How do you feel about this artstyle?

[Nagozo]

Graphics in these games are always a bit tough. My current project was intended to be text-only, but I started messing around with making 2D portraits by stylising 3D renders and I think the results look kind of interesting.

So here I am, looking for your opinions. This would specifically be used for portraits of characters only (so not for any CGs); basically just to have something to look at besides the text.
How do you feel about this look? Would you enjoy seeing it in a game?

 

[Sphere42]

Really depends on the writing and intended content. The frills in the third image have atrocious contrast which doesn't bode well for facial details let alone female genitalia. Downgrading to black-and-white when you already have an easily coloured source also deprives you of one of the main advantages of such supporting images as you can't use them to illustrate visual traits e.g. hair and eye colour.

The actual style itself seems alright, but might feel out of place in certain contexts. It mostly looks like something to use in a historical drama, a romance novel or a deliberate parody of manga rather than the stereotypical modern day incest/school harem settings which are supposed to feel mundanely familiar.

 

[Nagozo]

Thanks for the reply; you raise some good points. The story is set in a fantasy world with an alien vibe to it; so in that sense I feel a less vibrant style is fitting. Creating a more 'book-like' feel was also the motivation behind removing colours. I might mess around to see if I can't keep certain colours in the images (eye colour especially) while removing most others.

The frills in the third image have atrocious contrast which doesn't bode well for facial details let alone female genitalia

Yeah, the details get messy with this stylisation. I'd probably stick to simple character busts in any case.

Guess I'll focus on the original text-only plan and see if I can refine this to a more viable style in case I want to add it later.

 

[simarimas]

I actually like it. I am sure some people would really enjoy it. I do think the straight black and white is a bit rough though. Try adding a sepia filter maybe?

 

[Nagozo]

I actually like it. I am sure some people would really enjoy it. I do think the straight black and white is a bit rough though. Try adding a sepia filter maybe?

I appreciate the feedback. Sounds like I'll need to rethink how to handle the colours for sure. Sepia is certainly softer on the eyes, but if I'm not using black and white I might as well work around the original colours in the image. Maybe this is a good time to pick up some image editing skills, lol

 

[simarimas]

I appreciate the feedback. Sounds like I'll need to rethink how to handle the colours for sure. Sepia is certainly softer on the eyes, but if I'm not using black and white I might as well work around the original colours in the image. Maybe this is a good time to pick up some image editing skills, lol

I think if you just make it softer it would work fine. I think the sepia gives it an old book look personally, but I am not sure what you are going for. I think you are onto something though. Anything different, that catches peoples eyes is usually a good thing, and if it also looks good, then you could be onto something.

Good luck with it!

 

[Sphere42]

Guess I'll focus on the original text-only plan and see if I can refine this to a more viable style in case I want to add it later.

Think carefully about that. The basic UI layout will need to be changed if you do drop the images in later, and some text passages might be really awkward when you describe appearances and facial expressions in great detail only to show all of that in an image anyway.

On the other hand if you decide to add any character customisation at all (because substituting from a word list is trivial) that might really screw you over on the visualisation if you can't disentangle all the options individually. If you have 3 skin colours, 6 eye colours and 10 hair colours that's 19 words split into 3 sets, with layered images it'll be 3 full images, 10 "half" images and 6 little add-ons but if you need to make a new portrait for each variation that's 180 full-size images! Granted you can't have that many hues in b&w but players can definitely tell the difference between blonde hair and black.

 

[Nagozo]

The basic UI layout will need to be changed if you do drop the images in later, and some text passages might be really awkward when you describe appearances and facial expressions in great detail only to show all of that in an image anyway.

True, the UI layout isn't much of an issue (I'm working in Sugarcube so the CSS for it is already in place), but when to show 'generic' portraits is certainly something to consider.

As it stands I wouldn't use this for characters that might be customised in the future. The portraits would be used only for the main/side characters (whose appearances will remain static); the game does have generic NPCs that may be subject to player transformations but I don't think I'll add artwork for those. Like you say, it's either a ton of unique image rendering, or building some custom paper doll system, both of which aren't really in the scope of the project.

