Robbie-29 BG's and story

[esper]

Hey! I just wanted to show some of the backgrounds for the new game I have coming out soon: ROBBIE-29, the story of service droid ROB-E29.
Ã,  Ã, One day, E29 senses a malfunction in his circuits and goes to see the Chief Engineer aboard the U.I.F. Maelstrom about it. Unable to express his problem verbally, she overlooks it and sends him off to do some chores, one of which is to clean up in the room of the strange visitor the ship picked up on Thoth two weeks ago. Robbie collects a sample of a strange biomass unlike anything in the ship's computers, and when the entire crew of the ship is shortly wiped out and the strange guest goes missing, Robbie starts a quest in which he will learn what it is to be human, what it means to love, and the meaning of true Evil.

The following are some BG's for critiquing. Realize that I'm not the best BG artist, and while stylistic and artistic critiquing (including repairs and paintovers!!!) are welcome, what I really want to know is, will the combination of that plot lne and these BG's make a respectable game?

EDITS: Fixed the Chairs on the Bridge and eased up the harsh black lines to a lighter color.

The Engineering Room


The Ship's Bridge


The Engine Chamber


The "Poop Chute"


The Supply Closet, just so you can see what the main character will look like (that's not him, but it's another service droid just like him)

[Tuomas]

Looks really nice! I'm looking foward to it now, but one thing; the coloruing you used on the grey walls, it makes those figures, but the figures aren't in perspective. They go horizontaly when the should be going in to the picture. This just reduces the depth effect in the rooms. the back wall doesn't seem to be in the back...

[esper]

Are you talking about the canvas texturing? If so, I knew that would be a problem, but the effect I was going for was to try to undo the smooth, "perfect" look of the original drawing. I wanted to hide the fact that all the lines were straight and all the edges were crisp and all the colors were flat, so I chose to texturize it. If you look closely, it isn't the wall... the entire picture is texturized. Stupidly, I didn't keep the originals, but if that's a problem I'm sure Photoshop in all its glory can repair what I've done...

[Nikolas]

I love it!

I think that the story will work really well with these BGs.

I'm not an artist to tell you a lot more, but the perspective is right. The colours seem just fine and the mirror images on the floor are great!

The chairs though in the bridge are a bit weird... (these are chairs, right?)

And maybe do something with the lightning on the engineering room.

Yeah and i just figured out what Tuomas means. He's right. The side walls keep having the absolute same texture as the bac walls so the perspective is kinda gone...

But I love your work even though you're not the best BGs artist, as you say (but you are much better than me!!!! )

[esper]

I think I found an artist for the next ESPER game after Robbie-29. I hope I did...

Anyway, are you guys not seeing that the texture is applied to the whole pic? Hmmmm, this might be bad. I think I'm going to use a blurring tool or something on the side walls to make it look less like the texture is attached to them... But then, that will take away from the canvassed appearance of the whole pic. Curses! Remind me next time to always keep my originals. I was thinking about applying the texture to the character, too, but I don't know now that this seems to be coming up...

I will, as soon as I get home and have access to my graphics tablet, paint over the chairs in the bridge. I was trying to make them like the chairs in engineering but forgot to look back to see what they looked like.

As for the lighting in the engine room (you meant engine room, NOT engineering, right, Nik?)... Hmmmm, I can't think of how better to do it. Any suggestions?

[aussie]

I like those bgs.

I personally believe it's very hard to make those ready-made textures fit in, though.

I would get rid of them, there's nothing wrong with flat polished walls inside a space ship.

[vict0r]

I would get rid of them, there's nothing wrong with flat polished walls inside a space ship.

Agree. Why would there be "canvas" walls in a spaceship? But these look very good! Love the style Just one thing. Are those onion thingys in the brigade creatures or chairs?

[esper]

Grrrr. I brought my laptop to work tonight, but there aren't any internet cables available. I edited the chairs and came up with the rest of the BG's on the ship.Ã,  ::EDIT: found some cables!!::

Yes, Vik, they're chairs. Ugly ones, I know. They look like distant relatives of Tentacle.

::EDIT:: AND DAMMIT, now that I look at the Hallway, I realize I'm going to have to pull the chairs from the new bridge and put them in that pic too!!!!! Grrrrr........

Now, I keep trying to say this, but I'm not sure anyone is listening... THE WALLS AREN'T TEXTURED!!! The whole pic is textured, and I, being a complete fool, edited over the originals and have no idea how best to un-texturize it now. I wasn't looking for a texture for the background, as in, say, to make it look like the ship was stuccoed... I wanted it to look like it was drawn, rather than like I pulled a Line tool over a computer screen. I was going to do it to all the backgrounds, characters... Everything... But now I don't know if I will. Unfortunately, like I said, I don't have the untextured originals.

EDIT: Unfortunately, the new ones are similarly textured. I did them before I found out you guys didn't like it. Seriously, does anyone have any idea how I can repair the damge?

The Captain's Room


The Chief Engineer's Office


The Strange Guest's Chamber


The Hallway Leading to the Bridge


The Ship's Science Library


The Observatory


What I might wind up doing is making these concept drawings and seeing if anyone wants to do the real ones for me. Any takers? Or should I just stop being a baby and un-texturize these and use them?

[Totoro]

EDIT: Unfortunately, the new ones are similarly textured. I did them before I found out you guys didn't like it. Seriously, does anyone have any idea how I can repair the damge?

I am not a Photoshop-Expert, but from what I know about graphic programmes I think its almost impossible to "untexture" something. You can, of course, make a paint-over yourself if there are not too many of those backgrounds yet. I don't really think you will find someone who would do that for you though You have some really nice backgrounds there, but they are not overpacked with details so it should not take too much time I think.