>>359561
Yeah, here's the place to ask for advice.

Though I don't think you need it. For a first quest, you're doing superbly!

>>359565
Wow, really? That's great to hear, thank you! OwO

Kitsun3 2012/03/01(Thu)16:53 No. 49827 ID: 76f1e3
File 133064958195.png - (85.23KB , 640x480 , example.png )

Quick linings of the main char done in 10 mins.

How does it look? We're hoping to pull out quick updates.

>>359627
That's do just fine for a quest! It's more about the writing than it is the art, anyway. Good luck!

>>359627
The neck looks too thick in that central example... but yeah, that's good enough for questing.

I've been looking into starting up my old Quest again. I got a tablet and have been working with that lately to see how much it changes my style, but I am more concerned about what happens if I just start where I left off. It's hard to imagine that even the most avid reader can remember all that happened so far considering its last update was in 2010.

Should I take the time to go over what happened previously or just let the archives speak for themselves?

>>359734
A recap won't hurt

yeah link the archive and give a small recap.

Anonymous 2012/03/06(Tue)14:50 No. 49974 ID: d84d24
File 133107422363.png - (280.23KB , 1665x564 , sergals copy.png )

Protip: Make a basic model sheet that you can refer to when you're drawing your quest. Even if you're doing something in a simplistic style, this helps your characters to remain consistent. Even if it's something simple like I have here for the sergal patterns

I've put in a good... entire day on this here so far now:
http://tgchan.org/kusaba/quest/res/391158.html

So far, I think it's been going pretty well, but there's a basic formula that has and will continue to come up:
- Suggesters choose a path.
- The newly entered room is displayed.
- There's an item in it (which will be promptly collected).
- Time to reconfigure the character and start messing around.

Those middle steps are kind of bugging me. I've pretty much written myself into the corner of going long form like I did with the backpack (show room in an update, work on a second update for after the item has been corrected, either toss it up cutscene style or in response to someone going "get that item!" while I was drawing), or the ultra-brief mode I did with the mirror (draw the room, "so here's a new room, there was an item in it, it's in our inventory now, where next?")

The first method bugs me because, well, double author posts. The second though makes me feel a bit like I'm glossing over too much, and if I habitually do it, people will lose track of, well, everything there is to keep track of.

Anyone have a better way to handle this than just, usually going with the quick version, going the long now and then as a refresher?

a cut-scene is perfectly acceptable around here. we like them as long as they never result in YOU LOSE for something that would of been prevented if they were told to by the suggesters.

The long one is better!

>>359774
That sergal model is off-model.
It's too human, try to scale back the anthropomorphism.
'Lean, Mean, Killing Machines' is one of the main cues when feeling out a new sergal design. Less emphasis on the musculature, more emphasis on the bone structure and 'angled' nature of the sergal form.
Also, too much ass.

>>359873
Are you familiar with old age sergals at all?

>>359873
Also, it's missing the tits.

Anonymous 2012/03/11(Sun)06:11 No. 50092 ID: cf49fc
File 133147149682.jpg - (255.14KB , 1024x745 , ___Seriously meatbags.jpg )

>>359891
Yeah. No.

Model is mostly okay.
In this case, you gave em a little too much ass.

>>359873
It looks pretty OK to me. I mean sure, they could be sleeker/lankier I guess? But they look more like sergals than 99 percent of drawn sergals out there.

The base of the tail could be thicker I guess, but that's really the only thing I can see actually "off-model" different here. I don't think there should be a question of butt so much as fluff upon the butt.

>>359873
>Also, too much ass.
You sir, are cray cray.

Hey. I'm thinking about running a quest in the moderately-distant future, and I'd like some advice about how to prepare for it. I've got some specific questions prepared, but I'd gladly accept any additional wisdom you'd like to throw my way (provided it hasn't already been mentioned in this thread). Anyway, to the questions:

1. What drawing medium would be a good choice for my first quest (pencil/paper, MSPaint/mouse, tablet/pen, etc.)? Keep in mind that I'd rather not put much money, if any, into this--especially since I know neither how it'll turn out nor whether I'll ever try it again--and that I virtually zero experience as an artist.

2. Between now and the start of my quest, what would be a good way to practice my drawing (assuming there's any more to practicing than "grab paper, draw shit"), and what aspects of drawing do you think a beginner like me (who has trouble even keeping his doodles consistent) ought to focus on if he hopes to develop almost-bearable art before starting a quest?

3. What would be a good way for me to practice writing and dialog?

4. How long would you suggest I make my first quest? I'm afraid of burning out early, but I suspect the ideas and stories I'd most like to try would wind up taking quite a while to execute/tell.

5. What size scope would you advise my first quest be? One of the potential stories I'm playing with would take place on an entire planet, but I'm afraid that would be too ambitious--certainly for a first quest. Unless I made it a small planet, I guess.

Thoughts or advice for an aspiring, dream-drunk newborn?

*newbie
Damn ninja autocorrect.

