Pixelation

Critique => Pixel Art => Topic started by: PypeBros on November 25, 2009, 04:48:28 pm

Title: [wip] vine-invaded woods
Post by: PypeBros on November 25, 2009, 04:48:28 pm
Okay, you may remind my little world (http://www.wayofthepixel.net/pixelation/index.php?topic=6294.150), where i progressively reworked my coder art into pixel art for my on-going homebrew game on the nintendo DS (http://sylvainhb.blogspot.com/search/label/greenzone)

latest update : progress done on the vines : progress done on the background colours
(http://139.165.223.2/~martin/scene/bilou-vines-mockup.png) -- (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wrOLKH9nDNE/TiWkjEhkkRI/AAAAAAAAC3g/yNrDcnO1S7o/s320/newbgcolors-mockup.png)

level maps as of 9/9/2009
Here comes the full-sized level (without the background) i'm using in the demo. I'm trying to polish it, as you will certainly notice not-yet-completed / missing elements. The two things i'd like comments on are the "background leaves" (obviously, i need a better trunk/leaves transition) and the "vines" element. I am unsure about the vine's shading, and i'm having hard time to tile it to a larger structure or to terminate it the way i'd like (http://sylvainulg.blogspot.com/2009/05/petite-mise-en-situation-bilou-devant.html). Any suggestion/edits would be welcome.

(http://139.165.223.2/~martin/scene/demo-green1.png)

(http://139.165.223.2/~martin/scene/demo-green2.png)

Oh, and just to set the mood, a screenshot of the demo, with the character (the blue ball) and two ennemies (the bopping "funky funghi" and the "appleman") that will let you figure out the palette for the background. I'm somehow in an "artistic impasse", and haven't progressed for month. I'm currently digging the net for reference pixels and pictures.

(http://139.165.223.2/~martin/scene/testing3.png)
Title: Re: [wip] help me improve my woods.
Post by: happymonster on November 25, 2009, 07:19:08 pm
I think the background tiles (the rocks) need to be a bit darker and less detailed. Right now they get in the way of the foreground for me. I'm thinking Bitmap brothers magic pocket kind of background tiles..
Title: Re: [wip] help me improve my woods.
Post by: vierbit on November 25, 2009, 07:47:45 pm
(http://i397.photobucket.com/albums/pp57/vierbit/pix_edits/baum_test.png)
(http://i397.photobucket.com/albums/pp57/vierbit/pix_edits/baum_test2.png)
Ignore the harsh border between the trunk tile and the "sky" background, tileset wasn´t created with that in mind.
-
My approach is to create a silhouette with a border(red line) and draw any details or platforms in there.
In that image here, 32x32 tiles are used. It should be even easier when using smaller tiles(like you do apparently  :crazy:).

And yeah, the rock tiles should be a bit darker, maybe even with a few gray spots here and there to indicate different kind of stones.
 
Title: Re: [wip] help me improve my woods.
Post by: PypeBros on November 26, 2009, 10:05:43 am
My approach is to create a silhouette with a border(red line) and draw any details or platforms in there. In that image here, 32x32 tiles are used. It should be even easier when using smaller tiles(like you do apparently  :crazy:).
Point taken. I'll give it a try and adjust my level editor accordingly if it turns out to bring better results.

I'll post a tree built with that approach asap.

Anything on the "vines" shading ?
Title: Re: [wip] help me improve my woods.
Post by: ndchristie on November 26, 2009, 03:41:44 pm
Anything on the "vines" shading ?

I think you're looking at them too much as abstractions in space and shading them by learned manner and not observation.  consider that in reality, most light on matte surfaces is not observed by direct reflection (where planes oriented towards the sun are bright, those away dark, and any curves a smooth direct transition between these), but rather shows the light that falls across the surface first.  Think of the moon - it's not a gradient.  There is a broad lighted area, a broad dark area, and then a transitional space which varies in size (due to irregular surfaces, dirtiness, reflected light).

Here are some references which better illustrate my point:
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/syria/images/palmyra/resized/colonnade-c-irma.jpg
http://employees.oneonta.edu/farberas/arth/Images/109images/greek_archaic_classical/parthenon/parthenon.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Wartburg-Colonnade.JPG - most useful
http://inchinapinch.com/hab_pgs/marine/mangrove/images/roots3.jpg
Title: Re: [wip] help me improve my woods.
Post by: CrazyMLC on November 26, 2009, 03:48:38 pm
Seems that you need more than 1 sprite for those floating bushes. They get rather repetitive.
Title: Re: [wip] help me improve my woods.
Post by: xhunterko on November 26, 2009, 07:06:19 pm
Hey there!

