Pixelation

Critique => Pixel Art => Pixel Art Feature Chest => Topic started by: BlackFang on May 08, 2013, 10:16:48 pm

Title: GR#132 - Platform Game - Sideview
Post by: BlackFang on May 08, 2013, 10:16:48 pm
Hi everyone!
After about 5 years without any pratice in pixel art i'm back about a month now. Some friends and I are planing to make a castlevania like plataform game with some RPG elements. I made these mockup on the last couple of months and i want some critics, especially on the leaves placement and the colors im using.

Thanks for the attention and sorry for my terrible english

(http://i.imgur.com/FIAhvOv.png)

(http://i.imgur.com/qOY9Jiq.png)
Title: Re: [WIP] Plataform Game
Post by: Sohei on May 09, 2013, 02:42:46 am
This looks very decent. Good job! My favorite part is forrest tiles, I have a weakness for this sort of things.
Title: Re: [WIP] Plataform Game
Post by: r1k on May 09, 2013, 05:31:33 am
looks very nice.  The colors set a good mood.  My only issues are that the tree seems to be treated slightly differently than the other elements.  Everything else seems to have a focus on small details, but the tree is more about large open shapes.  MAybe a bit of texturing would help.  The forest background also just feels like a bunch of stripes.  I would try to make it a little more organic.

The leaf tiles are really nice though.  Any change you can post the leaf tile set so we can see how its put together?
Title: Re: [WIP] Plataform Game
Post by: Pizza Tom on May 09, 2013, 07:06:46 am
I agree about the level of detail on the trees, though you shouldn't need to refine them quite as much as the leaves and such. Maybe another 20%?

The BG trees also really bother me, I feel it would be better to vary up the shapes (as r1k suggested) or even reduce the detail on the edges, right now it's just too "fuzzy."

Overall it's very neutral, which can be great for setting the mood. Just make sure your characters/monsters/etc aren't similarly subdued in color and contrast and it should look great! Looking forward to updates on this.
Title: Re: [WIP] Plataform Game
Post by: BlackFang on May 09, 2013, 10:34:43 am
Thanks for the input! I totally agree with your points.

The big tree problem is that i really suck at texturing, that tree is like my 5th shot and the only one that i was happy with. my idea was a forest with trees so big that you couldn't see the top, but in the end i didn't even achieved that because they are kinda thin. After  i failed at making the texture on the tree i made some tiles filled with mold to add some detail. I will try to start over and make a decent tree. Here my first mockup (which submitted to PJ) to demonstrate the difference on the normal tree (i didn't post it here because i wanna change some stuff like the tree pallete and the clouds):

(http://i.imgur.com/0CgHCyL.png)


The background idea was a parallax scrolling with multiple layers. I admit that it looks like a bunch of stripes and i was kinda lazy, but i thought it would still give a good effect while moving. I'm also willing to change, what do you guys suggest?

Edit: i was with this in mind, that is why they are so straight (http://kauilapele.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/tall_trees_encircle_sunlight_1000_billfrymire.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/ph2R2J1.png)

As the leaves tileset, at first i had only the first 2 sets of rows, but then some of the back leaves didn't have any good mach with the front ones, so i created the third row to act like a backup, where the front leaves were made specially for each back leaves (on the mockup with the blue sky, i only used the first 2 sets)

(http://i.imgur.com/U7rCin2.png)
Title: Re: [WIP] Plataform Game
Post by: Ymedron on May 09, 2013, 11:32:09 am
The tall trees in the picture are pines, not very appropriate for the dense forest you are looking for. (Because they only grow like that if the forest has been pruned)
They also tend to make the forest floor more acidic, making it less attractive for other types of trees to grow. However, I live in a region where it's too cold to have things like oaks or something, so I don't know how the acidicness effects those trees.

I like what you have done in these screens, the water-one actually makes me feel refreshed looking at it. It could be a good area to pace the game if you are having a lot of dark and gloomy areas.

