Messages

[Idea]

Idea - Exsecratus (it's cool ^^ )

Atmosphere - bog (I can't explain it, but it has something special)

Design - Ghost (good work on details)

Composition - Ghost (a bit symmetrical; but ok considering the topic (dreams can be this way, I think))

Functionality - Ghost (best walking area for a full scaled character with best object interaction possibilities, in my opinion)

Technique - Ghost (I like this painting-technique with few colours and no AA)

[edit]

made up something messy





edit: As a friend of mine did not get the symbolic elements at first (nor at the 2nd) glance I'll try to explain it a bit:
- There's a face in the back, without eyes (black holes instead); a symbol for the sleep/subconsciousnes.
- Yet there are 3 eyes in the foreground which emit light (instead of the physical eye-function of perceiving light). Also a symbol of the dream, in which the (sub)consciousness creates its own (dream-)environment out of fantasy instead of receiving sensual information.
- The path in the top is leading into the 3rd eye; center of the subconsciousness, higher perception and higher understanding.
- To me mirrors (high mirror-wall-like-things to the right) are symbols of the border between the here and the beyond (twilight). Also, they look dirty and don't reflect in a clean way - like the subconsciousness in which the clear, analyzing reason is not given.
- Colourchoice: I just found it eerie and depressing. Like most of my dreams these days.

not a point of painting technique: the chimney should have more depth i.e. reach more into the wall. right now there's no escape for the smoke.

the lighting in the queen's room (edit): there's a white light source to the top and a green one to the lower left, yet most of the background is purple and the door plain (daylight) brown. it seems confusing to me.

i do not really get the topic. do you mean prehistoric like the stone age?

this is my first real attempt at a background that hasn't failed completely

don't be so modest, it's an awesome pic ^^ and yea, the color-scheme has its own charme that those high-color-effects would disturb.
However, I've had another thought about the foreground -- it may be possible to improve the impression of wideness (flatness) of the scene by conjoining the foreground to the background a bit more. As it is now, it appears as if the viewer is standing on some kind of hill, not seeing the part where the sand meets the mountains.

Added 3 conjunctions here using smaller pixels/pixelareas. Don't know if it makes it any better.

Again, it's awesome as it is and I'd love to see a game in that style.

I'm loving that picture. Well done!


Here's how it could look like with some more light to the left and a few more shades to the right. Just an idea.

[Idea]

Idea
1st - Babar (3 votes)
2nd - Zyndikate (2 votes)
3rd - Abstauber (2 votes)

Atmosphere
1st - Abstauber (4 votes)
2nd - Babar (2 votes)
3rd - Zyndikate (1 vote)

Composition
1st - Zyndikate (4 votes)
2nd - Abstauber (2 votes)
3rd - Babar (1 vote)

Technique
1st - Zyndikate (6 votes)
2nd - abstauber (1 vote)

Functionality
1st - Zyndikate; Babar (3 votes both)
2nd - Abstauber (1 vote)

votes overall
1st - Zyndikate (16 votes)
2nd - Abstauber (10 votes)
3rd - Babar (9 votes)



Summary

Most participants liked the unique atmosphere of Abstaubers monochrome-b/w-image despite its technical simplicity. Compared with this, Zyndikate's background (as well as its composition) was considered as technically brilliant. However, it seems that it somehow could not generate an atmosphere that underlines the theme "trapped" well enough (in comparison to the other entries). Babar's entry is based on a good idea that could have been better realised.

So with 16 votes, Zyndikate is the deserved winner of this contest.

Thank you for participating everyone.

It's up to you to start the next round, Zyndikate!

Idea: Babar (goes along with the atmosphere)
Atmosphere: Babar (just the feeling)
Composition: Zyndikate (everything is at its place, yet it doesnt look fake or artificial)
Technique: Zyndikate (although I really like that of abstauber's image, too)
Functionality: Zyndikate (wide walking-area; good (character) scaling; a lot of space for objectinteraction)

Let's start voting then...

