AuthorTopic: [WIP] Sunblazer - Sprites and Light Devlog  (Read 9497 times)

Offline Olothontor

  • 0010
  • *
  • Posts: 238
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile

[WIP] Sunblazer - Sprites and Light Devlog

on: April 13, 2010, 11:51:31 pm
Hello, all those that may faintly remember me. I'm back for a short while, after Flak (the old tileset hubbub) fell off the face of the Earth like most of my projects. This time, I arrive with, of course, a new project. This time, I've teamed up with Sirroelivan to brush up my spriting skills and learn a bit of GML in the process. Our goal is to make a small top-down arcade-style game based on DoDonPachi, Raiden, Raptor, and other kindred top-down games. This game shall be called... ::drumroll:: SUNBLAZER.

After some light pressure from Sirro ("You really think I should post them to Pixelation?" "sure, why not?") I've made myself a HQ on Pixelation, to get critique and to report back at semi-coherent intervals to update the general forum-going populous.




The small explosion template works great...



... The bigger one? Not so much...

« Last Edit: April 13, 2010, 11:57:51 pm by Olothontor »
"In a mad world, only the mad are sane." - Akira Kurosawa

Offline Lizzrd

  • 0010
  • *
  • Posts: 273
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile

Re: [WIP] Sunblazer - Sprites and Light Devlog

Reply #1 on: April 14, 2010, 12:43:48 am
You should move the front wings down some pixels, four or so.
Photocopier: the fact that arne can also code so well
Photocopier: is horrificly unfair

Offline Olothontor

  • 0010
  • *
  • Posts: 238
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile

Re: [WIP] Sunblazer - Sprites and Light Devlog

Reply #2 on: April 14, 2010, 09:34:19 am
Mm, alright. Might I ask why?

Edit: Also, forgot to mention this before... edits are welcome, if you so wish to engage in them. Feel perfectly free to save the image, take a look at it, tweak what you will, and post again with an explanation. Just... please be sure to explain yourself in the process.

Edit #2: Ah, perhaps if the explosion STARTS big and then decreases in size. Hmm. That might work much better.
« Last Edit: April 14, 2010, 03:54:28 pm by Olothontor »
"In a mad world, only the mad are sane." - Akira Kurosawa

Offline Lizzrd

  • 0010
  • *
  • Posts: 273
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile

Re: [WIP] Sunblazer - Sprites and Light Devlog

Reply #3 on: April 14, 2010, 04:43:58 pm
Explosions would look better if  they were expanding and then a hole eats it from the inside.
Photocopier: the fact that arne can also code so well
Photocopier: is horrificly unfair

Offline Olothontor

  • 0010
  • *
  • Posts: 238
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile

Re: [WIP] Sunblazer - Sprites and Light Devlog

Reply #4 on: April 14, 2010, 05:15:35 pm
That's what they do, Lizzrd.

Edit: Began playing with backgrounds... successful ISH, I'd say. I'm pleased with the results, but they still bug me a bit.



Also fixed the large explosion; the animation works MUCH better now, I think.


« Last Edit: April 15, 2010, 12:26:28 am by Olothontor »
"In a mad world, only the mad are sane." - Akira Kurosawa

Offline Mathias

  • 0100
  • ***
  • Posts: 1797
  • Karma: +2/-0
  • Goodbye.
    • http://pixeljoint.com/p/9542.htm
    • View Profile

Re: [WIP] Sunblazer - Sprites and Light Devlog

Reply #5 on: April 15, 2010, 02:09:24 am
So what was the death of your previous project? Feature Creep? Did the group's motivation wain?

It looks like you're focusing on details too much at this early stage in the game's development. How is the game as a whole looking? Is it all planned out with a Design Document written up or being written?

Looking good so far. This all looks better than Flak already.

Offline Olothontor

  • 0010
  • *
  • Posts: 238
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile

Re: [WIP] Sunblazer - Sprites and Light Devlog

Reply #6 on: April 15, 2010, 09:29:12 am
I think mostly it was motivation, plus schoolwork. Although schoolwork is already starting to bog down this project, but I'd really like to prevail here, since part of my goal is to actually start trying to wrap my head around coding and programming, and my current partner is assisting me in that respect.

So far, Sirroelivan's still setting up details like the missile explosions and fire animations, just to make the game feel better. I appreciate you reminding me, though, I really need to update the design document. Thanks for your compliment, as well!
"In a mad world, only the mad are sane." - Akira Kurosawa

Offline Lizzrd

  • 0010
  • *
  • Posts: 273
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile

Re: [WIP] Sunblazer - Sprites and Light Devlog

Reply #7 on: April 15, 2010, 10:08:49 am
No olo, you're having the explosion shrink. It doesn't look good that way.

