Pixel Joint Forum: Sewer Scene

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Zizka
Commander

Joined: 07 May 2021
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 139

Topic: Sewer Scene
Posted: 25 June 2016 at 4:32pm

You know the drill!

I ran out of ideas of things to put down there actually.

Let it rip (please!).

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Pixel_Outlaw
Commander

Joined: 01 September 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3829

Posted: 25 June 2016 at 5:05pm

Looking stylish!

Some observations:
The water is transparent going over the walkway but not transparent against the wall bricks.

The light spots on the wall would probably be centered around the lights. Unless you add a top cowl to them I think the light is going to spread out in all directions.

I like the green sludge between the bricks but it was almost unnoticeable when I first glanced.

The cones might be nice if their sides were a bit steeper and taller. They are kind of stubby I think.

Even though you've covered the walkway in grime it still looks a bit plastic I think. You might go for a concrete/cement look and get some texture.

The exposed holes in the walls could use a bit of 3D angle to show the edges and tops of the remaining bricks.

If you can easily adjust entire hues in your painting program you might try a shift from gray to more of a brown and earthy color to set the poopy mood. :)

They kind of tend to be dark and brown (for obvious reasons)
Also take a look at how the light spreads out in all directions from the lamp.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Musee_des_Egouts_de_Paris_FRA_002.JPG

Overall it looks very good, just some minor tweaks I might do if I were you. Just opinions. :)

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zodiac
Midshipman

Joined: 19 June 2016
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 29

Posted: 25 June 2016 at 5:25pm

Well, since you asked

When the pipe curves, it widens because the outer curve has so much less bend than the inner one
Light sources are wonky compared to perspective. Looking at the floor tiles and door, we have a perspective from slightly above, but if so the hood on the lights would need to curve down pretty heavily to give light only below. A non-directional light like that would also create a highlight on nearby floors and pipes, and probably have a mid-tone area as the light on the wall fades. The small light above the door should cast a small light area on the wall; it's not directional at all.
It's hard to tell what the thing in the water is (trash bag?) If it is a trash bag, using a brighter color to tie it up at the top would help make that clear.
The big pipe looks like it's angled down judging from the inside and lower rim, but if so the top would go lower and appear thicker from our perspective, making the inner oval a little more scrunched
The spacing of the "05" on the door seems a bit much. You could move them in a pixel or two each pretty easy. I'd also fill in the upper-left corner of the "5" to make it more distinct from "S", unless you're going for a computer LCD feel, in which case I'd move the middle bar down to the actual middle. The goal of all this is to make it feel like real industrial signage and better match the construction posters on the left.

Gameplay wise, a few extra comments:

The faint highlight on the selected item isn't strong enough, I'd suggest a brighter color, a full box selection, or both. Alternately, you could gray out the non-selected items ala Lost Vikings.
By the darker "sprite-style" outline the barrier looks like an obstacle and the pylons don't, but there position on the same horizontal floor line makes both seem like they should. Don't know what's intended, but either darken the pylon outlines or move them up maybe 2 pixels if they're non-blocking.

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Zizka
Commander

Joined: 07 May 2021
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 139

Posted: 26 June 2016 at 9:00am

THANK YOU (yes, it deserved capital letters).

So, in order:

The water is transparent going over the walkway but not transparent against the wall bricks.

I tried to portray the reflection of the bricks on the water. Any ideas I could do this better?

The light spots on the wall would probably be centered around the lights. Unless you add a top cowl to them I think the light is going to spread out in all directions.

Added a cowl.

The cones might be nice if their sides were a bit steeper and taller. They are kind of stubby I think.

Done.

The exposed holes in the walls could use a bit of 3D angle to show the edges and tops of the remaining bricks.

Good idea, done.

They kind of tend to be dark and brown (for obvious reasons)
Also take a look at how the light spreads out in all directions from the lamp.

So you're saying that the light spread is too strong on my walls?

It's hard to tell what the thing in the water is (trash bag?) If it is a trash bag, using a brighter color to tie it up at the top would help make that clear.

It's supposed to be poop. I redid it to make it more recognizable.

When the pipe curves, it widens because the outer curve has so much less bend than the inner one

Tried to fix this a bit. I think it looks better now.

Light sources are wonky compared to perspective. Looking at the floor tiles and door, we have a perspective from slightly above, but if so the hood on the lights would need to curve down pretty heavily to give light only below. A non-directional light like that would also create a highlight on nearby floors and pipes, and probably have a mid-tone area as the light on the wall fades. The small light above the door should cast a small light area on the wall; it's not directional at all.