Not much else to advise.
Title: Re: [WIP] Plataform Game
Post by: BlackFang on May 09, 2013, 01:51:34 pm
I really like the way this topic is going, my main focus is to mess with the mood of the player and you guys are really catching it. I'm a huge Donkey Kong Country 2 fan, and if i manage to make the player fell 50% of what i felt playing that game i'm satisfied.

Ymedron, this game will have a fantasy theme, with floating islands and magic, so those stuff doesn't really matter in the end, all i want is to make the most beautiful, rich and magical forest as i can. But thanks for the information, i really didn't know that. I`m not 100% done with any of those mock-ups, i wanna put a lof of different types of plants, flowes, etc, and make some broken furniture for the ruins


-Non pixel-art related off-topic-

I want the game's music with components of the surrounding like wind, leaves sound, birds and stuff, kinda like the DKC2 game again. There is a very talented artist that i found these days that i intend to contact once i have a playable demo, check out this music and imagine it with a wind sound on a mountain theme (i would take away some parts of the music though) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9cYZ05aoVg
Title: Re: [WIP] Plataform Game
Post by: Ymedron on May 09, 2013, 02:40:37 pm
(might be of course that I'm wrong and those are -not- pines, but they certainly look like them to me. D:)
pre-posting edit: Did some research and found to my relief that they are conifers. Yey!

Anyway, the main point being, you might want to tangle up the trees so they don't look like a striped carpet? Adding intertwining branches might help with it too.
In the foreground adding long grass at the base of the trees also helps them fit in, OR having large moss-covered roots spread around. Adding things like bushes, shrubs and other softer-stemmed plants may increase interest. *capt obvious mode*
In the photo I noticed there were some ferns, maybe add those?
Title: Re: [WIP] Plataform Game
Post by: Seiseki on May 09, 2013, 04:21:04 pm
This looks incredible!
I think the palette blends together too well though. For a game, it should have more contrast between foreground and background.

I played around with the palette a bit. Better contrast, but might look a bit boring with blue toned bricks.

(http://share.cherrytree.at/showfile-9775/platformer_contrast_test.gif)

edit: why are you calling it plataform and not platform? :D ::)
Title: Re: [WIP] Plataform Game
Post by: YellowLime on May 09, 2013, 06:23:18 pm
The tilesets are amazing, love them! I think the gargoyle needs a little work, though :crazy:

Seiseki, your edit does make the the castle more colorful and interesting. Especially the reddish sky :y:

DarkFang, do you speak Spanish as well? That would explain the "plataform" slip, since in Spanish we say "plataforma" :P
Title: Re: [WIP] Plataform Game
Post by: Seiseki on May 09, 2013, 07:53:32 pm
Also, the pillar the gargoyle is sitting on, it's not something the player collides with right? In that case it should be the same dark tone as the background. At least darker than the actual foreground blocks you can walk on top of.
Title: Re: [WIP] Plataform Game
Post by: BlackFang on May 10, 2013, 03:48:47 am
Seiseki - Yeah, i agree with you about the wall contrast, i will add more colors for the background instead of using the ones on the foreground, since this work is not about restrictions the number of colors doesn't really matter. You're also right about the gargoyle pillar, i will change it

About the whole palette, i see your point, but in the same time i think that achieved the exact mood i'm looking for - an abandoned, creepy and mossy ruins (not necessarily evil), your palette while still interesting kinda ruined it. But since you mentioned it, i would like more opinions on this point from other people.

YellowLime - Really? I really thought i scored on that gargoyle, i don't have much experience in anatomy, so it would help if you point where it needs some work. And you are almost right, i speak Portuguese, and we also call it 'plataforma'

Regarding the tree, i made a quick lineart inspired on this picture http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2010/334/1/5/at_the_feet_of_a_giant_tree_by_uneaskan-d33xqj3.jpg

what do you guys think?

(http://i.imgur.com/iXep4Of.png)
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: PypeBros on May 10, 2013, 09:38:14 am
interresting start for the giant tree, but it will need more interaction with the ground, imho. Seing a perfectly horizontal ground next to that feels somewhat awkward.

