Flashbackground, first one, for Trapped in the past

[Minimi]

Hi there! I started with working on my long detective game, wich im making with flash, and I was wondering what you think of this background. It's from one of the first scenes where you investigate the murder on the golfyard. Plz give me advice on how to make it look better, or does it look ok?
I need to know this, because I first need to get my style ok, before I'm continuing creating more scenes and backgrounds

[Nacho]

I think it is time to give to you a little advise... Concentrate in one game if you want to finish something. I´ve read your reply to Squinky´s thread, you´re in 4 or 5 projects in one time, one with a cartoony style, other in 3-d, other in flash... I am member of the community for allmost a year and I am having severall problems for finishing my first game, and I´m totally concentrated on it, I can´t imagine you, jumping from one painting program to the other, from a storyline doc to a 3-d modelling program.

So, you get this... A background with, what...10 colours? Maybe it´s a problem with flash, I don´t know how that program works, but the background has lack of deepness (correct word? misspelled?) the tree forest is "fusioned" with the flag, the grass needs more shading, the clowds look so plain...

You can improve it a lot with good shading and colouring...

Add details. Why don´t you add a link, one of that funny cars that golf players use, some police tapes for making clear that there has been a crime there? You can also add the club building...

C´mon, take a seat, relax,  and think in what you´re doing, so you´ll keep the good work. If you carry on starting new projects every week, dividing your creative efforts by 5 or 6, you won´t get a maravellous game, but just 5 or 6 crappy ones.

[Minimi]

Yes you are right, and I know that, but It's very hard to stick to a game, all the time. Maybee I just have a weak characterism of myself... well... you must know that I have set Phonebooth and Undeniable already on a halt, to finish first Sam&Moos... and im pretty far with that game, so It's gonna be ok, on the other hand, I kinda enjoy the progress, maybee even more than the moment that I finish it. But you do have a good point there.

About the picture, I made a better version with more shading, and a better sky. The car with golfclubs is going to be an object and not part of the background, but yes, I should make something that you know that a police investigatement is going on there.  Another thing, the colours aren't much colours because I wanted to make a realistic cartoonish style game.

[remixor]

It kind of looks like you took a photograph and traced the outlines with Flash.  Nothing really wrong with that though, just making an observation.

Anyway, your second one is definitely an improvement.  Maybe you could still make the flag stand out a bit more from the forest.  Try changing the color perhaps?  White?

The colors in the sky look a bit too stratified, IMO.  I really like how the grass turned out, so maybe try using fewer layers of color in the sky?  I don't know, experiment I suppose.

Conclusion: looking good, try to make it a bit more interesting over all.  Good luck!

[Minimi]

Well, you are close remixor. First thing, I make/model the scene in Bryce, and then import the bitmap in flash, trace it, and then correct some things. I'll try making the flagpole another colour, and reduce the colours in the sky

[Nacho]

Yes... that new bg is definitely and advance in the good direction. I am glad to see that you´re aiming your efforts in only one direction. Look, I don´t want to tell nobody what must them do, but I can give advises. When I start the art on my game, I´ve written the history in a "more or less" novel style, I´ve made the storyline and I´ve imagined the dialogs. Then I start with the conceptual art, I don´t mind wasting paper... The style must fit.

IMO, working first doing some paintings for hoping them to bring some kind of inspiration is bad. You could may link some backgrounds with others, some concepts, some puzzles... but the overall concept will surelly fail in some point, the whole game will be spoiled.

Wow, what a threat about game producing, I hope it won´t be pretencious coming from a person who hasn´t finished his game, but wait, it is in heavily production and, if it works... I will probably make a "producing" tutorial.

[Minimi]

no, farlander, I don't blame you at all. I need every advice as a newbie to ags. I have respect for those that are here longer than me (not that I disrespect other :p) and I just wanna say thanks to you. Because I'm someone that is sometimes sinking into ideas and forgets the mainline. The thing I have done untill now, is first writing a plot, and then making some graphics, and then working it further out, and I see now that that's not the right way.

btw, yes strange how this topic turned out ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!! grr... lol! O well... I also must say that I'm too much at these forums and I should really lower the times I check it. I'm trying to check only once a day... and not every hour Greetz, and I'll hope to make some of you happy with a soon finishing of some of my games.

[Nacho]

 

* Farlander thumb up

Perfect! But, hey... I had a fight before because people with finished games started to preassure people with games in production. I am like you a person with a game in production, I am not a "finished game Agser" .

But if you want to finish one... follow my advise