Is the hood any better now, do you think?

The big pipe looks like it's angled down judging from the inside and lower rim, but if so the top would go lower and appear thicker from our perspective, making the inner oval a little more scrunched

Yeah, I have trouble with this, I've tried a new take on it.

The spacing of the "05" on the door seems a bit much. You could move them in a pixel or two each pretty easy. I'd also fill in the upper-left corner of the "5" to make it more distinct from "S", unless you're going for a computer LCD feel, in which case I'd move the middle bar down to the actual middle. The goal of all this is to make it feel like real industrial signage and better match the construction posters on the left.

Ok! I also redid the light on top of the door.

The faint highlight on the selected item isn't strong enough, I'd suggest a brighter color, a full box selection, or both. Alternately, you could gray out the non-selected items ala Lost Vikings.

I've tried this before but some color-blind people complained. But I decided to go with it anyway.

By the darker "sprite-style" outline the barrier looks like an obstacle and the pylons don't, but there position on the same horizontal floor line makes both seem like they should. Don't know what's intended, but either darken the pylon outlines or move them up maybe 2 pixels if they're non-blocking.

Done!

Thoughts?

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eishiya
Commander

Joined: 04 August 2022
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1104

Posted: 26 June 2016 at 11:39am

The pipe and the water in the pipe suggest that we're seeing the scene in perspective, while everything else (most noticeably the sidewalk below the pipe) suggests that there is no perspective, that this is a parallel projection.

Perspective and parallel projections can be mixed together, but because they're starkly juxtaposed in your image, it looks strange.

Also, re: making the water appear more transparent over the bricks: have the shadow outlines of the bricks, both the horizontal and vertical ones, visible in the water using the water's shadow colour, but break them up and distort them a little. The current marks on the water are too thick and too distorted to read as representing the bricks. Let them go to the edge of the water, too.

Edit: Here's a pixel-over to show what I mean, plus I softened up the highlights a little:

(I also made the colours be consistent across the different parts of the water because that looks better to me.)
I didn't do anything about the perspective.

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WIP (Work In Progress)
Pixel Joint Forum : Pixel Art : WIP (Work In Progress)

Author	Message
Zizka Commander Joined: 07 May 2021 Online Status: Offline Posts: 139	Topic: Sewer Scene Posted: 25 June 2016 at 4:32pm
	You know the drill! I ran out of ideas of things to put down there actually. Let it rip (please!).
	IP Logged

Pixel_Outlaw Commander Joined: 01 September 2005 Online Status: Offline Posts: 3829	Posted: 25 June 2016 at 5:05pm
	Looking stylish! Some observations: The water is transparent going over the walkway but not transparent against the wall bricks. The light spots on the wall would probably be centered around the lights. Unless you add a top cowl to them I think the light is going to spread out in all directions. I like the green sludge between the bricks but it was almost unnoticeable when I first glanced. The cones might be nice if their sides were a bit steeper and taller. They are kind of stubby I think. Even though you've covered the walkway in grime it still looks a bit plastic I think. You might go for a concrete/cement look and get some texture. The exposed holes in the walls could use a bit of 3D angle to show the edges and tops of the remaining bricks. If you can easily adjust entire hues in your painting program you might try a shift from gray to more of a brown and earthy color to set the poopy mood. :) They kind of tend to be dark and brown (for obvious reasons) Also take a look at how the light spreads out in all directions from the lamp. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Musee_des_Egouts_de_Paris_FRA_002.JPG Overall it looks very good, just some minor tweaks I might do if I were you. Just opinions. :)

