AuthorTopic: Dead Beat  (Read 9911 times)

Offline Masna

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Dead Beat

on: June 06, 2009, 11:41:41 pm
Hey guys!  ;D I haven't posted here in a while, and regrettably abandoned my previous pixel art thread.  But now I'm back, and could use some critique on a mock up for a game I'm working on.

In it I'm hoping to touch upon some interesting new and innovative puzzles using some nifty game mechanics.  ::)  But for now, let's focus on the tiles, as the main character is just a placeholder.

EDIT: Also note, the actual game will be x2.
« Last Edit: June 07, 2009, 04:03:37 am by Masna »

Offline Dusty

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Re: Dead Beat

Reply #1 on: June 07, 2009, 12:04:05 am
I think the contrast in the X design makes this very complicated and busy to look at. When I first saw it I thought it was a tileset rather than a mock-up because so much was going on.

Offline hsn2555

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Re: Dead Beat

Reply #2 on: June 10, 2009, 07:01:21 pm
awesome, i agree with dusty about the distracting,yet i really luv how interesting this mockup looks.
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Offline Masna

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Re: Dead Beat

Reply #3 on: June 13, 2009, 05:37:51 pm
Hey guys, I'm back. Sorry for abandoning this thread for a while, and thanks for the replies, but I've had a lot on my plate with school finals and everything. :yell: Anyway, I did a big redesign, and am now using a limited gameboy palette.

Also, now that I have a little tech demo working, I could really use some more crits. ;D

Offline miscdude

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Re: Dead Beat

Reply #4 on: June 14, 2009, 07:29:50 am
it looks to me as if the boxes with shading on them--from the upper boxes--are too deeply shaded. it portrays depth to the point where if I were playing the game I would probably think they could be moved past, because they would have to be much deeper than the other boxes to have those shadows make sense.



I also agree with the comment on the contrast of the X formations on some of the boxes. the dark area around them suggests a very deep space. Although, that may be what youre going for, seeing as the cross-formation box has a similar concept...

Offline Lazycow

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Re: Dead Beat

Reply #5 on: June 14, 2009, 07:36:42 am
Anyway, I did a big redesign, and am now using a limited gameboy palette.
Is this color limited version your way to go now?  ??? I hope you are going to change your mind. (I really like the style of the mockup in your first post) Voting for colors!!
A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. Yes we can!

Offline ndchristie

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Re: Dead Beat

Reply #6 on: June 14, 2009, 03:37:16 pm
In general, the functional edge of an object should attract more attention than the surface.  right now the faces of the boxes demand a huge amount of attention, but the actual playing field is ambiguous.

Gameboy colors are going to further frustrate your attempts to rectify and i'm not sure what they bring your project other than a false/forced sense of nostalgia.  If you like the idea of lower color counts, cool, more monochromatic, cool, more green, maybe, but why make a real project based around specs that aren't lending you anything?  that sort of thing is best saved for mockups and exercises and other smaller investments.
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Offline Mathias

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Re: Dead Beat

Reply #7 on: June 16, 2009, 01:50:06 pm
yeah, why the GB pal? New version is lackluster in comparison. ndc's reasoning above is good, I second it.

as for the wooden crate tiles. they're charming, nice and simple. but I hope they're only the beginning of a diverse group of tilesets, the crates will get old quickly. eager to see this go somewhere . . . rock on

Offline Masna

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Re: Dead Beat

Reply #8 on: June 18, 2009, 07:39:47 pm
Ey' guys.  Here's another update on the tiles-


I'm going with color this time, and am starting to work on some much more organic tiles as well (as you can see from the rocks and weeds).  I also made the insides of the boxes much less saturated.

Offline ndchristie

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Re: Dead Beat

Reply #9 on: June 19, 2009, 05:25:05 pm
Looks great!  I like the tacky spikes :P.

can I walk on those darker brown boxes?  I have no idea. you could say that the player will learn quickly, but at the same time they shouldn't need to learn or guess what's a platform and what isn't.  definition and priority of the play-field is a must for a game built on platforms.
A mistake is a mistake.
The same mistake twice is a bad habit.
The same mistake three or more times is a motif.