[WIP] Cartoon character

[madPXL]

Hello hello

Just post one of my favourites character, is name is crocodingus and come from one of a game that I've made on the gp2x system : "Crocodingus In Crocoland" :




So that's some mockups of the game made with toshop :



But before I start to draw new gfx's for this game in a good pixel art, I just want to get feedbacks of yours to improve it

So thanks in advance !

[bengo]

Dude, it looks way too kiddy, time to make it manlier:

Thats just a design suggestion, Croc the Badass Croc won't take no for an answer! One thing your piece needs is contrast and lots of it! The croc itself could be bigger and in all honesty, not as cartoony and whats with your enemies? They look like you used the gradient tool, work on those. Oh and hopefully you've learned perspective, thats one thing that game seems to lack.

[Stwelin]

Bengoshia, critique would be helpful, but when you offer a complete overhaul of the character design, i think you are pretty much trying to force it in the direction you would like to see it go. The character might be designed  to be cartoony, and although i realize it was just a suggestion on your part, I would rather see you trying to help improve the piece that MaD has already shown here. (granted, your croc is pretty badass.) And also, could you provide an example of where you see perspective lacking? It just sounded a little vague.

@ Mad: personally i think you did a good job of converting the character into a more pure form of pixel art, but he does lack a little depth. Shading both legs the same makes them appear on the same vertical plane, same with the shoes. His pose is also a little awkward, as his knees are bent, arms seem to be tucked/bent upward, almost like he is about to do a long jump. I can't really see him going from this pose to a walking animation.

In any case, it looks like you have a very solid game, I'll reserve further critique for when you have progressed with this project.

[bengo]

Bengoshia, critique would be helpful, but when you offer a complete overhaul of the character design, i think you are pretty much trying to force it in the direction you would like to see it go.

Well, he's going to completely remake it graphically anyway and the game right now is just too kiddy, the design I gave him is able to appeal at a larger audience, that and it was originally just supposed to be a joke.
Stwelin, I don't think you know alot about perspective, because there are obvious flaws you and he(If he knows perspective) should be able to see, there's no reason to point out things like this that are obvious.

Okay now Mad, listen, since you're completely redoing it graphically, you should really change the style or improve on the current, right now it seems very bland, so do alot of the enemies and areas, they just seem.... there, it's not really interesting. For backgrounds and stuff, attempt to make those pixelled aswell, instead of what you did in those pics. I would like to see what you think the new design of the main character should be, because right now, like with the level design, he's just very bland, a generic kid's character.

[Conzeit]

hey stop it man, this is not about the type of games you like to play, this is about critiquing the PIXEL ART.

I reccomend you actually imitate Stewlin and give some useful critique.

[Xion]

Bad show, bengo, bad show.

His pupils are tiny, his eyes are huge...He looks pretty terrified.
His arms are incredibly short. Even if they are bent at his side, his elbows should come out behind him a bit. His stance sorta reminds me of that one kid in Powerstone that turns into a giant toy robot or something.

And I, for one, like the cartoony style.

[bengo]

Well uh, I'll just be on my way....... For actual crits, I guess just make the sprites bigger, add more contrast and like I've said before, work on those enemies, as in, make em look more sphere-ical instead of them having that gradient look.

[xavier_viiv]

as perspective thingy...maybe you can make the background less saturated...
and the volcano thingy..it looks like snowy on the top...--or it`s just me?--

the best level for me is the volcano thing so far...^^
i like this kind of game..remind me of yoshi`s island..

[.TakaM]

I'd recommend pixelling everything by hand.
You've already got some nice clean pixelled tiles, and they just look so out of place when put next to other tiles that look like they were drawn in MSword.
Perspective, to be honest, I don't see what beng is talking about, I assume the fact the tiles are directly side on, yet you can see the ocean (etc) extend back into the distance on the parallax layer.
This is standard practice, and looks fine.
Ambiguity helps, such as in your vegetation+mountain backgrounds, you can't 100% discern their perspective, so they will look fine when you're falling to the ground when in real life the perspective would slightly change.

