Fatal Hearts - Awaiting Release

[DaFool]

I've been reading the last page; I don't know whether to respond or not.

Is the issue resolved?

[papillon]

There's not really a specific issue to resolve, I was musing over some things and discussing possibilities. I am currently using the method that was shown there briefly to make backgrounds that look like smeary paintings, but they may still be replaced in the long run.

This development is going to be going on for a very long time, after all - the images folder for the game-so-far contains eleven sprite-bases (most with multiple images) and 90 full-screen graphics (some of which are scene backdrops, some of which are event CGs, some of which are puzzle backgrounds) and I've only finished 1 of 5 main branches.

I will show a better shot of what the current possibly-temporary backdrops look like soon.

The most important thing to me is being able to have the budget to get the event CGs done *really nicely*. I think people will care less if the backdrops are blurry as long as they get super-shiny pictures of teenage girls in bikinis and tragically-gothic nightgowns, you know what I mean? So I'm trying to find ways to cover for the possibility of not being able to afford super-shiny scene backdrops.

[papillon]

The temporary backdrop effect, with smeary colors and 'canvas' overlay to look a bit like a painting:

(The character graphic is still my version and not the eventual artist version.)

Obviously it's not as good as it could be, but I don't think it looks *bad*, and if I run out of money, I think I can live with this.

(The large filesize is because the canvas effect is being applied in-engine on top of a jpeg, so I have to save in higher format to preserve the effect in a single image.)

[DaFool]

Definitely like the effect here much better. Doing it via engine seems to be the way to go. It feels more like an LCD screen, don't know if that's what you intended, but it looks 'shiny' at least.

[mikey]

I am not a huge fan of textured BGs, but I know we considered using textured pictures for memory scenes and so on. I think if done well, it can be nice.

Anyway, tinted backgrounds. Would that be an option for you? Because the thing is, that BG does look okay, it's maybe the colors that are just too grey... and by having some tint in it, you could have that sort of Jerry Bruckheimer feel to any picture - it adds atmosphere relatively cheaply.

[PyTom]

Well, I really like the background image you have there. How was it made?

I'm not too much of a fan of the screen effect. It reminds me too much of the effects used to darken the screen by old games that didn't support alpha. It's way too regular, in a way canvases usually aren't.

A better canvas effect can be had using the "Apply Canvas..." filter in the Gimp (or similar tools from other programs). With a little use of layer masks, it's possible to make an image that, when overlayed on top of other images, makes them look canvasy... see the attached.

That being said, I don't think the canvas effect is really the right one to have here. I think the background stands on it's own.

[papillon]

The canvas effect pattern I made actually has some swirly internal patterning - it's not all one shade, and depending on the colors used in the background image that can come through in varying amounts.

As for how I'm getting the painted picture underneath - layering sources, drawing lines, flat-coloring the new outlines, shading that, shrinking the whole mess down to 80x60, sharpen-more, enlarge to 1600x1200, add noise, then take the resulting mess and hand-smudge it everywhere to paint and define the shapes, with some added highlights and shadows... and sometimes a few more steps after that to play with color-contrast.

(According to at least one discussion of digital art and copyright, this is legal, the end result is not substantially similar to the originals. It's still fuzzy, but sadly EVERYTHING is fuzzy these days. And even if what you're doing is legal, that doesn't mean you can't be sued. )

I'll take another look at options after I have some final character art so I can see how they work together. I've been spending the past couple of days fooling around on this background art while waiting for my partner to have time to go over the end of chapter-3-Randy-path. So much still to do!

[papillon]

Spent most of September on vacation in California not getting things done - but I have moved into the start of chapter 4 Randy-path, and have also started making some arrangements with a character artist to do the sprites.

Here's some bits of test art that won't be showing up in the game itself, featuring our PC, Christina.

(I'm not linking directly to the artist's site lest you guys pounce on her and load her up with more work to do! All will be revealed as development progresses, or I'll tell you in PM if you really want to see more of her stuff.)

[mikey]

Very nice, elegant, feminine, what more can you wish for.

[Andy]

Wow. I've always wanted that kind of skill. It's just amazing. A job very well done.

[monele]

Very pretty ^.^ Stylish!

[papillon]

Spending all my time at the moment handling paperwork and affiliate builds as Cute Knight has now hit the big time! Which means production on this has gotten SLOOOOOW... but I do have an artist contracted and am starting to pick up character art. With the new financing I will probably be able to get the backgrounds done eventually, for now it's still in my painting style.

[papillon]

and to make one wonder what on EARTH is going on in this game...

[Matt_D]

woah those are spanking graphics.

I have now become very curious, gas mask camo clad girls hmmm

[Glasskitten]

Wow, I need to learn to draw like that. I wonder how long it took the artist to learn or if she ever writes tutorials.

Yay! Pretty game in progress! With mysterious masked figures whose significance I do not know!