My first room by myself, C&C requested. [Update: Final Version?]

[poc301]

So as some of you might remember from the thread taking place over the past few days, I am changing the graphics in my new game from modified photorealistic to straight pixel based. 

I just finished my first screen solo (Markbilly got me started on the one in the last thread, which helped a lot), and wanted to get some C&C on it.

I believe the perspective for the room is right on (it's not a player-walkable room, just a scene with a dude at a desk), but I know there are a few errors..

I am learning a lot, but I still don't quite feel like I have the shadows thing down.  I tried as best as I could for the lighting and shadows (especially on the carpet), but I am sure there is room for improvement.

Also, the scene of the parking-lot seen through the windows..  I know the perspective is screwed up there, but tried about 4 times to fix it and couldn't get it right.  This is about as close as I was able to get.

Any help, tips, comments, anything at all will be greatly appreciated. 

And after the last thread, this forum is simply amazing for improving art skills.



**EDIT** Oh, and its a Police Chief's office, thus the badge pictures. 

**EDIT** Also, the chair does not have to be finished, since something will be placed over that immediate area (an object in-game), and the player will never see the chair.


Thanks!

Bill

[Hudders]

lol @ the pictures of guybrush and sam and max hit the road. 

For the windows, I wouldn't bother with drawing what's outside them and just fill the area with a light blue colour. Maybe leave the hedge though, (but you certainly wouldn't be able to see the parking space from this perspective).

[poc301]

Glad you like the pictures on the wall, hehe.

I am putting a lot of those types of 'easter eggs' in Murran Chronicles 3, just wait and see

The bushes are actually supposed to be grass, thus the messed up perspective.  But I think I will do that, make it look more hedgey and put in some sky blue.

Thanks!

Bill

[poc301]

Ok, I made some changes..

Desaturated it, brightened and added contrast, changed the pic of the woman on the wall (made her blonde so as not to look like another character in the game accidentally), added bushes/sky to the windows, added shading to a few things, and changed the colors of the blinds.



Thoughts?

Thanks,

Bill

[Babar]

There is something weird going on with the right wall....the pictures near the centre are facing one way, but the pictures to the right are facing another, as if the wall is curved. But the ceiling is straight, so the wall can't be curved.

And yeah, the outside of the windows look too unreal. As if someone taped a picture to them, instead of them being part of distant scenery. I'd suggest you lose the detail on the grass/bushes outside.

[Anian]

It looks really good and the desaturation helped. What Babar said is there, but I only noticed it when he pointed it out. Blur or lose a bit of detail in those outside the window details and it'll look more natural/farther away.

Maybe a bit of details on the chair, or is it empty cause a character goes there? Oh, some details on the table like papers and a phone, a fan plus a name tag thingie that says "chief", "Smith" or similar...kinda cliche but gives off an atmosphere. Also, if you're not working with a too limited palette, that file cabinet in the right corner could be metal/gray/or even green colour. This is all purely as an observational, not anything major.

Personal observation - if the picture of that woman is personal (like the owner keeps it as a reminder of a wife or daughter), maybe it could be on the table (or one of the other surfaces) and turned away from someone that enters the office.

[Lad]

 As I have read your other topic and I like the style, I thought I give a piece of my mind! 



I edited it a bit (fast so it is just to make the point) and circled some things, maybe it will help you understand me better.

q - the small shelf looks out of perspective, it looked a bit weird. Also the one desk in the back has outlines whereas the first two hasn`t.

w - in your version I couldn`t understand where the two walls actually meet and it seemed like some things are on higher ground then other so I tried to fix the perspective a bit.

x - just some missing outline pixels 

y - this window didn`t have any thickness to it and had only lines.

Don`t know if the simpler grass makes it better? That`s up to others.

One thing more, you should choose some small font and try to add some text to the notes even it isn`t readable. Right now it looks like some child has scribbled on papers.

That`s all I`ve got to say. I hope I was of help! Keep up the good work! 

EDIT:
Sorry that I forgot to mention that the color choice is a lot better then in the first post, at least in my opinion. The colors don`t scream to my face.

[Kastchey]

Looking great! If that's for ep. 3, then I wonder what are graphics for the Murran Chronicles Episode 8 gonna look like if you keep on improving like this.

And one thing about the windows. Usually when you look through the window while standing in the middle of the room, all you can see is the most distant part of the view simply because the wall is blocking the view of the other (closer to you) areas outside. And that makes the perspective of what you can see through the window really flat and distant, making it look something like this.
Unless the bushes grow directly over the window in you picture?

Or take a look at this simple animated picture, the second frame imitates a window view:

It might not be the best example, but hope it helps at least some.

[poc301]

Wow, thanks SOO much for everyone's help.

I made a bunch of changes.  Added another Lucasarts easter egg logo to the book on the desk, along with a new phone, name plaque, in/out box, changed the file cabinet to metal, changed the windows, the left cabinet to try to make it the right perspective, added real typed fonts to the papers on the wall as opposed to scribble, changed.. well. a LOT of stuff.   Basically everything that everyone suggested, because it made it much better.

