Pixelation

Critique => Pixel Art => Topic started by: Siskan on May 21, 2017, 08:23:54 pm

Title: House for a game
Post by: Siskan on May 21, 2017, 08:23:54 pm
Hi!

I'm looking for general critique on this piece intended for an RPG. No need to surgarcoat anything.
(http://u.cubeupload.com/Siskan/thousewip2.png)

The most challenging part was the turf roof. Tall grass sure is much harder to achieve than shorter types.

Until later stages I was also working on an oblique version simultaneously but I scrpped it since I want to create entire city blocks of these and other buildings and want to be able to access the inner court.
Title: Re: House for a game
Post by: MysteryMeat on May 21, 2017, 10:07:25 pm
Is this supposed to be nestled into a hill or something? Why the grass roof?
Either way, it feels like there's not enough of an overhang along the front making it look really flat.Try extending a bit of an awning out!
Title: Re: House for a game
Post by: Siskan on May 21, 2017, 11:30:17 pm
Why the grass roof?
I guess these are unknown in most areas of the world but this was actually the most common type of roofing in northern Scandinavia for almost a thousand years, although banned in major cities in the 18th century due to the fire hazard (at least in Sweden).
Here's what it looks like in case you're curious: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/Borgarhuset_May_2014_02.jpg/1280px-Borgarhuset_May_2014_02.jpg
Stockholm in the 1570s: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Stockholms-Panorama_1600-tal%2C_1.jpg

Anyway, thanks for your advice! I'll post an updated version tomorrow.
Title: Re: House for a game
Post by: eishiya on May 22, 2017, 03:05:09 pm
MysteryMeat: Turf roofing is really good, cheap insulation. In Iceland, the idea was taken a step further, with turf being used for walls (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Iceland_Glaumbaer.jpg) as well. On the back side, they are built up against a hill for even more insulation, so it's just the narrow front of the house that gets a relatively-uninsulated wooden front.

OP, remember: that's turf, not just grass. Without the dirt to give the grass a place to root, there's nothing to provide that insulation and the grass will die. Give that roof some thickness!
Also, consider not leaving the walls blank wood, unless this is meant to be a poor person's house (in which case it looks pretty fancy, with its two finely-made chimneys) - walls were whitewashed, painted, etc as much to protect the wood from rot and water as they were for decoration. Places where untreated wood was common were usually either devoid of any materials that could provide such protection, or poor (or the houses weren't expected to last more than a few years anyway, as e.g. in the case of nomads or places with many earthquakes).

The cast shadows on the roof and walls don't seem to follow the forms of the material, they're just straight-edged triangles. Cast shadows only have straight edges if they're falling on completely flat surfaces! The grass would break up the edge of the shadow, and the shadow would seep into the cracks between the wooden beams a bit (and if they're meant to be a bit sounded, the shadow would have a wavy edge).
In addition, your cast shadows being triangles doesn't make sense in the first place. Think about where the light is coming from, and where it's hitting. Remember, shadows are the result of objects being 3D! Don't just think in terms of flat shapes, think about the 3D forms making up your scene, and how they interact with light. Shadows aren't arbitrary, they're determined by the form of the thing casting them, and the direction(s) of the light.
Title: Re: House for a game
Post by: Siskan on May 22, 2017, 05:42:52 pm
Thanks eishiya, those are some really good points!

I've tried to improve on everything you both mentioned, except I'm staying with the bare wood. I'm not sure how successful it was but it's better I believe.
(http://u.cubeupload.com/Siskan/thuspix32.png)


Actually I did extensive research before starting on this one, with Stockholm as my reference (that's where we're based). I'm going for a 17th century look and it wasn't until the next century that common people added (still wooden) paneling or painted the houses in a kind of red paint as in the example I linked to (17th century updated with 18th century windows and paint). Even then that wasn't necessarily the case and even the less wealthy within the nobility went for wooden buildings, but picked those practices up a little sooner. And typically only brick buildings were plastered in this part of the country.

Turd roofing is really good
I'm... not convinced.


(Sorry I had to!)