AuthorTopic: Better tiles  (Read 4310 times)

Offline Letmethink

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Better tiles

on: July 04, 2013, 07:43:24 pm
I think this is a slight improvement on the last time I did tiles.



C+C appeciated, not done top tiles yet.
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Offline coffee

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Re: Better tiles

Reply #1 on: July 05, 2013, 10:39:23 am
I take it you're refering to this:
http://www.wayofthepixel.net/index.php?topic=15491.msg142113#msg142113

Then yes it's an improvement. Can't really say much about the result as a whole since it's not a complete set. Thought from experience I know that putting that extra time
to draw tiles somewhat individually is well spent time and you will get a much better result in the end by doing so.
You can either draw them so they look like they are not repeating themselves too much or get two or more looking slightly different. There is also many possibilites while using tiles, you can get
a huge amount of details anywhere you want by just altering and adding and it doesn't take you more then five or ten minutes.

I often experience that people find it boring and hard work to make a complete tileset and instead of seeing the possibilites with it they just rush it instead, copying and rotating.
It is also a fun challenge to make a piece fit with many pieces and not just 2 or 3 like a jigsaw.

Of course tiles can be very repeatable but then I think you should go with a pattern and tone down the level of details a lot. Like you know, Supermario or anything like it.

So my advice is try to make each tile more interesting in its own way if and it will make the complete set a fun experience to look at.

/coffee

Offline Letmethink

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Re: Better tiles

Reply #2 on: July 06, 2013, 08:10:15 pm
Update:

I can't be bothered to make a signature. Seriously, who has time to write these things? I have stuff to do, games to make, and you expect me to write a big, long signature?  I'm not your slave. You can't tell me what to do, so no, I WON'T write a signature.

Oh, wait...

Offline Letmethink

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Re: Better tiles

Reply #3 on: July 08, 2013, 05:43:04 pm
Bump, really need some C+C before I progress.

Edit: Oh and here's a small mockup

« Last Edit: July 08, 2013, 05:47:05 pm by Letmethink »
I can't be bothered to make a signature. Seriously, who has time to write these things? I have stuff to do, games to make, and you expect me to write a big, long signature?  I'm not your slave. You can't tell me what to do, so no, I WON'T write a signature.

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Offline Candy Man Criminal

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Re: Better tiles

Reply #4 on: July 09, 2013, 03:14:13 am
no bad

the path needs to show more depth, lighten the front rocks, darken the back rocks etc
maybe make the path a bit bigger so it can be seen

the background needs more diversity, its very repetitive (and noticeably)

and are the ceiling tiles supposed to have that flat outline?

Offline Letmethink

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Re: Better tiles

Reply #5 on: July 09, 2013, 06:41:32 am
no bad

the path needs to show more depth, lighten the front rocks, darken the back rocks etc
maybe make the path a bit bigger so it can be seen

the background needs more diversity, its very repetitive (and noticeably)

and are the ceiling tiles supposed to have that flat outline?
They actually don't have a flat outline, that is just the background tiles interfering as they are behind it and square.
I can't be bothered to make a signature. Seriously, who has time to write these things? I have stuff to do, games to make, and you expect me to write a big, long signature?  I'm not your slave. You can't tell me what to do, so no, I WON'T write a signature.

Oh, wait...

Offline coffee

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Re: Better tiles

Reply #6 on: July 09, 2013, 10:34:30 am
Quote
the path needs to show more depth, lighten the front rocks, darken the back rocks etc

It is not actually a light or dark issue in a matter that you just increase or decrease the light, that's why you are having depth problems. You need to work more with contrast and saturation. More contrast, saturation in the front, and gradually less in the background. If you have a look at the horizon. Things closer to your eye is easier to see and there won't be enough particles ect in front to dissort(Not brighter) and things far away is brighter because there will be particles off all sorts in the distant between your eye and the object far away that you look at. Those particles also make the background seem "less saturated". Nothing is invisible, like air and moist. They are just very small bits, but clumped together they will create a somewhat transparent layer.

Same effect will be seen in water, there is a limited distant that your eye can see that differs due to the ammount of particles in the water.

When it comes to games and such you do it because you want the eye to focus on a specific depth. And since our brain somehow is drawn to the sharper and darker parts you make the foreground darker. You don't want the players eye to focus on the background, it's just there to give you the feeling of room and depth. That's also why you don't want too much details in the background, at least not details that draws focus in a way that distrubs the player and confuses the eye. Like in your case, when I look at the mockup my eye is drawn to the big dark piece of open space in the background.

I did this tileset very quickly but I hope it helps you:



There are other ways to do this like Candy Man Criminal might have been aiming for.

Like from Cave story


But then again it is a matter of saturation and contrast. More contrast and details in the foreground objects and tiles and in this particular case nothing but a flat colour in the background
« Last Edit: July 09, 2013, 10:55:11 am by coffee »

Offline Candy Man Criminal

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Re: Better tiles

Reply #7 on: July 09, 2013, 04:40:12 pm
im bad at wording and stuff, you nailed it