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I think Banks, in turn, got the concept from Larry Niven's Ringworld novels...

A very likely influence - the Ringworld fully circumscribes a star however, where as an Orbital (as with Halo) is much smaller and does not contain a star in the middle. In fact, Halo rings were apparently inspired (at least in part) by Iain Banks orbitals - if this source is reliable:

“All of us here at Bungie are huge fans of sci-fi literature,” says Griesemer, “and of course there are shades of Iain M Banks â€" think of Consider Phlebas with the ship being destroyed. But the influence of something like [Larry Niven's] Ringworld isn't necessarily in the design â€" it's in that feeling of being somewhere else." - EdgeOnline

So glad to see this is still happening! The new art looks great!

We may have been quiet over these past few years, but that's not because the project has died - rather that our progress is a little slow but it's absolute. We *will* finish this game, whether next year or 3 years from now, of that you can be certain.

Halo ring? Great to see this is back though.

This is an Orbital, a concept of recently deceased novelist Iain M. Banks, my favorite author. I understand they're very similar to Halo rings, a game I never played myself (but I've heard of it and seen the Red vs Blue parodies) but I think they may be smaller.

That's some stunning EGA work. Absolutely lovely!

Thanks ThreeOhFour, I've spent countless hours reverse engineering my favourite scenes from my favourite Sierra games in order to obtain a similar look, style and feel as the classics, and I constantly touch-up screens after months and even years until I'm happy with the final result. I look forward to releasing some sort of playable demo in the near future for people to enjoy.

[Project:]

Hi,
Team-O over at the Orbital project are looking for an animations artist who is interested in designing EGA, Sierra-stylised animations which can be integrated with the existing background artwork.

Project: Orbital - The Problem Child, a retro, EGA, sierra-stylised sci-fi set on an artifical ring-world in the fictional universe of The Culture as portrayed by writer Iain M. Banks.

Details: Rumpapunsky Paffenbarger, AI droid, resides with his humanoid friend (and his daughter) in their residence located on the desert continent "Whispering Sands", aboard the massive Seras Orbital (with a surface area x20 that of a regular M-class planet). Paffebarger must investigate the disappearance of his friend and follow clues that lead him to unlikely and bizarre destinations, until he tracks down his friend and uncovers a dangerous plot that is more sinister and threatening to the safety of the Orbital and her citizens than anything he could possibly imagine. Where has Paffenbarger's friend disappeared to? Who took him? Why did they take him? And who is involved in this sinister plot in which he finds himself inextricably entangled?

Positions Available: Animations artist

Deadline: Demo by the end of December, 2013

Comments: Interested people should contact me directly via the AGS forums, and please provide an example of your animated artwork (preferebly 16 bit or EGA/VGA, but not essential) if available. Access to the Orbital forums will be granted after accepting the position, at which point you may gain a better understanding of the direction and vibe that Orbital is aiming for.

Applicants should be aware that the busiest periods for Orbital development are during uni breaks, Nov-Feb and July of each year (until the end of next year), and that outside of these periods will be mostly quiet. This should not directly impact on your personal progress however, and in fact it's preferred that you bring with you your own motivation and drive.

Orbital is currently in a high activity period, and for the next two weeks (until 4th Aug), so we are eager to have an animations artist onboard well before then.

Read more about Orbital here. Feel free to post any questions in this thread.

Please note that this game will be free for download, and as such there is unfortunately no budget for financial reimbursement of this position.

Sincerely
Team-O

It's been a couple of years since I've posted anything for Orbital, but rest assured that development *is* ongoing and a lot of progress has been made since the creation of this thread. We are closing in on a demo deadline, which ought to be finalised by the end of this year (if not sooner), and the overall game is really coming together very nicely. Without wanting to give away too much of the artwork and spoil the game experience, here is a section of the intro screen:



I think Orbital is going to be a great game when she is finally released, reminiscent of retro-EGA Sierra games, but in our own unique Team-O style. I have adapted an approach to what I like to call "inspiration driven creation", in which I attempt to capture the atmosphere of those Sierra games I most love while I am travelling overseas immersed in a foreign culture. When that's not possible, plenty of coffee and caffeinated beverages get me through

The backgrounds aim to be visually pleasing, providing a travel experience for the eye, and I've personally spent many hours over the past years deconstructing retro-EGA artwork from those artists we all love and admire (particulary for the games Leisure Suit Larry, Quest for Glory, Space Quest, and Conquest of Camelot).

