Background needs help

[yarooze]

I'm fighting against backgrounds for my game. What can you say about picture like that? What would you change?


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[2ma2]

It's rather dark. I like that you've turned away against classic depictions of darkness using blue and purple hues, but you might need a lightsource to clarify the background a bit. Perhaps from the window and through the doors cracks. The puddle is a nice touch composition wise. Perhaps use it to reflect a lightsource from the toppy building.

[yarooze]

It's rather dark. I like that you've turned away against classic depictions of darkness using blue and purple hues, but you might need a lightsource to clarify the background a bit. Perhaps from the window and through the doors cracks. The puddle is a nice touch composition wise. Perhaps use it to reflect a lightsource from the toppy building.

This is a willage in misty Albion (this is a fantasy land, not England). It is a daytime but there isn't much light through clouds. So I thought, I can not make to much light/shadows. May be I can make some light in the window of the house but the temple is empty and closed. How would you solve this problem?

What do you think, may I add something or are there enough details on he picture. Is it boring?

[Mad-Hatter]

Perhaps the character can have a flashlight?
Or, as 2ma2 said, light in one of the houses?


You said you couldn't do that because the temple is empty, but don't you need a good reason to get the character to the temple anyway? Something to investigate?

Such as a light from the window. It would solve two problems at once.  ^_^

[raddicks]

Have a village lantern hanging from a post, have it with a curvature going upwards. Light it yellow, have it reflected mildly, anything not from the light source colour with purple on the vertices (purple hues compliment yellow in a scene)

[Sektor 13]

I think background looks very good ! Only thing i would change, well there are two things , would be -> add some more object, like some stone or a showel, dead body etc . and remove those black line ! Belive me, it would look much better.

[Mad-Hatter]

He has a point.  I hadn't noticed that before. No black lines would look much better.


And I like the lantern idea a lot better than my flashlight idea.


Be sure to show us some more screenshots when you make up your mind!

[EagerMind]

I think the buildings could use some texture. Right now the stone looks completely smooth. I'd try some cracks in the walls, or some additional shading to show that they aren't completely smooth, or add some graininess to the color (or all three!).

I really like the muted colors and the dreariness of the whole scene. But I agree that you could use a light source - maybe coming from a window and/or a street lamp. I think it could be really atmospheric if you had some warm, yellow light trying to cut through the gloom.

[2ma2]

This is what I meant with a lightsource. Something to aquire focus for the eye.

[yarooze]

Thank you all for the feedback. I think, I'll remake the picture and show it once more...

to 2ma2: thank you for the paintover. I see what you mean, but unfortunately I can't use it on this picture. This picture shows the willage between 6:00 and 18:00, so it can't be so dark... :(Ã,  I'll use your idea later - it will be some night action later in the game...

to all: sorry but I can't use any laterns on this picture... I just wanted to make some cloudy day but instead of this made a night. My fault, sorry...

to EagerMind & Sektor 13: aha! There are to few details on the picture... I'll try to make the next better...

to Mad-Hatter & Sektor 13: No outlines at all or no such outlines?

to Mad-Hatter: the temple is very important but it is closed right now and nobody is in there. I can't explain more since it is one of the quests. sorry...

to all: one more question! Whould you play this game after you saw the screenshot? If yes/not - why? (For example: I would never play a game with such awefull graphics! )


Later I'll write more about this game in my blog http://yarooze.blogspot.com/, so you can chek it out, if you want to know more. There are allready some details to see over there...

[bspeers]

Nice pic!

I think what 2ma2 is writing has more direct use for your drawing than you allow.  I think some simple lighting choices will draw the attention a little better.  When it's stormy out, clouds don't blanket a street in darkness quite as black as you've used.  Some highlights through the clouds and in patches of the road will help.

Although lights in the windows may not be the best solution, in any darkness (whether it is day or night) you would see inside areas well, if they have any light at all.  Perhaps some dull details through the windows would help rather than as strong  a lightsource.

I googled some appropriate images, and while the windows are in fact dark, you can see slightly more detail than you can at night, there also isn't as much gloom and shadow as you have in your drawing, which may be there for stylistic reasons but doesnt' carry the mood as some of the photographs I found.  The two linked below are not the strongest, necessarily, but do fit with the style you're working with.

EDIT: For whatever reason, the first of these links (the only one directly pertinent to your picture) isn't linking directly.  You can do the same search though, there are some good references out there.

http://www.suffolkcam.co.uk/bramfield_village.jpg/

http://www.roatanisland.net/images/images_touristguide/P1150002.JPG


I would play a game with *my* graphics, and they suck.  The only thing I care about is whether the game is fun/enlightening and effort was put into the graphics.  If your graphics are as bad as mine (mine are much worse than yours), I'm looking for details you put in whether well realized or not.  Your graphics exceed those expectations, and in fact are quite good.  Functional, well-drawn and moody.  Few complaints here.

[Sektor 13]

Thank you all for the feedback. I think, I'll remake the picture and show it once more...

to 2ma2: thank you for the paintover. I see what you mean, but unfortunately I can't use it on this picture. This picture shows the willage between 6:00 and 18:00, so it can't be so dark...   I'll use your idea later - it will be some night action later in the game...

to all: sorry but I can't use any laterns on this picture... I just wanted to make some cloudy day but instead of this made a night. My fault, sorry...

to EagerMind & Sektor 13: aha! There are to few details on the picture... I'll try to make the next better...

to Mad-Hatter & Sektor 13: No outlines at all or no such outlines?

to Mad-Hatter: the temple is very important but it is closed right now and nobody is in there. I can't explain more since it is one of the quests. sorry...

to all: one more question! Whould you play this game after you saw the screenshot? If yes/not - why? (For example: I would never play a game with such awefull graphics! )


Later I'll write more about this game in my blog http://yarooze.blogspot.com/, so you can chek it out, if you want to know more. There are allready some details to see over there...

I meant no lines at all.

[Theeph]

EDIT: For whatever reason, the first of these links (the only one directly pertinent to your picture) isn't linking directly.  You can do the same search though, there are some good references out there.

http://www.suffolkcam.co.uk/bramfield_village.jpg/

It's because you put a closing slash on the url and your browser is sending a request for a directory called "bramfield_village.jpg". Take the end slash off and it works fine.

Nice bg Yarooze! I want to feast on your brains so I can absorb your nice drawing skills.