AuthorTopic: Sokoban-like project with several themes  (Read 4301 times)

Offline Lachie Dazdarian

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Sokoban-like project with several themes

on: June 24, 2012, 01:47:03 pm
This is another project I'm working on. It's a Sokoban-like game with 4 themes: Desert, Jungle, Space (space lab/station), Star (cosmic theme).

The tiles for the first world (Desert) were done by a really skilled pixel artist for me, but he is currently unavailable. So I'm trying to continue myself.

Tileset:


In action:


It is a puzzle, single screen game, so I'm not that hung-up on wall tiles looking "tiled", but any advice on making them blend better when stacked up would be appreciated.

I'm currently working on the jungle theme myself, and I'm working in the direction of a rain forest with Atzec theme, so maybe instead of wooden boxes, in that world you would be pushing Aztec statues of some sort (still trying to wrap my brain around this idea).

Tiles set:

In action:


I'm working on the tree ATM. This is how I developed it.



First image is not mine. I used it as a basis for colors and shading. I wanted something with a wider trunk and more "tropical" leaves. What are your thoughts on it? Do I need more "wall" tiles to make them blend better? More "lashful" leaves? Or is a tree wrong for a wall tile in the first place?

Any advice is more than appreciated!

Thanks!

Offline Lachie Dazdarian

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Re: Sokoban-like project with several themes

Reply #1 on: June 24, 2012, 03:22:46 pm
Next iteration:



In action:


EDIT:

"Box" iteration:


Don't like the ears. :/

This was the basis:


EDIT:
Corrected the tree a bit, implemented statues, in action:
« Last Edit: June 24, 2012, 04:25:46 pm by Lachie Dazdarian »

Offline Bissle

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Re: Sokoban-like project with several themes

Reply #2 on: June 24, 2012, 11:36:11 pm
Honestly, more than the tiles, my concern is that the character does not match. It has a black outline and dithering while everything is smooth with either colored or no outlines.


The new tree is better, but the tiled look doesn't work for me in the same way the desert does. It could be the tiling itself, or just the style of the tree doesn't lend itself to that. I' m not sure.

By the way, nice that you chose Olmec statues as a source of inspiration--not something I see a lot.  ;D

Offline Lachie Dazdarian

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Re: Sokoban-like project with several themes

Reply #3 on: June 24, 2012, 11:59:41 pm
The main character is a placeholder. Didn't work on him at all. Thinking to use several trees for the walls in this world. To be honest, the first tree looks best to me, but gives the most "tiled" effect.

Some feedback on the statue block would help. Thanks!

Offline Grimsane

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Re: Sokoban-like project with several themes

Reply #4 on: June 25, 2012, 12:19:51 am
I think you need to make it bolder and reinforce the nose and eyes to make them look more sculpted, like this:

the original blocks had a dark chiselled bold look, while the new iteration has a more soft and not very defined appearance and lacks depth not much contrast, and it looks like the features are more painted on in favour of 3 dimensional form, you should try to keep similar shades of colour to a minimum overall it makes the detail flatter and duller, and whoa wait just reread those are ears? thought they were some form of statuesque bevelling  :-\ maybe just forget ears and keep the idea of ornate detail instead ;D also you might like to do some quick studies of commercial video games and quickly dissect their colour combinations to see how they approach unifying the colours, the tree on its own doesn't look bad but when it is in game the way it tiles has massive gaps and reinforce a series of squares.

your desert setting doesn't look too bad, but I think you should try and unify the style between themes, the desert scene has more simplicity than the jungle, which is arguably more appealing, also I tend to agree that the character doesn't match stylistically you should re do him/it with a more neutral form of shading if the environment isn't consistently lit from one side try to avoid light sourcing on the sprites it separates them even more. nevermind just read your reply, but it is something to keep in mind light source wise when you do make one.

also what someone said in your other thread this stuff is a bit high resolution, I think halving the resolution might be worth experimenting with, also there is a bit more of implying detail than actually having to render it, which might be easier at the same time. anyway keep pushing forward  :y:

Offline Lachie Dazdarian

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Re: Sokoban-like project with several themes

Reply #5 on: June 25, 2012, 04:26:00 pm
Thanks. These are great advises, and wonderful rendition of the stone statue. Will try to replicate it (not COPY!) and implement multiple wall tiles into my engine to see how it will look like.

Then maybe it's time for me to take a stab at the main character. This will be tricky, but no sense in dancing around it.

Erm...the game tiles/sprites are 32*32 ish. You really think I should go smaller?

EDIT 1:

New trees and stone block!



EDIT 2:

New ground (from scratch this time). :)

In action:


Gonna concentrate on the main character now.
« Last Edit: June 25, 2012, 06:55:47 pm by Lachie Dazdarian »