Yes, all I think you really need is some consistency in the graphics, and maybe try to come up with some system that clearly defines collision on the walls and platforms. 

[bengo]

Well, what I meant with perspective is well, the horizon tends to meet at the eye, leg, whatever limb you want it, it's usually the main character that meets with the horizon and some of the objects like the piece of wood just don't look right.

[Doppleganger]

Whoooops! I got a little carried away here. I just wanted to make the point that the cutesy graphics are perfectly fine and it'd be pretty sweet if you expanded on that atmosphere. The biggest problem I have with everything so far is it's very generic looking. Reminds me of a really early ps1 game, if you catch my drift.

Anyways, just as a suggestion, I did a mock up of the general direction I think it should take. It ended up being a lesson in color conservation, contrast, selout, mimicking Kenneth's style and AAing for myself though.

[Froli]

That is some nice edits Dopple! I can imagine a franchise from this character 

And bengoshia,  I know people already told you what should be said but I would like to advice you to put some caution and some sensitivity in your words, people can loose some enthusiasm reading posts like that. I'm not trying to put you down, or anyone want to gang up on you but, I just want us to get along and welcome newcomers. 

<remembers that Hawk guy, god that situation was painful>

[bengo]

Well, it's apparent I'm being hated, better go be a lurker for awhile(except for in my own threads) again.... Damn though Doppleganger, you've proved me wrong, I figured the style didn't have much potential but, I was wrong, very wrong. I apologize to Mad if I've angered him at all, at the time I wasn't thinking clearly(About how I said things, I wasn't trying to say your style was bad, I just figured, since it's 2 year old pixel art you wouldn't be upset if I were to suggest something I thought was better, which didn't mean it was better).

..... Whose 'that Hawk guy'?

[madPXL]

okok

so thanks all for your feedbacks
a special thanks to Doppleganger for this very nice and interesting mockups : it's realy that i wanted to do and you found it !

for bengoshia, no problem for your comments^^

so next, when I will get time , I will do a new mockup for this game with the kenneth's style

[Brian]

I really like that mockup!
Anyway. I like your game a lot
Indeed stay away from too many cut-and-dry shortcuts like beveling and gradients. Create

[Phlox]

The game looks like it would be alot of fun even if it does look like a kiddy game.  It reminds me alot of this game Croc i used to play when i was younger



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croc:_Legend_of_the_Gobbos

http://www.mobygames.com/game/croc-legend-of-the-gobbos/screenshots

It looks great though 

[ndchristie]

On topic, note how empty this original game is in terms of tiles and action.  While not a pixel-art point, it will do for you to keep in mind when designing your remake that the screen needs to be more interesting.

a special thanks to Doppleganger for this very nice and interesting mockups : it's realy that i wanted to do and you found it !

Doople's mock has his usual quality mark on it, along with an omage to kennth.  There's a lot to be taken from it, although a word of caution against following it too closely - that goes against the spirit of creativity in which it was made

Ben - If you deliberately go against what the artist is trying to achieve, you cannot wonder why people disagree.  His very first statements show that he likes the character, not the quality, so to suggest making the game with a completely different character seems a little foolish.  If it is not by now clear to you, these are old graphics, they are from a game he intends to remake, so your assy little comments about him larning perspective are just out of line.  Don't try and play the victim here dude ^^

edited

[madPXL]

helo adarias,
just to know why you qualify of "empty" in the mockups. it's in term of details/environments?


All,
just for informations, it's one of my games projects that I have worked since 2 years (and more with mspaint for starting lol), but now only with photoshop, and now i know that is bad to use it, yes i know promotion and practice it since 1 year and i love this great soft

so as you seen, I want to make a remake of this no-finished game with a good pixel art !

if you get a gp2x (promotion inside ) you could get a demo of it...but maybe if you want I could send to you a windows version...


[edit] the new. thanks again to dopple
and

[bengo]

Go with the one on the right, the shading on it just gives it more depth. He's just too stiff, he needs to look a bit more dynamic(Yes, it's an idle pose but still). I just don't think the gloves are fitting the piece at all, maybe try bracelets like on dopple's edit.