Levels & Items Art

The log looks amazing! Good job Sonica

 

Great log!
Stump needs a little work though. the top is too tall and there is no grass (although I guess that would be added later to keep in with the rest of the art)

 

Upload to the database guys =P

Anyhows, if one connects the lines in the bush, one starts to see the following shape starting to form:

(The light green patches are where I was too lazy to do anything so I just left it 'blank')

That might offer an interesting interpretation - but the leaves can't be real-life like. I'm guessing the leaves are square/diamond like

 

<!--quoteo(post=212594:date=Jul 31 2008, 01:25 PM:name=ICEknight)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ICEknight @ Jul 31 2008, 01:25 PM) [/quote]
I'm sorry dude, but I find that quite ugly in some respects. I know, it's assholish and all, but that's my honest opinion. Why do I feel that way? You've used squares as the basis of the bush. I'm not going to suggest a more "realistic" look for it, but I suggest you shapen the squares a bit ore to make it look a bit more appealing an interesting, like round off some of the edges to the centre squares, or even make them circles instead. I just don't think squares will do it any favours what so ever.

 

Working on a un-noticeable split between the hills.

 

<!--quoteo(post=212772:date=Jul 31 2008, 02:38 PM:name=Flare)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Flare @ Jul 31 2008, 02:38 PM) </a>[/quote]

I like the way this is turning out very much.

Infact, I think that you might be the right person to draw the island for the title screen. This (I believe) should be the direction we take for it.

 

Looking nice Flare - keep up the good work

 

That might offer an interesting interpretation - but the leaves can't be real-life like. I'm guessing the leaves are square/diamond like
[/quote]
Nice work! I agree that they can't be life-like as that would look totally weird. maybe each pixel could be sort of random in the HD version. So instead of a block representing a leaf, each leaf is sort of unique

 

<!--quoteo(post=212770:date=Jul 31 2008, 02:32 PM:name=DistroyA)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (DistroyA @ Jul 31 2008, 02:32 PM) [/quote]You've used squares as the basis of the bush. I'm not going to suggest a more "realistic" look for it, but I suggest you shapen the squares a bit ore to make it look a bit more appealing an interesting, like round off some of the edges to the centre squares, or even make them circles instead. I just don't think squares will do it any favours what so ever.[/quote]I just quickly applied a Photoshop filter to illustrate what shape I think the bush was intended to have. Just a 10 seconds mockup based on the original graphics, nothing final... But if you don't like the squares, I guess you just didn't like the original graphics. It's the most prominent recurring theme in the old Sonic universe.


From this concept, each "leaf" would be square and be part of the external globe, and each would have its own brights (represented by the clear pixel, but it should be redone manually) and shades.

 

<!--quoteo(post=212828:date=Jul 31 2008, 10:18 PM:name=ICEknight)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ICEknight @ Jul 31 2008, 10:18 PM) [/quote]You've used squares as the basis of the bush. I'm not going to suggest a more "realistic" look for it, but I suggest you shapen the squares a bit ore to make it look a bit more appealing an interesting, like round off some of the edges to the centre squares, or even make them circles instead. I just don't think squares will do it any favours what so ever.[/quote]I just quickly applied a Photoshop filter to illustrate what shape I think the bush was intended to have. Just a 10 seconds mockup based on the original graphics, nothing final... But if you don't like the squares, I guess you just didn't like the original graphics. It's the most prominent recurring theme in the old Sonic universe.


From this concept, each "leaf" would be square and be part of the external globe, and each would have its own brights (represented by the clear pixel, but it should be redone manually) and shades.
[/quote]
I can deal with the original graphics, as that's down to hardware limitations at the time. Thing is, we're not limited to squares now. That's what I'm getting at here.

But yeah, I can see where you're coming from with the shape. I honestly didn't realise it was a 10 second mock-up, so apologies for the insults either way.

May I suggest a shape for the leaves? Ovals. No points on each end are necessary for them too, as they will look somewhat surreal, but have a general appealing look to them. Like the ovals on the ground texture for MHZ from Sonic and Knuckles.

Just a suggestion of course. But the only way of finding out if it'll work or not is by trying it out.

 

Some concept ideas to the artists:

Hmm, when I was doing them - they looked better in my head =P

Then again, that's what I get for not being an artist *meep*

As for ovals, I think they would look like someone took an angle grinder and smoothed out the leafs/leaves

 

I don't think the use of squares here was a hardware limitation per se. There are any number of ways they could have chosen to draw a circular bush and I'm sure there are a variety of examples in other Genesis/MD games. We need to understand why they chose this design before we can justify changing it so drastically by using ovals.

SANiK: Interesting experimentation.

 

I know I have blurred the reflection just to distinguish them being separate but I will add the reflection sparkles soon.

 

I would try reducing the oppacity of the reflection as well

 

Well, whichever. I assume it would have been easier and quicker to use squares instead of messing around trying to find a suitable circle brush.

Sanik: That experiment looks fucking awesome. I'm liking it. I'm sorry if I sound like I'm trying to act like the director of the project when I say this; would you or anyone else be able to try out the oval idea? It'd give us all an extra idea to choose from, mainly to see which one works better.

I'm loving the diamond shapes for the leaves though. Fantastic work there.

 

Trying to make a reflection that doesn't look odd, if anyone has suggestions I would appreciate it.

 

<!--quoteo(post=212891:date=Aug 1 2008, 12:47 AM:name=Flare)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Flare @ Aug 1 2008, 12:47 AM) </a>[/quote]
That looks more like water now. All you need now are ripples closer to the viewer, and then it'll look superb. Not too many though, as that will kill the image.

 

On the issue of the bush, I honestly think that if done right, it would look better with squares. Rather than being a limitation, I always just saw it as square-based landscapes, like Green Hill's earth. Surreal and geometrically based. The backbone of Sonic.

 

Hardest part I think because I didn't really have a clue what they are.