Oh, and I should probably mention that "the moderately-distant future" is when I'd like to start the quest, not the time in which the quest is set. I'm thinking a handful of months or so. Is that enough time to practice and prepare?

Thoughts? Read this entire topic. People have given a lot of answers here, and they still apply.
1. Until you know how to draw, stick to pencil and paper. If you can't make it look good without those, then adding colors wont help much.
2. Smooth circles, equal squares, equal triangles. Learn at least 2 point perspective. Anatomy. Put an apple, orange, and banana on a plate, then draw the plate and what is on it.
3. Read. Don't read those children books, they aren't really well made. Remember the questions: What, why, when. Every character uses those. Do at least a page background for every major character. Make sure you know motives(more than 'cause I'm mad). Practice timelines. If people have your character do nothing for awhile, the world shouldn't stand still. Learn to describe settings. Make sure to always feature atleast two senses.
4. Keep it simple. Save grand ideas for later quests if you can finish what you start.
5. A neighborhood. 50 npcs or less. Maybe a background for a character you want in a later quest.

Thanks for the advice! Though I worry a bit about finding a way to upload pencil art. Maybe the library has a scanner I can use...

One more parting question: Any advice about making characters visually appealing, or any other advice regarding the visual design of characters?

>>360726
Woah, hang on. Pencil and paper is great, but you are going to have to get a scanner if you want to keep a regular update schedule.

Plenty of great quests have been done using a mouse or trackpad. Just keep the art simple and don't attempt anything too crazy to draw and it'll be fine.

Appealing characters have a distinct style of dress or body that makes them easy to recognize. After a while, you may want to do a "paper doll"- Basically, post a template of your character and have people draw some clothes on them. It's one of tgchan's favorite pastimes, and, well, guaranteedreplies.jpg.

>>360728
Good advice, and thank you. If I'm going to draw my updates with a mouse, then I suppose I ought to be practicing with one.

Thanks again!

>>360714
>1. What drawing medium would be a good choice for my first quest (pencil/paper, MSPaint/mouse, tablet/pen, etc.)? Keep in mind that I'd rather not put much money, if any, into this--especially since I know neither how it'll turn out nor whether I'll ever try it again--and that I virtually zero experience as an artist.

I found a mouse to be "really hard" to use, but I was really used to drawing on P&P. You don't have to learn how to draw if the purpose of getting the skill is to do a quest. You can do really simple characters and be totally good for quest. I would look to cartooning/comics (like, joke-a-day style, not superhero comics) to learn some thing about how to do your characters. I mean, if you look around, a lot of popular quests use simple characters drawn with a mouse. Rectangle bodies look better than stick men. For a mouse, perhaps a vector drawing program will work better for you. You use shapes and lines instead of freehanding a thing. Sai has a "lineart" layer that does this. Breaking down the picture into the compoent shapes is what is most important about doing the arts.

>2. Between now and the start of my quest, what would be a good way to practice my drawing (assuming there's any more to practicing than "grab paper, draw shit"), and what aspects of drawing do you think a beginner like me (who has trouble even keeping his doodles consistent) ought to focus on if he hopes to develop almost-bearable art before starting a quest?

I sort of answered this above. Get a program, get a mouse, and pratice with it until you can make something that looks like something. Do character sheets (turnarounds) for your main characters.

>3. What would be a good way for me to practice writing and dialog?

Focus on how the things you read are written. Look for similarities in style that define the things you think sound or read better than things you think are sort of weak/sucky.

>4. How long would you suggest I make my first quest? I'm afraid of burning out early, but I suspect the ideas and stories I'd most like to try would wind up taking quite a while to execute/tell.

Do something maybe relatively short. Plan out a classic story arc (rising action, climax, denounment) and make certain you can stick to a schedule enough to actually follow through and finish. That being said, a lot of first quests are extensive, but I'd still recommend doing something simple first. It will help you work out the kinks in using the medium.

>5. What size scope would you advise my first quest be? One of the potential stories I'm playing with would take place on an entire planet, but I'm afraid that would be too ambitious--certainly for a first quest. Unless I made it a small planet, I guess.

This is really irrelevant and comes down to a style choice more than anything. A dramatic tale can take place entirely in one city or village, and a boring story can cover a planet. I would plan something simple to start with.

>>361243

Didn't expect to get more advice, and very detailed advice at that! Thanks!

>>360726
>One more parting question: Any advice about making characters visually appealing, or any other advice regarding the visual design of characters?
Dem silhouettes, brah. If you draw your characters in silhouette, they should be easily recognizable and distinguishable from one another. Check out Lunar quest, Maze of the Heart, Oblitus, and Fudge Quest (just to pick a few on the first couple pages) for examples of characters with iconic silhouettes.