 

[Deleted member 440241]

Can we get the original unedited version for comparison? It looks like you fucked with a few settings (mainly contrast and saturation) then put a black and white filter on already colored drawings. The end result turns all their faces snake lips and nostrils with no nose or cheek definition. The clothing and hair are both nicely detailed though, so I imagine the original image looks great.

 

[Nagozo]

Can we get the original unedited version for comparison? It looks like you fucked with a few settings (mainly contrast and saturation) then put a black and white filter on already colored drawings. The end result turns all their faces snake lips and nostrils with no nose or cheek definition. The clothing and hair are both nicely detailed though, so I imagine the original image looks great.

Sure, I'll post it when I get back to my desktop later. It's just a HS2 render though, so in my opinion it's not anything particularly noteworthy. I guess it's a good thing it looks like the originals are actual drawings? lol

 

[Deleted member 440241]

Sure, I'll post it when I get back to my desktop later. It's just a HS2 render though, so in my opinion it's not anything particularly noteworthy. I guess it's a good thing it looks like the originals are actual drawings? lol

The lines on the clothes and hair make it look like something that was drawn digitally. The lack of detail anywhere there's skin kinda makes it look like someone started with an outline for a person that they removed after adding clothes, hair, and eyes. Which is fairly uncanny.

 

[Nagozo]

The lack of detail anywhere there's skin kinda makes it look like someone started with an outline for a person that they removed after adding clothes, hair, and eyes. Which is fairly uncanny.

When you put it like that, I can see why people dislike it :')

Here's the original of the third image, for reference.

 

[E_O_N]

When you put it like that, I can see why people dislike it :')

Here's the original of the third image, for reference.
View attachment 2009960

I like this one better. I wouldn't change things, unless it's better and not just different.
But good job on getting feedback, sometimes it's hard to tell.

 

[Nagozo]

I wouldn't change things, unless it's better and not just different.

Sound advice. I'm not too big on plain HS renders myself though, so I'll have to figure out something that's actually better.

But good job on getting feedback, sometimes it's hard to tell.

Yeah, when you spend a lot of time staring at something it's easy to get biased. You guys have been helpful

 

[Xandyr44]

Sound advice. I'm not too big on plain HS renders myself though, so I'll have to figure out something that's actually better.

Im not either I'm currently messing around with it as well. I did find that Reshade works great with HS2 lots of cool effects you can do. In combination with DHH or Graphics you can really make it pop.

 

[Niv-Mizzet the Firemind]

Generally speaking, the faces lack definition, which makes them a little weird.
I don't mind them for the side pictures though.

 

[Klaptrap]

I kind of like the artstyle, but I'd agree that it would look very out of place in anything that isn't a pre-modern horror with supernatural elements.

 

[Asia Argento]

Reminds me of this alot:

 

[Nagozo]

I did find that Reshade works great with HS2 lots of cool effects you can do. In combination with DHH or Graphics you can really make it pop.

Cool, just slapped Reshade on my HS2. Any cool shaders you know of that work well for a 2D feel?

I kind of like the artstyle, but I'd agree that it would look very out of place in anything that isn't a pre-modern horror with supernatural elements.

Lol, I've got the supernatural elements covered but horror isn't quite the right vibe.

The search continues, gents!
A quick experiment with some more colours looks like it might be promising, but it needs to be smoothed out.

 

[Sphere42]

Cool, just slapped Reshade on my HS2. Any cool shaders you know of that work well for a 2D feel?


Lol, I've got the supernatural elements covered but horror isn't quite the right vibe.

The search continues, gents!
A quick experiment with some more colours looks like it might be promising, but it needs to be smoothed out.
View attachment 2010707

If it's explicitly supposed to be pseudo-historical I'd say leave more of the original saturation but maybe add a sepia filter. I don't know how pristine white they could make canvases with older technologies but pretty much everything ages into brown. Alternatively b&w photographs are strictly black and white but visibly grainy, as in irregular grains not just crappy low-res.