AuthorTopic: [WIP] platform mockup  (Read 3051 times)

Offline JimTheWonderDog

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[WIP] platform mockup

on: August 07, 2009, 12:16:43 pm
Here is my attempt at making a platform game mockup. Please give me some advice on how to improve it. It's for my engine I have just finished, so I will try to make a playable demo after I learn how to make pixel art graphics. It's gonna be about a devil-like alien who comes to visit earth.
4 colours.

Offline Avocado

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Re: [WIP] platform mockup

Reply #1 on: August 07, 2009, 04:46:17 pm
You're doing a great job breaking up monotony and creating lots of interesting visual effects with your four color limitation and I think that everything looks great, but I have a few comments.

I'm not really sure what the thing on the top right is at all, I'm guessing that it's some sort of inventory but I dont know what the key thing is that the character seems to be carrying.  I'm also kind of unsure about the little border things you have going on for the menu in the top right, maybe it would be cool if they were solid but became like that and span around if the item was selected but again, im not really sure what that menu is.  Having the health on the bottom right kind of throws me off because health is traditionally on the top left, and I feel like you might want to put health and the ability that the player has selected close to each other so a lot of information can be obtained from looking in one place.  I don't know if points are an important aspect of the game or if its just a high-score sort of thing.  If they're not significant to gameplay you can get away with leaving them seperate from everything else and not taking up too much space near the top of the screen.

As far as pixel crits go, the protagonist seems sort of bland compared to the rest of the mockup, and I feel like breaking the white outline to draw the horns makes them seem kind of out of place.  You could probably throw another color into the bush right next to the player, and the lamp feels kind of static.  I don't know if it would be too much trouble to make the ground tiles sort of move around a little as if the lamp were flickering but I think that would be pretty cool.  I love how interesting your house looks, but it seems to me that the door is too big.  It stretches to the ceiling of the first floor and seems far too large for the alien.  I also don't really know what the white outline stuff of the house is supposed to be but it looks good and it definitely does not disturb anything.  I think the fence looks great but im not really sure what the bulb behind the fence near the house is, I'm assuming its some sort of miniature tree?

But again, great job working with just four colors, I would definitely play this game if it were made.

Offline JimTheWonderDog

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Re: [WIP] platform mockup

Reply #2 on: August 08, 2009, 12:14:52 pm
Here I fixed what you said: size of the door, head-up display, I turned that bulb into some kind of a tyre, and lastly, I removed the outline from the character, but it feels there isn't enough focus on him. How can I fix the whole piece?

« Last Edit: August 08, 2009, 12:19:25 pm by JimTheWonderDog »

Offline Lizzrd

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Re: [WIP] platform mockup

Reply #3 on: August 08, 2009, 08:29:44 pm
You could make the character stand out more bt making clearly detailed parts and make it have some contrast some places, because huge contrast attract human eyes.
Photocopier: the fact that arne can also code so well
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Offline JimTheWonderDog

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Re: [WIP] platform mockup

Reply #4 on: August 09, 2009, 12:27:05 pm
Here I tried to add some contrast. I really struggled with this one. I don't like it, so I'd really appreciate any c+c.



Which is the best one:

I don't feel any of them is acceptable, but can't tell why. Any help?
« Last Edit: August 09, 2009, 12:40:09 pm by JimTheWonderDog »