Nice tiles btw, you might wanna clean them up a bit tho.
Photocopier: the fact that arne can also code so well
Photocopier: is horrificly unfair

Offline Jad

  • 0100
  • ***
  • Posts: 1048
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile

Re: [WIP] Sunblazer - Sprites and Light Devlog

Reply #8 on: April 15, 2010, 10:18:54 am
It's not necessarily realistic (or, ok, at all) but the shrinking ball for explosion is a very common video game stereotype so you can at least be safe and say it's all vidya legacy or something.

I think it looks nifty, I like how explosions and whatnot in video games don't have to look all realistic all the time.

Or we'd be stuck with either flashes, bangs and destruction (you know the realistic grenade kind, where something goes bang and then things break without all the fluff) or hollywood fire aspolsions all the time. I like the weird surrealistic ones born out of early arcade age guys having too few pixels and too little of a clue of how to make stuff look right. Etc etc. Just saying.
' _ '

Offline Olothontor

  • 0010
  • *
  • Posts: 238
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile

Re: [WIP] Sunblazer - Sprites and Light Devlog

Reply #9 on: April 15, 2010, 10:56:28 am
I appreciate the semi-sarcastic defense, Jad. I understand, though, Lizzrd, but I think I prefer this over a more realistic explosion.

Updated my background test image with more variation.

I think I need more cliff face.



Edit: Sorta fixed. Still seems odd, though.

« Last Edit: April 15, 2010, 11:25:42 am by Olothontor »
"In a mad world, only the mad are sane." - Akira Kurosawa

Offline PypeBros

  • 0100
  • ***
  • Posts: 1220
  • Karma: +2/-0
  • Pixel Padawan
    • PypeBros
    • View Profile
    • Bilou Homebrew's Blog.

Re: [WIP] Sunblazer - Sprites and Light Devlog

Reply #10 on: April 15, 2010, 02:24:12 pm
may I suggest this as an alternate reference for the explosion ?

http://www.javalemmings.com/xeo3/xeo3blog/img/boom.gif

as seen on http://xeo3.splinder.com/post/6860725/in+%26+out

Offline Olothontor

  • 0010
  • *
  • Posts: 238
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile

Re: [WIP] Sunblazer - Sprites and Light Devlog

Reply #11 on: April 15, 2010, 06:21:35 pm
I think that would make an excellent laser hit animation.

Something like so?


EDIT: Hey, look, a buncha updates! And as soon as I finish up the interface, the scrolling background, and some minor 'feel' details, all we'll be waiting on is the coding to be finished. The demo game is on its merry way, folks! Sit tight (probably won't be too exciting, but I'll post it anyway)!






« Last Edit: April 16, 2010, 01:03:24 am by Olothontor »
"In a mad world, only the mad are sane." - Akira Kurosawa

Offline PypeBros

  • 0100
  • ***
  • Posts: 1220
  • Karma: +2/-0
  • Pixel Padawan
    • PypeBros
    • View Profile
    • Bilou Homebrew's Blog.

Re: [WIP] Sunblazer - Sprites and Light Devlog

Reply #12 on: April 16, 2010, 07:13:34 am
I think that would make an excellent laser hit animation.

Something like so?


Yeah, that's the idea for the shape. With a bit more anti-aliasing against black and framerate tweaking, it could get very solid.
Some hue shifting would definitely put the final plus. As you may have seen XeO³ is almost mono-chromatic game and that aspect shouldn't be kept verbatim.

Offline Olothontor

  • 0010
  • *
  • Posts: 238
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile

Re: [WIP] Sunblazer - Sprites and Light Devlog

Reply #13 on: April 16, 2010, 09:17:00 am
Merci for the advice. But hue shifting... as in, changing colors entirely, or simply having the current colors make more of a shift outwards/inwards?
"In a mad world, only the mad are sane." - Akira Kurosawa

Offline bengo

  • 0011
  • **
  • Posts: 599
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • https://pixeljoint.com/p/5787.htm
    • View Profile

Re: [WIP] Sunblazer - Sprites and Light Devlog

Reply #14 on: April 16, 2010, 10:32:48 am
That main ship seems rather... big? I'm guessing if this is gonna be a bullet hell you might want to make your ship smaller (yes obviously hit-box will only be one pixel but even then the ship tends to look rather small).
« Last Edit: April 16, 2010, 01:17:54 pm by bengoshia »

Offline Gil

  • 0100
  • ***
  • Posts: 1543
  • Karma: +1/-0
  • Too square to be hip
    • http://pixeljoint.com/p/475.htm
    • View Profile
    • My Portfolio

Re: [WIP] Sunblazer - Sprites and Light Devlog

Reply #15 on: April 16, 2010, 01:01:49 pm
Merci for the advice. But hue shifting... as in, changing colors entirely, or simply having the current colors make more of a shift outwards/inwards?

