AuthorTopic: GR#128 - Battlescar - Sideview Gameart & Animation  (Read 55178 times)

Offline r1k

  • 0010
  • *
  • Posts: 270
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile

Re: Platformer WIP [C+C please]

Reply #40 on: October 27, 2012, 10:38:31 pm
the cape is cool but makes him seem like a prince instead of a knight or something.  So it just depends on who you want the character to be.
I agree with buddy though, the colorfulness makes  him feel a bit like a superhero to me, though that may be a result of the pose too.

Offline Decroded

  • 0100
  • ***
  • Posts: 1285
  • Karma: +3/-0
  • Oh hai
    • View Profile

Re: Battlescar WIP [C+C please]

Reply #41 on: June 09, 2013, 10:32:28 am
Well I haven't worked on this for a while due mainly to wanting to think through design issues.
I'm fairly happy with the look of the latest (jumping) sprite but need to redo the earlier sprites to match this.

Anyway started drafting up another area trying to improve on previous attempts
Getting a bit darker into the forest here (still plan to go darker!).
The ground here doesn't really match the background I just slapped something on top.
I'm still torn about what angle to draw the ground, whether straight on like this or with a slight top view  :yell:
Any opinions?


My biggest struggle right now is foliage.
I started with rough strokes on the left going for big variation in leaves and plants but the right side is more stereoptypical leaves.
Its a style decision but I'm torn which way to go (damn indecisiveness  :yell:).
For leaves on the right I meant to make a progress shot of this to show how I'm using selection mask to fast-track leaf creation but I'm wondering how this has turned out and if there's any tips to improve / where to go from here?
It seems so simple for some people to whip up a bunch of leaves but I'm finding it all fairly intense...

Offline Sohei

  • 0010
  • *
  • Posts: 102
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile

Re: Battlescar WIP [C+C please]

Reply #42 on: June 09, 2013, 11:33:49 am
Quote
I'm still torn about what angle to draw the ground, whether straight on like this or with a slight top view
I'd suggest going with angled view. It may be harder to make, but it looks way better and creates great atmosphere.
I'm struggling hard now on my own project with straight view, and its limitation is pain. And however cool tiles I make it doesn't contribute as much as any slight perspective effort (i've tried it on trees, buildings and interior). Straight approach may be cheaper and easier when executed properly, but I'm trying to squeeze some beauty and art out of it, so it basicaly loses cheapness and easyness. And I can't abandon it now.

Offline Decroded

  • 0100
  • ***
  • Posts: 1285
  • Karma: +3/-0
  • Oh hai
    • View Profile

Re: Battlescar WIP [C+C please]

Reply #43 on: June 09, 2013, 11:53:24 am
Thanks for your opinion there I have the same feelings.
I get torn because I'm also so in love with awesomely simple tiles such as:

I actually struggle more with the flat view because it feels easier to define forms when there is an angle.

But yeah I think sticking with the angle will work better on this project as you say.

Offline PypeBros

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

Re: Battlescar WIP [C+C please]

Reply #44 on: June 10, 2013, 01:41:45 pm
I prefered the mockup with a slight angle too. I suppose it will strongly depend on whether you want to introduce a vertical-exploration dimension in your game. Earlier mockups suggested a gameplay more in the vein of Golden Axe than Metroïd, where you have to align with monsters before you blow them with your sword.

Offline Sohei

  • 0010
  • *
  • Posts: 102
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile

Re: Battlescar WIP [C+C please]

Reply #45 on: June 10, 2013, 04:58:18 pm
I get torn because I'm also so in love with awesomely simple tiles such as:
I doubt that it is beauty of tiles itself. Your fantasy assembles together sound, motion, dynamics, animation, music and produce a feeling on another level of comprehension.

Offline Decroded

  • 0100
  • ***
  • Posts: 1285
  • Karma: +3/-0
  • Oh hai
    • View Profile

Re: Battlescar WIP [C+C please]

Reply #46 on: June 17, 2013, 03:13:33 am
I prefered the mockup with a slight angle too. I suppose it will strongly depend on whether you want to introduce a vertical-exploration dimension in your game. Earlier mockups suggested a gameplay more in the vein of Golden Axe than Metroïd, where you have to align with monsters before you blow them with your sword.
I LOVE Golden Axe and certainly inspires combat elements, but this project doesn't have that vertical motion.
A LARGE portion of this game concept is about exploration platforming, fused with rpg elements (quests, inventory etc.), and all tied together by an overworld map.
The earliest such game I've seen is Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY-YryVEXZQ
And I just stumbled across this snes clone called Wanderers from Ys which I'm yet to play but looks very interesting - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVbhCkNVv9Q
There are a few old arcade games I've seen borrow from this sub-genre (does it have a name?) but I don't mention because the gameplay is based on coin swallowing rather than a world you can enjoy getting lost in.
I'm also inspired by titles such as Metroid, SOTN and more recently Shadow Complex though I would like a touch more grinding to make replaying areas more interesting.
I'd like to blatantly plagiarize ideas from these titles and add a bunch of my own ideas along the way, hopefully tying it all into something that feels fresh.
And I'd love to hear about other similar titles on any platform so I can leech off them too  :lol:

I'm still so undecided on the style of combat because there are so many options so I think it will come down to a matter of trial to see what feels best.
A huge hindrance here is that I'd like to run it on mobile devices which severely limits button combinations, ultimately forcing me into simpler gameplay than I would like :(
The upside is that probably widens the appeal to more casual gamers.

