AuthorTopic: GR#195 - Project Entropy - Gameart, Conceptart  (Read 65248 times)

Offline Conzeit

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Re: Project Entropy

Reply #30 on: February 14, 2012, 04:48:15 pm
I'mma be quick Ryu, personally I don't think the old one is confusing and even if it were I think an unmovable object can afford to be a little mystifying. The new one kinda reminds me of something I've seen a lot on stuff like LOTR, such as Sauron's crown and it also looks a bit flimsy for an unmovable object. I see no reason to change the old design :p

Offline Ryumaru

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Re: Project Entropy

Reply #31 on: April 14, 2012, 10:18:40 am
   A young wanderer woman draped in a young gray cloak traveled across four stagnant sands. Except one sand was not so stagnant as the wind blew there. In another the rain would soak the granules and create lively patterns. In another the sand would turn to rock and atop two statues were bridges and growth. In another the heat was so great that glass was often found.
   As Wander traveled through the winds she happened upon a green apple stuck within a spot of shade, where the wind would relax, and added it to her belongings. It's hue awkwardly displaced it from the arid surroundings. Looking now for a place to rest her unresponsive limbs, Wander crawled to the rock face that produced the shade and climbed to a cozy surface. The surface was cozy because it was well worn by an old raven that made it's home there and the raven upon returning to it's spot saw Wander and thought her for dead. Raven cawed once and then bit the ear of the young woman, waking and startling her. Raven's feathers were of charcoal, the hue awkwardly displaced itself from the arid surroundings.
   What are you doing here at my home?

Legs… my legs started to fail me and I reached this spot and found it suitable to rest. I found it worn but was unaware that it was home to anyone still.

   As wander lifted her body to better converse with Raven the green apple fell from the fold in her cloak.

   May I have that green apple?It makes my coat appear all the more healthy. I suppose my home can fit us both.
   
   Wander offered up the green apple without hesitation, feeling no ownership towards it as mere happenstance lead her to such a thing in the first place. Raven was satisfied with her kindness and allowed her a bite from it and motioned her to resume resting. Raven's cawing awoke Wander after the next day had begun.
   I have gifts for you, Wander. If you would bring me more green apples it would suit me to exchange them for these gifts. Look to the rain and fetch me one.

   The rain beaded upon the surface of the apple that did not appear green in the rain, but was so in the arid landscape. Raven told the young woman to rest after fetching the apple and did not caw when the sun rose, allowing Wander to awaken on her own to find a canister full of water that she could take on her journey.
   
   Look to the statues and bridges and fetch me one.

   Many bridges were broken, but one connected to the statues where there was growth and another apple that did not appear green among the statues, but was so in the arid landscape. Wander rested after fetching the apple and Raven allowed her to take a bite of it in the morning.
   
   Look to the heated sands and fetch me one.

   Wander glistened under the dreadful sun and her soles bled from the glass strewn about, finding another apple that did not appear green among the glass, but was so in the arid landscape. Wander rested after fetching the apple and Raven cawed nervously in the morning to awake the young woman.

   These green apples make my coat appear quite healthy and I am grateful you brought them to me. I have for you the feathers and talons of my wife, who got ill from a blackened apple. You can fashion the feathers to your cloak and use the talons to help you climb.

   Wander was sullen as Raven nudged the feathers and talons towards her.

What is the matter, do you not like my gifts?

You used to have a wife? I can't reach my husband and I'm sure he is worried of me.

Ah! the man with the long dark hair! I can reach him and tell him that you are safe. My wife's feathers and talons will keep you from harm.

Raven and Wander rested together during the night and traveled with purpose the next day: Raven to go to the husband of the young woman, and Wander to the next place she was needed.

   Raven found her husband and excitedly tried to tell him of his wife's well being. However the man could not hear Raven as well as Wander did and could only figure the speech for caws. The man grew angry at the cawing Raven, taking the charcoal creature as a sign that his wife was dead; and as a matter of release and revenge, killed Raven.



« Last Edit: April 14, 2012, 10:22:46 am by Ryumaru »

Offline Rydin

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Re: Project Entropy

Reply #32 on: April 16, 2012, 10:32:48 pm
Your greyscale map (in reply #5).

