The Sierra VGA Background Remakes Thread

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Blackthorne519 · #1 Post by **Blackthorne519** » Mon Nov 22, 2004 6:14 pm

EDIT on MAY 16th, 2007:

Instead of just being a Space Quest II VGA thread, I've changed the title to the "SIERRA VGA BACKGROUND REMAKE" thread.

In here we can workshop various backgrounds from Sierra games that we love.

This will provide insight into the artistic process - and it's fun for all involved. I'll be posting a screen I've been working on.

Bt

Okay folks,

I got a funny little idea last night.

There seems to be a good amount of people who practice art, and can do amazing things here. So, I had an idea - to remake all the backgrounds in Space Quest II. This would be a great fun, and practice project for all involved, and then maybe someday a remake could be finished.

Here's what I'll do - I'll post an AGI version of a screenshot from Space Quest II. This time, I've made a quick VGA version of the pic. Then, I leave it up to others out there to download the pic, and work on it further, to see if together, we can all make good looking VGA pics for the game. When one has been completed, we vote to see if it goes on - then we move on to the next one. This is really just a way for many artists to practice, and for noobs to see how it can be done. This won't happen over night, but maybe we can keep this thread going for sometime.

Anyway, here are the pics.

The Docking Bay, Space Quest II - AGI

A quick version, VGA by me, Bt.

As you can see, it's incomplete - but it has an idea where to go. Now, your mission - should you choose to accept it - is to paintover, it could be large scale, or it could be just one thing. (I never finished any kind of landing gear, for instance, or the ladder and rails in the background)

So, maybe we can get some people involved. Happy painting!

Bt

Alias · #2 Post by **Alias** » Mon Nov 22, 2004 7:20 pm

YAY! Wicked idea. Thanks. Something I can get experience on.

Blackthorne519 · #3 Post by **Blackthorne519** » Mon Nov 22, 2004 7:35 pm

BTW, here are the room and ship as seperate elements.

Also, if anyone who isn't an artists wishes to make REASONABLE suggestions, please do so - maybe one of the artists can use the advice.

Bt

Alias · #4 Post by **Alias** » Mon Nov 22, 2004 7:45 pm

Really nice. I made a true colour remake of the first screen, but that was a while ago.

Im working on two bgs for this thread.

This is a fan made pic I've made:

Fizzii · #5 Post by **Fizzii** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 4:27 am

Very nice and great idea Blackthorne

You seemed to have missed out the stairs... are those important? (I've never played sq2). Anyway, I might do something to it tomorrow, when I'm not so tired

Rog - Quite nice. I don't like the large lens flare though

The font is good, and I think the composition is good too. If you're interested in making space art (with filters and all), tutorials at http://gallery.artofgregmartin.com/tutorials.html are quite easy to follow, and can produce some neat results

Alias · #6 Post by **Alias** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 8:36 am

Its one of my first art pieces along time ago. Im 50% done with a bg for the game.

JLM5 · #7 Post by **JLM5** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 2:15 pm

OK, here is my attempt to remake a background from SQ2.

Please, remember yet, that this is actually my first attempt to do 320x200 Sierra-style background (my own game project uses 640x400), so the picture can be improved. In addition, I made it quite quickly.

koko992001 · #8 Post by **koko992001** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 3:19 pm

Ok, I'm going to be the first one to admit that I know NOTHING about backgrounds. But this is awesome! I'm sure those who know more will be able to give you tips and what-not. But I just wanted to let you know that it meets my approval (not that it means much :P)

Cat

Alias · #9 Post by **Alias** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 3:47 pm

BTW, if we need a programmer, just ask me, I have a few in my pocket.

Blackthorne519 · #10 Post by **Blackthorne519** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 4:48 pm

JLM,

Wow! Your background looks wonderful! I'm glad you're participating in this forum. I did a quick little paintover, to give it some more Sierra-like overtones, I feel. I also darkened the background a little, to give the cliff a more defined feel.

I hope you continue to participate in this, because you are surely talented!

Cat,

Thanks for your enthusiasm! It does matter!

Rog,

I wouldn't really worry about a programmer yet. For now, I think that this is just a forum for doing art - and remember IT'S OPEN TO ANYONE.

Okay folks, So we have two active backgrounds at the moment, JLM's CLIFF, and My Docking Bay. Hope to see more work soon - remember - feel free to paintover something, if you think you can add to it.

