Sierra style backgrounds (again and again the same question)

Message

Zahmatra · #26 Post by **Zahmatra** » Mon Dec 15, 2003 9:15 pm

That is an excellent background. I will be looking forward your tutorial. You are working with Adobe Photoshop, right? After seeing your background, my experiment of background is just nothing... Hehehehehe!! <img src=http://users.domaindlx.com/broomie/cry.gif ALT=":cry">

Jackhomer · #27 Post by **Jackhomer** » Mon Dec 15, 2003 11:40 pm

Yes! <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /smile.gif ALT=":)"> nice to see someone pay homage to Conquests of Camelot. Nice pic Muzlak! I would highlight some of those areas, and sharpen the edges, if it were me... <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /smile.gif ALT=":)"> I also agree that little to no-one out there has successfully captured the sierra-style production technique, save for AGDI <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /happy.gif ALT=":D">

Kurdt · #28 Post by **Kurdt** » Tue Dec 16, 2003 4:17 pm

I think moreso what they mean by the "Sierra style" of backround art is the whole "hand-painted" thing. The reason their art looked the way it did had to do with many things. First of all, there was the original painting (like, with a paintbrush and stuff). Second, the scanning of the material into the computer. Third, converting that into 256 color VGA graphics. Fourth, running it through their polishing programs. Fifth and last would be to pixel edit whatever is needed. The reason you say that Muzlak's drawing is "not very Sierra" is because his art is much smoother, more polished with a higher resolution and more colors to choose from than Sierra did when they made KQ5. If he painted and then put it into pixelated 256-color VGA mode, it would look much different. I can sure notice the difference between 256-color and the High Color used for the AGDI remakes. This doesn't mean it sucks, it just means there's a new quality which makes it different to look at. As for COC, it's on the top of my list of demands for a remake by AGDI. In truth, I'd just love to see anybody do it well. The obscure games need the most attention, I think. ----------------------- CrisS Newsletter and Plot Writer Kings Quest IX: Every Cloak Has a Silver Lining <img src="http://www.sighost.us/members/thelongwa ...  Battle to the end, even if it kills you. <img src="http://www.howtobeahero.com/images/type ...  <a href="http://www.howtobeahero.com">Be a Hero.</a>

MuzlakOofmay · #29 Post by **MuzlakOofmay** » Tue Dec 16, 2003 7:50 pm

I understand. Maybe we'll get to see more sierra-style artwork when AGDI release QFG2- apparantly, they're handpainting every screen. ALso, I'm not starting a CoC remake! It's a very fun game, but I do have my hands full. --------- <img src="http://www.nancycarterdesign.com/bryce/sig.gif" style="border:0;"/> "I cut down trees, I wear high heels, suspenders and a brar.." ---------- <a href="http://www.nancycarterdesign.com/spongefactory/" target="top">Sponge Factory</a>

Klytos · #30 Post by **Klytos** » Wed Dec 17, 2003 9:02 am

Oh come on Muzlak, you can't handle two remakes? Why not? <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... s/roll.gif ALT=":rollin"> <div style="text-align:center">I woke up this morning, thought I'd have a nice relaxed day; do a bit of reading, brush the dog, it's now just after four in the afternoon and I'm already being thrown out of an alien spaceship five light years from the smoking remains of the Earth!</div>

Blackthorne519 · #31 Post by **Blackthorne519** » Sat Dec 27, 2003 12:55 pm

Well, as a person who is attempting a remake/reimagining of a classic Sierra game, I've been pouring through the VGA artwork of Sierra games from 1992-1994. I think that studying the art of the era is one way that one can get a feel for how the backgrounds were made. Paying attention to the grass structure, the sand structures, the trees etc. can help you develop your own feel. I think as far as tutorials go, you almost have to learn each element seperately.... how to draw grass, bushes, rocks, trees, sand.... then combine these elements to make Sierra-like backgrounds...... if you can't do it the way they did, hand-draw and paint then scan..... build it from the ground-up, Bob Ross style. Trial and Error always helps. No matter what, though, it WILL take time. There's no quick and easy route if you want that SIERRA quality, for sure! Bt

Gronagor · #32 Post by **Gronagor** » Wed Dec 31, 2003 3:37 am

<blockquote>Quote:<hr>Oh come on Muzlak, you can't handle two remakes? Why not?<hr></blockquote> I know that was sarcasm, but please don't give Muzlak ideas!!! He really has his hands full with quite a few projects which can't afford to lose him!

Blackthorne519 · #33 Post by **Blackthorne519** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 10:10 pm

Sorry to commit what some may construe as Necromancy, but I feel this topic is a good an valid one, and we should continue this discussion.

Creating Sierra Like Backgrounds is a goal of many of us.

From creating originals to collaging.... I personally like to do a bit of both, but capturing that Sierra look is hard sometimes. I think we, as artists, should discuss the techniques that we use to make them. Muzlack had some good ideas, and maybe now almost a year later, some new tricks will arise. I've been working on a Tutorial to discuss techiniques, which I will post soon. I think anyone who hasn't read this thread, or ever seen it, should read all the pages.

I'll check back in soon with my tut.

Bt

Alias · #34 Post by **Alias** » Fri Oct 22, 2004 4:24 pm

Meridian Smith wrote:I don't think even the best tutorial is going to make anybody do good backgrounds. It will help but the matter of your level of artistic ability is going to determine how nice your BG is. And that only comes with tons of practice. "Fear is when Love stops short of Infinity." © -- Adi Da Samraj

I tink its great to have VGA background tuts.

And yes please lets sticky this topic it really worth it.

MuzlakOofmay · #35 Post by **MuzlakOofmay** » Sat Oct 23, 2004 5:20 pm

I totally forgot about this thread. Wow, it's been a long time.

Some things I have noticed in the past year,

Contrast. When I paint now, I try to paint against a black background. When we draw & paint against that dark gray MDI form, it can actually skew what the actual images look like in game-time. I like to hit F twice in photoshop, and it'll put you against a black background.

The brighter the colors, the more KQ it looks like. Like I said, it might look silly against the rest of the colors, but when you see it against black, it's a huge difference.

I've used the brush tool less and less and used the pencil tool more and more. Using the pencil tool gives you much more control of the hardness of your image, which is important when you're trying to make it look sharp at 320x200 which is a task harder than it seems.

I'll think of more I am sure.

Zahmatra(n) · #36 Post by **Zahmatra(n)** » Tue Oct 26, 2004 5:16 pm

That makes us two....

While I started reading, I really didn't realize that it was me who started the topic.

Anyway, was somebody able to really prepare a good tutorial??

In my case, I decided to use Terragen to create landscape, and later on, capture the screen, change it through Photoshop, and use it for my beta game.

PD: by the way, I don't know why I can not log with my original screen name.

Alias · #37 Post by **Alias** » Tue Oct 26, 2004 6:16 pm

Why cant anybody make a decent 8-bit/32-bit backgrounds? I mean a step by step guide with screenshots using photoshop. Since its the most used program. That would be nice for new commers.

Sierra style backgrounds (again and again the same question)

Excellent

Re: ...

Re: ...

Re: ...

Re: ...

Sierra Backgrounds and How-to

Re: Sierra Backgrounds and How-to

Re: Sierra style backgrounds (again and again the same quest