[edit:]

Now thats awesome Inkoddi! Instantly took me back a couple of years!
I have downloaded the famitracker program but didnt find it very intuitive and would have needed some time to get into it. So I chose the square-wave-method proposed by dkh to make a short tune. Therefore I've imagined some Mega Man sort of game.

edit: Here's the new file using Triforce as creatorlars' proposed.

The tune is build up like:
- 0:00 - 0:20 - short intro sequence
- 0:20 - 1:18 - loopy level music part; easily rushing through the level and shooting stupid metallic-monster-creatures.
- 1:18 - 1:42 - disgustingly difficult boss fight; player's death after a few seconds making it necessary to play the whole level again -.-

copy/pasted. i've used some worms screenshots which i've put together in a painting program... (drew a fex pixels here and there to connect everything and to remove fonts and such though)

THEME: Trapped
SIZE RESTRICTIONS: none
PALETTE RESTRICTIONS: none

---catagories---
IDEA
ATMOSPHERE
COMPOSITION
TECHNIQUE
FUNCTIONALITY

As there were no entries in the last background blitz - here's a new topic.

Good topic. I wanted to do the detective-theme, but noticed that my jazz-theory isn't good enough for that. so I guess I'll give the pop rock thing a try. [...]

edit: I failed with the singing part. Could not think of any interesting lyrics or melody, so I only have an unfinished file.
The song-structure was intended to be: [Intro-Riff (using harmonics of the lower frets)] [Chorus w/o singing] [verse] [Intro-Riff + Chorus] [verse] [Intro-Riff + Chorus] [first guitar first, then 2nd, then both together)] [Intro-Riff + chorus].

if you saw what he's doing with his hands you'd know why he's XD'ing

Create a background that makes a senseful (not only decorational, but functional) use of vertical scrolling.

Screen size/ratio restrictions: 320 x (500+x) or 640 x (1000+x) or 1280 x (2000+x) etc.
(x: Add as many pixels as you want to the heigth.)

[Idea - Snarky.]

Idea - Snarky. Moody. And well realized (see Atmosphere...).
Composition - Coconut Shuttle. The perspective appears a bit boring and artificial to me (straight tunnelview). It could need some point of interest in the end that justifies that view and makes it more interesting. However, other objects (waterfalls, "gems"(?)) are well (arbitrarily) spread and make the picture look more natural.
Functionality - Ghost. That's because I do not like backgrounds in which the characters can (or even have to) walk towards the camera (= down; to the lower border of the screen) to enter another room. It often results in a wrong perspective on the character inside the room or ugly over-scaling of the character.
Technique - Ghost. Because backgrounds can be easily created with those few colours and the sharp borders. And characters fit in there quite well (on the other hand side, the moving-animations (different crawling styles) would be some work to do). Smooth/blurry paintings or down-scaled images don't do well in such a resolution when it comes to implement characters and objects.
Atmosphere - Snarky. Great use of light, very athmospheric. (Reminds me on The Mysterious Cave, color-scheme and composition-wise, btw.)


Additional comments:

Snarky: About the foreground: Does the tunnel open up or end there, or is there a curve? Also, I find the roots a bit repetitive, especially the two similar ones to the left. You may want to add some other objects, that give it a more natural look. A few stones and/or mushrooms perhaps?
BTW - You got it - those inconsequent lines: some rough/sharp lines, some sketchy lines and some blurry, unsharp lines, that's the main problem . Also, the pic suffers from a wrong perspective... With the monochromatic look I wanted to underline the coldness/steal/mechanics/great-hall-athmosphere of the "inside" in the background while the foreground should appear more calm and small. That's at least what I wanted it to look like. But I'm not satisfied with it because of the reason you've stated.
I've mostly worked on a single layer only, adding a few adjustment layers from time to time, but mergeing them again later on. I'm not so used to draw with layers and I'm somehow getting confused with more than 5 of them...

mwahahaha & odysseus#1: nice ideas. made me smile.

TheJBurger: thanks, I've really enjoyed the first one, as well as the first MoH's (WarChest) and I'm still playing them from time to time. Maybe that's the influence.

made me think of an underground weapons facility or something similar


it's still a bit rough and needs more work in detail if meant to be used in a game.