Idea for overworld map is Super Mario style node-based, inspired mainly by Puzzle Quest (original) believe it or not.
The exception being that each playable area may have 2, 3 or even 4 entry points (so yes, hidden exits).

Graphically, Henk Neiborg is my predominant inspiration though I'm struggling to translate his style above Nintendo DS resolutions (or get anywhere near his quality  :'()

I doubt that it is beauty of tiles itself. Your fantasy assembles together sound, motion, dynamics, animation, music and produce a feeling on another level of comprehension.
Ha so true, except I think the effect of playing Super Metroid (on my wooden TV in my awesome double-garage bedroom) has wired my brain to associate these graphics with beauty.
I'm keeping in mind that my perspective is perhaps skewed by never completing the game because the damn battery in the cartridge died when I was close the end!  :yell:
But still for me, pure simplicity meets functionality while remaining aesthetic is beauty in itself.
If I would still play a game with basically the same style of graphics then maybe it would appeal to others so hopefully one day I'll get to make something in this style.


Anyway enough drivel...
Making some attempts at ground "tiles".
Still struggling, as always, trying to make some nice rock tiles with forms that "make sense".
Abandoned this for now because it looks like different kinds of rock that just look...weird when put together


Now I've started on this one which I like better than previous version and is more appropriate for a forest environment.
Can I please get some feedback on how this looks?
Structurally it is basically a bunch of random rocks but does it work?
Should I try to go for a more consistent pattern?
I have trouble making larger rock formations but should I try for more variation in the size of the rocks?

I need to redo the grass on the left but I'm fairly happy with the next bits to the right.
What do you guys reckon?

EDITS WELCOME AS ALWAYS :y:
« Last Edit: June 17, 2013, 05:07:36 am by Decroded »

Offline Decroded

  • 0100
  • ***
  • Posts: 1285
  • Karma: +3/-0
  • Oh hai
    • View Profile

Re: Battlescar WIP [C+C please]

Reply #47 on: June 17, 2013, 02:33:24 pm
yet more rough work.
drafting a dungeon area.



i really need back to some coding since i haven't had time to touch this project for far too long.  :'(
so i will probably make a few of these rough drafts and get them into the game so i have something playable, then look at cleaning them up as i go along.
probably should add a torch or 2 on that wall first though...

Offline PypeBros

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

Re: Battlescar WIP [C+C please]

Reply #48 on: June 17, 2013, 07:35:20 pm
You're way beyond the level at which I can give artistic suggestions, but I just note one thing. Much like what was done in Rayman art, you could easily make derivative of your rock shapes so that you have some that are partly isolated and stand out from the dark mass of the structure, breaking the artificial monotony of the plain color area.


Because they're enclosed in a rectangle of your darkest colour, they can be arranged at will. They are low-contrast enough to avoid readability interference with the playable surface, too, but provide a feel that "guys who did this game care about details".

Hope that helps.
« Last Edit: June 18, 2013, 08:33:01 am by PypeBros »

Offline Cyangmou

  • 0011
  • **
  • Posts: 929
  • Karma: +3/-0
    • cyangmou
    • http://pixeljoint.com/p/32234.htm
    • cyangmou
    • View Profile
    • Pixwerk Homepage

Re: Battlescar WIP [C+C please]

Reply #49 on: June 17, 2013, 09:08:37 pm
I played a bit around with your dungeon. It seemed like a good start, but it was also a bit boring. I concentrated mainly on ideas to make it more interesting, not on execution.

I also changed the perspective to a slightly lower on, the viewing angle seemed a bit steep, forgot to add it in the gif.

This is what I came up with:


Here is a gif:


1: lit the edge of the playable area
2: simplified the brick texture
3: underlined the playable edge with a cast shadow
4: brought in some architectural details
5: added depth to a piece of wall
6: added depth to the doorframes and changed the architecture to make them more interesting
7: brought in more forms at the bottom of the wall
8: added a column
9: added a light to give it some atmosphere
10: increased the light radius that it affects some nearer edges
11: re-added the jaildoor
12: added a foreground column to get more depth while playing and some architecture details beneath the stair (destroyed the light edge of the bumped wall.. . maybe not the best decision)
13: added some details, more foreground tiles and changed the door to a stair
14: adjusted the contrast level
« Last Edit: June 17, 2013, 09:13:35 pm by Cyangmou »
"Because the beauty of the human body is that it hasn't a single muscle which doesn't serve its purpose; that there's not a line wasted; that every detail of it fits one idea, the idea of a man and the life of a man."

Dev-Art
Twitter