Environment WIP: Overlook
Well, finally taking the plunge and posting a piece of my work here for some critiques and such. First steps hard, I tell you.
I have a bit of a Bioshock fanboy deal going on, so I hope you'll all excuse the copious amounts of Bioshock references.
The table and chair bother me; I think I'll revisit those. I also need to texture the skydome and buildings outside the window. Hit me with your guys' thoughts, any critiques are much appreciated.
I have a bit of a Bioshock fanboy deal going on, so I hope you'll all excuse the copious amounts of Bioshock references.
The table and chair bother me; I think I'll revisit those. I also need to texture the skydome and buildings outside the window. Hit me with your guys' thoughts, any critiques are much appreciated.
Replies
Generally you don't get a good sense of scale. Just try and get that extra Attention to Detail on your items, make everything count. Some of your objects look normal and spec mapped but alot of them aren't really showing through.
If you are going for a bioshock look I'd really have a mess around with lighting and try and get something with a bit more mood. Flickers, different colours, put things in places to draw interest. Whats supposed to be the focal point of your piece. etc...
Otherwise keep going. Nice to see some bioshock fan stuff.
Greg
-scene is too bright. maybe a little darker&another color for light (dark saturated yellow is also looks good in old style scenes). also fewer light may help , for more&darker shadows.
-ao map will help for sure.
-textures of floor&metal&walls with yellow decoration looks kinda wierd. looks like they all got same base texture (not same prob but gives that impression , maybe more detail , scratches etc )
-poster on the wall need some bumps. wall behing it isnt straight but poster is
again , main point is light&shadows.
keep up working, i really like it
Ok lets get down to what will sell this scene as BioShock box art.
Table:
- Its the center piece of the room yet is letting the scene down in some areas.
- It looks like a table not a desk from that era, dig up some nice Art Deco desk reference and really make a piece that sells that iconic era look/feel.
- The texture looks like unfinished wood(rough and unshinny), but you should have a pretty shinny, polished surface. use the bump/normal map for more than just grainy texture. Carve some detail into the flat surface, use the bump to sell the papers on the desk. Giving it a higher spec, and maybe even a faint reflection map could help sell that lacquered look. You can also paint out areas of the reflection/spec map to account for water stains, paper, coffee mug rings, scratches, it will help sell the piece.
- Desk Clutter, so much of what you see on desks is flat and can be faked with a bump map. Think about adding all the things people would have on a working desk in a place like Rapture. Big desk mat/calender, more paper stacks, a small bundle of books held together by Art Deco book ends, maybe the golden statue? Desk lamp, stapler (red, Swingline)
Textures in general:
- Rapture has tension, some of that tension comes from the fact that you are reminded that you're on the ocean floor and at any minute water could come crushing in. Water stains, dripping water, puddles, cracks that have water stains, these are all things that help remind you, water is all around. Dried water stains will help sell scene history.
- The window feels dirty, but not wet dirty. Its a dusty dirty and not that shinny. Windows sweat, mix that with grime & dust and you get dirty gunky oily paste. Think about where water might start to come in. Around bolts (speaking of which where are your big clunky rusty bolts?), around seams and joints, thru cracks.
Standard Detour about Story Telling and Scene History:
A few of us here at Ploycount like to talk about Story Telling through your scene, its your chance to get the objectives laid out in a clear easy to see manor. These things are often designed into the game, "place voice box on table in room A1". You need to make sure the player will see it, pick it up and keep going. The player shouldn't wander around the room wondering what things are important or what will advance the story. You took care to recreate props from bioshock and place them in your scene but didn't draw any more attention to them then the clutter?
We've all played games where you're told "get to the dock FAST!" and end up running back over the entire level pushing on every door trying to find a way out, which breaks the tension of chasing the bad guy to the dock. If there is something the player should be doing, you need to frame it, but not beat them over the head with it, ie spot lights and sun glint shaders. In portfolio shots if you can tell a story with your scene and the viewer gets it without you telling them, you win. Hint: in portfolio environment pieces there should be something the viewer is compelled to do in your scene. Run away from something scary, investigate whats around the corner, whatever will help create a bond between the image and the viewer...
This idea also translates over to Scene History. This is where you get to go nuts with detail, this is the stuff that isn't mandated by a design doc, but filled by the spirit of the game you feel compelled to drive the story history forward, this is extra credit, players love it, your boss will love it (when you get it right) it will look better and give you the ablity to increase the amount of fun you can when creating your environment. You get to make up what happened previously in this area. Was there a fight, did this room ever flooded? Was it converted into a storage area, then back into an office but no one had time to clear out all the junk? Did the person working here and decided to live here when things started getting bad? Was the place broken into? Was someone working on something then had to leave in a hurry? Think of some ideas and convey them in your environment.
I would also suggest taking it one step further and give life to your props. Don't think of a chair, as just filler. Give it a name, Bob. Give it a personality, old decrepit but proud. Bob is a proud chair that has seen better days but still tries to remain proud? How can you stylize your prop so Bob the chair looks broken and yet proud? Think of it as if all the props in the room where alive and doing something and froze the minute you walked in. Bert the trashcan is recovering from a wild night and tossed his cookies. Buck the stack of papers was tipped over by his nemesis Brandon the stack of newspapers (they always pick on the weak one). Is Norman the bookend tired of holding up books and frustrated that books can't hold themselves up? You can then later get together with coworkers and play guess "who is my prop and what does he do" (taken from Kindergarten Cop). Yes I'm insane, but it will help you sell your scene history, so think about it.
Lighting:
It needs to be much darker, and more defused. With dark areas you can imply detail and not have to fill as much. A few boxes twisted and turned, with the right shadows creates clutter in the corner. You can use the red light from the EXIT sign to help create mood. You can also use ambient light from the water/city outside to help light the room less harshly. Think of your scene as pitch black, a blank canvas with details just waiting to pop out. Think about the color of the water outside, try to stay away from pure white light, light = mood, pure white = clinical/clean/heavenly/boring. Rapture is the opposite of pure white light. Now use the light to paint with colors/moods. Use the light to frame off certain shots, draw subtle attention to items or highlight certain things. By playing the green/blue light off the red exit sign light you can create a sense of calm when the player walks in the room. The red light can help signal that they are going back out into danger. You should feel yourself get anxious when you turn toward the door and the colors on the screen shift from blue to red. Check out some BioShock screen shots and figure out what colors they used to sell the scenes that look like yours. I see lots of turquoise blue, old red-ish browns and vintage yellow lighting.
If I have time later I'll do a paint over.
Ahh crap look at the size of this post.. jeeze... I did it again... Oh well hope it helps. You have a good start keep truckin. I wouldn't post all this stuff if I didn't see something that could be great
Hi ho, hi ho, its back to work I go. An update a day keeps the mom jokes at bay.
The door to me looks like it is leaning against the wall and not actually going through the wall. Try playing with the frame, like make it more embedded into the wall, cause right now its sticking out a bit too far.
Thats all I can see right now. Not much of a crit but hope it helps. GREAT JOB!:)
Edit:
Nevermind, I certainly had no results trying that, should've known that wouldn't work.