BG - theatre - toilets

[DuncanFx]

Hey all,

I'm having a go at this month's MAGS competition and having been stuck at home with the flu, I've written up the story and so on today and I've given the first background a shot this evening:



Hopefully you can tell what it is without a description, but in case you can't, it is a small theatre corridor leading from a stage on the left to various rooms on the right. Now, this has gone through half a dozen drafts today and despite a couple of potential perspective issues (that far left wall needs to be fixed), I've tested it in AGS and I'm happy with the layout. More detail will be added to everything after I get the layouts of all of the rooms finished.

The things I'm looking for some advice/critique on are the colour scheme and the lighting. As I said, these have gone through several drafts already, and I am generally happy with their current state, but I bow to those with greater experience of these things than me should there be any stark errors I've missed.

The stage is lit with spotlights - something which I think I've portrayed fairly well, but the corridor light is troubling me, especially since I've used that odd perspective on the right. Its either that, or its because the shadow cast seems to imply that there should be a shade on the light, when there currently isn't... thoughts?

If anyone could provide some help/advice for how the shadow should fall in the stairway too, I would be very grateful, as its been frustrating me for an hour now, and I'm still not happy with the tests I've done so far.

Any advice or feedback would be most gratefully received, cheers.

[theo]

Good job on that skewed perspective! It could easily have been tripped on.

One thing you definitely want to address is your stage light. The lit area has the exact same value as the dark area. All the spotlight does is raise the saturation of the affected area - I strongly recommend raising it's value also.

Regarding the corridor light, I think it does a pretty good job. However your darks are very bright, for a scene lit with only one single light-bulb.

Also as I just wrote in another post: lose the black outlines. If you insist on having outlines on everything, at least make them less harsh. (raise their value and give them a hue similar to the hue of the area they are outlining.

[DuncanFx]

Thank you for the feedback Theo, its been very helpful. I've been working on some other backgrounds for this game today, but have just gone back and played around with some of the lighting levels:



I've darkened the shadows in both areas and feel that the stage at least looks a lot better for it. I'll try to add some more detail in tomorrow to get a better feel as to whether I should add a second light in the corridor.

As for the black outlines, they're merely a force-of-habit, and will probably be replaced later on.

[theo]

good edit! I find your shadow a bit over-saturated though. The brown is very... brown.

[DuncanFx]

I find your shadow a bit over-saturated though. The brown is very... brown.

I was thinking that myself. I'm working on other backgrounds right now, but shall give it another pass when I go back to add in the details and try to de-saturate it a bit. At least I plan to... I'm still trying to get to grips with Graphics Gale's interface - which isn't the best I've ever used - to better organise my palette right now.

[Jim Reed]

I fixed the light on the right wall, and added it on the roof. Pushed the doors into the walls a bit, and touched up the stair.

I like your style. =)

[DuncanFx]

I fixed the light on the right wall, and added it on the roof. Pushed the doors into the walls a bit, and touched up the stair.

I like your style. =)

Jim Reed, you are a star! Thank you for taking the time to do that edit/paintover. The shadow on the stairs looks great, as do the framed and inset doors, so if you don't mind, I'm going to keep those.

I'm still not 100% sure of the shadow on the right wall, but since you moved it pretty much back to where I had it in my first draft (not posted here), perhaps it is more accurate than I initally thought.

Thanks again.

[theo]

value of tha actual light source is still lower than that of some of the highlights it is creating (stairs, lamp holder) . rethink this please.

[DuncanFx]

Without wanting to give away too much about the game, I need to have an alternative version of the corridor, with stone walls (think castle-style construction).

I just put together the image below, but I'm not sure if the stone work I have done so far looks like a castle wall. I tried a more uniform version with more standard "bricks", but it really didn't look good.



I'd really appreciate any ideas or feedback anyone could provide, because I think I've gone blind to it from looking at it too long.