As for the coloring, to be honest, when the picture swaps to seisiki's palette, I've got the feeling that someone removed the plastic glass that was in front of my eyes and that I finally see things clearly.
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: BlackFang on May 10, 2013, 12:49:58 pm
Any idea on how it could interact with the foreground? or how the foreground could interact with the background? But need to keep in mind that there are tiles and they define the player movement
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: Seiseki on May 10, 2013, 01:30:54 pm
Any idea on how it could interact with the foreground? or how the foreground could interact with the background? But need to keep in mind that there are tiles and they define the player movement

Not sure about the tree in particular, but you could add grass tufts, rocks and roots that go in front of the player to make it seem more uneven..

Also, for the mossy palette, you can still do that but with more contrast. If you want a foggy feel you could add a fog layer near the bottom of the screen.
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: BlackFang on May 10, 2013, 03:54:27 pm
What do you guys think? I'm still figuring out how to make an appropriate texture for it, and i'll throw some plants too

-edit- once i finish it i will make some root tiles to be in front of the player, great idea Seiseki

(http://i.imgur.com/maFDHqz.png)

-edit2-
Also, what about this palette? (I may have missed some pixels because i only use MS paint, i had to use the eraser to change)

(http://i.imgur.com/4wPPIPe.png)

(http://i.imgur.com/fOqptr8.png)

Old one to compare:

(http://i.imgur.com/qOY9Jiq.png)
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: tim on May 10, 2013, 09:58:35 pm
The tree is a lot better, maybe a few grass patches under the roots might help to blend it into the ground. The overall palette is still really too bland. It's looks like you added a sepia filter to the image, I prefer Seiseki's colors a lot.
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: Dusty on May 10, 2013, 10:35:25 pm
Also, what about this palette? (I may have missed some pixels because i only use MS paint, i had to use the eraser to change)
I also use MSPaint but you should look into some other free alternatives to at least make up for MSPaints short-comings. I don't use Photoshop for pixel-art, but it is very convenient to have it when I need to do some color-swapping or other things MSPaint can't do. Not that you should get Photoshop, but any of the free alternatives out there most likely has a non-contiguous bucket fill that will probably save you a ton of time.
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: r1k on May 10, 2013, 10:46:24 pm
Quote
(I may have missed some pixels because i only use MS paint, i had to use the eraser to change)

I hope you atleast know that in MS paint you can increase the size of the tools indefinetly by holding CTRL and +.
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: Seiseki on May 10, 2013, 11:28:00 pm
Also, what about this palette? (I may have missed some pixels because i only use MS paint, i had to use the eraser to change)
I also use MSPaint but you should look into some other free alternatives to at least make up for MSPaints short-comings. I don't use Photoshop for pixel-art, but it is very convenient to have it when I need to do some color-swapping or other things MSPaint can't do. Not that you should get Photoshop, but any of the free alternatives out there most likely has a non-contiguous bucket fill that will probably save you a ton of time.

Yeah, this x 1000!
Swapping the colors in photoshop took no time at all. It allows you to try various palettes really easily and quickly.

I still think the sky needs to be in a different tone. You can also increase the saturation of the brick colors.
You have such a lovely bright blue sky and clear colors in the other mockup, you should strive towards keeping that. Even if you go for a mossy, overgrown look.
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: BlackFang on May 11, 2013, 12:07:05 am
r1k - I know that, the problem is that the background wall shares some colors with the front bricks, so I had to pay attention. But once I decide the colors, the tiles themselves will be easy to change.

As for the Palette, it may be personal taste but i couldn't find another variation that pleases me (again i'm not very good at colors and paint doesn't help either), but any edit from you guys will be very, very welcome.



