The Sierra Background Art Tournament: Round 1

[Datadog]

All righty! After a few reminders from Collector, I finally got off my butt long enough to assemble this tournament! This is pretty big, so just follow the bold text.

What is this?
The SBA Tournament celebrates the artwork of the worlds we explore. Without proper background art, a game lacks scope and atmosphere. Without backgrounds at all, the character is just walking through a big empty void where clicking the look cursor anywhere requires the narrator to assure you the scenery is nice. Sierra has a long-standing history of breaking new ground in technology, and with that new ground came better backgrounds. So it's time to bust out our inner art critic and go over which games had the best artwork.

How does it work?
This tournament is going to be slightly different. Because Sierra went through so many different styles of art, it's only fair that we do five tournaments at once in honor of the different unique styles. The tournaments will be: Best in AGI, Best in SCI 16-Color, Best VGA Art, Best Non-Realistic SVGA, and Best Photo-Realistic SVGA . Those last two employ the usage of hand-drawn art, 3D graphics, and photographs to create their backgrounds, so it's only fair to split them up accordingly. As for the contestants, I've only included nominees from the AGI and SCI libraries, as well as any sequel not developed in those engines. And chances are I messed up on categorizing them. So if GK1 is in SVGA, but looks like it has KQ5-style graphics, I'm just going throw it in the VGA section. So if any of your favorites are missing (most notably from Dynamix or Coktel), feel free to throw them a mention and post some of their art.

How are the battles decided?
This tournament has been created using a bracket generator, so to keep the whole thing under five rounds, not all the nominees will compete in the first round. Many are waiting in the second tiers. So if you don't get to vote for your favorite this week, you will next week. As usual, just write down your votes in your reply and I'll count them up next week. Ties will be broken by eliminating the vote of the last person who caused the tie, so don't wait until the last minute!

To make things fun...
Before beginning, I also want to recommend everyone do this: Post Pictures! This is an art tournament; let's see some art! Use them to generate discussion or encourage others to vote for your favorites! Why do you like art? Do you think a game should win based on the most art? For the best tech in art? Or just because it has one really good piece? Get lively!

The Contestants for each tournament
AGI Style: King's Quest 1, King's Quest 2, King's Quest 3, The Black Cauldron, Space Quest 1, Space Quest 2, Mixed-Up Mother Goose, Leisure Suit Larry 1, Police Quest 1, Gold Rush!, Manhunter, Manhunter 2

SCI 16-Bit Style: King Quest 1 Remake, King's Quest 4, Leisure Suit Larry 2, Leisure Suit Larry 3, Police Quest 2, Space Quest 3, Quest for Glory 1, Quest for Glory 2, The Colonel's Bequest, Codename: Iceman, Conquests of Camelot, Mixed-up Mother Goose

VGA Style: King's Quest 5, King's Quest 6, Leisure Suit Larry 1 Remake, Leisure Suit Larry 5, Space Quest 1 Remake, Space Quest 4, Space Quest 5, EcoQuest 1, EcoQuest 2, Police Quest 1 Remake, Police Quest 3, Conquests of the Longbow, Castle of Dr. Brain, Island of Dr. Brain, Freddy Pharkas, The Dagger of Amon Ra, Pepper's Adventures in Time, Quest for Glory 1 Remake, Quest for Glory 3, Quest for Glory 4, Gabriel Knight 1, Mixed-Up Mother Goose Remake

SVGA Non-Realism: King's Quest 7, Leisure Suit Larry 6, Leisure Suit Larry 7, Mother Goose Deluxe, Space Quest 6, Torin's Passage

SVGA Photo-Realism: Gabriel Knight 2, Gabriel Knight 3, Phantasmagoria, Phantasmagoria 2, Lighthouse, RAMA, Shivers, Police Quest 4, King's Quest 8, Quest for Glory 5

and finally...

THE TOURNAMENTS!!!

