AuthorTopic: Runners Grinders Title Screen [C&C]  (Read 4029 times)

Offline Gauss Jordan

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Runners Grinders Title Screen [C&C]

on: October 12, 2011, 08:30:42 am
This seems like a nice forum! Sorry if I am rude and making this my first post, but I'm using part a lecture to post this :P I'll be sure to read through the forum later today :)

I need critique on this title screen I'm working on. It's for a commercial game so I need it to be absolutely polished!

Offline Dorian

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Re: Runners Grinders Title Screen [C&C]

Reply #1 on: October 12, 2011, 11:16:58 am
The style reminds me of Brandon Rhodes, who did the art for the Super Quick Hook series on iOS.
Your image looks great, but its a bit scratchy-looking. Maybe needs some anti-aliasing, or perhaps a bit less dithering?
Also, the scarf/handkerchief is a bit too green and seems to blend into the forest behind it.

Offline Helm

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Re: Runners Grinders Title Screen [C&C]

Reply #2 on: October 12, 2011, 02:03:17 pm


on 1. there is a suggestion for arm anatomy. 2. is antialiasing and de-banding around the mouth and teeth to give you a sense of what finish you could, if you want, go for.

Offline Gauss Jordan

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Re: Runners Grinders Title Screen [C&C]

Reply #3 on: October 12, 2011, 09:44:36 pm
Many thanks for the critique!

This is the new version. It's only a cleanup, but applying antialiasing helped really much. As for the arm, I don't really want the pose you suggested. Personaly I like the pose he is doing now, but I might have stared myself blind on it... The thought was that he had moved his arm backwards generating the electric steam.

Offline pistachio

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Re: Runners Grinders Title Screen [C&C]

Reply #4 on: October 13, 2011, 05:59:41 pm
Where have I been? :ouch:

It's a bit hard to distinguish things at first glance, at least for me. There are some things you could do to improve readability:

Replacing the current leaves' colors with those of the of patch of grass on the map and bandanna, which helps by not only decreasing the color count, but increasing readability--drastically, in my opinion, giving the background more of a fog and making the bandanna stand out more. (On the downside, I suppose you aimed for a sort of light-shining-through-leaves effect with the intensely saturated colors, which this greatly diminishes.) I've also reused some colors from the bandanna to fill in for other greens, I.E. the eyes.

Another way of decreasing contrast in the background by getting rid of highlights on some of the leaves, as I've done here. Also made them blend in a bit more.

I agree with Helm in that the arm's position could be changed, although not so drastically as he had. But the least you could do is alter the anatomy of the forearm, to make it less tube-like (forearms are usually wider towards the elbow). The position you have sustains a better sense of motion, but the crystal-materializing phone thing is held at a perfect right angle, unusual for that situation. It could be tilted more, I think.

Edit.



Few other things: edited the area around the brows and forehead. Made the cap cast a more obvious shadow. Cleaned up the scarf a bit, but it could use sparing dithering, such as the rest of the sprite.
« Last Edit: October 13, 2011, 06:08:24 pm by pistachio »

Offline Gauss Jordan

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Re: Runners Grinders Title Screen [C&C]

Reply #5 on: October 14, 2011, 07:25:47 am
Wow! Thanks for all the effort on helping! :) I really liked the bluish dark green color you added in the background. Should fiddle with that myself.

I reconfigured the arm a bit while still keeping the perspective on the outer limb. I also shifted the lighting forward on the character and removed some of the dithering. I remixed the colors of the background a bit and added some blue light on the map (dunno if that helped anything).

Is it better or should some changes be reverted/further worked with?

This is the current version:

Offline coffee

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Re: Runners Grinders Title Screen [C&C]

Reply #6 on: October 20, 2011, 05:49:12 am
There are still places where I would love to see some AA. I would suggest you go looking for colours that you could use (that's already in the picture) That you can use to smoothen things up a bit.
Spots like his eye, eyebrow, hat and hair would greatly appreciate that, me thinks.

I couldn't help but notice that his ear looks tiny bit too small and weird in some way!

However I do enjoy the concept and the picture as a whole!

gl with it!

Offline Phlakes

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Re: Runners Grinders Title Screen [C&C]

Reply #7 on: October 21, 2011, 04:05:52 am
His face feels very... plasticy. Maybe it;s those highlights and how it doesn't have any large shadows, I don't know, but it's a bit in the uncanny valley.