Background Blitz: Urban Blight (WE HAVE A WINNER!)

newwaveburritos · Sun 29/01/2023 04:07:30

This go-round let's all take a look at the reach of time and its effects on our cities.

Take this to mean whatever you like. It could be a Rust Belt bar on a street where nobody lives or it could be the seedy underbelly of a dystopian cyberpunk city. It could be the streets of Whitechapel where Jack the Ripper stalked his prey. Or just Detroit. From Wadjet Eye's New York City of the past, present, and future to the steel sky of Union City there's a long history of adventure games taking place in such an environment.

Take three weeks to come up with something then we'll have a week of voting. Is that the normal period of time?

Entries will be judged on the following and will close on Tuesday February 21th.

Concept: What is the background about? What sort of mood does it spark? What is, as it were, the big idea?

Playability: What is its opportunity for gameplay like? Walkable areas, hot-spots, and so forth?

Artistic Execution: How well does the picture convey an atmosphere? How well is it executed?

RootBound · Tue 31/01/2023 01:33:18

I'm working on something. Uncertain whether I'll have time to polish it, but I'll at least have a rough version.

RootBound · Sun 05/02/2023 15:05:43

Finished! Put a lot more work into it than I originally intended. Very happy with the result though... enough that I now want to make a game to use it. Thanks for the prompt! This was a great exercise in creating something I wouldn't otherwise have made, and I tried using different art techniques than I have in the past, so it was a fun and useful process. Hope you enjoy.

newwaveburritos · Mon 06/02/2023 22:37:13

Oh, nice! We're off to a strong start!! Excellent work @RootBound

RootBound · Tue 07/02/2023 18:23:41

@newwaveburritos Thank you!

Creamy · Tue 21/02/2023 12:19:27

Nice work Rootbound.
Can I have an extension until the end of the week? My dog ate my drawing

newwaveburritos · Tue 21/02/2023 20:47:25

I think so especially since the forums were down for a couple of days anyway.

newwaveburritos · Tue 21/02/2023 21:19:15

I need to do one for my own dang theme anyway!!

newwaveburritos · Sat 25/02/2023 19:43:34

This is kind of cheating since it's just an urban decay version of an existing background I already had and I'm also going to exclude myself from the voting since I'm the one who came up with the theme.

Creamy · Sun 26/02/2023 22:57:09

Sorry that I failed you. I started too late and couldn't come up with something satisfying.

Spoiler

[close]

Beautiful desolation.

newwaveburritos · Tue 28/02/2023 03:36:48

Well, it's a great start, @Creamy! Very evokative.

Well, I guess there's nothing more to do here than to proclaim @RootBound the winner as we didn't have any other valid entires! Still, lovely to see everybody's work regardless on the theme. So, RootBound, I guess you have the task before you of picking a theme for the next one! Congrats on an excellent background and good luck with choosing the theme!!

RootBound · Tue 28/02/2023 14:12:32

Thanks, @newwaveburritos -- I'm definitely happy to have gotten a good background to play with as a result of the theme. I'll think on it and post a new theme today or tomorrow.

Creamy · Wed 01/03/2023 20:08:14

QuoteWell, it's a great start, @Creamy! Very evokative.

Thanks. It's lacking in the "blight" department though. Based on a photograph by Charles Marville.