A reworked desert screen:


And finally, one more screen - which some may already have seen in another thread - from a crashed shuttle in the sands of the Whispering Desert continent located somewhere on Seras Orbital:



Team-O

No need to have an uninterrupted line all the way. Just play with a few pixels. To highlight what needs to be highlighted.

Awesome, that's what I thought you meant. Here are the changes I made yesterday while trying to keep your feedback in mind (I think it looks a lot better!). I also removed the front console, where the mug was initially sitting, and added some highlights.

Nick, I think I should have given some context - this is a crashed shuttle in the desert (partially buried), and the opening in the top is where the PC enters. Sand has fallen through the entrance (and is partially illuminated).
Understandable re the consoles - they're not fully operational. There is a mug on the helm in the foreground, so I can understand your confusion!

Maybe you could be more subtle in your use of the lightest shade of blue. Don't use it as a plain one-pixel-wide outline everywhere. Put it really only where the light is bright.

Could you elaborate a little? I've removed highlights from the ceiling beams, which I think is what you're referring to - and I'm trying to rework the lighting as suggested.

BTW I assumed you're talking about the light-cyan colour (in the classic Sierra 16-colour palette)?

Hi all,
I'm hoping to get some constructive criticism on some background scenery for a game that is currently in production: http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=43580.msg579936#msg579936

As an amateur 'artist' (and I hesitate to use this word casually, considering I have very little experience compared to many who frequent these forums), I have been attempting to mimick and reproduce a certain Sierra flavour in my background art while simultaneously developing my own style.

I appreciate any constructive feedback regarding perspective, shading, atmosphere and technique.
So to dive right in, I'll start with an interior shuttle scene:



I'm sure improvements could be made, but I need a fresh perspective!

[p]

I think he means "player character"

Yup, that's right.  I simply refer to my main character as 'PC' (Player character) as I find it difficult to settle on names until the characters are fully developed. It's something I like to leave until last.

Pictures have been replaced with in-game screen-shots as promised (except for the very first).

[moderator]
Are these actual "in game" screens?  As mentioned by Cain there's no GUIs and/or characters?  Since you've provided several graphic examples I'll let it slide but it would be nice to see something from within the game itself.
[/moderator]

Love me some EGA!

Is that the NSEA Protector?

Hi Darth, no these are not in-game screens, apologies for that - I did my best to comply with the rules of the forum but somehow overlooked that detail. I will replace them shortly. And yes, it certainly is the NSEA Protector, you'll find some more Galaxy Quest references in Part II of Orbital Adventure (which takes place on a cruise-spaceship).

Originally I began working on the entire game: Pensurian desert (as pictured), Cruise spaceship, and resort island, but decided to break it up into 3 separate parts to make the game more managable and less intimidating. This approach is working, though I should inform everybody that this work has already been two years in progress, which is why I decided not to post a WIP up until this point (I'm currently a full time uni student, studying medical science, though I devote plenty of my free time in holidays to working on this project I'm rarely able to work on it during semester).
Part I may not be too far from release, and I have put in hours upon hours of work into the backgrounds, storyline, sprites and overall game development in these past two years.

It appears that you're strictly adhering to the classic EGA 16-color palette?

You bet - the goal here is to emulate late 80's, EGA, Sierra adventure style. I've found that by limiting my resources in this style has forced me to be more creative with my backgrounds and artwork, and I'm really hoping to recreate some nostalgia through a new adventure in retro-style. You might notice that the desert scenes are *very* similar to those in QFGII - note that they are *not* ripped directly from QFGII, rather I have spent many hours deconstructing artwork from QFGII and SQ2 in order to emulate their style, and hopefully produce some original and unique artwork of my own (as I said previously, to design an 80's, EGA, Sierra adventure style game that never was).

This reminds me of star wars. Really nice background with this many colors.

