Colour, lighting and how you use it is one of the most important things that a lot of programmers don't understand.
Anyway, a lot of what makes something look cool comes from experimenting abit and seeing what others have done. I personaly got a bit fed up with the dark and gloomy dreary monochromatic palettes a lot games try and use. Either because of some of the limitations of normal mapping and stencil shadows, or because it's supposed to look cool.
It's all very art studenty.
I think you just have to play around some more, there are no hard straight rules really, some guidelines when starting out. I personaly like bright colours and don't go for realism so much. Realism often isn't about muting things, but getting some subtle nuiances out of how light and colour react. Like not using greyscale lightmaps and adding some depth to your scenes through colour.
Like if you look at old masters, they have an underpainting that shows through in the shadows, and rarely use black paint. ANd mix as few colours to avoit the muddy look so many amature painters come up with.
Mixing greens and reds, or reds and blues to make darker colours, adding blues and greens to skin colours, and ringing things to the forground with oranges and reds, or receding them with greens and blues.
All simple tricks you learn in painting that can help you with your game art.
Anyway, a lot of what makes something look cool comes from experimenting abit and seeing what others have done. I personaly got a bit fed up with the dark and gloomy dreary monochromatic palettes a lot games try and use. Either because of some of the limitations of normal mapping and stencil shadows, or because it's supposed to look cool.
It's all very art studenty.
I think you just have to play around some more, there are no hard straight rules really, some guidelines when starting out. I personaly like bright colours and don't go for realism so much. Realism often isn't about muting things, but getting some subtle nuiances out of how light and colour react. Like not using greyscale lightmaps and adding some depth to your scenes through colour.
Like if you look at old masters, they have an underpainting that shows through in the shadows, and rarely use black paint. ANd mix as few colours to avoit the muddy look so many amature painters come up with.
Mixing greens and reds, or reds and blues to make darker colours, adding blues and greens to skin colours, and ringing things to the forground with oranges and reds, or receding them with greens and blues.
All simple tricks you learn in painting that can help you with your game art.