I did another quick edit to the docking bay -

Bt

Alias · #11 Post by **Alias** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 6:34 pm

I really dont feel like posting my art after taking a look at those amazing backgrounds. $:\$

Blackthorne519 · #12 Post by **Blackthorne519** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 7:00 pm

Rog wrote:I really dont feel like posting my art after taking a look at those amazing backgrounds. $:\$

Rog, it's more about improving your skills, so don't worry about how it goes.

Bt

Alias · #13 Post by **Alias** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 7:12 pm

Well Im working on the first background with the planet and the station. But heres a quick job that looks crap: $:\$

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Keep in mind Im reallly crappy and have not mastered VGA backgrounds yet, the other one will look much better.

Blackthorne519 · #14 Post by **Blackthorne519** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 9:05 pm

Rog,

That doesn't look bad - just work on pixel editing the edges, so that that it appears anti-aliased, and not so blocky. But it looks really good.

Bt

Alias · #15 Post by **Alias** » Wed Nov 24, 2004 8:15 am

Blackthorne519 wrote:Rog,

That doesn't look bad - just work on pixel editing the edges, so that that it appears anti-aliased, and not so blocky. But it looks really good.

Bt

I'll work on it, I'll redraw the blocky lines.

JLM5 · #16 Post by **JLM5** » Wed Nov 24, 2004 10:23 am

Blackthorne519 wrote:JLM,

Wow! Your background looks wonderful! I'm glad you're participating in this forum. I did a quick little paintover, to give it some more Sierra-like overtones, I feel. I also darkened the background a little, to give the cliff a more defined feel.

Not bad paintover. It was a good idea to darken the background (forest), but it seems also the picture has lost almost all of its details. Did you use some kind of blur-filter on whole picture?

Blackthorne519 · #17 Post by **Blackthorne519** » Wed Nov 24, 2004 6:25 pm

JLM5 wrote: Not bad paintover. It was a good idea to darken the background (forest), but it seems also the picture has lost almost all of its details. Did you use some kind of blur-filter on whole picture?

So, actually, I resized it larger first, the made several layers of the same picture. One layer I had pixelized slightly, while the other had a sort-of-paint effect on it. I then blended the three layers together, by reducing opacity - I then resized it to 320x200 (with no pixel resize) so that it was a little softer.

The picture could probably be blended once more with the original to gain some sharpened details, but also - these pictures look a little different when a monitor is changed to the actual 320x200 mode.

Bt

Alias · #18 Post by **Alias** » Wed Nov 24, 2004 6:50 pm

Heres mine in progress:

Before:

After:

Comments or suggestions welcome.

JLM5 · #19 Post by **JLM5** » Wed Nov 24, 2004 8:54 pm

There could be a little more details in the planet. And don't forget redraw the spaceship...

By the way here is a new, again very quickly drawn (not completed), version of my own background:

Alias · #20 Post by **Alias** » Wed Nov 24, 2004 9:02 pm

What kind of details?

Blackthorne519 · #21 Post by **Blackthorne519** » Wed Nov 24, 2004 9:17 pm

Rog wrote:What kind of details?

Terraforming; mountain ranges, rivers, lakes. Plus, an oxygen based planet has a cloud cover over it as well.

Bt

Uhanimar · #22 Post by **Uhanimar** » Wed Nov 24, 2004 9:28 pm

*sniff* i wish i could do this.

I can't do a thing of graphics and the tutorials that i find end up not making any sense.

Alias · #23 Post by **Alias** » Wed Nov 24, 2004 9:37 pm

Uhanimar wrote:*sniff* i wish i could do this.

I can't do a thing of graphics and the tutorials that i find end up not making any sense.

Well, I dont like tutorials really, you only learn by good advice from vizzi and blackthorn, I just took my brush and started, take a look at my progress on my background thread.

Uhanimar · #24 Post by **Uhanimar** » Wed Nov 24, 2004 9:51 pm

I just spent some time with it and i can't get anything out of it....those pics look so pretty and what i make looks worse than cga....

JWar · #25 Post by **JWar** » Wed Nov 24, 2004 11:01 pm

5 minute paintover. Not sierra style and not very good, but just did a quick paintover of the background. No exterior images were used.