Bad Timing

[Moonseeker]

The new screen of the garage scene looks much better considering the perspective.
Perhaps because the player character is not presented directly from the side like in the first one.
I think too that adding shadows would improve the overall look.

[BayStone]

Adding shadows is always a good way to go. They just don't work that well with 2D - expect when using a shadow circle system, I think.  

[Erwin_Br]

Adding shadows is always a good way to go. They just don't work that well with 2D - expect when using a shadow circle system, I think.

A shawow circle would be the only way I could add a shadow anyway, because the source of the light changes with every background. It would, again, be a huuuge task to draw shadows for every different light source. And I'd have to draw these for a whole range of different characters as well. Even a professional development team would be busy with that for months!

--Erwin

[BayStone]

Yeah, that's what I thought.  And would that even be worth the trouble in the end?

[Erwin_Br]

Yeah, that's what I thought.  And would that even be worth the trouble in the end?

I don't think so. Not for that one slightly-off background. I'll just have to make sure to avoid certain perspectives. I still want to add some variation into the background images, though. Too many games, especially 'amateur' ones, use the same 'shoe-box' perspective in every background of the game.

--Erwin

[gfx johnny]

Too many games, especially 'amateur' ones, use the same 'shoe-box' perspective in every background of the game.

That's true. But you can diversify a little bit, and i think you managed to pull it off quite good for "bad timing".  Of course the perspective isn't 100% fitting, but imho it looks good. Besides, it's a comic style, and you could create lots of funny distortations and it would work well, too (think of Day of the tentacle). So i don't see a problem there.

I think some kind of shadow would be great. It could be less than a circle underneath, perhaps only some kind of small, darker shading.

If it were a 3d game, you wouldn't have these issues, though. You could use character animations in every perspective you want, and you would have correct shadows, too  *hints at Wintermutes 3d support*    Sorry, couldn't resist

[Erwin_Br]

Well, today I spent every hour on a new Bad Timing character. I finished a walking animation and the left standing pose:



It's, as you hopefully can see, a police officer. An alien police officer. I hope you like it.

--Erwin

[gfx johnny]

Really great! The animation is especially good.

[BayStone]

Looking really good... but can I make a really small suggestion? Make his head move in left and right direction?  *_*

[xerilon]

How do you draw these talented backgrounds without showing any outlines?
I suppose they start out as drawings on paper and then scanned, but then what?

[Candle]

I like the little box for the inv . mind of I steal it ?

[Erwin_Br]

How do you draw these talented backgrounds without showing any outlines?
I suppose they start out as drawings on paper and then scanned, but then what?

I made a very brief tutorial in the past, which attempts to show how these backgrounds are coloured.

URL: http://www.emptyhouse.net/tutes/badtiming/

--Erwin

[xerilon]

Nice tutorial!! I learn something new every day it seems  :great:  

[Erwin_Br]

Nice tutorial!! I learn something new every day it seems  :great:

Hehe, thanks. I'm glad it's useful, even if only for a bit  

--Erwin

[Erwin_Br]

Well, SLUDGE finally supports anti-aliased characters, and it looks great in Bad Timing, if I may say so myself.

Today I also designed a new character. An early impression (not finished!) is posted below:



That's all for now.

--Erwin