Platforman Game Mockup

[xerus]

Hey guys, I've been throwing pixels around trying to come up with a good look for a game project I'll be starting on soon.  I'm looking for any feedback you can offer, thanks!



I scaled it to 640 x 480 since Firefox 3 likes to blur everything when zooming... 

[Gizmonicgamer]

Looks awesome - the style particularly. Though the scarf looks a bit awkwardly big compared to the character. Maybe either shorter it or make it not as thick, so it seems more natural?

Aside from that, only complaint I could have is the map appears almost identical to metroid. This may be intentional in which case ignore this, but I'm going to say that differentiating it in some way probably wouldn't be a bad idea.

[Kapser]

I don't have much constructive feedback but i have to say this looks awsome.

[PypeBros]

possitively love the colors you've picked here. tree trunks are very interesting but the leaves still look a bit geometric to my tastes ...

I hope the oversized scarf is part of the hero's attributes (e.g. does he use it to attack or to control his fall), and not just a purely visual item (it certainly gives him character, though, which is a nice thing).

One thing i'd regret on this mockup is the large "plain-brown" area in the ground. I know about that style in platformers where only the border of the dirt are detailed, but in your case, it would be interesting to have a few more tiles, e.g. to soften the inner corners or vary heights, etc.


Tried a doodling to show possible directions for breaking the ground's uniformity, to illustrate my comment more than as a real graphic edit... Hope it helps.

[dkh]

Quick color-edit on PypeBros' version. Can't see the other images because they won't load for some reason.



Added contrast to tile-layer in the foreground for better readability.

[Kazuya Mochu]

I would add some contraste to the terrain, but probably not as much, cause it sort of steals away the attention on the character. I would probably dull out the backdrop, or have a completly diferent pallete for the character, so it never gets blended in.

[xerus]

I darkened the brown a little bit, and tried to come up with a solution for the brown void, I don't think it's working out too well though.



I didn't have much time to do a lot on it, but I appreciate the feedback thus far.

Gizmonicgamer:  I want to have the scarf be emphasized, and since that's something that will be left up to the engine I'll wait to see how it works out there before any changes happen.  The Super Metroid map was semi-intentional, but I would like to make it look unique somehow.

Kapser: Thanks

PypeBros: I appreciate the edit, which I attempted to respond to a little bit.  The scarf will definitely have some sort of impact in the game.  Everything is up in the air right now though.

dkh: That may be a little too dark for me, hm.

Kazuya Mochu: I'll consider all of this when I have more time to work on it.

[PypeBros]

the additional rocks within the ground bring interesting variety, but they're -- once again -- very rectangular. They should not only serve the purpose of distracting the eye, but also to break the "cubism" that is naturally induced by tiling. this post in the building of Lectro game illustrates what i mean, so i take the liberty to cross-post souly's art

you'll note that the below image only feature "vertical", "horizontal" and "corners tile, and that it gives a fairly rectangular look to the pice. On top-right corner, Souly took more liberty with intermediate and corner-filling tiles that gives the cave a much more interesting look (imvho).

[dkh]

dkh: That may be a little too dark for me, hm.

I overdid it a bit in order to show my point.

Please don't leave the colors as they are, because the foreground is just as desaturated as the already desaturated and contrast-lacking background and it all fades together and it's really hard on the eyes. Believe me or take a look around at other platformers, they all use saturation and contrast for close tiles or objects because it adds readability.

[xerus]

Whoa, that's really helpful PypeBros, thanks :O

Thanks for the feedback dkh, I'll definitely experiment with the colors and the contrast and saturation issues.