Filling up my background

[ThreeOhFour]

Hey again everyone.

Been working on this background for a while now, keep changing things, but am kinda happy with the shape it is taking.

However, I think it looks lame because it doesn't look like it is in a city, when it is supposed to look like it is in a city. The big dark orange rectangle - that's meant to be a building. I kinda have no idea how the background of the background should look. A lot of it is still just a sketch, but I would like to get an idea of how the whole composition should look.



I'm sorry I keep filling up this joint with requests for advice but things stay lame if you guys don't help me.

And nobody likes lame.

Oh, and also any other suggestions you have would be appreciated.

EDIT: Have done a bit more work, so I thought I'd put it up:

[Buckethead]

Hey!

I love how we get to see how your backgrounds are coming along! Make sure not to put your whole game in the critics lounge though 

I've made you a back drop from an image I've found with google, hope it helps in some way.

[ThreeOhFour]

I kinda like it. Thanks man.

Make sure not to put your whole game in the critics lounge though 

Why not ?

Anyway, I've had a shot at working that in. My problem now is that the fore and background are full, but the middle ground isn't really. I wanna fill that sucker up!!!



How is it looking?

[markbilly]

This looks fab.

Stick your character sprite in the foreground to help establish the depth. You need a wall, or fence to separate the foreground from the middle ground, perhaps in line with the base of the circular building. This will create a division, as the change in scale is going to be quite dramatic.

Doesn't have to be very tall, just to end the walk area really. Even a flowerbed would do!

Does any of that ^ make sense??

[ThreeOhFour]

I like the wall idea as well. Thanks for that one man. Keep em coming guys.

[markbilly]

Just what I was thinking of, perfect!

All needs more detail, but you should get all the features sorted first.

[cobra79]

Maybe a transportation tube à  la Futurama or a maglev train

[Cino]

Something caught my eye. It kinda looks like the round temple building is partially inside/behind the wall, but the wall is obviously too short compared to the temple. So I would suggest you either move the wall back a little bit or make the wall bigger.
Other than that everything seems to be coming along nicely. You've got a nice style here. I love the lamps!

[ThreeOhFour]

Markbilly - Yeah, detail will come in time. Slowly adding it in bits, few little cracks on the stone and stuff. I'll put some little shrubs and stuff around in time.

Cobra79 - Good idea, I never thought of that. I don't wanna stick it in this bg and crowd it out, but a cool transport system is definitely an idea I'll be using in one of the backgrounds to come.

Cino - You're right - the wall is meant to meet at the side of the "temple" (not actually a temple - I just wanted a cool sort of exotic look. It was originally gonna look WAY different, but I like to do things as I go). I've raised the wall. Hope this helps this problem a bit. Glad you also like the lights - they were the basis of this whole background, basically. That always seems to happen - I base a whole background on one silly little object and develop it from there. I like how the lights and sign sort of are little highlights in the image.



I'm planning to add a few shrubs and stuff in - weedy sort of plants - just for colour. Currently only uses 21 colours, so I'm not too worried about overdoing the colour.

[markbilly]

I don't like the way the building in the middle-ground is head-on to the camera, this is also not helped by the windows. It robs it of any depth. Just looks, well, flat...

And what is the new building next to it? Only just noticed it.

The wall looks better. It needs some creepers up it, or maybe a lighter block along the middle of it, or a flowerbed in front of it?

[Hudders]

The shadow in the gateway could do with having more depth to it as well.

[ThreeOhFour]

Is this a good addition to the wall?



Also changed the gate shadow. Sitting on 23 colours.

[cobra79]

I think the bushes look good. The gate shadow now looks a bit like the first step of a staircase.

[markbilly]

I think some variation in colours would do it good now. Keep the colours of what you have at the moment, but anything new you draw try to use some new ones. I wouldn't worry about how many you use, unless you have a palette?

[Krysis]

How about some foreground objects? That might help. I love the colors.

[MashPotato]

I think this is shaping up quite nicely!  One thing that I noticed is that the horizon is too high for your vanishing point (I'm assuming the vanishing point is where the path lines converge, and that your area is flat (because it looks like a flat desert )).  I'm not sure if that was supposed to be actual ground or if it was just a place holder for more buildings, but I did an edit to show you what I mean because I'm not good at describing:


I also turned down the saturation of the sky, and made the far building silhouettes a little lighter so that the foreground would pop more.  I think I went a little too far with that and it looks a little off, but it may give you something to consider

Good work so far, keep it up!

[Monsieur OUXX]

Wether you manage to "fill up" this background or not, i have to say i LOVE this kind of "Amiga pastel 64-colors" style...

[radiowaves]

It needs some colder tones into it, shadows for example, then it wouldn't be so dull. There is a lot of potential in this.

[InCreator]

Check out graphics in such old games as "Out of this world" and "Flashback".

They used strong-contrast/saturation lights over low-sat backgrounds which created really mysterious and sci-fi environment. Your lights are similar, but not yet strong enough-