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zodiac Midshipman Joined: 19 June 2016 Online Status: Offline Posts: 29	Posted: 25 June 2016 at 5:25pm
	Well, since you asked When the pipe curves, it widens because the outer curve has so much less bend than the inner one Light sources are wonky compared to perspective. Looking at the floor tiles and door, we have a perspective from slightly above, but if so the hood on the lights would need to curve down pretty heavily to give light only below. A non-directional light like that would also create a highlight on nearby floors and pipes, and probably have a mid-tone area as the light on the wall fades. The small light above the door should cast a small light area on the wall; it's not directional at all. It's hard to tell what the thing in the water is (trash bag?) If it is a trash bag, using a brighter color to tie it up at the top would help make that clear. The big pipe looks like it's angled down judging from the inside and lower rim, but if so the top would go lower and appear thicker from our perspective, making the inner oval a little more scrunched The spacing of the "05" on the door seems a bit much. You could move them in a pixel or two each pretty easy. I'd also fill in the upper-left corner of the "5" to make it more distinct from "S", unless you're going for a computer LCD feel, in which case I'd move the middle bar down to the actual middle. The goal of all this is to make it feel like real industrial signage and better match the construction posters on the left. Gameplay wise, a few extra comments: The faint highlight on the selected item isn't strong enough, I'd suggest a brighter color, a full box selection, or both. Alternately, you could gray out the non-selected items ala Lost Vikings. By the darker "sprite-style" outline the barrier looks like an obstacle and the pylons don't, but there position on the same horizontal floor line makes both seem like they should. Don't know what's intended, but either darken the pylon outlines or move them up maybe 2 pixels if they're non-blocking.
	IP Logged

Zizka Commander Joined: 07 May 2021 Online Status: Offline Posts: 139	Posted: 26 June 2016 at 9:00am
	THANK YOU (yes, it deserved capital letters). So, in order: The water is transparent going over the walkway but not transparent against the wall bricks. I tried to portray the reflection of the bricks on the water. Any ideas I could do this better? The light spots on the wall would probably be centered around the lights. Unless you add a top cowl to them I think the light is going to spread out in all directions. Added a cowl. The cones might be nice if their sides were a bit steeper and taller. They are kind of stubby I think. Done. The exposed holes in the walls could use a bit of 3D angle to show the edges and tops of the remaining bricks. Good idea, done. They kind of tend to be dark and brown (for obvious reasons) Also take a look at how the light spreads out in all directions from the lamp. So you're saying that the light spread is too strong on my walls? It's hard to tell what the thing in the water is (trash bag?) If it is a trash bag, using a brighter color to tie it up at the top would help make that clear. It's supposed to be poop. I redid it to make it more recognizable. When the pipe curves, it widens because the outer curve has so much less bend than the inner one Tried to fix this a bit. I think it looks better now. Light sources are wonky compared to perspective. Looking at the floor tiles and door, we have a perspective from slightly above, but if so the hood on the lights would need to curve down pretty heavily to give light only below. A non-directional light like that would also create a highlight on nearby floors and pipes, and probably have a mid-tone area as the light on the wall fades. The small light above the door should cast a small light area on the wall; it's not directional at all. Is the hood any better now, do you think? The big pipe looks like it's angled down judging from the inside and lower rim, but if so the top would go lower and appear thicker from our perspective, making the inner oval a little more scrunched Yeah, I have trouble with this, I've tried a new take on it. The spacing of the "05" on the door seems a bit much. You could move them in a pixel or two each pretty easy. I'd also fill in the upper-left corner of the "5" to make it more distinct from "S", unless you're going for a computer LCD feel, in which case I'd move the middle bar down to the actual middle. The goal of all this is to make it feel like real industrial signage and better match the construction posters on the left. Ok! I also redid the light on top of the door. The faint highlight on the selected item isn't strong enough, I'd suggest a brighter color, a full box selection, or both. Alternately, you could gray out the non-selected items ala Lost Vikings. I've tried this before but some color-blind people complained. But I decided to go with it anyway. By the darker "sprite-style" outline the barrier looks like an obstacle and the pylons don't, but there position on the same horizontal floor line makes both seem like they should. Don't know what's intended, but either darken the pylon outlines or move them up maybe 2 pixels if they're non-blocking. Done! Thoughts?
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eishiya Commander Joined: 04 August 2022 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1104	Posted: 26 June 2016 at 11:39am
	The pipe and the water in the pipe suggest that we're seeing the scene in perspective, while everything else (most noticeably the sidewalk below the pipe) suggests that there is no perspective, that this is a parallel projection. Perspective and parallel projections can be mixed together, but because they're starkly juxtaposed in your image, it looks strange. Also, re: making the water appear more transparent over the bricks: have the shadow outlines of the bricks, both the horizontal and vertical ones, visible in the water using the water's shadow colour, but break them up and distort them a little. The current marks on the water are too thick and too distorted to read as representing the bricks. Let them go to the edge of the water, too. Edit: Here's a pixel-over to show what I mean, plus I softened up the highlights a little: (I also made the colours be consistent across the different parts of the water because that looks better to me.) I didn't do anything about the perspective.
	IP Logged