1-Bit...

[eobet]

Just a tip: If you want the authentic black and white Apple look, try this:

http://www.tinrocket.com/software/hyperdither/

[Helm]

So beautiful.

[Mathias]

Photoshop does that in a few clicks.

Hey, the new title screen rocks. Big text improvement. Have you considered making the text 3D extruded? For that extra Ten Commandments grandeur retro feel. Tried blending the big saucer beam behind the title text into the text yet? As if the massive light was kinda glowing onto the text, where they overlap. This would lessen the distinction between the title in the foreground and the background scene, not sure if that's a good thing.

Did you draw the background image, then apply a black and white dither filter? Without the abductee, people might mistake the saucer beams as weapons, destructive lasers. I like him there. I might try fading him out, though. Like the other saucer beams are faded. Never seen so much dithering one place.

[willfaulds]

I've been following a workflow I heard somewhere was used to create the first populous - play it, change it, play it, change it...

Major changes;

gameplay
parallax backgrounds
enemies



Feeling much more excited about this version.

Thanks eobet I'd seen that before but forgotten about it.

Mathias: I'll come back to title screen a little later on - I might be tempted to take it a little further with the movie poster feel - looking at putting an alien drooling over an abductee. 3D text is worth further investigation although it didn't work out any better last time I tried it. The background was comped in Photoshop and reduced in ImageReady then tweeked.

EDIT: Does anyone know if there is, and if so what's, the Japanese symbol for pixel?

[Mathias]

Sounds good.

Hmm, dudes on horse back and tanks?

When I first loaded this thread just now, I scrolled down to see your latest mockup and immediately thought, 'hey he added more colors'. The 50/50 dither looks just like pure light beige on my screen - a 19" CRT set to 1600x1200. I had to zoom in to figure it out. Even then, I went ahead and put yer new image on a lower res so I could actualy discern the dither pattern at 1x zoom to truly beleive what I'm seeing, hehe. Even if I tweak my monitor's color converganece settings it still looks like convincing light beige. This will be an unpredictable effect so I wouldn't count on it, though.

[Shrike]

A few quick thoughts;  I haven't been keeping up with this thread but it rocks.

the tank and horseman area is a little hard to read.  A little too much going on, though maybe once in motion it'll be fine.  Don't know, up to you.

Why is the abduction beam black?  It would be better/more realistic to have it be mostly white with a few black touchups, maybe outline it 1px in black.

Good work.
Image filter thing rocks my socks.

Later
Shrike

[willfaulds]

Mathias: I won't expect that result as it'll be scaled up anyway ^_^

Shrike: Once I get the the game up to this level of detail I may need to add a 2 pixel (currently 1) outline to all characters if the movement isn't enough to separate them. I tried the beam without so much black (the core is white) but this in my opinion was the best result. I'd be interested in seeing another take though.

[willfaulds]

Sorry for the delay in getting more things posted. Implementing some of the changes particularly the parallax took a bit more time... and I'm not getting directly paid up front for this project so it can't come top of the pile all the time.

New title screen, new name....

I'll be compiling some WIPs and popping them in the first post (been and interesting project working by evolution almost - not that efficient but interesting) as they show tell a tale.

[Shrike]

I... assume it's saying 'beard snatchers 1954'?  If so, it took me about a minute to figure out.  Not very gamer-friendly...  Angry german kid would not be one to reckon with.
I'd make the letters a little thinner and fill in the missing space in that 's'!  Beard doesn't read to well either (literally).   

However the guy looks great, and the dithering/shading style totally catches that old-photograph/cheesy TV news report look.     Well done.
Shrike

[willfaulds]

new animation



and a short gameplay test - you can see how the beam has evolved a little here and see the animations in context.

http://www.vimeo.com/4691522

The frame rate had to be cut so some animations aren't complete.