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

Well, older castles were typically built with standardized stone blocks on all outer walls for better stability.  Consider for a moment how a mason would get blocks like the ones you've arranged to orderly 'stack' up; it's not really practical.  Stone designs like yours are typically surface additions to a completed wall added to give the wall a more 'earthy' appearance.  The random stone shapes are certainly more visually interesting to look at than orderly or 'ashlar' blocks, and it's true many low walls or fences (even some homes) were made with irregular shaped rocks mainly when they served no security purpose, but accuracy seems to be an issue here so you may want to go with the shaped stone appearance.

If you're curious, have a look here at the types of masonry and how they have been typically applied:

http://arts.jrank.org/pages/9721/Masonry.html

[DuncanFx]

Thanks ProgZmax, I will take a look at that link and give it a more considered attempt.

[Ali]

I have to disagree with ProgZ's advice. Irregularity is not really a problem depending on the period your building dates from. I think the Ancient Greeks and Romans were pretty keen on regularity, as were 18th/19th century architects, but not all stone buildings were regular.

Subtly varying block worked very well in zyndicate's recent background blitz. I've seen dozen of medieval walls and they often use uneven stone blocks, particularly on internal walls. (Google 'medieval wall' for pictures). Many stone buildings were made up of stones from other buildings, so irregularity was commonplace.

I would say that your blocks are a bit too large, and that the gaps for mortar between them are also too big. But the irregularity, I like!

[Matti]

I would say that your blocks are a bit too large, and that the gaps for mortar between them are also too big. But the irregularity, I like!

I agree. Make the blocks and gaps smaller and a bit less irregular. I'd also reconsider the colors. Right now it's two very different tones which looks a bit strange, if not artificial.

Otherwise this a quite nice BG.

[DuncanFx]

Thank you Ali and Matti, I appreciate the feedback.

I gave the "straight block" version that ProgZmax favoured another few attempts today and still didn't like the results - especially when I also combine it with the other backgrounds I've drawn and not posted here yet. As much as it might be more realistic or whatever, it simply doesn't "fit" with the style I've adopted in my opinion.

Therefore, I gave the version above another shot, making the stones smaller and moving them closer together as suggested. The first tests look ok, but it makes the wall becomes very "busy" as a result. Perhaps when all the final details are added (hanging banners, etc), it'll balance itself out though. I'll try to post a version tomorrow after I take a fresh look at it.

[DuncanFx]

Ok, the stonework in the corridor is driving me nuts right now, so I've moved onto detailing another room - the toilets! I've learned from my errors with the corridor and think I've managed to avoid any here, but I'd appreciate it if someone could take a look at this and highlight anything I might've missed.

x1 x2

Also, if anyone has suggestions for other details I could add, I'd be grateful. I've been trying to think of how to fill the wall on the back-right. There will be a character stood in front of it, but I still think it might look too empty if I don't add something.

[Tabata]

for example:  ... an advertising poster, a crack, a mop bucket with mop that was left standing , a shelf with towels or/and soap dispenser, a trash can, ... 

... depending on the story/style also cobwebs (only if it matches the rest of the building) or a scribbeled warning like: “Come closer - he is shorter than you think!”   

[theo]

The lit area on the wall suffers from the same issue your other light did, it has the same value as the wall. It is merely more saturated.

Also, I'm still voting for you to lose the black outlines.

Other than those issues, I like it!

[markbilly]

Everyone has highlighted some important issues with the latest background but I'd just like to say I think it's great and with a few more details you've got a background brimming with character!

[Calin Leafshade]

A recolour.. possibly of no help.


original:

[Cuiki]

The toilets background looks really cool! But if you don't mind me going back to your previous one, I think something still seems off, though I'm not quite sure what. Maybe it's the lines on the right wall being curved too much at the end or maybe it's just that the whole area is too large to fit one screen and should be divided into two parts...? Also, I think the colours still clash too much. The second background seems much better in this respect as well, maybe you should get some ideas from it?

Btw, just my curiosity: what's the funny-looking stuff in the urinals?

Spoiler

You gonna use it for a potion-mixing puzzle?

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