Thanks again to everyone, and any more tips or critiques will as always, be appreciated.

As I wait for feedback, I am working on my 3rd background now





Thanks,

Bill

[Hudders]

The windows certainly look a lot better.

[poc301]

Thanks Hudders

Well, there is as detailed above, a HUGE problem with the perspective in the pic.  So in order to resolve it I had to chop off the side of the room with the bookshelf and 1/2 the table at the bottom.

It still looks okay I guess, but the bookshelf is gone (not required for the game, just there for decor).  So I lose nothing except that I make the room look smaller with the proper intersections of the walls.

I appreciate feedback on this, maybe what else I could do.  If I raise the walls on the top part instead of lowering the walls on the left side, I will have to redraw a bunch of stuff... 

Thoughts?



Thanks,

Bill

[Hudders]

If that chair rail running around the room wasn't there, you wouldn't notice the fact that the left-hand wall is now clearly taller than the back wall.

[Dualnames]

Wow, that's really really good. Apart from the lack of artistic style on the leave button..how about an arrow like back is for internet explorer?

[poc301]

I didn't think about taking the border down, but that could work..

I just removed it and am posting a new version.  It does help some, but I am afraid it just plain looks bad..

To everyone, do you think I dhould I leave the full version in without the border (below), or put in the smaller room pic with the border, but properly heighted floor (above)?



Dualnames: Thanks for the insight.  I might change the button up.  Maybe a back arrow won't be a bad idea..

Thanks,

Bill

[rbaleksandar]

Phone's too small or everything is too big - you choose The same story is by the mouse (PC-mouse) and the display. I judge that so because of the size of the chair and the pair of buttons  next to the left window near the corner. Phone's receiver is for someone with very small hands or for someone who'll pick it up with 2 fingers. The buttons on the wall tell me what the size of the finger' tips is. The mouse and the PC-display are too small omho. The display is about 10" or less. One might miss that there's a mouse on the desk at all. Yes, they are in the distance but - hey - this isn't a hall, it's a small office-room (obviously).
  Shadows need more work and printer...Well, at first glimpse it looke like a microwave to me.
  The small box on the table (forgot the name) I presume is full of some documents. Well since there are holes on all sides of the box, it'll be nice to draw some lines so that the viewer gets the impression that it's actually filled with paper and not with a big white box.
  Chair is with too monotonous color that is - black. Try making it dark brown or something else and add some cushions so that it looks more comfy.
   The frames of the images (most of them) are black and there's a great contrast between them and the light color of the wall. The paint on the wall hurts the eye (especially on the right side around the file-cabinet and under Sam&Max's picture.
  Mentioning the pictures - the sign and the picture of Guybrush next to it have not quite right perspective. I mean the bottom of the frame. It should be with an angle like the top of the frames of the pictures above.
  Last thing I can see for now is - shadow behind the curtains (sorry again - forgot the name of these things ), but I mentioned that about the shadows above so...No need to be too descriptive.



  Besides all my crit, I think it's very nice and I hope you agree now completely that this style suits you much more that the previous with the washed colors. Like the fact that there's a smoke-detector on the ceiling. Safty above all.

  Ah, almost forgot - better without a border. There are pictures on the walls so they won't look "empty" without it.

[poc301]

Thanks much for the pointers.  I have incorporated all you have said (with the exception of the chair, which I am still considering how I want to do it based upon the char who will be sitting there).

I do think I like it better with the slightly darker colors in the pic below, and it does look very nice.

I agree that this style suits much better then the other one from the first 2 games.  I think my biggest problem was fear.  This is really much easier than I thought it would be.

**Edit: Oh, and PS, the computer monitor has a screenshot of this thread on it



**Edit again: Just added a more stylized exit button in the bottom right corner.

Thanks!

Bill

[Hudders]

Your left wall keeps changing in your edits between being too tall and too short. Here's a paintover showing where the bottom of the wall ought to be:



My advice would be to make everything between my red line and the existing bottom of the wall taller - including the bookcase. This will hopefully remove the optical illusion you're getting in the previous edits where the wall and floor seemed to become one behind the desk where you couldn't see the join. Don't change the table in the foreground though.

Alternatively, removing both the bookcase and the foreground table, (alongside elongating the wall as previously suggested), should also get rid of the optical illusion.

[poc301]

Wow Hudders, I can't believe I didn't think of that...

Simply elongating the book case and wall made the room look right, and didn't take as much of the feeling of space away as the one above that I did.

This whole art thing is still really new to me, but I am loving how much I am learning about this.



Thanks,

Bill

[Hudders]

Excellent.

Looks lovely.

[poc301]

Thanks everyone for all the help.  I am now working on my first ever outdoor scene..  A building.  Its a bit different, I am sure I will be posting for help lol

-Bill