Some of the backgrounds for this game are based on reference pictures, and in fact the sinkhole picture was certainly based on a Tatooine picture which I found via Google pics. As my skills have improved over the years, I have gradually relied less and less on reference artwork - it's actually easier to draw my own pictures rather than rely on reference pictures.

I will provide occasional updates - I expect to get some real work done these coming holidays after my mid year exams.

[Progress]

Progress
22nd July 2013
Graphics 70%
Puzzles 50%
Scripting 20%
Music/sound 50%

A Team-O Production:


Background Artist & Team Leader: JayeJaye
Story & Dialogue: CaptainD
Scripting: Crimson Wizard
Music: Jon Babb

Story Outline
Rumpapunsky Paffenbarger, AI droid, resides with his humanoid friend (and his daughter) in their residence located on the desert continent "Whispering Sands", aboard the massive Seras Orbital (with a surface area x20 that of a regular M-class planet). Paffebarger must investigate the disappearance of his friend and follow clues that lead him to unlikely and bizarre destinations, until he tracks down his friend and uncovers a dangerous plot that is more sinister and threatening to the safety of the Orbital and her citizens than anything he could possibly imagine. Where has Paffenbarger's friend disappeared to? Who took him? Why did they take him? And who is involved in this sinister plot in which he somehow finds himself entangled?

Setup
(all following material taken direct from game design manual)
Memory fragment: Our friendly little PC awakens to the sound of his devices being tested and diagnosed. His sight is the last thing to come into play, and gives us an image of the silver lined face of the orbital avatar looking down from above.
PC tells his story of how he was activated, and how he came to find himself living with his closest friend in his remote desert dwelling. We get a view of the orbital, as well as some description of the hub and the overall size of the orbital � which helps to place everything into context.


By jasonjarred at 2011-05-21

Setting
Desert: hot, dry, inhospitable, unfriendly. Raging windstorms make trekking into the desert unwise, even for an artificial life form, and downright suicidal for a bioform. Frequent sandstorms blow through the desert, making the sinkhole dwelling a safe haven or oasis of sorts in the middle of this hostility.


By jasonjarred at 2011-05-21

By jasonjarred at 2011-05-21

Sinkhole: A safe haven amongst the harshness of the raging windstorms, heat and weather of the desert. The sinkhole interiors are decorated with brightly painted walls and motifs, tapestries, greens, blues, plants and even a water feature in a carefully maintained garden area. The sinkhole should feel safe, cozy, and be reminiscent of the cave dwellings on Tatooine (Star Wars). Plenty of open views and vistas while maintaining a �cozy� setting to avoid the player feeling confined or claustrophobic.


By jasonjarred at 2011-05-21


By jasonjarred at 2011-05-21

Overall Look/Feel
Sierra stylized game, with artwork primarily based on styles developed from the following Sierra games:
�   Quest for Glory II
�   Space Quest III
�   Leisure Suit Larry III
�   Quest for Camelot

This game aims for a primarily retro, late 80�s, Sierra adventure gaming feel. One of the goals is to reignite the nostalgia of Sierra adventure games by mimicking their style of artwork and storytelling, by presenting a �brand new� adventure (The late 80�s game that never was) in this style and presented in the world of The Culture, as created by Iain M Banks.

The Interface
�   EGA
�   SQ4 stylised, but with unique PC designed icons
�   Walk / Roll, Get / Activate, Look / Scan, Talk / Communicate, Inventory, Save/Load menu, About
�   Menu should be unobtrusive � completely disappears until the mouse cursor hovers over the top
�   Right clicking mouse switches between the different cursors
�   When an inventory item is selected, the cursor actually looks like that item (ie LSL6)
�   Icons not too large � perhaps smaller than SQ4 style (nice and compact)
�   Sleak and user friendly design
�   Icons look like what they�re supposed to represent
�   Should be novel � we�re playing as a PC, so there need to be very �PC� feeling icons and interface style

Dialogue
Same as LSL3, but with coloured dialogue boxes, coloured header, coloured text. *Not* VGA Monkey Island style, we�re aiming for retro 80�s nostalgia.

Sketches

By jasonjarred at 2011-05-27