This did not read as a desert to me as it did for Corinthian Baby. I think maybe 20% of that map looks like rocky surfaces, and the rest looks like a mess.

Consider this area:

After making a generous educated guess, I would say it's a shallow valley.  But if you, as the artist, are doing your job, I shouldn't have to guess at what I'm looking at.

The tiles consisting of only dither, as they sit, do not convey really any information to cue viewers in on the sort of substance they're looking at.
If it were my piece, I would maybe use these dither tiles like you've got to slowly transition between two different substances. But that's it.
You can say more than a checkerboard in the same space with the same colors.
Man cannot remake himself without suffering for he is both the marble and the sculptor.

Offline Ryumaru

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Re: Project Entropy

Reply #33 on: April 17, 2012, 02:40:22 am
Rydin:
I understand the concern. With that area I was trying to see how much I could get away with using only dither/ flat patterns and 45 degree angles. I think my reply to corinthian baby works for you as well:

"No it would not affect the chaotic dither- I can definitely tell it's pushing it as is. This mock up is just a tile test- in the actual map the graphics would become more complex through color limitations and the "amount" of environment there is. Beginning very sparse with loosely defined forms to the more abundant concrete ones found here.

In the final map I will most likely clear some areas up- it's easy to have too much fun with something like this!"

I will be revisiting things further down the line- I'm currently working on other content as I do want this game to actually be made.


However, I will say that I am not always interested in clearly defining things- There very well may be some elements that are too vague for a perfect read, but I will make sure those forms that are not precise are ones that are not necessary for gameplay.

Offline Facet

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Re: Project Entropy

Reply #34 on: April 17, 2012, 08:23:40 pm
Sweet watercolour, Erte-esque :y:; are you planning on a pixeled version too or is this pre-vis/context? The story has a nice folk tale bent, is this back story or to be delivered in-game? I'm guessing that the project has outgrown your assignment which can only be a good thing for the state of the game/tiles. Great to see more of this but quite hard to crit really.

For myself, the selective ambiguity, the lost & found edges and amorphously resolving detail is what I really like about the tiles. Gestalt 4eva ;D.

Offline Ryumaru

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Re: Project Entropy

Reply #35 on: April 18, 2012, 01:54:22 am
Not currently planning on a pixeled version- right now i'm actually filling up the negative space in the background with thumbnails and designs for in game stuff, but in an ancient art-y way. Allowing me to visually brain storm and create a work in a style I'm not at all used to. To say the game has outgrown the assignment is an understatement! But I'm glad because the constraints on the content really limited my vision. The back story begins to connect Entropy to another project of mine, Deadbird.

Hopefully I will have some stuff easier to crit up soon but I know some people have taken the time to give advice on this as actually happening so I just wanted to show that it hasn't completely fizzled out.

Perhaps the tiles will appear more " right" in a complete context; with more variation in the landscape and actual landmarks such as dungeons/ ruins to populate.

Offline Ryumaru

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Re: Project Entropy

Reply #36 on: April 19, 2012, 10:46:49 am
Here is the design for the space/time dungeon. I don't think I've discussed it yet but this is probably going to be the " main event" of this world with lots of puzzles and I'm thinking, 3 boss fights ( space, time, and then space-time as a combined entity of the two bosses) with the one of the bosses in each of the towers.



In the center circular area are 2 objects to get from defeating the bosses, the space object and chain of events. These will allow the player to manipulate the puzzles of the unstoppable force/ immovable object ( these puzzles can be completed without them, but you only get one chance when dealing such grand forces, the items allow you to go back in time/ teleport et cetera)

Once these items are acquired you can then go fight Omega and fulfill your destiny and such.

I'm considering getting a friend to make a rough 3D model of it and taking a screenshot at an angle for a 2.5D effect  to make it appear more monumental and real, as opposed to the symbolism that happens in most 2D games. Do you guys think it would be worth it?

Offline Mathias

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Re: Project Entropy

Reply #37 on: April 20, 2012, 12:25:01 am
"Chain of Events", hehe nice.