Hue shifting is a technique where you make sure your shades don't become lighter/darker only, but change in color too. In a flame, the lighter colors are yellow, the darker parts are red. Something like that.

Offline Olothontor

  • 0010
  • *
  • Posts: 238
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile

Re: [WIP] Sunblazer - Sprites and Light Devlog

Reply #16 on: April 16, 2010, 02:04:44 pm
Aha! Thanks for the clarification. I can definitely do that.
"In a mad world, only the mad are sane." - Akira Kurosawa

Offline Gil

  • 0100
  • ***
  • Posts: 1543
  • Karma: +1/-0
  • Too square to be hip
    • http://pixeljoint.com/p/475.htm
    • View Profile
    • My Portfolio

Re: [WIP] Sunblazer - Sprites and Light Devlog

Reply #17 on: April 16, 2010, 02:14:09 pm
It doesn't have to be yellow to red of course. It can be red to purple or purple to green, or whatever floats your boat (it's a LAZER, go wild)

Offline Olothontor

  • 0010
  • *
  • Posts: 238
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile

Re: [WIP] Sunblazer - Sprites and Light Devlog

Reply #18 on: April 16, 2010, 04:37:20 pm


Made a SLIGHT modification.



It now matches the laser projectiles of the enemies, which it what it was made for.
« Last Edit: April 16, 2010, 04:44:49 pm by Olothontor »
"In a mad world, only the mad are sane." - Akira Kurosawa

Offline Lizzrd

  • 0010
  • *
  • Posts: 273
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile

Re: [WIP] Sunblazer - Sprites and Light Devlog

Reply #19 on: April 17, 2010, 12:01:48 pm
The last few frames of the laser explosion looks like it's lingering somehow.
Might be that it's alone and not ingame though.
Photocopier: the fact that arne can also code so well
Photocopier: is horrificly unfair

Offline Olothontor

  • 0010
  • *
  • Posts: 238
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile

Re: [WIP] Sunblazer - Sprites and Light Devlog

Reply #20 on: April 17, 2010, 02:47:21 pm
Alright, I've reached a point at which I'm spriting things that I can't show due to spoilers about how the demo level works, so sprite updates will be VERY sparse until sirro and I get the demo released.

After that point, however, there will be more backgrounds and other things to work on, so posts will pick back up again.

I will also definitely post a copy of the demo here for the download and enjoyment of the good Pixelation people. It won't be stellar, but it'll be progress.

Edit: Alright, I've taken out any 'spoiler sprites' to show my progress on the actual interface itself.

« Last Edit: April 17, 2010, 06:43:06 pm by Olothontor »
"In a mad world, only the mad are sane." - Akira Kurosawa

Offline xhunterko

  • 0010
  • *
  • Posts: 365
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile

Re: [WIP] Sunblazer - Sprites and Light Devlog

Reply #21 on: April 17, 2010, 06:59:50 pm
Who cares about showing "spoilers" if you want critique on the entire game itself?

So far, I have seen tiles, a boss, player ship, lasers, explosions, power ups, hud, cash, an enemy, and not much else.

To me, a spoiler is telling something that happens during the game. As in something to do with the story or what have you.

As critique artists we need to see as much stuff as possible. Unless you don't want any critique on what you don't want to show us.

As for me, I got nothing. Nice boss design by the way. Reminds me a little of homeworld.

Although, now that I'm thinking about it. You may want to resize your enemy ships. They look a little out of place and too clustered in compared to the powerful looking player ship. Now that I'm at it, might want to resize the player missles as well. I could barely tell that they were there until I zoomed in. And one more thing. Your tiles, I think, could benifit from a more speration between the shades. Instead of using a 10 point change, use a 15 or 20 shade difference.

Offline Olothontor

  • 0010
  • *
  • Posts: 238
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile

Re: [WIP] Sunblazer - Sprites and Light Devlog

Reply #22 on: April 17, 2010, 07:03:05 pm
I'll look into all of that.

And the 'spoilers' don't involve story so much, but they do reveal how one goes about beating the boss and other things, something that shouldn't be discovered until you're actually in-game.

Perhaps that just my opinion on it. And in any case, I feel the sprites you aren't seeing are decent enough, and I will post them for critique after the demo is released.
"In a mad world, only the mad are sane." - Akira Kurosawa