Best in AGI
1. Manhunter 2 vs. Space Quest 1
2. King's Quest 2 vs. Leisure Suit Larry 1
3. Mixed-up Mother Goose vs. Police Quest 1
4. Space Quest 2 vs. King's Quest 3

Best in SCI 16-bit
1. Police Quest 2 vs. Codename Iceman
2. Conquests of Camelot vs. Leisure Suit Larry 2
3. Leisure Suit Larry 3 vs. The Colonel's Bequest
4. Mixed-Up Mother Goose Enhanced vs. Quest for Glory 1

Best in VGA
1. Police Quest 1 Remake vs. King's Quest 5
2. EcoQuest 1 vs. Police Quest 3
3. Space Quest 1 Remake vs. Leisure Suit Larry 5
4. Quest for Glory 4 vs. Quest for Glory 1 Remake
5. Conquests of the Longbow vs. King's Quest 6
6. EcoQuest 2 vs. Island of Dr. Brain

Best in Non-Realistic SVGA
1. Space Quest 6 vs. Leisure Suit Larry 7
2. Mother Goose Deluxe vs. King's Quest 7

Best in Photo-Realistic SVGA
1. Police Quest 4 vs. Gabriel Knight 3
2. Quest for Glory 5 vs. Lighthouse

And there we are! Let the tournament begin! And to get the ball rolling, here's one of my favorite pieces of background art, as drawn by Roberta Williams. I like it because it takes me back to a simpler time when I used to make adventure games with MS Paint.

[OmerMor]

You forgot to assign several games to the tournaments... (qfg2, kq1 remake, castle of dr. brain, etc..)

[AndreaDraco]

Best in AGI
1. Space Quest 1
2. King's Quest 2
3. Police Quest 1
4. King's Quest 3

Best in SCI 16-bit
1. Police Quest 2
2. Conquests of Camelot
3. Leisure Suit Larry 3
4. Quest for Glory 1

Best in VGA
1. King's Quest 5
2. Police Quest 3
3. Space Quest 1 Remake
4. Quest for Glory 4
5. King's Quest 6
6. EcoQuest 2

Best in Non-Realistic SVGA
1. Leisure Suit Larry 7
2. King's Quest 7

Best in Photo-Realistic SVGA
1. Gabriel Knight 3
2. Quest for Glory 5

[Collector]

Best in AGI
1. Manhunter 2 -- Good example of getting the most with the limitations of AGI

man2.png (8.91 KiB) Viewed 9880 times

2. King's Quest 2

KQ2.png (6.92 KiB) Viewed 9880 times

3. Police Quest 1

PQ1.png (6.15 KiB) Viewed 9880 times

4. Space Quest 2 -- Another good example of getting a lot out of AGI

SQ2.png (6.02 KiB) Viewed 9880 times

Best in SCI 16-bit
1. Police Quest 2 -- Has some very atmospheric BGs

PQ2.png (3.65 KiB) Viewed 9880 times

2. Conquests of Camelot

Camelot.png (12.18 KiB) Viewed 9880 times

3. The Colonel's Bequest -- One of the very best of the SCI0 games for BG art. This one deserved an animated version. 4. Quest for Glory 1

Hero.png (11.07 KiB) Viewed 9880 times

Best in VGA
1. King's Quest 5 -- One of the very fist VGA games and Sierra's first. This is where the Sierra BG art took a giant leap forward.

KQ5.png (47.38 KiB) Viewed 9880 times

2. EcoQuest 1 -- How can you beat this with VGA?

EQ1.png (40.09 KiB) Viewed 9880 times

3. Space Quest 1 VGA -- Opening screen.

SQ1VGA.png (35.38 KiB) Viewed 9880 times

4. Quest for Glory 4

QfG4.png (92.45 KiB) Viewed 9880 times

5. King's Quest 6 One of my all time favorite games. The artwork is a big element of why this game is one of the most immersive of Sierra's VGA adventures.

KQ6.png (35.14 KiB) Viewed 9880 times

6. EcoQuest 2

EQ2.png (35.96 KiB) Viewed 9880 times

Best in Non-Realistic SVGA
1. Leisure Suit Larry 7

LSL7.png (60.81 KiB) Viewed 9880 times

2. King's Quest 7

Best in Photo-Realistic SVGA
1. Police Quest 4 -- This was a real toss up for me. As good of a game as GK3 was, the 3-D graphics was not one of its strong points. Much of PQ4's BGs were nothing more than photos down sampled and palettized.

PQ4.png (36.56 KiB) Viewed 9880 times

2. Lighthouse -- The graphics were one of the best things about this game. They really added to the sense of exploration.