I think I'm done with this tree, i don't see anywhere I could improve, but maybe its because I already pushed my limit (I didn't think I could do it). But if you guys give any pointers I'll sure try

(http://i.imgur.com/2QMhqVm.png)
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: Facet on May 11, 2013, 12:11:55 am
Lookin' ace! Excellent foliage. You could maybe push the colours in the castle scene a little more still, but I do like the appropriately gloomy feel atm; other, brighter scenes should make for nice contrast in atmosphere.

all i want is to make the most beautiful, rich and magical forest as i can...i wanna put a lof of different types of plants, flowes, etc, and make some broken furniture for the ruins

Woodland plants for a vampire game:

Bloodroot (http://www.herpingwithdylan.com/pictures/bloodroot2.jpg) - gnarled, mandrake-y rhizomes with bloody red sap
Wild Garlic (http://www.onlyfoods.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Ramsons.jpg) - duh, found in droves in a lot of woods
Dogwood (http://www.hairycalyx.com/wildflowers/small_families/dogwood/dogwood_0268t_r25.jpg) - 'blood' red stems and cross shaped flowers, some accompanying Christian mythology (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornus_(genus)#Cultural_references).
Wikipedia says Hawthorn & Wild Rose are handy vamp wards; maybe because of the thorns?
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: BlackFang on May 11, 2013, 12:24:51 am
Thanks a lot for the plants Facet!
Well I don't even know if there will be any vampire in the game, but I really loved those and I'll start drawing right away! Sorry but I don't know what you mean by 'a little more still' (crappy English again, sorry), could you enlighten me?
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: Facet on May 11, 2013, 12:50:32 am
Ah, sorry you said Castlevania-like, I just assumed vamps with that and the castle/gargolyes!

Phrasing is just redundant wordage on my part actually: I think you could go for a bit more colour variety than your three previous ones, but not a lot more; I like the current restraint.
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: BlackFang on May 11, 2013, 03:55:33 am
Would be considered flood if i post with like 10 variarions of the background and ask for a vote?
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: r1k on May 11, 2013, 08:29:09 am
Would be considered flood if i post with like 10 variarions of the background and ask for a vote?

I dont know, but you could just post links.  I think it easier to compare images by switching tabs rather than scrolling up and down between them anyways.
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: Crow on May 11, 2013, 08:36:34 am
Go for it, but do as r1k said.
Ohh, 28 posts~
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: BlackFang on May 11, 2013, 12:14:03 pm
Now I'm current working on more plants for the forest and creating different slope tiles so the terrain doesn't look so flat

Color Scheme:
Here is the link to the album that i uploaded all the pictures:
http://imgur.com/a/cADPf#leVBmEM

Here is the link to each picutre if you want to switch tabs like r1k said, the links are in the same order as the album, please choose two of them by the number:

01- http://i.imgur.com/leVBmEM.png
02- http://i.imgur.com/i0T3MZy.png
03- http://i.imgur.com/SKfE5x4.png
04- http://i.imgur.com/EpCJO5c.png
05- http://i.imgur.com/f4ImLSP.png
06- http://i.imgur.com/N21Fh3L.png
07- http://i.imgur.com/3Yt5qBD.png
08- http://i.imgur.com/oK7SGYT.png
09- http://i.imgur.com/Gti8YNi.png
10- http://i.imgur.com/7itfutW.png
11- http://i.imgur.com/6159lei.png
12- http://i.imgur.com/aQQPwIO.png
13- http://i.imgur.com/8cvCnDi.png
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: Ymedron on May 11, 2013, 01:06:20 pm
I like 3 and 11 the best, but that's mainly just the color combo they have. Not sure what kind of mood you are going for, but 3 is good for the evening-type thing. (the other evening-like colors were too dark so they looked almost hellish)
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: BlackFang on May 12, 2013, 12:14:10 am
Working on the forest BG, this is the foremost layer:

(http://i.imgur.com/pp2zFMd.png)
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: Wanyo on May 12, 2013, 04:14:44 pm
I like 3 & 13 the most but as Ymedron said it depends a lot on the time of the day you're looking to make it. I think I prefer the color combos because they are less overbearing on the contrast from the foreground thus drawing your eyes less when you want to be focused on the foreground.

