GR#014 - Tobe's Vertical Adventure - Sideview Game Art

[ndchristie]

the spikes definitely need some help with clarity, etc.

i like the sand i think it actually pulls things forward a bit in a way that i enjoy.  I wish that it would pile and drift up on the regular tiles so that we can see even more of it in the composition.

I'd love to see some proper egyptian capitals on your columns, it's one of the strongest and most ubiquitous design elements 2800-460 BC and still makes a very nice impact.  If you google image egyptian columns, 99% of them are either blossoms or buds with the *occasional* un-adorned (usually from Hellenistic times or in the oldest sites and usually where they ae so numerous that you couldn't really think of sculpting all of them) so references are easy .

[Tobe]

Your not gonna like this, but I think it looked way better with the outlines.

Do you mean with or without the outlines? Because everyone here seems to prefer it without the lines (and I assume you're talking about the character?). Personally, I'm okay with both, but its so hard to get it right without the outline. I'm hoping to get some advise even if I'm not using it this time round.

I'll definitely fix up the spikes too. I think I went too far with the AA there.
Depending on the time, I'd like to redo/add the hieroglyphics or at least the pillar.

i like the sand i think it actually pulls things forward a bit in a way that i enjoy.  I wish that it would pile and drift up on the regular tiles so that we can see even more of it in the composition.

Could someone explain/simplify this sentence? I didn't quite get it (I'm not too good with english), but if its something I do right, I like to know so I can make better use of it so I move on

[EvilEye]

Your not gonna like this, but I think it looked way better with the outlines.

Do you mean with or without the outlines? Because everyone here seems to prefer it without the lines (and I assume you're talking about the character?). Personally, I'm okay with both, but its so hard to get it right without the outline. I'm hoping to get some advise even if I'm not using it this time round.

In my opinion it looked better with the outlines. The newer version gets lost in the background.

I am not saying the white outline was the perfect choice, but something needs to be done to separate the sprite from the tiles.

[Mathias]

Oh man, you could do so much better with the egyptian theme. I had no idea it was egyptian at all. Had to scrutenize for a second to find the sarcophagus sprites in the bg, which is a great touch, love 'em, but I vote to greatly increase egyptian indication. I don't feel the need to advise on exact ideas, there's so much there. It's just a matter of stylizing what you choose to depict; make it fit in with this style of platformer.

And right now those platform blocks are nice, but they don't feel like cave/catacombs/temple/inner pyramid platforms. More like outside tiles.

Can you climb the vines? Right now their contrast/saturation puts them directly in the foreground as something interactive.

Hatin' the character's white oultine. It's such a cheap gimmick.

. . . oh now I see some heiroglyphics in there, too, ok . . .

If you could get yer coders some real art, they'd probably be even more motivated. That tends to be the effect.

[Tobe]

Bump for updates (see thread starter)

[ndchristie]

the white outline is killing things, btw.  integrate, and use other real ways to make characters live against the backgound!

[PypeBros]

Oh, and I've decided to drop the white line. I hope it's not the wrong move though

I tried moving around your character on your mockup without white outline, and it seems readable everywhere (including on very black areas). You might want to lower contrast on the pilar, though (right now, i'd be unsure whether it is foreground or background object.

Gems can easily get rid of the white outline as well if you animate them to make them "blink to white" from time to time.

depth in your brickswall : i love them
skeleton skull : it looks oddly horizontal, and should rather "fall backwards". It might have larger "eyeholes", though it is cute this way.
the vines : they still require some work, imho, maybe an alternate palette.
the spikes: they are hard to read over the pilar, surprising for such a dangerous thing.

But i love the overalllook.

[Tobe]

UPDATE BUMP 

[hsn2555]

the tiles' colors are overcloyed now comparing to the sprites' , and don't fit the background , it's a bit too dismal though.
Balance Colors ?
overall, i like it. 

[LoTekK]

While the fore/background separation is much clearer now, the tileset has lost almost all of the charm of the previous one. It currently feels completely generic and, imho doesn't convey the egyptian theme at all. Additionally, the highlights on that waterfall tile are way overpowering; they're drawing my eye away from just about everything, and glimmering in the corner of my eye even when I'm looking elsewhere. One other thing is that while the purple is presumably light coming in from the background, they're currently pushing into the foreground, instead of receding "behind" the black.

I positively adore the character sprites, though.