Portrait style dilemma [WIP]

[Larwick]

Maybe I should just go back to the anime-ish look and call it a day.

Please don't. You have made a massive improvement with the face (she no longer looks like a chipmunk, for example). Why is it bad to notice further mistakes in the piece? These are the next places you should work upon to improve it in general - going back to the old version simply because it's all odd rather than partly odd is silly.

I would personally say it's her clothes that make her look older 'than she is', not her face. By her face, i would say she could be anywhere between 7 and 20 - but the fact she's wearing a jacket and skirt puts her higher in the range.

@Quake: I think you have made her look even older yet more like an animal again.

[Jakten]

NEW(est):

This look waaay better. I would change her expression a bit though (i assume your going for worried or concerned) because with that expression and her hand on her stomach it read as if she is ill or going to be sick.

Huge improvement though!! These are so breathtakingly amazing! I saw some screenshot you did in 2007 for this and from then to now the improvement is phenomenal.

[DarkFalzX]

Sorry Quake - Larwick's right  - I was gonna say she looks semi-Asian now too: )

Larwick: The world she is in is kinda cartoony, so maybe her being a rather featureless anime-ish thing isn't such a bad idea? Additionally, I will try to re-dress/re-pose her, though I do generally like the "S" shape that goes through her now.

Jakten: Yeah - she is supposed to be worried/sad looking. Not sick though - hence I will re-pose her

[dekutree64]

WOW. That is amazing. The run cycle is one of the best I've seen, and all the screenshots are gorgeous. I think the red one (top center) is my favorite, but the forests are in close competition.

I kind of prefer the old portrait at the moment, but I think the new one could beat it with a few more tweaks. It doesn't look like the style of the game generally thrives on the anime look, and some people might be put off by it, so a more original style would probably be better (I personally like anime style though).

The new new one is better than the old new one (), but the eyes/eyebrows definitely need to be less sad (at least you lost the unibrow look). Also maybe switch back to the old body style. The new one is maybe a little more anatomically correct (old one her rib cage looks rather narrow), but she looks more like an ordinary office lady rather than the ass-kicking teenager type. And the difference in shading around the shoulder makes her arm look farther back, which doesn't seem to fit the personality for whatever reason.

Another thing, is that the skirt looks much tighter in the portrait than in the sprites. And that also makes her look older.

In any case, it's looking great already, so any changes will only be to further perfect
I dearly hope to play this game someday. One of the best looking I've seen in a long time. Are you doing the programming yourself too, or do you have a team, or are those just mockups so far?

[Dusty]

Something is way off about the hair. I think it's the flatness of the darkest shade that is putting me off. Also, it doesn't feel like the hair follows the shape of the head until it goes to the ponytail, and instead is kind of... out there, if you know what I mean.

edit: here is a quick fix of what I'm talking about. I had to add a black shade, though.

[Helm]

Intentional face edit. Overlay in your program with your version and flip between the two for consideration.

[DarkFalzX]

Hey Helm: ) Awesome edit - I love the colors, but unfortunately I'm kinda stuck with the 16 I already have in it, plus - she looks REALLY miserable in yours.
Meanwhile, I was editing her further, and here's what I have:

I'm sure I'll have to keep on going now that I changed her this much: )

[Quake]

She's pregnant xD

Although you said you wanted to keep the S shaped, i'd suggest changing the stance because she looks like she's got somethin wrong with her belly..
Why do i find a protagonist who is going to kill some aliens very strange to be sad?
I hope this is portrait on some conversations. If i saw her like that all the time i wouldn't get why she's upset.

[DarkFalzX]

Yeah Quake - I see what you mean about the "pregnant" look-thing. It's a byproduct of shifting stuff around, so now a highlight appears in a weird location. I'll correct this eventually: )
As for the sad look - she is lost far away from home (as far as player is concerned). I might create portraits based on her moods later on, but loneliness is kind of supposed to be an underlying theme of the game. This portrait is only visible when you open the game's menu - not like I'll have her conversing with anything in the game...

Ohh - and I did another edit based on some of Helm's suggestions (mostly the highlights and shadows on her face:

[Jakten]

I like it. Only problem now is I think her stomach seems really flat or something, maybe adding a bit of shadow on her right side might add some roundness.