I think we make adventure game backgrounds for AGS games in a formulaic method not only because it fits how we imagine the world our game is set in, but also from a production standpoint.
I never push the camera down onto the floor to get a worms eye view of things, nor do I ever make BG's from a birds eye view-simply because it would require a hell of a lot more sprite work just so I can experiment or spice things up.
For my latest game, Primordia, I work in almost any perspective you can think of; one, two and three point perspectives, isometric and dimetric projections, mixes of any of the above, and half of the time I work with a kind of natural perspective off the top of my head, to make the picture visually interesting and create the kind of painting I prefer to look at- but it can be a real bitch when it comes time to make it actually work as a game.
My point is, while making an adventure you can take a more experimental approach to creating the assets, but it can be hit and miss as to whether it'll actually work properly in game, and even if it does work well it can affect how you create everything else in the game, drawing out production time interminably and generally being a pain in the ass later.
But if we're talking about the games themselves, at the end of the day I guess I just appreciate both schools of thought. Taking a traditional approach and putting a new spin on things can create just as much of a masterpiece as ignoring the rules completely and and creating a purely original product.
I also believe that the process of creating games is just as, if not more important than the product itself anyway. Enjoying the creative journey, learning and discovering what one is capable doing should be of paramount importance I think.
Would I like to see more people push the envelope? Sure, but not at the expense of not having any decent size playable adventure games around that scratch my itch for having relatively predictable genre/setting/story I can feel comfortable with and sink my teeth into.
It's like, sure; I love Twin Peaks, but I also love Star Trek.
I never push the camera down onto the floor to get a worms eye view of things, nor do I ever make BG's from a birds eye view-simply because it would require a hell of a lot more sprite work just so I can experiment or spice things up.
For my latest game, Primordia, I work in almost any perspective you can think of; one, two and three point perspectives, isometric and dimetric projections, mixes of any of the above, and half of the time I work with a kind of natural perspective off the top of my head, to make the picture visually interesting and create the kind of painting I prefer to look at- but it can be a real bitch when it comes time to make it actually work as a game.
My point is, while making an adventure you can take a more experimental approach to creating the assets, but it can be hit and miss as to whether it'll actually work properly in game, and even if it does work well it can affect how you create everything else in the game, drawing out production time interminably and generally being a pain in the ass later.
But if we're talking about the games themselves, at the end of the day I guess I just appreciate both schools of thought. Taking a traditional approach and putting a new spin on things can create just as much of a masterpiece as ignoring the rules completely and and creating a purely original product.
I also believe that the process of creating games is just as, if not more important than the product itself anyway. Enjoying the creative journey, learning and discovering what one is capable doing should be of paramount importance I think.
Would I like to see more people push the envelope? Sure, but not at the expense of not having any decent size playable adventure games around that scratch my itch for having relatively predictable genre/setting/story I can feel comfortable with and sink my teeth into.
It's like, sure; I love Twin Peaks, but I also love Star Trek.