Also I really like the start you have for the new forest BG, it says so much more than the wavy lines before! :D
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: Pix3M on May 12, 2013, 05:51:21 pm
Leaf placements? I've did some super-quick studies of trees to get the general gist of how leaves are arranged within one branch. They are nowhere near as random as I used to think of them, because leaf placement only seemed random because I only looked at trees as a whole and not got more intimate with the actual anatomy of a tree.

Some of the leaf placements suggests to me this sort of texture: http://fav.me/d1ozg93

I think that can be avoided if we arrange the leaves more carefully. Wherever you choose to place your branches, leaves should spread out away from them: http://fav.me/d24opt1 http://fav.me/d54fxbn http://fav.me/d3fooo0 http://petersonphotos.deviantart.com/art/Stock-Branches-and-Leaves-127335289

There ought to be more sources for how leaves are arranged within a branch but hopefully what I shown you should give us some idea of what sort of references to seek out. Once I realized that's what I ought to look for, foliage became a lot more intuitive for me.  :)
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: Mr. Fahrenheit on May 12, 2013, 08:51:32 pm
(http://i.imgur.com/0XQX2YI.png) I noticed that on all of your versions they all had the cloudy bits going down in value. I tried making it more like the clouds you see in an everyday sky.
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: PypeBros on May 12, 2013, 09:04:29 pm
http://i.imgur.com/N21Fh3L.png for me.

I note highilghts on the windows that mostly look like single-pixel noise, btw.
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: BlackFang on May 12, 2013, 09:19:54 pm
 Mr. Fahrenheit: Even though your palette is more like real life, i want a fantasy game, realism isn't that necessary. Anyway, i think you got it wrong, Clouds are white and the sky is blue, you painted it the other way. Anyway your edit look really cool, since blue is my favorite color, I'm always attracted to high saturated blue skies.

Pix3M: thanks for the info that's very useful, but how do i do that creating tiles that can have multiple intercalated branches? In the end is not the leaves that are displaced at random, its the sum of depth + branches + leaves. and they must look cool when placed side by side

Wayno: Yeah, i might end choosing 3 mainly because of the mood, this game will have plenty of open places where i can put the craziest sky palette (my favorite color among those is the 10, but I don't think it fit with the mood)

PypeBros: thats the Anti aliasing, i will get it right once i define the colors of the sky, the AA was made for the third BG

As for the Forest BG, I reduced the layers to just 2, i think that's enough, here how it is so far:

(http://i.imgur.com/k2PnZ58.png)

(http://i.imgur.com/OjiohLt.png)

(http://i.imgur.com/LI4GrCE.png)

I posted this on pixeljoint, but that doesn't mean I'm finished with this piece, until the game is released or discontinued everything is subject to change

http://www.pixeljoint.com/pixelart/77960.htm?sec=date
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: Pix3M on May 12, 2013, 11:46:58 pm
Pix3M: thanks for the info that's very useful, but how do i do that creating tiles that can have multiple intercalated branches? In the end is not the leaves that are displaced at random, its the sum of depth + branches + leaves. and they must look cool when placed side by side

This is a problem I need to spend more time with. However, looking at how Seiken Densetsu 3 tiles their leaves, I copied the manner they do that:

(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/83822168/web/A/Mockup/autumnforest.png)

You can easily see the tile grid with the canopies but it gets the job done of hiding the individual trees by basically blending them into each other.
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: BlackFang on May 25, 2013, 04:09:39 pm
Pix3m that's some cool mockup! i love seiken 3 style, one of my favorites SNES games

I'm currently working on a cloudy night sky and a rocky mountain scenario, but i don't know if i'm putting too much detail into it, what do you guys think?

(http://i.imgur.com/mWFMFyV.png)


(http://i.imgur.com/iUUPBBN.png)
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: BlackFang on June 08, 2013, 02:22:46 pm
I don't know if this is considered a double post since i have made some progress, if it is I'll just delete it.
I just want some C+C on this piece because i want to finish it as fast as possible since i'm already got bored on it. (i haven't started on the moon yet)

(http://i.imgur.com/SzWRXbu.png)
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: YellowLime on June 08, 2013, 03:06:54 pm
Maybe more lightning in the area close to the moon, or just lighter colors in general?