[Datadog]

Collector, I like your enthusiasm! Very nice screenshots! I've always loved the giant statue in EcoQuest. That game delivered an extraordinary sense of scale through its art.

You forgot to assign several games to the tournaments... (qfg2, kq1 remake, castle of dr. brain, etc..)

I'll repeat:

This tournament has been created using a bracket generator, so to keep the whole thing under five rounds, not all the nominees will compete in the first round. Many are waiting in the second tiers. So if you don't get to vote for your favorites this week, you will next week.

I had to do it this way because no number of contestants for this was bracket-friendly, and it's been a hassle to juggle awkward numbers in previous tournaments (especially since the VGA tournament is so massive). As a quick example, here's how the VGA tournament is set up. While there's six this week, there will be eight battles to vote for next week.

[Collector]

I announced this on the Sierra Gamers' Facebook group. Feel free to spread the word by announcing on other Sierra Facebook groups, Twitter, etc.

[Jules]

You're gonna have to tell me if I'm using the right version screenshots for each!

Best in AGI
1. Manhunter 2


2. Leisure Suit Larry 1


3. Mixed-up Mother Goose


4. Space Quest 2


Best in SCI 16-bit
1. Codename Iceman


2. Conquests of Camelot


3. The Colonel's Bequest - agree with Collector on this one. I love the point of view on this shot:


4. Quest for Glory 1



Best in VGA
1. King's Quest 5


2. EcoQuest 1 most definitely!!


3. Leisure Suit Larry 5 - for the appreciation of how everything is wiggly as if it's made out of rubber (pun intended). ^_^


4. Quest for Glory 4 - they did a great job with both QfG4 and QfG1 remake but I'm choosing Shadows of Darkness because of the variety of art. You could almost feel the cool autumn air in some of the scenes. In QfG1, I love the inside of the Adventureer's Guild and the sense of the musky inside of dust and burnt wood. It was too hard to choose just one from QfG4:


5. King's Quest 6 - as much as I love some of the screens where it takes place in the mid-action in Longbow, KQ6 wins this one because of the sheer creativity of placement and arrangement of elements in each scene:


6. EcoQuest 2 - The richness of greenery and the clean feel of the air after a rainstorm is what got me in EQ2. The art definitely captures these elements:



Best in Non-Realistic SVGA
1. Leisure Suit Larry 7


2. King's Quest 7 - just because of the pure complexity that goes into creating these lands!



Best in Photo-Realistic SVGA
1. Gabriel Knight 3


2. Quest for Glory 5

[Datadog]

That submarine shot from "Iceman" looks amazing. And the garden from KQ6 was always one of my favorite locations. I hope other voters aren't put off by the idea of posting images. It's not a requirement when you vote (it's fairly time-consuming), but it does make the thread look awesome. Still, everyone should feel free to vote normally if you don't have time to post pictures.

Best in AGI
1. Manhunter 2 - The cinematic style of the artwork was way ahead of its time, especially for AGI graphics.
2. Leisure Suit Larry 1 - The humorous modern details in the backgrounds set this one apart from KQ2.
3. Mixed-up Mother Goose - Very nice visualizations of these nursery rhymes. I especially like the crooked home.
4. Space Quest 2 - The shading on those trees!

My Early Contenders: I think SQ2 and MH2 are my favorites in this category so far. These ones really went the extra mile with making the most out of its colors to create some really sharp-looking sets with great lighting.


Best in SCI 16-Color
1. Codename Iceman - Have to give it to this one for those breathtaking landscapes and sets.
2. Leisuire Suit Larry 2 - Hollywood, cruises, jungles, airports, volcanos... this was a pretty diverse game!
3. Leisure Suit Larry 3 - LB1 had brilliant atmosphere, but LSL3 actually created an island I'd want to vacation on.
4. Quest for Glory 1 - So many memorable places! Erana's Peace, the Town Square, the Graveyard, the Brigand's fortress!

My Early Contenders: This is a very promising category. Iceman, LSL3, and QFG1 are my personal picks, but I won't complain if LB1 moved ahead in the ranks. These all pushed what could be done with lighting. Just look at the reflections everywhere!