Glad to see your still working on this! When I was working on my other games, I used your thread as part of an inspiration piece in order to help me get better. This part of this particular thread shows eventually what I did with my trees.

http://www.wayofthepixel.net/pixelation/index.php?topic=7962.50

The edit Ai did was especially useful. I don't know about the images not showing up, maybe majhost is down for a bit. However, your trunk texture could be worked on a little bit. I don't know if you intend to continue that twisted trunk look all the way up the tree, but maybe you should. It'd look much better with that.

@Verbit: I don't think those "floating grass platforms" would work actually. In every older pixel game that I've looked at that had tree sections in them, they just used branches with a few leaves on them for platforms. Nice crit though.
Title: Re: [wip] help me improve my woods.
Post by: PypeBros on November 27, 2009, 08:56:33 am
I think you're looking at them too much as abstractions in space and shading them by learned manner and not observation.  consider that in reality, most light on matte surfaces is not observed by direct reflection (where planes oriented towards the sun are bright, those away dark, and any curves a smooth direct transition between these), but rather shows the light that falls across the surface first.  Think of the moon - it's not a gradient.  There is a broad lighted area, a broad dark area, and then a transitional space which varies in size (due to irregular surfaces, dirtiness, reflected light).
Point taken. I've collected a few reference material on flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/97497144@N00/favorites/), as well. I hope they'll help coming with something better. I have googled for the "magical bean" of "Zelda : Minish Cap", as well, but i couldn't find it, unfortunately.

Quote
Seems that you need more than 1 sprite for those floating bushes. They get rather repetitive.
#true. That will be a real challenge for me to repeat this performance, but you're not taught unless you're challenged, ain't you ?

Quote
I used your thread as part of an inspiration piece in order to help me get better. This part of this particular thread shows eventually what I did with my trees.
/me feels honoured.

Quote
your trunk texture could be worked on a little bit. I don't know if you intend to continue that twisted trunk look all the way up the tree, but maybe you should. It'd look much better with that.
Somehow it's not tiling the way i'd like it to. I need to ensure i can easier spot those texture inconsistences when editing a level.
As for the twisting, my real-world observations here shown that trees are usually less and less showing the twisting as you move up (the "pipes" they're made of more and more merge so that twisting can no longer be noticed), while scarves due to broken branches and cracks in the "skin" of the tree became the things you notice the most.

PS: I haven't translated what I identified from my latest pixel art reference materials (http://sylvainhb.blogspot.com/2009/11/en-attente-de-commentaires.html) into my own "little woods", but I finally "de-draft" it for the reference. Most the comments i made about it isn't translated in english (yet), though.
Title: Re: [wip] help me improve my woods.
Post by: big brother on November 27, 2009, 06:05:47 pm
Vierbit, make a platformer so I can play the shit out of it. Please. That looks amazing!

Pypebros, I would add another interior dirt tile, one that tiles with itself and the existing one. The variation could help break up the repetition in large areas. Also, I would make the background dirt (in places you can move) a bit darker to help differentiate it from the other dirt.

Title: Re: [wip] help me improve my woods.
Post by: EyeCraft on November 30, 2009, 12:12:17 am
Oh, good to see this still going.

I think you're treating your trees too much like tiles and not enough like trees. You have no depth to the tree, it's just a kind of patchwork of light and shadow that communicate nothing of a total form of the tree.

(http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z212/gastrop0d/edits/demo-green2_ed.png)

You need clear areas where the shadow is, and the highlight. I know it will take more tiles, but I think it's very possible. Use aerial perspective to help imply the depth of the tree as well, show sections of the leaves that are further back from the viewer.

As for the vines, if you want to do something like in your sketch, you'll need more vines! Either that or think of an interesting way to split them. But your vines are so thick that I think it would end up looking a little strange.

Also played a little with the background rocks, just showing some ideas, really.
Title: Re: [wip] help me improve my woods.
Post by: PypeBros on November 30, 2009, 08:24:52 am
huge thanks for your edit, EyeCraft. That really opens new perspectives.
I hope my little daughter will sleep enough to let me experiment all this. She keeps me busy singing Yoshi Island themes all the evening these last weeks :P
Title: Re: [wip] help me improve my woods.
Post by: PypeBros on December 03, 2009, 10:43:20 am
Seems that you need more than 1 sprite for those floating bushes. They get rather repetitive.
Is there a specific tree where you feel it's too repetitive (I guess that would be highest tree of the widest level), or do other trees also suffer from the problem ?

The answer could help me figuring out whether a new platform-bush is needed or a specific wall-bush is required to avoid using tons of platforms to "render" a wall in the tree.
Title: Re: [wip] help me improve my woods.
Post by: Reo on December 03, 2009, 06:30:35 pm
The ''root tile'' have a twist to it while the trunk hasn't it looks pretty weird, either make the rest of the tree twisted or the roots straight.

