how could I do more detail?
#1
Posted 21 February 2006 - 10:42 PM
but on WHAT!?!?!?
I always try to add many things on to one screen, and people says that I still need more detail... but what do u mean by detail?
How could I make it better? I'm not a type of questmaker with perfect making-sense areas and I am not so patient working on one screen for about an hour or so.
How could I make it better? I'm a lazy type of quest maker, but what do u guys mean by detail!?!
this is ticking me off. what a bad year.
#2
Posted 21 February 2006 - 11:13 PM
Let's take this screenshot for example:
So in this shot, there are a total of eleven different non-sprite tiles, which some people could consider too few for good variety, but I don't really see a screen and see the different tiles; I see the screen as a whole and how the tiles are used. What would work better for me in this shot is if you broke up that rock field with something else, like a few trees, or special grass detail (which at least the PTUX has), or even just a giant boulder. My eyes just like seeing something interesting on every area of the screen, but when I look to the bottom-right corner, for example, I fall unimpressed. You could also put something along the walls of the castle,like those shieldy-thingies or a wall torch if you so desired.
Don't take any feedback too seriously. I'm just trying to give some constructive criticism. I like your work, but there are a few details to work on.
For me, detail equals
- Variety
- Interest
- Effort
- Creativity
Edited by nicklegends, 18 March 2006 - 12:09 AM.
#3
Posted 21 February 2006 - 11:19 PM
Let's use this shot for example. see how you make your cliffs square and unnatrual looking? Add some variation in your cliffs. Add more flowers and stuff, and tress wouldn't hurt either. On the outdoor screens (In TBB) you should add some cliffs or water/ a river, not just have rocks and a gaping hole
How natrual is that? Using some rocks is okay but it looks wierd to have rocks being used as your primary solid object. You should use something else as a border for your screen like a river or some cliffs
EDIT: The water in this shot ain't half bad though.
Edited by Rex Zemenheart, 21 February 2006 - 11:22 PM.
#4
Posted 21 February 2006 - 11:47 PM
#5
Posted 22 February 2006 - 10:39 AM
* Moves *
Now, take a look at this image I designed last year.
It's dark, no? Well, I designed it that way. It's a peaceful night-time setting in Dalaeron Valley on a warm spring evening. Crickets can be heard in the nearby swamp as Link walks by.
See how "real" that is? It's not just an area. It's not just a group of combos plastered together with Elmers© Glue. Whatever details I needed to fit the mood, I put down. You'll be hardpressed to find an area that doesn't actually resemble the real area it looks like, unless you design it so that it looks bland and uninteresting.
IMHO, there are two rules for basic eye-candy.
1) Don't use the same combo over and over again.
2) Don't allow for more than half the screen to be "empty" grass/dirt/rock etc. Put doodads there, and scatter them randomly, but not clumping masses of them together.
There are yet more rules for better design habits:
1) Don't stop adding detail when you want to stop. The first time you want to stop adding detail, it's probably because you're lazy and want to stop, because your body tells you to stop because it's too tired to add anything else. Just keep adding detail where something seems empty, or you can walk around excessively in that area.
2) Modify the colors for the area. Don't stick to the default, or your quest will be seen as being no different from any other quest out there. The colors are one of the first things anyone else sees. When they see your colors are different, they'll begin to look for other differences between -your- quest, and -everyone else's- quest. Also notice how I differentiated between yours and everyone elses. That's the first step to greatness. ;-D
3) Use a variety of different combos. Just because there's a "theme" to your method, doesn't mean that you have to stick to only swamp tiles. Maybe you can use a few dungeon tiles here or there, recolor them for the overworld, and cover them in vines or something. In ZC, you're really not as restricted as you think you are if you're clever.
#6
Posted 22 February 2006 - 11:09 AM
- Showing solely screenshots from ZQuest for publicity (and SotW) is a big no-no on my list. There are few exceptions to this.
- Title screens.
- Cutscenes that don't have the player character (who can move) visible.
- Make sure some action is going on in the screen. I don't care how pretty a forest is (unless it's created by Gashin): if there is nothing going on, I won't be all that interested in the shot. Note that my definition of stuff happening just involves Link having a purpose for being visible, whether it be to stroll around in a town or fighting an octorok.
- Speaking of action, position the player character well. Randomly throwing him on the screen makes it look sloppy.
Combine this with the screen improvements being suggested and you'll have a rather nice screenshot.
#7
Posted 22 February 2006 - 02:23 PM
#8
Posted 22 February 2006 - 02:34 PM
I've run into the same problem too, where deserts go a bit undetailed. What I have been doing to mine is making slightly modified sand tiles to break up the repetitive tiling of the standard combo, which has worked well to make the place more interesting. Also, it works like a charm to include a sandstorm or another type of environmental effect to draw the character into the environment more. The last thing I did to make my desert more interesting was place a few gigantic plateaus around the area for some variety in landscaping.
I don't know if what I'm doing will look good to everybody else, but it is certainly an alternative to cactus and carcass.
#9
Posted 22 February 2006 - 07:49 PM
Along with this, use BH4's example too. Make the screen fit with the mood. Like, if you want to have a cutscene between, lets say, crushes, and they are alone, make something like a cliff, and make it look like dawn. Have a peacefull setting, somewhat relaxing.
Hope that helps.
#10
Posted 22 February 2006 - 11:13 PM
If you still don't understand about the detail please provide one of your newest screens, and I will tell you how to make it better.
#11
Posted 23 February 2006 - 11:44 PM
heres an image of a quest MY FRIENDS AND I are currently making....
well, its a title screen of...
SPAWN
--------------
UNLEASHED
#12
Posted 24 February 2006 - 01:32 AM
#13
Posted 24 February 2006 - 02:30 AM
heres an image of a quest MY FRIENDS AND I are currently making....
well, its a title screen of...
SPAWN
--------------
UNLEASHED
What's tough for me about this picture is not that it's undetailed, but that I can't tell exactly what's going on. There is a lot of layered color which makes it difficult to understand--at least for me. Besides, it's a bit difficult to rate title screens because they are generally unrelated in artistic style to the rest of the quest's overworld and underworld.
#14
Posted 24 February 2006 - 05:03 AM
#15
Posted 24 February 2006 - 09:30 AM
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