Best in VGA
1. King's Quest 5 - The trailblazer! And these backgrounds still look great!
2. EcoQuest 1 - I love how massive the world of EQ1 looks through its art.
3. Leisure Suit Larry 5 - Not a fan of 1950's sci-fi designs, so I'm favoring the Picasso-esque stylings of LSL5.
4. Quest for Glory 4 - The interior of the bone cavern alone is just one of the most interesting places to start a game.
5. King's Quest 6 - Early contender here for a personal favorite. Every place in this game is rich in composition, colors, and scope. The Isle of the Beast is only four screens long, and yet one of those screens alone was enough to inspire half a fan-game.
6. Island of Dr. Brain - Gotta go with the doc! Every other background is like a game of "Where's Waldo".

My Early Contenders: This is a very tough category since being able to scan paintings was a major leap forward. KQ5 still doesn't look dated in spite of pioneering the style. And EQ1, QFG4, and KQ6 all did amazing jobs with creating beautiful landscapes that looked like they went on for ages. My personal favorite is still KQ6, though, and the background art is a huge reason why. That screenshot of Death's throne alone is still one of the most mesmerizing things I've ever seen in a game.


Best in Non-Realistic SVGA
1. Leisure Suit Larry 7 - Sorry, Roger, but I gotta go with Larry again. There's so much hidden in every scene with this one.
2. King's Quest 7 - I rather like how Tim Burton's influence started playing a factor in this game.

These would both be my early contenders. Around this time, they just went to town with decorating their sets with tons of things to click on. A ship's galley could become a playground for the cursor, and a typical desert location could become anything but typical.


Best in Photo-Realistic SVGA
1. Police Quest 4 - Even though it's photographs, the backgrounds are far more interesting in this game. The sets in GK3 didn't really feel as historical or memorable as they should have felt.
2. Quest for Glory 5 - I like the Mediterranean look of this game. It's classic Quest for Glory with a 3D edge.

My Early Contenders: I'm leaning towards QFG5 for its rich colors and attention to details. It still maintained an artistic edge in spite of the 3D limitations. Although I can see GK2 coming over the horizon next round. Unlike GK1 and 3, I actually feel like the sets in this one really draw me into Germany's culture.

[Datadog]

Four people voted so far instead of our regular eleven resulting in more ties than usual. I'll need to see a few more votes before we move ahead.

[Collector]

Several regulars have not posted or logged in lately. Even Tawm has not posted much. This is why I tried to announce elsewhere, but they have not seen it or are not responding. Some might have been put off by an assumption that screenshots were required. Folks, all you have to do is vote. Screenshots are optional. Post none, one or as may as you wish.

[BBP]

Sorry... thought I'd better investigate all the backgrounds since there's only two tiers in which I've played both games.
AGI:
1: Manhunter 2. Most of the SQ scenery is a bit dull compared to this kind of shots
2: LSL1. The colours of KQ2 are so bright I just don't get into the atmosphere. But if you see the washroom in Lefty's, boy do you want to leave!
3: Mixed-Up Mother Goose.
4: SQ2 has the prettiest forest.

SCI 16 Bit
1 Iceman. Tahiti looks very appetising!
2 Conquest of Camelot. LSL2 has nice tropical settings but Camelot is really very atmospheric.
3 Ooh, tough choice tough choice! Both look ace but have such different'settings! I'll go with Colonel's Bequest: the rose garden gives me the creeps!
4 QfG1

VGA
1 KQ5
2 EQ1
3 LSL5
4 Tough choice again, both look gorgeous, but I'll go with QfG4.
5 Not an easy pick but I'll go for Longbow's monestary.
6 I love playing Dr Brain but EcoQuest 2 looks breathtaking! Vote for EQ2



Non-realistic SVGA
1 LSL7, for its many, many gags.
2 KQ7. The forest is to die for!

Photo-realistic SVGA
1 There's something odd about calling GK3 photo-realistic. I'll vote GK3: the night scenes and early morning sections with Grace have such beautiful skies!
2 QfG5, more lifelike than Lighthouse.

[dotkel50]

Checking background art for 36 games is taking way too much of my time. Maybe that's why others haven't responded as well. I'm working on it but my interest keeps wavering.

