Dead Beat

[Masna]

Thanks, Christie!  Yeah, they're actually just objects I'm going to use to spruce up the background.
Actually, Cave Story (and I'm sure you sick of hearing this) did a similar thing, and it did seem to work out alright.

[TomF]

Well Cave Story backgrounds are very distinguishable from foreground. I think the main problem here is that they're exactly the same size as the foreground boxes, might want to re-scale them.

[Masna]

Hey guys!  Thanks for all the replies.

Here are some more mock-ups, this time using the new tiles.

Tom: Seeing as I'm going for tiling and re-usability, I don't think scaling is really an option.

Right now the rock cut-offs looks pretty unnatural, but I'm trying to find a way to fix that while being able to use it in-game in a tiled environment.  Also, the cave entrance tile looks pretty terrible right now.  But once I get back to my computer with photoshop, I'll try and fix that.

[Jad]

I think the top screenshot does a very good job of distinguishing what tiles are walkable and which ones you go through, so good work with that!

I feel it's fun that cave story-looking things are 'in' now! In a good way. A while ago street fighter and king of fighter sprites were in the 'IN' (and seikendensetsugrass) and now it's all about the grotto tales and flat shading plus huge | ___ | -faces. I love it.

[Argyle]

The boxes in the background look really off-balance to me.  Literally, that is.  The hypothetical 3D space they occupy to me looks as if the crates would just topple over because of how you chose to shade the stacks.  Here's a REALLY hard to read image trying to convey what I mean:



Mainly what I'm trying to convey is the darker boxes in the background.  The way the bottom row of the two-box-high smaller box stack in the background has a shadow cast upon it from the boxes on top of it suggests to me that they are stacked in an upside-down stairway shape on the Z axis.  Since there is nothing here to suggest that the crates are oblong shaped on the axis that is not visible, it looks to me like they would just fall over.

That is not to say that the rest of the mockup follows the laws of physics since the foreground consists of boxes and tubes that are free-floating in mid-air, but the way the background boxes are shaded there just sticks out like a sore thumb to me.

Hope this makes sense

[Masna]

Jad@ Yeah, I know what you mean.  I guess it's just the really appealing flat-shaded aesthetic.  I tried not to rip off Cave Story too much, but I guess it just has that influence.

Thank you so much for the critique, Argyle!  I really had no intention of following gravity in my designs, but yes, it does stick out a little too much.  I'll definitely take your explanations into consideration when doing the final level designs. 

[Masna]

Sorry for the double post, but here's an attempt at a walk cycle.



My animation certainly isn't the best, so again, any c+c would be helpful.

[Zack]

I just think that the head sways a bit too much.. I'd say just have it go a pixel back and forth, if not any.. However, thats just my opinion. Excellent work so far though

[Masna]

Now that camp is over, I'm coming back to this project.  I made some more tile/characters and planned out a story.  As for the time being, what do guys think?

[Jad]

Cave story created a trend with grass on walls and ceilings, which is cute, but anything that apes after it will come off as a bit lazy and uninspired, just saying