So explain the sketch. Is it as large as a mountain, or are those just rocky outcroppings on either side.  Looks like a big ol' tent or something . .  with multiple flaps of heavy material shrouding the opening. I see an implied face where the large open round mouth is the concentric circles just above the opening - not intended I'm guessing. Also of course, the large concentric circles look like a huge eyeball.


Oh and the black costumed raven girl you posted right up there reminds me of the type of character Michael Parkes would draw, not a bad thing! If you know him, I highly recommend searching out his work. He paints a lot of elegant human figures, the kinda stuff you like . . . oh and swans, lots of swans. He rocks.
« Last Edit: April 20, 2012, 12:27:27 am by Mathias »

Offline Conzeit

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Re: Project Entropy

Reply #38 on: April 20, 2012, 01:17:48 am
Personally I'm just glad you're not giving up on this...I hope you aren't in danger of losing this semester or something because you didnt deliver the demo :p. This is something I fear about when I get critical, that I could possibly set back someone's production by nit picking and ultimately damn the thing to never be released because I can nitpick the hell out of shit XD

About that little backstory there, as I read it I visualized how you with your mad skillz can show that happening and that was pretty good, but I hope if you're using that backstory in the game you deliver it visually ( I imagine a nes-like slideshow/cutscene :p.....with a cool little tune a-la Ninja Gaiden1) because written down it sounds a bit too gamey to work.

Space/Time temple looks pretty good. if properly lighted the idea of making a rough 3d object could be cool too. I've read about people at conceptart.org using google sketchup for that sort of stuff, have you tried it?

Offline Ryumaru

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Re: Project Entropy

Reply #39 on: April 20, 2012, 04:56:38 am
Mathias: Aren't I the cleverest? ;]

As far as scale goes I don't know exactly, but if you look at the towers on each side, there are stairs that lead to doors, Those doors at the least In game would be 32 pixels tall to allow the character through. The thing should be many "screens" in size. Any faces are not implied but are usually a good sign that something is interesting :D more so the design is intended to visually display the two separate entities of time in space, with the middle construct utilizing curving forms and criss crossed patterns that represent the distortable fabric of space-time.  

Will check out that guy, always looking for relevant artists for influence!

Conceit: The class was basically a joke. I got a B in the end. Shock value, anti-aesthetic, and easily profitable art was the name of the game in the teachers mind. Of course I also made it difficult on myself to relay all of what I wanted into my game projects since they were in fact incomplete- but something tells me even If I did have it completed, the commentary of video games as art, the nods towards eastern religion, and the aesthetics of gameboy color restrictions would have been lost on her anyways.

Perhaps it should not be considered " back" story because I fully plan to have the (optional) quests for the green apples be in game- on a more worldly plane than the second world where the " action" takes place. It's based on some fallacy in logical statements to the effect of the existence of green apples can prove the existence of black ravens- going back to the roots of the project where I was exploring the parallel between paradox and visual glitch.  Raven then in turn becomes a bridge between Entropy and Deadbird.

I once tried to make an Omega symbol in google sketch up and failed miserably. It would be good of me to learn a basic 3D program to help me in situations like this but so far I've been unsuccessful.

For a while the content of this thread will probably be more concept art based and less pixel art based; of course I don't think you guy's mind. Thanks for taking the time to comment!

At the moment I'm expanding and revising the design document. Perhaps I will post it so the dialogue can be more informed.

Edit: Just to contradict what I just said, heres something:



I plan on having the save system being the player choosing for the character to go to sleep. This allows a couple interesting things such as a touch of realism ( what do the characters do when you're not playing the game?) and for the character to have dreams or visions where, based on her location, or what is needed to be done next I can inject images that give hints for the player. This is especially helpful since right now, this is still a textless game.

Anyways- the image includes Wander sleeping on a quilt. Besides the green apples in the first part of the world, I feel theres not much other reason to explore, so I've thought of items that could come from Wander's lover such as a ring, necklace, and in this case a blanket or quilt. I haven't decided if these items should have practical use, but if they do, this quilt could improve the rate at which Wander recovers while sleeping, perhaps even giving boosted stats when doing so.

That said I don't know which design+ color scheme works best, if any at all. C+C very appreciated.
« Last Edit: April 20, 2012, 07:08:16 am by Ryumaru »