black eyes are too prominent. Reminds me of Police Quest or something, but I think giving him more blended facial features is better imo. I also added a lighter area for his cheeks, just because. EDIT: Oh yeah I changed his hair a bit too. Lol.
2) I love anti-aliasing! Personally I think this looks nicer, a blending between the two colours. I just find it easier on the eyes. Although by doing two lines around it, I've made it look raised. Doh!
3) And same again on the tree line. Although it might blend TOO well here.
4) I think his shadows on his face should match the curvature of his round face? I just quickly painted over it here.
I think it looks great as is. Well done! I'd love to see the continued experiments, maybe a new background. I think the style works really well for a low resolution game.
(https://www.jaapwrites.com/img/Outside-Complex.png)
Thanks for the feedback everyone! I've taken the shading on the character portrait and also fixed some sprite-things as ManicMatt suggested. For now I've moved onto a second background attempt. This one is actually game-related and would be the second/third screen in the intro sequence. Escaping from the lab after waking up in a bio-chamber (hence the underwear-outfit). :-)
Yeah that's better! Nice moody background.
I think the few dots that are darkest on his head should be a little bit lighter in colour.
I would also suggest putting a single pixel on each leg of darker skin tone to suggest knees, as his legs lack any detail.
Nice atmosphere on the last picture. I like very much the contrast on the colors, between the protagonist and the night scene. It conveys something optimistic on the character.
Dear all,
With the weekend now over, I don't think there'll be much happening during the week, but here's the latest background I finished tonight. This one would be the first game screen from the game, where our main character is woken up from his tank.
This is the first interior drawing I've done in a long, long time and I really struggled with it. I'm sure that there are plenty of mistakes in shading & perspective, but I think in general it has potential. Even making the shift from 320 x 200 (or in this case 480 x 200) is really tricky when for Buccaneer everything was drawn at a 320x138 size (the GUI took up enough space to get away with small backgrounds!)
(https://www.jaapwrites.com/img/interior.png)
Really like the style!