Background blitz: building cutaway (Winner announced!)

RootBound · Mon 21/08/2023 18:35:51

Winner announced below!

Hey all,

For this month's background blitz I was looking through old prompts and really liked both "vertical scrolling" and "you can't get there from here." I seriously considered reusing one of those until someone asked a question on discord about having multiple rooms visible simultaneously. Aha! Now that's a way to combine both prompts!

This month's prompt is BUILDING CUTAWAY. Make all the rooms in a building visible at once by "cutting away" one of the exterior walls. Could be tall enough for vertical scrolling--or not. Could have secret passages or other rooms that you can see but can't get to--or not! Draw whatever interests you.

EDIT: forgot the voting criteria! Whoops! Once we start voting, please evaluate entries based on the following:
-Concept
-Playability
-Artistic Execution

Deadline September 14 followed by a week of voting. Have fun!

newwaveburritos · Wed 23/08/2023 06:32:33

Once I read the theme I pretty much had to stop what I was doing and immediately make a background.

RootBound · Wed 23/08/2023 11:48:15

@newwaveburritos wow, that was fast!

I don't know if my eyes 100% know what to make of it, but that's some really dramatic Gotham City lighting (or is it more like Las Vegas?) on the outside and some evocative objects on the inside.

Definitely grabs (and keeps) your attention. Nice work.

RootBound · Mon 04/09/2023 01:03:17

Less than 2 weeks left!

Anyone else thinking about making an entry?

Creamy · Mon 04/09/2023 09:46:08

QuoteLess than 2 weeks left! Anyone else thinking about making an entry?

My cake bakes. These things take time, y' know. I ain't no Midjourney.

RootBound · Mon 04/09/2023 17:29:03

@Creamy no rush, mostly I was just bumping the thread up to try to interest more people

Creamy · Sat 09/09/2023 16:02:30

Don't pay attention to my silly ramblings. Here's my pic:

RootBound · Sat 09/09/2023 18:51:47

@Creamy that looks awesome! Lots of details and also emotionally evocative. It's a real contest now!

RootBound · Tue 12/09/2023 12:28:03

Two days left!

any last entries?

RootBound · Thu 14/09/2023 12:33:35

Last day! If anyone needs an extension, just let me know. Otherwise it will be our two entries above.

RootBound · Fri 15/09/2023 18:12:01

NOW VOTING UNTIL SEP 21! Looks like it's between @newwaveburritos and @Creamy, both two great entries!

Please vote according to the following:
- Concept: Your background should tell us something about the place you have depicted.
- Playability: does it have clearly defined walkable areas, things to interact with, etc?
- Artistic Execution: does the image convey the wanted atmosphere? What's the feeling of the place?

newwaveburritos · Fri 15/09/2023 20:11:53

Oh, I vote for @Creamy in all categories. It's a great entry. I love how it's a cutaway that seems "natural" somehow and has three distinct zones: room, window, background. The emphasis is on the room obviously but the other two really play a role in selling the scene. I'd play it!

Creamy · Sat 16/09/2023 09:43:20

I vote for @newwaveburritos
Subjective interpretation:
The framing of the building gives context. The small cutaway allows us to take a peek in a richly decorated room.
There seems to be some dichotomy of styles at play. An antique statue alongside portraits of Elvis and a Ninja Turtle? A medieval turret in front of a modernist building? See the old corded phone too. It's probably home to some eccentric rich figure in Gotham City...

RootBound · Tue 19/09/2023 12:33:28

We need some more votes! Anyone else want to chime in?

Privateer Puddin' · Thu 21/09/2023 02:25:31

I vote for Creamy. The low colour dithering of newwaveburritos' nearly got me, but I really enjoy the window / roof cutaway in Creamy's.

heltenjon · Thu 21/09/2023 10:07:42

I like both entries, but vote for Creamy.

NewwaveBurrito's entry was incredibly well interpreted by Creamy, so I don't have much to add there. It could well turn up as another strange location the portals send your characters into. I can see it as some eccentric's building. (I can't unsee that the statue is about to swat a fly, but that's probably just me.)

I like the contrasts in Creamy's picture. The apartment is filled with art, books and old items giving it atmosphere. The older woman/mother is clearly at home and thrives here, while the daughter looking out may give us the impression that she is the one longing to go out into the world, finding adventure.

Perhaps this could end up by the mother telling about her exploits as a young woman, explaining along the way how she came into possession of the items found in the apartment. You could even make this room a sort of entryway to different game areas by clicking on an item and having the mother go "Oh, the violin? Did I ever tell you how I got the violin?". Then the player could swap back and forth from the apartment and various situations from the mother's past.

RootBound · Fri 22/09/2023 00:45:32

Looks like @Creamy is our winner! I'm glad I didn't have to cast a tiebreaker vote because it would have been very difficult to pick. Great job, both of you!

Congratulations @Creamy! It's a fantastic piece. You're up for next month.

Creamy · Fri 22/09/2023 23:59:04

Thank you

QuoteThe older woman/mother is clearly at home and thrives here, while the daughter looking out may give us the impression that she is the one longing to go out into the world, finding adventure.

Spot on. At first I wanted to show only their respective rooms but I did this instead for several reasons:
- laziness: it would have taken 2 rooms.
- relevance: it would have covered the cutaway part of the theme but not the building one.
- fun: drawing a room without people inside bores me.

QuotePerhaps this could end up by the mother telling about her exploits as a young woman, explaining along the way how she came into possession of the items found in the apartment. You could even make this room a sort of entryway to different game areas by clicking on an item and having the mother go "Oh, the violin? Did I ever tell you how I got the violin?". Then the player could swap back and forth from the apartment and various situations from the mother's past.

Feel free to do it

heltenjon · Sat 23/09/2023 14:59:07

Quote from: Creamy on Fri 22/09/2023 23:59:04(Snipping long suggestion)
Feel free to do it

Alas, my chops aren't up to the task, I'm afraid. I'm a lover, not a coder.

newwaveburritos · Tue 26/09/2023 02:08:32

Congratulations Creamy! This was a fun one and I look forward to whatever you come up with for this month. The more ridiculous the better as I always say...