Color also helps, if you're planning on doing the quest in color. Every color is associated with certain emotions and personality traits, so if you can give your characters an iconic color then that's a plus. Google is your friend there. Lilac is an obvious example of that, but I'd say unless you're going very stylized like that one, they shouldn't be monochrome. Complementary colors go well together, but keep in mind that red and green are very similar in intensity, purple and yellow are very different, and orange and blue are in the middle. The closer they are in intensity, the more sparing you should be.

>>361259
Sound advice. Thank you!

Um, I asked what "fap" meant and some guys thought I was a troll. Is it taboo to ask what it means? I feel like a idiot for asking, but Don't want to hurt any more people's feelings. So what does fap mean?

>>361514
Masturbation. I have no idea why it means that though

>>361515
Thats what it means?! Oh gross! Thanks for letting me know, I still don't know why I got the reaction I did though.

Because they are determent to "Feed" you and turn you into an actual troll. I for one enjoy your adorable typing style.

>>361517
Thank you Platformasaur. I enjoy your cute little umbrellas! ^.V.^

>>361515

I think it's supposed to be the sound it makes.

Same story with the other one.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what's an appropriate level of detail to use for the backgrounds? I've been slowly gearing up to do a quest but backgrounds take me forever.

>>361520
Oh? You're starting up a quest? I wish you luck! I'm sorry I don't have any advice for backgrounds for you, but I just wanted to let you know I'll support your quest when it starts. ^.V.^ Have fun!

>>361514
>>361516
>>361517
>>361521

This is the quest advice thread, not the general advice thread. Please use a different thread that is not the quest advice thread to ask questions not related to quest advice. Especially please do not post "I don't have any quest advice :D" in the quest advice thread.

Tenyoken, this is getting ridiculous. People keep telling you, "Stop being so goddamn annoying". They even write you lists of exactly what you're doing wrong. Your response is invariably, "Oh I didn't mean to offend anybody," and then you continue doing the exact things they told you explicitly to stop doing. This is getting ridiculous. STOP. Stop using those retarded smilies you made up, stop putting an email in the email field, stop roleplaying a sergal. Occasionally we are tolerant of (but would prefer not to deal with) people who aren't quest authors using names and trips, but in your case stop doing that too. I don't care what your intention is, I don't care if there are maybe two or three people who are pandering and enabling you like platformasaur there, stop doing it.

>>361520
Well see that's a catch 22. If you try to put too much detail in the background any mistakes you make are easy to spot. Too little and you won't be able to establish the setting. Your best bet is to just put enough that the reader can tell where the character is and try to supplement it with text. Unless you're really good at drawing backgrounds then by all means go for it.

>>361520
>what's an appropriate level of detail to use for the backgrounds?

Depends. What do you want players to focus on? Draw with detail what you want to draw their eye to. Say there's a range of mountains you want them to explore eventually - put it in the background of several shots if the geography makes it feasable, and draw them well. If you just want to establish the biome that everyone is in, you don't need to be terribly detailed.

>>361524
I gotta agree with this.

Just like 5 minutes ago I was totally certain Tenyoken was a troll, but apparently there are people that are just... like that? Disturbing.

>>361520
It is totally ok to completely halfass backgrounds. You want what the players are meant to focus on to be clear. As long as you can tell what it is supposed to be, it's fine.

1. Tenyoken, maybe if you don't set an email so that your name isn't highlighted in blue people will stop complaining about it.

2. Everyone who whines about people setting names on an imageboard, shut up.

3. In the future only ask about questing in this thread.

>>361534
Ok, sorry. I just didn't know what to ask. Next time I post here, it'll be about quests.....except for this post of course, but I just wanted to let you know I understand.

>>361520
The more detail you use, the harder it will be for you to make your closer details legible. Keep the background simple for now. Unless you know how to draw scenery really well, people aren't going to like it.

>>361520
On the subject of backgrounds: I'd also say that if you're going to have certain areas your characters return to several times, draw the background first and save it separately (with layers, if you can)! That has been super helpful for me and it makes things run much more smoothly.

Generally, how important is it to have well defined stats in an action type quest?

>>362418

That depends. If you mean in the sense of working out hard numbers and rules for handling action stuff, I'd say it's not all that important.

If you're talking in the sense of establishing early on exactly what characters are capable of before throwing them into dangerous situations though, that's preeeeetty important.

>>362419
Alright. So basically, listing stats is a good idea, but they don't have to reflect actual existing numbers that mean something, as much as they need to represent concepts.

Exactly. A statline like "Strong, Tough, Slow" or "Quick, Smart, Crippled Leg" works great. It doesn't need to be more specific than that.

Oh I forgot to post this bit of useful advice.

If you want to get a feel for how strong your characterization is, one way I think you could do it is to do one of those cliche "OH NO EVERYONE SWITCHED BODIES" things, and then see if people can tell who is who without resorting to exaggerating singular character traits (Something even high end stuff ends up doing).

Another is the Plinkin Star Wars Episode 1 Challenge. In his movie review he made a point of asking people to describe various characters from episode IV and episode I, and to do so without mentioning their appearance. Obviously, they had a much easier time doing episode I.