Is this a good PQ4 style?

[Knox]

Hi,

Ive been working on the GUI for save and load games. I cant decide which version is better.

Version A has a smaller area for screenshots, but wastes more space with the badge logo (maybe I can put the credits scrolling on the badge or something). It has more vertical space for the savenames.

Version B has bigger space for the screenshot, but I find perhaps it can seem a bit cluttered...and there is less space for the savenames on the bottom...however I like the locker-ish panels on the sides.

Perhaps some of you could help me decide which is "better", even if it comes down to personal opinion? Youve all helped me a lot so far to get the main feel of this game's GUI's down.


Version A


versionB

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

I like the second version more because everything is centralized.  Also, since you've already used the badge in the preferences menu (where I think it is more appropriate to have game logos) you don't really need it here. 

[Dervish]

I think it is dependent of what you did for the options menu... if you kept the badge on the options menu it might look a little strange to have the badge suddenly flip sides, and not sure wether the length of a name of saved file matters much, I know I usually don't get to discriptive in a save file name.  but I like both I think the first one matches the feel of the options menu and the second one looks pretty sharp also.

[InCreator]

I'd say too much contrast on last menu images.
Background graphics is meant to blend in, be like a wallpaper.
Would you put something so heavily contrasted onto your room wall?

I'd definitely cut back on contrast on those metallic surfaces. It doesn't have to vary from pure white to solid black. Find a nice balance between those two.
Also, button text is really difficult to read.

With contrast, do something like this (sloppy edit, messed up thin holes):

[GarageGothic]

I'd say that displaying the full length of the savegame name is more important than how many savegames you display at once - after all, most people want to load one of their most recent saves. Just make sure to support the mouse scroll wheel and it shouldn't be a problem.

If CJ removes the character limit on savegame names, as he said he would, you could even use the rest of the String to store information such as save game time, the location name and perhaps the number of points achieved in that savegame. Then crop that from the string displayed in the listbox and display it next to the screenshot for the selected savegame.

[Knox]

Ok these are good suggestions. Ill be going with version B's layout, however Im thinking of removing some extra crap that could be too distracting. Ill try to post an updated version next week.

Ill fiddle with the contrast levels aswell, I agree it can be a little too high!

I would LOVE to add the time, date, points earned, etc...in the savegames! Ill investigate the forums/manual to achieve this, good idea GarageGothic...Im assuming you're doing that with your game?

[Knox]

Hi guys,

Ive been a little busy with stuff lately and havent had time to work on much art, plus Monkey is helping me with reviewing my script (some redundant stuff and getting my inventory animation cursors to work ), just wanted to thank him here for what he's doing Hes a good guy!

ALSO:

I wanted to know if anyone is interested in being a character in the game...Im making portraits right now, and Ive completed a few friends and my father (he's going to be the actual main character's father). I need people willing to send me their face pictures (front view)...

If anyone wants to be in the game, let me know, I need many faces!! Your real name will be in the credits.

Also, you can state your desired "role", as in:

patrolman, detective, waiter/waitress, doctor/nurse, prosecutor, defense attorney, bystander, thug, dispatch technician, etc...

If I pick you, Ill send you the portrait + character as soon as its completed as a thank-you...I cant use your real name as the character in the game though, sorry....but it will be in the credits.

Here is my father...I put a nice tie on him

Before                                                                   After

[Peanut Monkey]

Oh wow, your artwork is always so good.  It doesn't matter how long it takes for you to complete, this is one of the projects on the website I hope gets finished!

[Knox]

I just completed another character who will be playing the wife of Brian Storm...who is actually my wife Im the one on the right, of course

Before                                                                        After


The next characters I will be posting here are a few of the people that sent in their pics from  the AGS forums!

Thanks to everyone who participated

[Babar]

You should probably flip the head (but not the rest of the body) horizontally. As it is now, it looks a very odd angle.

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

I agree with Babar, but I think that would make her stare off in the wrong direction.  A better approach would to be to bring the hair on the left side of her head forward to match the tilt of her face.  The shading and such is excellent as usual, even for a paint over.

[Knox]

Ok Babar + ProgZmax,

Ill see if I can correct the angle of the head/hair a bit better, I had a hard time getting a titled face from the photo to place correctly on a face-to-camera angle! DOH!

Ill post the change soon

[Uhfgood]

I'm kind of curious, obviously you're copying the photo-reference, however, are you actually painting them, or are you literally painting over the photos (ie tracing using transparency, etc)?  Like everyone else says these are very good.

[xenogia]

Looking amazing as always

[Knox]

Hi Uhfgood,

Well Ive been painting with oils since a pretty young age, so its pretty much the same thing but on a computer ...I do use the photos as my background image, but paint over it with my stylus to give it more of a painted look. i use the smudge tool a lot aswell. The mouth animations are done by hand too, which takes up most of my time cause for those I have no reference photos (I find its the hardest part cause Im currently doing 9 frames of animation for each character's speech).

I started to work on a tutorial a while ago, but Ive left it aside for now cause Im finding less and less time to work on my hobby...

Im currently working on GarageGothic's portrait...Ill add little details here and there by hand (like for my father, the whole beard was repainted, and his body + tie is all by hand with no references)...the rest is a mix of paint-over and smudging + copy paste.

Ill REALLY try to get that darned tutorial done...with all the help Ive gotten so far in scripting I totally owe it!

[Knox]

Here is GarageGothic as a Hacker-Punk,

Im not sure of the glasses, what do you think?

Before                                                                               After

[Chicky]

I would have kept the body as it was in the ref pic, his body looks very strangely positioned in the paint over. Something i can't quite put my finger on.  

You have a very nice high res look to your portraits, the smudging and brushwork doesn't show at all.

You could try rotating the body c-clockwise and the head clockwise a little to make him look more natural. Punks strike me as being fairly comfortable in their appearance whereas your sprite looks a little awkward.

Screw it, here's a bodged 2 minute edit to show you what i mean.


           Edited                           Original

[GarageGothic]

LOL, that's hilarious, general_knox - that's the most buff I've ever looked. Good work as usual. I especially like technique you used on the hair.

I'm a bit reluctant to give criticism since I'm bound to be biased by personal vanity and dress sense, so I'll stick to technical stuff. I think the pattern on the shirt gives a very 2D appearance, there's no real sense of shape. This is especially noticeable at the collar where any volume given by the shading of the neck just disappears.
I'm also not sure if the glasses work - not the style as much as whether it's even physically possible to keep them in that position for more than a few seconds (I just tried with two different pairs and failed). It seems they should either be worn properly or pushed further into the hairline, which may mess up the mohawk. If you absolutely want them to be on the forehead, I would go for a more goggle-like design (like welder's goggles) that are held by an elastic strap. That would probably work, and also give more of a cyberpunk'ish hacker look.

[Knox]

Heh...ok, I rotated the body a bit and the head + shaded the "lovely" shirt ... I think its getting there!

Whats better GG, without glasses, wearing the glasses, or welding goggles on the forehead? I could also have all versions in the game...depending on what say the cop talks to this character (Id like to change people's clothes thoughout the game if possible).

[GarageGothic]

Alright, I think I can safely say no to the normal sunglasses - makes him look like the ungodly offspring of Elvis Costello and Bono
I quite like the welding goggles, but I would say it really depends on where you meet this character, and what he's doing at the time.