SMB1 City Background

HenryRichard · Postby **HenryRichard** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 8:21 pm

I'm trying to get better at making backgrounds; so I made this thing. I may have kinda cheated *COUGH*WROTEAPROGRAMTODOITFORME*COUGH* but after messing around with it for a while, I think I made something that looks pretty good.

Spoiler: show

unfancy download link

PixelPest · Postby **PixelPest** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 8:33 pm

Hmmm. It has a lot of potential but I highly dislike it right now. The grey tones of the buildings really clash with the clouds and their lack of shading and complexity compared the clouds doesn't fit. I'm not saying however that by taking the clouds out all problems would be solved. The buildings have quite an interesting concept but still lack in any kind of texture and the windows look like they're painted on; they don't have any depth. I'd say it's an okay start but it needs a LOT of work before it's usable.
Btw, how did you have a program create it for you?

HenryRichard · Postby **HenryRichard** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 8:37 pm

I'll probably be changing it quite a bit; problem is I have no idea what to make the building's texture look like.

PixelPest wrote:Btw, how did you have a program create it for you?

I wrote a program that kicked out something like this:

Code: Select all

(not exactly like that but you get the idea)
Then I turned the 0's into pixels and the spaces into, well, spaces. Then I expanded on the general shape and turned it into this.

Also, how exactly does the gray clash?

Chip Potato · Postby **Chip Potato** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 8:43 pm

Personally, while I think this is a good starting point, it could use some more detail, like maybe a second layer of buildings behind the current one, and some of the windows being lit up.

PixelPest · Postby **PixelPest** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 8:46 pm

HenryRichard wrote:I'll probably be changing it quite a bit; problem is I have no idea what to make the building's texture look like.

If you want to stay somewhat true to what you have now, I'd add some minor dithering, or something along the line of the technique used to shade the SMB3 block sizables was what I originally thought about for this.

HenryRichard wrote:Also, how exactly does the gray clash?

You used two very different gray palettes/scales in the background, the one for the buildings seems to have a tiny bit more blue to it while the clouds stick with a classic perfect-grayscale. I'd choose to use only one palette/scale throughout the image as it really stands out right now and, in my opinion, not in a good way.

SecondScolipede · Postby **SecondScolipede** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 10:41 pm

It's got a bit of an abstract look to it. You would probably have to make a custom tileset to go with it, and do something about the shading of it. But hey, it's quite the unique style of background!

Postby **Ness-Wednesday** » Wed Oct 28, 2015 8:08 am

With the low quality, it looks more like a SMB1 background to me.
Not bad, for a start (even if it isn't your first one).

Emral · Postby **Emral** » Wed Oct 28, 2015 8:18 am

PixelPest wrote:
HenryRichard wrote:Also, how exactly does the gray clash?
You used two very different gray palettes/scales in the background, the one for the buildings seems to have a tiny bit more blue to it while the clouds stick with a classic perfect-grayscale. I'd choose to use only one palette/scale throughout the image as it really stands out right now and, in my opinion, not in a good way.

That's... not how clash works. If the houses were a bright pink, it'd be a different story. In this image it's just the the material of the houses doesn't reflect light the same way the clouds do.