I can tell you that the upper right part is making me sort of anxious... :lol:
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: epigeios on June 18, 2013, 10:54:53 am
It took me a while to realize this because your shading is quite good, but I don't see any highlights.  I don't see any specular reflections.  Shading is for setting the tone and shape.  Highlights are for giving fuel to the imagination for the defining characteristics, and for showing the curvature.

On the big trees, for example, I think there should be a few thin stripes of one shade higher to point out the direction of the light source, indicate that it is a 3D surface, draw the eye to pay attention to details, and provide an extra level of depth.  I think all landmarks, like the gargoyle, need highlights to make them memorable.  And I think the clouds could use some highlights to make them look like clouds, and to draw a bit of attention to the background (because the background is a type of landmark).

The night sky definitely needs some highlights to show that the moon has a strong effect on illuminating the clouds.  The brightest shade of cloud there is good for a highlight on the nearby cloud formations.  Also I feel as though there should be some bright, wispy aspects to the clouds.  You seem to have added hints of wispy aspects to the clouds, but they're not lit up by the moonlight.

Lastly, I like #s 03, 04, and 06.
03, to me, has the same feel as the building.
04, to me, has the feeling of a happier, more comfortable sky, although still dark and ominous.  This then contrasts with the castle walls to make the interior feel a lot more intimidating; with the only solace being the dark purple visible through the windows.
06, to me, has the opposite effect.  Outside is dangerous, inside is the only solace.  The windows are there to remind me that things are going to get worse very soon.
The backgrounds with changing colors don't work for me.  They seem out-of-place.  If it's supposed to be sunset/sunrise, then the shading, I think, should be a bit reversed, with brightness coming from below the clouds.
The green color background, 09, is too similar in color to the foreground elements, making everything seem to blend together in a confusing way.
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: BlackFang on July 29, 2013, 02:04:53 pm
 Hi again guys, sorry i have been busy (college) lately and haven't replied, but now i'm ready to continue working on this game.

epigeios - Yeah, you're right, ill try to add some highlights on those pieces, thanks for the insight!

Right now I'm stuck at detailing the moon, it was based on this picture but I cant seem to get it right:
http://d1jqu7g1y74ds1.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Full-Moon.jpg

Any thoughts?
(http://i.imgur.com/nPB8stc.png)

Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: Anarkhya on July 29, 2013, 03:39:19 pm
This cloudy night scene is astonishing, really  :y:

About your moon, I think it's a ref issue, this is probably a kind of macro shoot not designed to fit in a scene from a human eye viewpoint, I'd say you have to kill the contrast and maybe bring in some blue, like this:

(http://i.imgur.com/TuLOjtU.gif)

Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: Hideon on July 29, 2013, 06:23:12 pm
I think it could be a good idea make the clouds darker than the sky. It makes more sense to me. Also I want to suggest adding an halo on the moon.

(http://s15.postimg.org/xea0gcmwb/clouds.png)

Well I'm not great at art, but this makes me better 'night' feelings.
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: BlackFang on August 01, 2013, 12:58:58 am
Right now im trying to decide between these 3 variations:

1)
(http://i.imgur.com/h0GEhtg.png)
2
(http://i.imgur.com/V0DhCUH.png)
3
(http://i.imgur.com/aPvhZoz.png)


Anarkhya, after i finished the number 1 variation, it really looks more like our moon, but then i realized that this is a fantasy game, so i prefer to chose the most stylish one, even if it is technically wrong. In the end i really liked the result, but now i can't really chose between these 3.

Hideon, I got the inspiration on this scene by looking at the sky at my home on one night. I remember clearly that the clouds' color value were almost the same as the sky, changing only the saturation, to the point that i had to concentrate to see any difference. But in the end your edit is visually better, so thanks for that! I followed your advice. And the halo, that was really a nice touch.

