HO HO I am here too Joe!!! Want to Beta-test!!

sam skelton,

Nope. Wanted to wait until I see what's in the expansion pack. If I go into beta with GH before the expansion pack comes out I'll see if there are critters in the expansion pack I want to use then I may go back and change GH a little for them otherwise I'll just change them before I do the real release to the forum.
GH is such a radical change in the way I design I more concerned about the design than I am the graphics. I have a lot around to draw on (pun intended).



later dude,

Joe B

Joe, your graphics just keep getting more amazing. Wow.

@sam skelton,

Sure sam, just send them over and I'll take a look.

@Semi-Native,

Thanks. This brick set will be up in a few weeks. Snow and all. A technique I'm working on is to create the bricks first and then use them in the background graphics (screens). Take a look at the lava screen. Same thing. I think it just makes everything work together to create an environment.

This is my opinion but I think that limiting Jack to just run around in a mansion or castle doesn't add the feel of adventure to the game that can exist. Not knowing what's around the corner (as long as it's not a cheap death) adds to the thrill of MM. We can go out and "paint" whole new worlds to explore, challenge and enjoy. Instead of just painting still lifes we can be surrealists, or impressionists, or pointillists (my apologies to the well schooled in art forum members out there if I got the names wrong). And as in art there will be those who really appreciate one particular form over another. The more mansions I build the more ideas I have for new mansions. What slows me down is having to create the graphics behind them.
And that is why I offer up so many screenshots. There is a very exciting contest coming up and if you have the tubes of paint (custom graphics/screens/new software to support them) you're only limited by your mind.
Hopefully these images stir up ideas in everyone. As an FYI Ghosthunter was inspired by an old war movie called Where Eagles Dare. Good inspiration is all around us!

Enjoy,

Joe B

The fog is in the image. Because the snow is white (almost: 254,254,254) it fools the eye into thinking the fog is an extension of it. I used 3 Alien Skin Nature filters. Smoke, Snow and Clouds. The background image is one of the earlier mountain screens flipped. Then I used the PS clone tool to duplicate the highest peak at a lower level. I then did some touch up with gaussian blur to blend the cloned area. Then I sharpened the edges a little for the Snow filter. Applied the snow filter and had it create the snow in a layer above. I hid the snow layer and used the magnetic polygon selection tool to select sky area above the mountain tops. I used the clouds filter to create another layer with just clouds. Hid that layer. Inverted the select to select the mountains. Used the smoke filter to create the fog. Then I removed parts of the filter layers and played with their opacity and positioning to get the blend to look right. When I liked the way it looked I did a select  all and copy merged. I pasted that into a new PS document and saved it as background15.jpg.

Simple!



What's cool is that EVERY background for GH was created from the same Bryce document that has the shroom castle (Ghost King's castle) on one side. By moving the camera around the mountain I get absolutely accurate lighting and consistent views. Then I post process in PS to get the effects like the snow and the lava. Here is the snow scene.

Joe B