The Resource WIP Thread

[Sharm]

The problem is, since it's a similar hue as the walls it looks like it's made out of the same material as the walls are. By having it be darker than the walls it makes it seem like the top of the building is in shade but the sides aren't. You could still have it be dark but you'd have to make it very obvious it's a different material. Or you could make the whole thing (shaded parts and all) brighter. Here, have an edit with a possible solution:

I also swapped around that rounded part, it made more sense to me to have it sticking out instead.

 

[GrandmaDeb]

great. okay, I turned the cylinder, turned the fleur de lis outward, recolored the roof, and heavied up the dark shading on the right side border of the left pillar. It didn't seem to stand out enough.


I am really excited about this set. I know autotiles are a little mechanical and boring for some folks, but I am having fun. =]


Thanks for the help.


These are some of my tiles for an olde towne district (like Georgetown here) with old bricks and a fish scale roof. And a commercial/industrial district with warehouses and such.

 

[Caitlin]

o_o I have NEVER done icons before, but I thought I'd give it a try.  I am certain that there are things wrong, but these are suppose to be fish gummies for my game, Cat and Dog.  I am going to use them to increase your HP and other stats, instead of something cliché like nuts or seeds.  I could use some feed back to help make these puppies better.

 

[GrandmaDeb]

They look like gummies!

 

[Kes]

@Caitlin

Not being from the US I had to look up to make sure what a gummy is (we call them something different).  Having done so, yes, those look like gummies to me too.

@GrandmaDeb

Big improvement on the brown house, and I like the fish scale roof, though I do wonder if the contrast within each tile is perhaps a bit strong at the moment?  I think just slightly softer might be better.  And I agree with you about auto tiles, I think they're fun too.

 

[Caitlin]

Thanks!  I wasn't sure if it looked like what I needed it to.  I didn't want to bother Avery with another request, so I did them myself, but I only hope it fits in with my other icons. I might have to edit them a bit to get what I need them to look like.  o.o' Here's to hoping.

 

[GrandmaDeb]

Okay, not great map, but here is my progress on my modern exterior work for Suburbia.


I know some of the roofs are a bit funky, and I may tone it down some, but I kind of am enjoying it...


The grey basket weave stuff around the perimeter is privacy fencing.


All of the doors are mine, and all of the simple rectangular windows are mine.


I think the very small tiled roofs need more shadow on the right edge to balance them out.


(Caitlyn made the yummy benches. Cel and Lizzy made other windows. Lights by an FSM poster. Streetlights by Panda)

 

[Kes]

@grandmadeb

the roofs I like the best are on extreme right, both top and bottom.  I must admit, I could not see myself using the red wall tiles top left.  I think to describe them as 'funky' as perhaps a bit of an understatement.

But I like the incidentals as well, especially the hanging basket, that bench (gimme, gimme) and the ornate pedestal - though I do think the pedestal looks a touch old-fashioned compared to the rest.  The shell pattern path and fence look good too - I just hope that no one ever falls on those spikes.  Again, though, I wondered if that fence was more Victorian than modern?  

 

[GrandmaDeb]

@grandmadeb


the roofs I like the best are on extreme right, both top and bottom.  I must admit, I could not see myself using the red wall tiles top left.  I think to describe them as 'funky' as perhaps a bit of an understatement.

lol, the brick walls were completely uni-brick, and my son Weem/Raith was showing me how to differentiate a bit between them. The orange-toned ones are definitey bright and shiney. Those I can tone down a bit. =]
I'm glad you like the newest shingled roofs. I just made them today. =]

But I like the incidentals as well, especially the hanging basket, that bench (gimme, gimme) and the ornate pedestal - though I do think the pedestal looks a touch old-fashioned compared to the rest.

all from Lizzy I think. Love it as well.
http://www5.pf-x.net/~lizzy/


The suburban areas are supposed to segue from the Old Towne area, and here in the DC area that means a blend of old fashioned and modern.

The shell pattern path and fence look good too - I just hope that no one ever falls on those spikes.  Again, though, I wondered if that fence was more Victorian than modern?