[Collector]

You can use the Sierra Resource Viewer to quickly look through any of the games that you have. There are also already examples in this thread.

[stuntology]

Datadog, you're awesome for setting these up!

Here's my favourites:

AGI
1. Manhunter 2. I haven't even played this game, but all of the screenshots others have posted are fantastic, especially compared to SQ1's repetitive and overly gray (in my opinion) environments.

2.Leisure Suit Larry 1. I feel that some scenes from this game fall flat, but others are so representative of the world that they make up for it. These are locations such as the iconic Lefty's, the penthouse, and the mart.

3. Mixed up Mother Goose, another game I haven't played. This is mainly because I found PQ1's backgrounds pretty uninteresting, with the exception of the overhead driving map. Screens I've seen from Mother Goose have been pretty charming.

4.King's Quest 3. This was definitely the hardest decision for me this round. Both games do a fantastic job of beautifully showcasing many different worlds. For SQ: The Orbital Station, Labion Jungle, Labion Caverns, and Vohaul's Fortress. For KQ: The desert, Llewdor, the pirate ship, Daventry beach, Daventry mountains, the Land of the Clouds, and Daventry. For me, KQ wins due to the sheer number of different environments it conveys so well. (My personal favourite is the pirate ship).

SCI
1.Codename: Iceman. Yet another that I've yet to play (but probably won't due to its infamous difficulty)! PQ2 had some great art, but CI's is nothing short of beautiful. I personally love the beach scenes.

2.Leisure Suit Larry 2. I really like this game's art for the same reason I love KQ3's: because of the quantity of different locations. This might sound a bit weird, but I find that the airplane really draws me into the world.

3. The Colonel's Bequest. Incredibly atmospheric and creepy. Maybe I'm just a sucker for night scenes in this art style.

4. Quest for Glory 1. I am in love with this game's art. Even though there are only a few memorable locations, they are fantastically imagined. The day/night artwork really helps with immersion in the world as well. Besides Erana's Peace, my favourite screen has got to be Baba Yaga's hut. It's just the right amount of both silly and creepy that represents the game perfectly.

VGA
1. King's Quest 5. What can I say that hasn't already been said? This is another that caters to my love of showcasing as many locations as possible.

2. EcoQuest 1. Police Quest has never really been about the artwork for me, and from what I've seen of this game, it easily beats PQ3.

3. Space Quest 1. I find LSL5's art to be a bit too weird for my tastes, and SQ's art is a huge improvement over the bland backgrounds of the original.

4. Quest for Glory 4. The art outside makes the world feel incredibly bleak, cold, and dry, while locations like the inn feel so warm and inviting. It's a great contrast in atmosphere.

5. King's Quest 6. Another game with many different art styles for different locations. One of my favourites is the isle of the beast, but the isle of mists, the isle of wonder, and the isle of the crown are also amazing.

6. EcoQuest 2, just from what I've seen here, and for pretty much the same reason as EQ1.

Cartoony SVGA
1. Leisure Suit Larry 7. The world is so imaginative and colourful, and every screen is jam-packed with visual easter eggs. This easily beats out SQ6.

2. King's Quest 7. Has the same bright and colourful feel as LSL7, but also has places like the graveyard for balance. Fantastic art all around. I personally love the pumpkin house.

classic-kings-quest-7-screenshots.jpg (33.29 KiB) Viewed 9718 times

REALISTIC SVGA

I really haven't seen or played enough of these games to vote.

[El Ravager]

Hopefully it isn't too late for me to vote. Unfortunately, I am out of town on a business trip and will not be able to attach any screenshots during this round.

Here are my choices:

Best in AGI
1. Manhunter 2
2. Leisure Suit Larry 1
3. Police Quest 1
4. King's Quest 3

Best in SCI 16-bit
1. Police Quest 2
2. Conquests of Camelot
3. The Colonel's Bequest
4. Quest for Glory 1

Best in VGA
1. King's Ques 5
2. EcoQuest 1
3. Leisure Suit Larry 5
4. Quest for Glory 4
5. King's Quest 6
6. EcoQuest 2

Best in Non-Realistic SVGA
1. Leisure Suit Larry 7
2. King's Quest 7

Best in Photo-Realistic SVGA
1. Police Quest 4
2. Quest for Glory 5