Thats what i have for now, looking forward to updates! :y:
Title: Re: [wip] help me improve my woods.
Post by: CrazyMLC on December 03, 2009, 08:29:09 pm
Seems that you need more than 1 sprite for those floating bushes. They get rather repetitive.
Is there a specific tree where you feel it's too repetitive (I guess that would be highest tree of the widest level), or do other trees also suffer from the problem ?

The answer could help me figuring out whether a new platform-bush is needed or a specific wall-bush is required to avoid using tons of platforms to "render" a wall in the tree.
On the first image one of the trees has a big clump of platforms, Doesn't really look all that good IMO, having that many close together really makes it obvious that they're all the same tile.
Title: Re: [wip] help me improve my woods.
Post by: PypeBros on February 03, 2010, 07:13:06 am
I have still troubles drawing a vine one could use as a ladder/rope, but at least I'm getting more use to draw such things. Here comes my latest attempts.
(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LtwkN4oRTe0/S2koCuRQq3I/AAAAAAAAB0A/YASaDcaaZeo/s320/vines-20100203.png)
The first "@-shaped" vine is supposed to get spikes on it and serves as obstacle. The "~-shaped" one will have spikes as well and be found in pits where it will "welcome" the fallen hero.

The "?-shaped" one is my proudest achievement, inspired by some artwork in Super Princess Peach, but it serves no useful purpose but decorating the level. Any hint to progress further ?

(Btw, I'll try and address other comments too, later on)
Title: Re: [wip] help me improve my woods.
Post by: PypeBros on February 04, 2010, 12:46:40 pm
(http://139.165.223.2/~martin/scene/bilou-vines-mockup.png)
I pushed the process a bit more and came up with those work-in-progress vines, where berrybats await you. Friends of mine noted that they're pretty dark compared to e.g. the grass, which is fine to me as they serve a different purpose (climbing). What's your feeling about it ? How can I further improve them ?

(obviously I need junction tiles for vines "sticking out of ground" ... oh, and the vine on the right is still WIp : I want them to tile so I am not done with BG-to-FG shading)
Title: Re: [wip] vine-invaded woods
Post by: Dr D on February 04, 2010, 07:32:41 pm
I think your friend has a point, currently, I probably wouldn't be able to determine if the vine was an interactive object. If you were to brighten it up some, put it more on par with the grass/ground, and give it more contrast, players will have a much easier time seeing that it's interactive.

You're doing good work so far, keep it up.
Title: Re: [wip] vine-invaded woods
Post by: PypeBros on July 19, 2011, 03:46:28 pm
(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jQzFK6ZowbM/TiWmQfjJwhI/AAAAAAAAC3s/VZPptIJRPK4/s320/former-bg-tiles.png) + (http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z212/gastrop0d/pixelation/greenery_09.png) = (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wrOLKH9nDNE/TiWkjEhkkRI/AAAAAAAAC3g/yNrDcnO1S7o/s320/newbgcolors-mockup.png)
Just a new colour set for the background tiles. Thanks for the tip, EyeCraft: it really rocks. Now I'm set up to follow the other pieces of advice you pointed out.
Sorry to dig such an old thread to tell that, but I thought that'd only be justice to do so ...

Btw, these might not be the bestest colors possible, but remember: the NDS only allows RGB values that ends up with F or 7 (5bits/color channel)
I had a few missed attempts (http://sylvainhb.blogspot.com/2011/07/palette-experiments.html) while trying to blindly copy colours ... what made it work was to build up a mockup first (the small image nearby) with BG, FG and character tiles alltogether in such a way that contrast issues became obvious. Once in that setup, with a 32x32 area to focus on where all the important things were there, I could bring the BG colours down, almost to grey, although keeping the blues with a higher value (blues and purple = dark, cold shadows. That's how our bluesky world and cone-rod eyes work ^_^)

Hope it'll help others as well.
Title: Re: [wip] vine-invaded woods
Post by: Sigil on July 19, 2011, 05:53:13 pm
I don't have much to say about the rest, but I really like the detailing on your tree trunks and the statue boy you just posted. That swirly vine is great too, it's more visually interesting than the more "blobby" ones, if that makes sense.
Title: Re: [wip] vine-invaded woods
Post by: PypeBros on July 19, 2011, 07:48:43 pm
I don't have much to say about the rest, but I really like the detailing on your tree trunks and the statue boy you just posted. That swirly vine is great too, it's more visually interesting than the more "blobby" ones, if that makes sense.

Ohhoh. waitwaitwait
The "statue Boy" is EyeCraft's avatar. It's just meant to point out the edit he provided.

Glad to hear the latest vine is the most preferred one.
Title: Re: [wip] vine-invaded woods
Post by: Sigil on July 19, 2011, 11:04:36 pm
The "statue Boy" is EyeCraft's avatar. It's just meant to point out the edit he provided.

Yikes my bad! I see it now, sorry :B