I like the wrought iron, even though you are right - it is a bit Victorian, and it is what you would see in more well-to-do-areas around here, but I have other fences also. Those lovely ones are by our own Candacis.


I stare out the windows as we drive around, and the mixture of styles and elements just within a mile of my home is quite diverse. But as long as I can come up with walls and windows and doors for each of the four areas, I will be thrilled. =]

 

[cabfe]

In addition to what ksjp17 said, I'd make the door's glass less bright (or blend them with a few darker blue pixels inside)

It's almost the same brightness than the wall of the house on the left when you enter the houses area.

 

[GrandmaDeb]

In addition to what ksjp17 said, I'd make the door's glass less bright (or blend them with a few darker blue pixels inside)


It's almost the same brightness than the wall of the house on the left when you enter the houses area.

That's an interesting observation.


One of the problems with taking a bunch of tiles and using them together is that every window and door has a different style for the glass. Darker, lighter, drawn, faded. So I was trying to make a unified set.


Do you think it is just the contrast between these doors and these walls? Or do you think the doors ought to be darker than all other glass in general?

 

[cabfe]

Actually, it depends on the wall and the overall lighting of the scene.

Let's suppose it's a shiny day.

Take your leftmost yellow house; it looks OK to me.

The red house on its right - not so good. The contrast is too high between the two and the glass pops out too much.

Changing the glass brightness for the doors (to keep them different from the windows) may also help to distinguish them better.

On the two house that have both types close to each other, the glass looks too similar and it makes the house look strange.

Kept separated it works better because the eyes can't see the similarity quite as well.

 

[GrandmaDeb]

Okay. Maybe I can have two sets of doors, but here are the changes. A red wall maybe ksjp can stand, and shadowed (a wee bit) glass.


Is the difference too subtle to make the necessary change?

 

[cabfe]

The darker doors look better in my opinion. They stand out less and mix better with the walls.

 

[Sharm]

I think the problem with the doors isn't the glass, it's that the luminosity is similar to the silver frame. I think you should try making the frame darker, possibly with more contrast too, since it's metal. The issues with the brick is that it's much too saturated with color. Brick is really just something made out of clay, so you should be thinking rust red, not painted red.

 

[cabfe]

I'm trying to draw a sprite for a man sitting on the ground, leaning on a wall (not seen here) and not feeling well, hence the head slightly looking down.

I need your advices especially about his pants. Between the shading and the general shape, I'm not sure if it's good enough.

 

[Lunarea]

I think the legs look way too long for him, and he seems too alert for someone sick.

Here's a super quick edit:



I shrunk his legs, moved his head forward a little more, adjusted the eyes and put his left hand on his knee. I think it adds a more relaxed posture.

 

[cabfe]

Much better your way!

I like that. Thanks!

 

[GrandmaDeb]

@Cadfe, nice touch having a sprite like that in your game. Very engaging character.


I reworked the metal frames around the doors. I also revisited the very small shingled roofs. No one seemed thrilled by them, so I thought I'd mix them up a little and experiment with some patterned styles.


I am really at my limits with the colors. I try to make subtle color changes and they just aren't enough. I try to make bigger changes and they go in the wrong direction. Bleh. I know some people despise palettes, but I really see the need of them.


Anyways, my latest reworking. Tried to fix the red bricks but don't know if I changed anything much.

 

[Sharm]

Have you calibrated your monitor? Sometimes a badly calibrated monitor can make these sorts of adjustments almost impossible. Here's what I'd do (in photoshop so the terms may be a bit different if you use gimp or something else): With both of the very red brick walls, adjust the saturation down by 50 and make it slightly more orange, so hue +5, then up the brightness by 75. I'd also turn down the brightness of the yellow wall by 50, it's standing out a little too much from your other walls. You could also bring the saturation of the red roof down by 20 but the main problem with that one is that the color ramp is way too straight. In other words, the highlights and shadows are very nearly the same hue and saturation, the only thing that's really being changed is luminosity. You can add a bit of hue shifting in by messing with the color balance but that's a much more tricky thing to adjust.