My next move is to remove the 'spikiness' on the clouds' highlights near the moon.
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: Decroded on August 01, 2013, 01:42:54 am
only seeing this on my phone screen but for a background of a playable area its deff version 1 with the washed out moon since this shows there is atmosphere between us and the moon.
I would experiment with some slightly brighter highlights on the clouds.
I think they look great as they are but can do without all the circly bumps or spikes as I think ur calling it.
and dont limit the highlights to only the inside edge.
Try having some areas where the cloud is a little thinner so the light is shining through. You can basically use this alone to define the form of the clouds.
remember the top of the cloud where we cant see is all very bright and only our side on the bottom is the dark area where the volume is thick enough to cast a shadow.
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: Anarkhya on August 01, 2013, 10:19:37 pm
Anarkhya, after i finished the number 1 variation, it really looks more like our moon, but then i realized that this is a fantasy game, so i prefer to chose the most stylish one, even if it is technically wrong. In the end i really liked the result, but now i can't really chose between these 3.

Reality concerns aside, I see 2 and 3 as kind of more dramatic with 3 being a bit more interesting at color level. Don't let this stop you though, because it's a game the player won't even stare at this moon like we do, from player's viewpoint this is a minor detail. You've set up a very convincing ambiance already, no matter which moon you'll choose (:

Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: BlackFang on August 07, 2013, 11:44:23 am
Here is what i got with the background so far:

(http://i.imgur.com/dq5FMf9.gif)

I'm almost satisfied with it, just need to start the changes above the moon.
In the meantime, the guy in our group that was responsible for the character's concept left us, and now i'll have to do that on my own. The problem is that I suck at anatomy, so I'm in need of some help here. The idea of this character is that he is a king's guard (with fancy armor), but when he was a kid he suffered an accident, so he is kinda disfigured and blind on his right eye, for that reason he uses a mask under his helm to cover his face.

(http://i.imgur.com/aeVqf6r.png)
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: Arachne on August 08, 2013, 07:20:44 pm
Here is what i got with the background so far:
(http://i.imgur.com/dq5FMf9.gif)

I really like the amount of detail you're going for. However, a common problem I've noticed when people make large pieces with a high detail level is that the pieces tend to lack depth. One of the many depth cues we use for depth perception is the texture gradient, i.e. that details grow smaller with distance. Uniform textures thus tend to appear flat. If you vary the size of some parts of the cloud texture, parts of the cloud would appear to be closer to the viewer. At the moment it seems like the whole cloud is on the same level.

While we're on the topic of depth cues, the most significant depth cue is occlusion. At the moment, no part of the cloud seems to be occluded by another part of the cloud. If you were to add some elements which are more clearly placed between the viewer and the rest of the cloud, it might add some more depth to the image as well.

Looking forward to seeing it finished. :)
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: BlackFang on August 09, 2013, 07:10:46 pm
Arachne, yeah, ure totally right, right now the clouds look like paper sheet... i think its kinda too late to change the size of the details, but ill sure try the occlusion, once i get something done I'll show here.

Quick update on the Knight:

I'm very happy with the metal palette i got, but i can't chose a good one for the golden parts... I also need to put ornaments on the armor like i did to the helmet

(http://i.imgur.com/hSv5Vik.png)
Title: Re: [WIP] Platform Game
Post by: r4c7 on August 10, 2013, 03:51:05 am
(http://i.imgur.com/NDty9aV.png)
Many minor things to make the gold look more like gold. 1st, added a fourth shade for the gold and tweaked palette. If you want to keep the palette low, you could tweak with it to use a same color in the gold color ramp and the armor ramp. 2nd, added bunch of highlights to the gold, both white and the lightest gold color. Very sloppily, though, but I think it helped. 3rd, added some ornate details on the left to try and break up the band there, didn't go too complex. 4th, on the right, tried to add a shadow on the left side of the helm. You already kind of had one, so I just wanted to try and emphasize that. Again, sloppy. Hope I helped, probably missed some stuff and I'm bad at explaining.